A week or so ago now, I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of the awesome Elliot and Sam at the Saracen's Head in Towcester.
They'd both really lucked out with the weather, as there was a pretty solid day of sunshine on the cards which made for some epic summery photos of them both with their guests.
As is the case with any wedding I shoot, I always make a point of meeting with the venue's wedding planner to announce my arrival, and to ask for a brief tour of the venue so I can quickly grab a few shots with the various function rooms neatly laid out before the guests arrive.
It's also a wicked opportunity to work out where the best places are to grab photos and for me to find little places to hide to capture guests naturally enjoying themselves without worrying about the pressure of the camera being stuck in their faces.
Then it was on to the bridal prep!
it's pretty much a given that when it comes to the bridal prep, the ladies are always running a little bit behind schedule, so it was no surprise when I spoke to Michelle the wedding organiser, they needed an extra 15 mins before I could head up, so I grabbed Elliot and his groomsmen to grab a couple of pics of them enjoying a few swift pints of Dutch courage as their guests were steadily arriving.
When I eventually made my way up to the bridal suite, safe to say, between Sam and her 4 bridesmaids and 2 flower girls space was at a real premium, so I had to get really creative with grabbing the shots I needed without getting in the way.... too much!
Ceremony time!
I always like it when couples get creative with their ceremonies, and they'd made a real effort to put their own spin on tradition by including a reading from 2 of the bridesmaids, who did the bride and groom proud!
Once we'd finished up with the legalities, the newlyweds were first to leave the room, with me closely following to grab those all-important shots. I'd love to say that bit went smoothly, but to be honest. despite the guests taking the correct exit, myself, Elliot and Sam, had somehow wound up taking the wrong exit out of the function room onto the public footpath in the middle of Towcester! It wasn't too much of an issue though, as the traffic were honking their horns and shouting their congratulations.
Just before we made it back to the wedding party, back inside the venue, I seized the opportunity to snap some pictures of just the bride and groom before the guests caught up with us.
Prior to the big day, Sam had mentioned getting pictures of the younger generation first, so (As she put it) they could get back to Tik-Toking! So we buttoned those up nice and quickly and moved on to the more traditional group shots the couple had requested.
By that time, it was, unfortunately, time for me to depart and leave the wedding party to enjoy the rest of their day!
Sam and Elliot are a lovely couple, and it's clear to see just from looking back over their pictures, how much of a great match they are for each other. Anyone who gets the pleasure of spending 5 minutes in Sam's company will know that she is a huge laugh to be around, and is just a real ray of bubbly sunshine. Elliot is just as much of a pleasure to be around too! He was incredibly calm throughout my whole time at their wedding. It's clear to see he's definitely "one of the lads", but still managed to do both his new wife and their guests properly proud by making sure the whole day went smoothly!
I wish them both all the happiness in the world for the future, and have already added them firmly to the Christmas card list!
That's a wrap for this week!
Peace, Love and Photos.
Jono x