On their wedding day Vicky and Kayliegh got ready in separate wings of the venue (the beautiful Morden Hall in London) . The two rooms were buzzing with excitement, laughter, and pre-wedding nerves!

 I love to be an observer of this part of the day. I busy myself sneaking around with dresses and shoes to photograph, making sure that they aren’t seen by the wrong family. I discretely capture hair and make-up and emotional moments. I help the boys to put on their button holes (every wedding!) and relay messages between families, groomsmen, and bridesmaids as I switch between rooms.

As the time of the ceremony approached both brides were helped into their beautiful dresses by maids and mums. Kayleigh and Vicky had each chosen their wedding dress in secret from the other, ahead of that most anticipated and traditional reveal moment on the wedding isle. As one of the first people to see both brides in their dresses I clocked immediately how well they complemented each other. Not only did this illustrate just how beautifully in tune with each other the girls are, but also I knew that this was going to be photographic magic!

I record the majority of a wedding story in a photo-journalist style, capturing candid moments as they unfold. I then add in some staged portraits of the wedding couple. Traditionally wedding portraits are done all at once shortly after the ceremony. This eats away a precious chunk of time right in the middle of the wedding day and is often when the natural light is at its least complimentary. Instead, I like to recommend that we work individual posed photos into opportune moments of the afternoon and evening rather than doing them all at once. This enables me to create a more diverse photo-set for my couples. I can utilise the light and dark at different stages of the afternoon and evening creatively. The wedding couple can stay present in their wedding day, taking enjoyable 5-10 minute breaks to steal away together for a photo. It’s not right for every couple and every wedding but in a lot of circumstances I find it is a great way to fit photography into the big day.

Foregoing the traditional layout, Vicky and Kayliegh opted to arrange their ceremony room seating in a U shape. Not only did this allow both brides the perfect entrance down the elegant staircase at Morden Hall, but it also created an intimate atmosphere between them and their guests, despite a large congregation.

Towards the end of the evening I set up my lighting equipment outside at the front of the hall for the last posed photo. When everything was in place and ready to go I headed back inside and towards the packed dance floor. I gave Vicky a wave and asked if she and Kayliegh would like to come out. The brides were keen to go for it and ready for a five minute break together out in the fresh air. Once outside I showed them where I needed them to stand. I remember saying “This is going to be the big one, this is the photo that you will have printed and put up on the wall”. I looked through my camera’s view finder but it was so dark that I couldn’t really see much of anything. I clicked the shutter and my flash lights fired.  I glanced down at the camera’s LCD screen, Vicky and Kayleigh had stolen a kiss in the darkness. The resulting symmetry of their embrace worked perfectly for the shot! Through my dark viewfinder I hadn’t quite framed them as centrally within the gates as I wanted. I could also see that the trains of their dresses needed slight adjustment to make them mirror one another to perfect the image. Dresses tweaked I returned to my camera. “Do exactly what you did before!” I instructed. The brides kissed again and I took the picture.

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Photography: Pike Photography

Venue: Morden Hall

Hair and Make Up: Glamavan

Flowers: The Blooming Workshop