I’ve been thinking a lot about all of the couples out there who are having to postpone their 2020 weddings and, unfortunately, not able to get the equivalent date in 2021 due to their venues, photographers, caterers, etc being already booked for that date. Especially if it’s a peak summer Saturday. 

However, the alternative is to move their wedding date to another month entirely, with Autumn and Winter being the prime options. 

I know it may seem worrying going from a potentially lovely, warm, rain-free day in July to a cold, blustery, wet day in November… but honestly, from experience, the weather has never EVER affected any of my past couples’ happiness on their big day. 

And anyway, you can NEVER guarantee your UK Summer wedding is going to be sunny anyway! The keyword in that sentence is “UK”. If you hadn’t already noticed, it rains here. A lot! Whereas October, November, March, April… these can all have beautiful sunny days with epic sunsets.

Plus it gets darker a bit earlier in these months, which means lots more dancing time for your guests. My partner, Tom, is a wedding DJ (www.instagram.com/tombyrneweddingdj) and he will testify that you need a dark room for people to be brave enough to dance. Clubs and bars are usually dark to encourage dancing, so your wedding should be the same!

While I have been thinking about how amazing out-of-season weddings can be, it reminded me of one bright and chilly day in Wales when I was lucky enough to shoot the wedding of Helen & Scott.

Tyn Dwr Hall is tucked away in the Llangollen hillside with huge windows in the reception space to overlook the beautiful countryside. I’d never shot there before, but that’s one of my favourite parts of the job – getting to explore new places like a blank canvas.

This wedding was also a very special one for me because I had previously shot 2 of Helen & Scott’s friends’ weddings in 2017 and 2015, so I already knew lots of faces in the crowd – it felt like I was joining an old group of friends. (See image below of me and my 3 gorgeous couples).

The day was definitely a family affair, with many of Helen & Scott’s nearest and dearest supplying readings, Master of Ceremonies, and even tinkling the ivories in the snug later in the evening (with bride Helen and sister bridesmaid Emma warbling along). It’s always a pleasure to see so many friends and family getting involved, it makes the day feel so personal, which is reflected in the images I capture.

My couples don’t realise how easy they make my job by just being completely happy all day; not worrying about how cold it is outside (doesn’t matter), whether it will rain or not (sometimes it does), whether their guests are having a good time (they always are), what time it is (don’t worry, you’ll be reminded when something is due to happen) or whether people will look for them if they disappear for some extra sunset photos (they won’t). All I can ever hope for from my couples is no worries, lots of smiles, carefree attitudes and lots of trust in my experience, knowledge and ability.

Helen & Scott mastered all of that BEAUTIFULLY. And if they can, you can too!

But enough about what I thought, here are the bride & groom in their own words…