When Jolene asked me to photograph her wedding at first I was honoured and excited, then when she mentioned it was going to be in February I started to panic. It was after all only my second solo wedding. Whilst the things running through a brides head when planning a winter wedding are things like beautiful snow, twinkly fairy lights, and cozy food and dancing; the things running through a photographers head are dark venue, harsh spotlights and bad weather!
Fortunately for me, Jo was on hand with lots of cool umbrellas should the weather turn bad but the rest of the problems (in my head) were down to me to solve! Part of the beauty of being photographer is dealing with things things on the fly as and when they come up. That’s why I love wedding photography, because you never know what might happen, or what lighting you might come up against but you can be prepared. This meant visiting the venue early, working out where formals could be shot quickly to get everyone back into the warm. Working out where the formals would be shot if it was pouring down. Nailing your camera settings for the various light sources around the building and outside. Having a plan means less stress for everyone involved!
In hindsight I needn’t have worried at all. Jo & Ric are most laid back brilliant couple and that really helped on the day. Even when I dragged Jo across the snow in her tiny wedding shoes to a little garden I just had to get a shot of them in! The Hospitium in York was a stunning venue and worked so well with Jo and Ric’s red theme. The snowy gardens topped off the perfect wedding.
I thought I’d finish this post with my personal favourite image from Jo & Ric’s Wedding. Just after Jo had walked down the aisle with her father and been seated at the front I caught Jo’s Mum leaning round the column at the front of the Hospitium looking at her daughter with such a loving, proud and nervous look in her eye. Beautiful moment, and so happy that I managed to capture it!
