David and Sue

The final wedding of the year for me was Sue and David at Wentbridge House Hotel.

Set in a beautiful little village in South Yorkshire, the hotel allowed them the house and grounds to themselves in which to entertain their guests and celebrate their wedding in style.

I got there in time to catch Sue's preparations with her bridesmaids and family, and I was there to follow the ceremony right through to the start of their meal.

Elegance and smartness were the order of the day, but David is rarely one to be too serious for a long time, and there were giggles and roars of laughter throughout the ceremony. Following the golden rule of weddings, they made the day reflect them as a couple, welcoming everyone along for the celebration.


We devoted some time to getting family photos with Sue's father Bill, and I'm very glad to have been able to photograph him walking his daughter down the aisle, as sadly he passed away a few days after the wedding.

This has made me realise how important the apparently simple act of capturing memories with a camera can be. It's an honour to be able to do this for such lovely people.

The Subterranian Edinburgh Wedding

When Fiona asked me to photograph her wedding, she was in South Korea teaching English, and her husband-to-be had not even officially popped the question. She knew they were going to get married, but not when or where, and for a while, it could have been anywhere

I've known Fiona for about 10 years, and I've photographed her family a few times. I knew her wedding would be an amazing event, full of family and friends all as loud, chatty and funny as her. When she finally returned to the UK and I met the man she's chosen to spend the rest of her life with, I could see Steve was perfect for her, and that they are totally devoted to each other.

Our planning sessions were held in the pub round the corner, and Steve demonstrated his expert organisational skills, pulling out a thick folder of paperwork and spreadsheets. He's the most well organised groom I've ever met, and it was important, because they had chosen a place as interesting, and unique as themselves to get married in. It was in Edinburgh. And it was underground.

The Edinburgh Caves is a venue occupying 2 of the vaults underneath the bridge. The lighting is all LED, candles and stage spots, which might create a great intimate atmosphere for the guests, but it's a photographer's nightmare. Never one to let a challenge get the best of me, I set about covering the proceedings from all angles, and enjoyed myself almost as much as the bride and groom.

The ceremony was beautiful, reflecting the values of the two very different individuals coming together, and the following celebration ceilidh was as bouncy and joyous as it should've been. Another cracking wedding that reminded me why I love my job!

Thanks guys, here's to many years of happiness.

The Thursday Club in Manor Heath Park

For the last 4 years, I've had the pleasure of getting to know the Jones girls. I first met Louise when she was heavily pregnant with Ava, and Masie and Katie were typically boisterous 3 and 5 year olds. They followed Jo and I to our new studio when we set up, and were among the first people to take up our idea of  going outside to have some fun to shoot more natural photos.

So when Louise asked if I'd be able to shoot 13 kids outside in a park in Halifax, I jumped at the chance, and we set a date.

When the day came, it turned out to be the morning after the massive reception to a rather lovely wedding (of which more later...), and I was feeling just a little bit delicate, but somehow managed to shake it off and have some very noisy fun with this rabble!

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Here's a few of the shots.

Dave, Toni and Lily!

I first met Dave and Toni when they came to the studio about 2 years ago, and I've had the pleasure of photographing Lily as she's grown from the newborn she was when I first met her into a very entertaining and happy toddler.

We went for a little stroll along one of their favourite footpaths on Bank Holiday Monday. Here's a few shots.