A Plymouth Wedding - In Two Halves
This one is a little different… I photographed Aimee and James’ wedding celebrations across two separate days, on different months! The couple booked me for three hours coverage at the beginning of March for their ceremony and then another three hours of coverage at the beginning of April for their wedding reception. I’m not really sure why the wedding celebrations were spread out like that but it was actually really amazing.
Let’s start with the ceremony in March, which was an intimate celebration with just 13 people present (including the Bride and Groom). It took place at the council house, which is Plymouth’s registry office in the city centre. I’ve always really loved the light in this ceremony room, there are windows along one side and blinds which help to soften the light. The ceremony was a lot of fun - particularly because the Bride and Groom’s young son was running around the room during the vows. Every now and then we heard him stomping along the back of the room, chasing his yellow toy car and it made everyone laugh.
March 2nd - The ‘I Do’s’
The council house does not have a private outdoor area to use for photos and the car park area right outside isn’t the most photogenic of places. So usually I suggest walking across the road, up towards the Hoe for group photos and portraits of the happy couple. Unfortunately it had started to rain quite heavily so anywhere outdoors wasn’t looking too appealing. I asked the registrars how long we had til the next wedding ceremony was due to start and they said we were the last one for the day, so this meant we didn’t have to rush out of the building. So I made a start on the group photos at the back of the ceremony room, utilising that soft light that I love so much. I had a list of 20 group photos that the couple wanted and I managed to do 16 before we were asked to leave - not bad. As the guests were making their way outside I managed to get one beautiful shot of the Bride and Groom stood by the window and then one of them heading down the stairs.
So we were out in the rain and I still had four group photos to do, plus more portraits of the Bride and Groom. We were toying with the idea of walking up towards the Hoe but the weather wasn’t very inviting. The couple had a table booked at Bistrot Pierre at Royal William Yard so I suggested we head straight there, I even took a car full of people which saved the Bride’s dad having to do two trips. When we arrived at Royal William Yard the rain had eased off slightly, but we were able to utilise areas that had a bit of shelter too. I was at RWY with the couple for 15-20 minutes maximum - enough time to get the four group photos done, then some Bride and Groom portraits and I even popped into Bistrot Pierre briefly to get a few more candid photos of guests and another quick portrait of the couple indoors.
During Aimee & James' wedding portraits, an elderly couple walked past us. They congratulated the newly weds and told us how many years they'd been married (I can't remember how many years they said, but it was in the 60's I think). Anyway, James asked them if they had any advice and the man said "you don't get any time off for good behaviour". Interesting wisdom to bestow upon us. But it gave us a good laugh. It was a lovely interaction to capture on camera and one of my favourite images of the year so far.
Bride’s Dress: Coast Fashion
Bride’s Bouquet: Petal’s Florist
Groom’s Suit: Moss Bros
April 5th - The Reception
Fast forward a month and it was time for the wedding reception, which was held at The Treasury in Plymouth. I started my three hours of coverage as guests were arriving and the party was beginning. The couple had a DJ for the night (which was supplied by the venue) they also had a photobooth (which was a family friend’s company based in Crawley).
While the party was still warming up, I wandered around the venue looking for a nice location for a portrait of the happy couple. I had this cute idea to sit the couple in one of the windowsills downstairs and photograph them from outside looking in. I’m so pleased that they were happy to take five minutes out of time with their guests to let me get creative for them.
Back upstairs, the buffet had just been served and guests didn’t hesitate to tuck in. Normally during a wedding I would take a break while guests are eating. It’s usually the only opportunity for me to have a break on a typical wedding day and I’ve always felt like there’s not much to capture during that part of the day anyway. Also, people don’t tend to like having cameras pointed at them while they are eating, so I think it’s often best to stay away while people eat and not make them feel uncomfortable.
But… as I was only booked for three hours of coverage for this reception I didn’t require a break at all and I knew I needed to make the most out of the time the couple booked me for. So on this occasion, I did keep working whilst people were eating. I definitely didn’t take as many photos during this part of the evening as I was concerned I would make guests feel uncomfortable. I did get a few comical photos of people mid-bite but I tried to focus on the wider scene - guests chatting, enjoying themselves.
Once people had finished eating I took the opportunity to ask guests if they had any photo requests for me. This is something I always do if I feel there’s an appropriate time for it. Guests often have friends, siblings or cousins that they haven’t seen for years or maybe they’d like a photo with their other half, just because they don’t have a lot of photos together that aren’t selfies, so most guests do take me up on the offer. It only takes 30 seconds for me to get a photo of those people all together and those photos can be really valuable to so many people. I used the fairy light backdrop and Mr & Mrs light up letters for these posed guest photos. I took roughly 15 photo requests from guests but I’ve just uploaded a few to the blog so you can get a rough idea.
With everyone’s stomach’s lined for the evening, there was nothing left to do but party. The vibe on the dance floor was amazing, so much so that I didn’t want to leave. I decided to use the shutter drag technique and that’s how I got all of the lights to trail, resulting in these atmospheric images. I took loads of dance floor photos like this but here’s just a few as an example.
Venue: The Treasury Plymouth
DJ: Supplied by venue
Photo booth: Pop Up Party Hire (Crawley)
Light up Letters and Backdrop: Inspire Event Hire
“Leah was incredible for both our intimate ceremony and larger wedding reception! She made us feel so at ease and her creative ideas have given us some wonderful photos and memories. We had so many guests comment on how lovely Leah is and all were impressed by her photos! I would definitely recommend Leah because she really goes above and beyond to make sure you have the best experience and shots! Biggest thank you to Leah!”