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.

If you’re getting married at Ansty Hall, you’ve probably already had that moment where you thought, “yeah… this just feels right.”

I’ve been to more weddings than I can count at this point, and you start to notice a bit of a pattern. There are things that happen at almost every single one… not because couples love them, but because they feel like they’re part of the deal. And look, if you do love them, crack on. It’s your day. No judgment here. But if you’re on the fence about any of this, consider this your permission slip to quietly stick a few of these in the bin by breaking wedding traditions.

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.

With Mother’s Day this weekend, it got me thinking about something I see at almost every wedding I photograph. Weddings are full of big moments. The confetti, the speeches, the dance floor when everyone’s had a few drinks and suddenly thinks they’re starring in their own music video. But if you watch closely, there’s another version of the wedding day happening at the same time. A quieter one. The version your mum's eyes experience.

Every family has one. You know the one. The relative who turns up to weddings with a camera bag the size of hand luggage, a couple of impressive looking lenses, and the quiet confidence of someone who “used to do a bit of photography back in the day”.

Kelly at Twinkles and Tiaras is one of those people who makes you realise just how much impact the right supplier can have on a wedding day.

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.

Planning a wedding has a funny way of creeping up on you. You start with excitement, ideas, big smiles and a vague sense that you’ve got time. Then one day you’re deep into planning and suddenly everything has a price attached to it. Some expected. Some… not so much.

Your wedding should feel like you. Not a performance of what you think weddings have to look like. The best wedding days are the fun ones. The ones where people laugh so hard their shoulders shake.

Why your aisle moment deserves a real connection, not a screen grab. Picture this. You take that first step down the aisle. Your heart’s thumping. Your partner’s trying not to ugly cry. It’s the moment you’ve waited for. You want to remember exactly how they looked right then. The nerves. The smile. The love. The everything.

An honest guide for anyone about to pop the question. Right then. We need to talk about proposals. December and the New Year are basically engagement season.

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.

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.”

If you’re planning a wedding in the UK, let’s be honest: rain is basically a guaranteed guest. But before you panic about soggy dresses and ruined hair, let me reassure you — rain on your wedding day doesn’t mean your photos are doomed.

Wedding photography is not about stiff poses anymore. It is about energy, story and personality. Couples book me because they want photos that feel alive and modern, something they will look back on and grin at rather than a gallery of formal smiles.

It’s tempting to pinch a few pennies where you can, and budget-friendly wedding suppliers might seem like a steal. But when it comes to wedding photography – the one thing that will preserve your big day forever – bargain-hunting can lead to heartbreak.

2023 has been an incredible year. I've worked with so many amazing couples, suppliers and without a doubt made many new friends.

Our recent social media updates have been buzzing with excitement as we eagerly prepared for our fall photoshoots this year.