Well, that was a bit of a mental week, wasn't it?
I can honestly say, Monday and Tuesday were absolute hell on earth. Monday was scorching and uncomfortable, but then Tuesday was on a completely new level to any heat I've ever experienced before, and for the first time ever, I was relieved to not have a wedding in the diary on either of those days!
As is the case whenever we get any heat in the UK, it's generally followed up with a monumental thunderstorm to firmly bring you crashing back down to earth and cool you off a bit. So, to say I was apprehensive about Caitlin and Jacks's wedding, which was booked for Wednesday, was a bit of an understatement, especially as we'd planned a trip over to Beacon Hill where they had got engaged to grab a few location shots in between venues.
As is often the case though, turns out I was worrying too much, and when I arrived in Loughborough, we'd got clear skies and hot weather, that was just about tolerable and about 10 degrees cooler than the day before.
Now, before I go any further, let me just take a second to tell you about Caitlin.
Nerves do funny things to people sometimes, and when a strange man such as myself turns up with a camera to capture that, it can often amplify any pre-wedding jitters. Let me just say, this was definitely not the case for Caitlin. From the moment I arrived to capture her bridal prep, she was an absolute joy to photograph and 100% wins the award for some of the best sentences I've ever heard someone say at a wedding! So before I tell you about said quotes, it's important for me to provide some context:
Caitlin's maid of honour had just finished getting ready. Most brides will generally say something like "You look amazing" or some other variation on the same. Not Caitlin. She uttered a line that I think just perfectly summed it up: "Awwww, you look well Disney".
Second quote. Now, even though it wasn't as hot as the day before, it was still warm, and with a hotel room full of people and air conditioning that was less than adequate, it was definitely a little warmer than everyone would have liked. As her dress was being done up, she turned to everyone and said "I hope Jack doesn't mind back sweat".
For the record, he didn't.
Once we'd completed a bit of bridal prep, it was time for me to head down to meet Jack and the rest of the wedding party who were ready and waiting for Caitlin's arrival. Everyone was in high spirits, looking amazing and ready to witness what I was confident would be a fantastic ceremony.
As Jack was whisked away to go and declare he was officially still wanting to get married and wasn't in any way being forced to do so against his will, myself and their guests assumed our positions in the function room ready for the Ceremony to begin.
I always like to grab a few pictures of the groom anxiously waiting, and I did just that with Jack. I'd asked him jokingly to see if he could pull off a pose of looking nervous and impatient, which for obvious reasons, he didn't have a problem with, in the slightest.
As is customary with Registrars of late, I'm seeing more and more relaxed ceremonies, where they don't have a problem with me moving around to get the shots I need. The registrar even asked me between the legalities if I wanted to swap sides so I could capture even more angles of the happy couple. HUGELY appreciated!
When the I do's were completed, and the ceremony was finished, the happy couple and their guests all filed out to the surrounding grounds for a few quick group shots, just before we headed out to Beacon Hill for some location shots where Jack and Caitlin had got engaged.
Whenever I get the opportunity to go to a location for photos in between venues, I always like to try and make things as relaxed as possible, with the newlyweds just having a laugh and me being there to snap a few photos with the occasional prompt from myself to get those nice candid shots.
After we'd finished at Beacon Hill, it was then time for us to head over to the next function room to meet back up with the rest of the guests, so I could capture even more of those candid moments of the wedding party enjoying themselves.
Once I'd finished skirting around the edges catching people while they were off guard, laughing and smiling it was, unfortunately, time for me to finish.
I had a fantastic time at Caitlin and Jack's wedding. They're such a well-suited couple, and a huge laugh to be around. They both looked amazing and having looked over their photos' briefly, I can already tell I got some really stunning pictures. Genuinely one of my favourite weddings from the year to date.
I'm gonna leave it there for this week.
Have a wicked week!
Peace, Love and Photos.
Jono x