Young // Child Friendly Wedding

I’ve absolutely loved sorting the images for this blog. It was a special wedding for me, which I’ll come on to, but it was also a beautiful, child friendly, wedding.

The bride is my wife’s best friend, we’re also friends with the groom, which is the reason it was a special day. It’s a privilege to do any wedding, but when a friend asks to do it, even more so – it also mounts the pressure! My beautiful wife, Liz, did the hair for the bridal party, which looked stunning. She left as I arrived to get some detail and prep shots at the bride’s father’s house. With so many bridesmaid and flower girls in the house it really was a hive of activity. Then the flower lady came to deliver the flowers, and I think you’ll agree that Alyx’s reaction says it all, they were beautiful, and a pleasure to photograph. There was also a memorial image of Alyx’s mum, which was a very nice way of having her as a part of the day.

I love to take natural shots, I know it’s something everyone says, but it’s something I firmly believe, one of my favourite shots of the day, possibly the whole wedding season, was of Alyx dancing with her flowergirls in the kitchen. I hadn’t told her to do it, I don’t think she even knew I was there, but it was a moment when they were all happy, as a family, excited about what the day would bring. I love it.

Off I went to Stamford Register office to meet Cam, I mean, he wasn’t there, but I was… He quickly arrived after having a swift half (definitely only a half Alyx) and looked pretty nervous awaiting Alyx’s arrival. The ceremony took place and it was clear to see how happy and in love these two guys are. Afterwards, we had a few couple portraits on famous town bridge and town hall steps – a really great location, with a special meaning for the couple.

There were a lot of children at the reception, and they’d been well thought about! A bouncy castle took pride of place on the lawn, and there were bubbles. Now, I know I’ve said this, if you’re planning a child friendly wedding – you need bubbles, seriously. lots of bubbles! The Blue-Bell is a lovely venue, it’s small and intimate inside, with plenty of attention paid to details, white linen, and decorations. Plus, the food was amazing. Obviously my wife attended the wedding, and I flicked between shooting and attending, you may see my wife pop up in the images below, Alyx was pretty jealous of her… ahem… assets shall we say… There’s even a sneaky, lesser spotted, picture of me holding a baby in here.

A few beautiful group shots, more bubbles, some touching speeches, and an amazing cake all followed – and the day was finished off with a first dance where the song was chosen by Cam, it was a secret throughout, and I think he got some brownie points for his choice; A great acoustic version of Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’.

Overall, not only was it a special wedding for me, it was a truly beautiful wedding to capture. I love to be a part of all weddings, but especially ones where it’s a true reflection of a couple’s love for each other.