I think that we can agree at this point that weddings as we know them will never be the same - but, really is that the absolute worst thing? In such a creative industry, we are constantly thinking on our feet, adapting to the ever-changing conditions (weather and otherwise), making adjustments dependent on the individual couples and venues and whole myriad of challenges that are thrown our way on a wedding day - as wedding professionals, our duty of care is to our couples and to give them the most magical, stress-free wedding we possibly can. 2020 can get in the sea for so many reasons but I’m actually not mad at how my personal career path has altered (and yes, privilege is checked and very real, I’m hyper-aware of that). 2020 has, above everything else, forced me to slow down from the breakneck pace of the past five years of hustle and hard work. 2020 has been DEVASTATING for so many of my friends and colleagues within the wedding industry, so I feel so so very lucky that, for the few remaining weddings I have this year, I can truly focus all of my time and attention on the couples brave enough to forge ahead with whatever a wedding now is. A wedding in a pancdemic, as I’ve written before, is a pure concentration of just two people and the vows witnessed that bind them together for the next stage of this beautiful, perfectly imperfect life. This is also why, when I get a phone call just two weeks ago from my friend Hannah at The Holford Estate in Knutsford asking if I can shoot an elopement on the 21st of August (my 35th birthday incidentally), I said a big fat YES without any hesitation.

The WONDERFUL Jasmine and Will, like thousands of couples, had their big beautiful wedding plans totally scuppered by this bogeyman of a year. But with multiple factors to consider, not the least of which was ‘wedding planning fatigue’, after so much waiting and postponing and changing and multiple conversations with Frances and Hannah at Holford they too realised that the most important part were those vows and everything else is just details. So they began planning a wedding day for two and whatever that looks like - which, as we now know, is ANYTHING.

After a lovely, fairly emotional conversation with Jasmine after Hannah passed her my details, we agreed on a timeline for the day that included me nipping into Manchester to the STUNNING Hotel Gotham to capture those final preparations and my favourite part of photographing an elopement, the ‘first look’. I arrived in the midst of typical North West bluster and was delighted to meet the happy couple for the first time as they were just finishing up getting ready. Jasmine managed to keep her spectacular Jessica Bennett Bespoke gown hidden from Will so, after shooing him downstairs to wait for his bride, I helped her into her dress and Jimmy Choos. A few quick snaps and a very Manchester first look and mini-portrait session and we were off into the Cheshire countryside and The Holford Estate.

What followed was a beautiful, happy-tear-filled hour of solemn vows in the middle of a candlelit room, cheers from the tiny group of people fortunate enough to bear witness and celebrate the happy couple and a very wet and windy photo session in Holford’s breathtaking gardens. After a wild year of stops and starts, I literally could think of no better or more special way to celebrate my birthday - I say it all the time but I cannot express just how much I love my job, that what I do is now intricately woven into who I am and I feel so so very thankful to the couples who entrust me with their memories. Thank you so so much to Jasmine and Will for having me along on Friday, than kyou to Hannah and Frances for, as always, providing the most perfect ‘office’ and to the rest of the wonderfully talented suppliers (linked below), who made this very 2020 wedding happen. Here’s a sneak peek of what we got up to…

Dream Team

Venue -The Holford Estate https://www.theholfordestate.co.uk/

Bridal Suite - Hotel Gotham https://www.hotelgotham.co.uk/

Dress - Jessica Bennett Bespoke https://www.jessicabennettbespokebride.co.uk/

Shoes - Jimmy Choo https://www.jimmychoo.com

Tux - Reiss https://www.reiss.com/mens/suits/

Bridal Bouquet - Mary Mary Floral Design https://www.marymaryflorals.co.uk/

Hair - Zara Pereira https://www.m3hairandbeautymanchester.co.uk/dt_team/ms-zara-pereira/

Makeup - Yasmin Schwitzer http://www.yasminschwitzer.com/