The second you get engaged, it suddenly feels like the entire world has an opinion on your wedding. Family members get involved, TikTok starts showing you things you apparently now “need”, Pinterest convinces you everyone else is living inside a bridal magazine, and before long, you’re three hours deep into comparing napkin colours, wondering how your life ended up here.

There’s a very specific moment that happens during wedding planning. Someone checks the weather forecast.

Ceremony’s done, everyone’s in a good mood, drinks are flowing… and then someone pulls out a list. Not just a list either… a list. Names, combinations, people you haven’t seen in years, “just one more with…”… and before you know it, 40 minutes has disappeared and you’ve barely had a second to actually enjoy the fact you’ve just got married.

I see it all the time. You get engaged, you start planning, you’ve got about twelve tabs open, and suddenly you’re comparing photographers like you’re buying something off Amazon. They all look pretty similar at first glance, nice photos, similar sounding packages, wildly different prices, and before long you’re thinking, “do we really need to spend that much?”

Most people think they’re booking a Wedding Photographer, someone to take photos of their special day. Nice and simple. Turn up, take a few pictures, go home. That’s the expectation anyway... The reality is very different.

After photographing weddings for years, you start to notice patterns. Not just in how days run, but in who makes them easier, calmer, and actually enjoyable to be part of.

Grateful, knackered, inspired, and ready for what’s next. As the year winds down and my inbox finally quietens a bit, it feels like the perfect time to stop, breathe, and look back by reflecting on 2025, which has just flown past.

I’ve got no idea who first decided that shouting “cheese” was the magic trick for a good photo, but they owe all of us an apology. The second someone says it, everyone tenses up. Shoulders rise. Eyes go wide. Smiles freeze into that weird, slightly panicked grin you used to do in primary school photos. And honestly, nothing kills a real moment faster than that.

Let’s talk about group photos! They’re one of those parts of the day that everyone knows are coming. Everyone knows they matter. Yet, somehow, they still have the potential to descend into mild chaos if they’re not handled right.

Let us talk money. It is not the most glamorous part of wedding planning, but it is one of the first questions couples ask and probably the thing that causes the most raised eyebrows. You start looking around and suddenly realise there are photographers charging anything from a couple of hundred quid to prices that make you wonder whether they arrive by helicopter and shoot on cameras made of solid gold.

One of the biggest surprises couples have when they start planning their wedding is just how early photographers get booked. You secure your dream venue, start getting excited about outfits, décor and the general vibe, and then suddenly you realise suppliers are disappearing faster than the last roast potato at a Sunday dinner. And honestly, I do not blame you for being surprised. Nobody tells you this stuff until you are already knee deep in Pinterest boards and timeline str

Let’s be honest. Most couples aren’t models. You probably don’t spend your weekends practising poses in front of the mirror (and if you do, no judgement). So when the thought of a camera being pointed at you all day comes up, it’s totally normal to think: “We’re going to look awkward.”

As a photographer, I've seen my fair share of unique weddings, but when Amelia and Ben reached out to me with their Lego-themed wedding concept, I knew we were in for something truly special.

Find out what happened at Vanessa's and Simon's Wedding.

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