I can honestly say that all my professional photographic training and wedding photography experience in the world could never teach me the true value of capturing a wedding story until I finally experienced being a bride for myself.
Choosing the photographer for our 2010 wedding was one of the most important aspects of our plans, so much so that when it came down to knowing we'd made the right decision our only option was to fly our friend and fellow photographer Christian of
More Than Images halfway across the the world to Mexico to be a part of our day.
The fact that Christian is an old friend and lived some of our story with us as we sailed the seas of the Caribbean together gave him a unique sneek peek behind the scenes into our world but we also took the time to visit him in his Oxfordshire studio, stay connected on social media, keep him up to date with our plans and educate him on everything else that truly mattered. This gave him the details he needed not only to be in the right place at the right time but to approach every image with the conscious intention of expressing our deep love for family and the importance of showcasing the people that had travelled so far to be with us.
I have always been committed to connecting with my clients and creating the most beautiful photos that result within the often hectic, stressful backdrop and time restrictions of a real life wedding day.
What I could never truly grasp in the past was knowing the importance of all the minute interactions and connections happening in front of me as couples, families and friends passed before my lens.
This is where relationship and communication between photographer and couple is key. What story do you want your wedding photos to tell? Who are the truly important people in your day? Who's travelled the globe to be with you? Who have you not seen for years? Which details do you wish to remember forever, grandma's pearls, the sixpence in your shoe, your mothers veil? What are your family dynamics and politics? How do you want to remember this day in 20 years time?
The answer to the question of what matters most to you and expressing their importance will set you in the right direction to achieving the key images of the day but that's no guarantee if you don't then follow through.
Setting aside the time required to capture the story as it unfolds is essential to avoid limiting even the most talented photographer to just shoot the basics. You're also doing yourself a huge disservice as you run the risk of all the planning, time, effort and expense you've put into the day so far being lost in the moment as your photographer rushes through the day, quite rightly focusing on you the star of the show with not a minute to spare on the little things.
Are you prepared practically, emotionally and physically to be the integral force that ultimately has the power to make or break your experience? Are you willing to be ready early? To arrive on time? To step away from the bar? To take a walk in the rain? There is always a way to find balance between fully expressing yourself and how you see the flow of your day and placing your trust in the experience of your photographer and the professionals at your disposal and be guided towards the best possible version of your day.
To truly capture your wedding day story you need to share your details, plans and back story with your photographer, or at least the parts that matter. This is essential for them to know and capture the real essence of who you both are not just today, but everyday forward. What may seem so insignificant now could one day mean the world to you and your family. The most beautiful portrait of the two of you whilst incredibly important will never make up for the fact that in the whirlwind of the day you forgot to get one lasting memory of Great Aunt Betty rocking the dancefloor.
The constant void on our wedding day at not having my mum there and the one that's been created since by the loss of my dad are part of my story, they influence the memories of my wedding day and what I see every time I look at our beautiful wedding storybook that I never got a chance to share with my parents. My story gives me joy and hope when I look back and re-live the best day of my life and the experience of sharing it with our family. My story has made me a better wife, stepmother, sister, friend and photographer, its what makes me work harder, look closer and to always strive to be a better storyteller.
Our story is what drives us and ignites our passion to tell yours, a beautiful photo is only as meaningful as the people it features and the unique story it tells..
"This is how it was,
That is who we are,
Those are the people that matter,
These are the memories we made."
What will your story say about you? Get in touch to share your story and begin our journey.
Here my father is presenting me and my sister with a locket he created in secret containing a photo of my mum who passed away in 2001 and a lock of her hair. The book beneath the locket is a personal project I set for my father in the months leading up to our wedding as a way for him to express to me the written story of his life in his own words, all the things he could never manage to say to me in person and questions I never got a chance to ask my Mother when she was alive. At the time I could never have known the true significance of this moment until 5 months later when my Father also passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.
The raw emotion in this sequence takes my breathe away every time I see them. My father was a modest, self conscious man and nowhere else do we have photographs of him that capture the depth of love he has for me and my sister and his essence like these images. The inset is especially poignant as we had a family joke for as long as I could remember that for a little man he had huge, strong Irish hands.
Davids son Sam has always been an incredibly special part of both our lives. He came with us to Mexico and did us the honour of being our best man. He has lived with us permanently since 2012 but when these images were taken one on one time for David & Sam was precious. Knowing this history our photographer appreciated the significance of capturing these moments. We embraced this amazing opportunity to spend quality time together as a family and Davids parents got a rare chance to see Sam in all his glory and experience the brilliant, beautiful young man he is becoming. You would never know from these images that David hates being photographed and Sam is really quite introverted and likes to blend into his surroundings.
The 2 minute walk to the chapel is generally routed through the interior corridors of the hotel, this is because the majority of brides don't want to risk dirtying the hem of their gowns or getting hot and bothered on the way. I expressed to our co-ordinator that getting beautiful shots of our location was so much more important to me so we mapped out and walked through the best route to the chapel through the gardens in advance so Christian knew his angles and exactly where he needed to be.
We wrote our entire ceremony ourselves and incorporated a meaningful family sand ceremony and personal reading by Sam. Christian new he needed to be ready to capture fleeting moments from all angles
Despite the delicious food and cocktails we missed most of our post ceremony cocktail hour in order to spend quality time getting the photos we wanted. We knew time and sunlight were limited at this point but were happy to make this sacrifice knowing that Christian would keep shooting all day and that once we had these key images in the bag we could relax and devote the rest of the day to our guests whilst Christian captured us more naturally as the day unfolded.
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