Laura & Tom - An Intimate, Botanical-themed DIY Wedding - Cheshire Wedding Photography
In praise of the ‘teeny-tiny’ wedding! And what a wild new world we’re living in - circumstances of our new normal are now affecting every aspect of our lives. But humans are beautifully adaptable creatures and as with every other aspect of our lives these days, I think it’s time to adjust our thinking of what a wedding can be. I’m a notorious fangirl of a ‘teeny-tiny’ wedding! I’ve even adapted my packages to include them because I feel like they allow for a bit more wiggle room finanically but also creatively. The focus is on YOU rather than the EVENT and there’s something extraoridinary about this hyper-concentration of LOVE. So bear with me because I’m starting to now dig back into the archives and pull out some of my favourite intimate weddings from the past few years in the hope that they may inspire couples going forward into this brave new world…
I write a lot on this blog about the collaborative nature of weddings - how it relates so directly to a piece of theater in that it’s almost a pressure cooker for creatives and industry professionals. When you meet the best in their field, it instantly makes you want to attempt to rise to their level and, specifically as a photographer, do justice to the work they’ve created. There’s always so much discussion about the idea of ‘community over competition’ - how the ultimate goal is to work together to create and support each couple’s vision of the day that will mark the beginning of their lives together. So when I met Laura of Cakes by Yolk fame four years ago, someone who’s genius creativity and clear vision for her own work is now leading to dabbling in wedding styling and floristry, it only drives me to take images that capture the romance and jaw-dropping beauty of what she produces; to push my own creative boundaries. And when she’s designing the vision for her OWN wedding, you know it’s the opportunity to create some serious wedding magic.
I had the immense pleasure of capturing Laura’s beautiful and amazing sister Kate’s wedding last November at the epic Holford Estate (to date one of the MOST fun weddings I’ve had the pleasure of photographing!) and fell a bit in love with the extended Marten clan! They are a close-knit bunch and so so warm and welcoming - when Laura and her fiance Tom were describing their teeny-tiny family & friends focused wedding, I was so excited to spend time with them all again. Adding icing to the cake was learning at our pre-wedding coffee date a couple of weeks ago that Laura & Tom are now very proud expectant parents!
When I arrived at Stockport Town Hall for their civil ceremony, Laura emerged from the registry office for an emotional first look with Tom in an extraordinary minimalist Sarah Seven gown (from our mutual friend Emma at Love Bridal Boutique!), positively radiant with the teeniest of baby bumps to an audience of their parents, all beaming with pride and joy. Following the ceremony, we headed off to Laura’s parent’s home in Macclesfield where sister Helen and a veritable army of family members prepared an Ottolenghi feast - whilst we were apprehensive of the storm clouds (and brief showers that threatened to put a literal damper on the day) - once Laura & Tom arrived, the clouds broke and sunshine streamed down alongside the confetti.
I love the extremes of my job so much, I love bearing witness to joy and new life and the beginning of adventures. I feel so so honoured to have captured Laura & Tom’s wedding and to feel so embraced by another beautiful family. Here is a little of what we got up to…
