Love & Madness - A Royal Gothic Wedding Inspiration Shoot at Peckforton Castle - Peckforton Castle Wedding Photography

““The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” ”

— Jack Kerouac

I got home from a day of shooting today and, briefly, collapsed. Because I was EXHAUSTED from the energy that ignited in me spending a day amongst some of the MOST talented wedding creatives I have had the privilege to work with. There was a palpable hum of excitement that made the air crackle when we drove up the winding lane to the MAJESTIC Peckforton Castle this morning. The wind was wild and howling between the trees, setting the scene for today’s ‘Camelot/Game of Thrones (but make it wedding)’ shoot with a team of GENIUS women assembled by the incredibly talented Lauren Poole for Matrimony magazine. And in the centre of the storm with all of the preparations and activity buzzing around them were our models, my muses - my FISH - my Nina and Zakk who continue to influence and inspire every damn project we embark on together.

I wish I could wax poetic for a few more paragraphs but for once I’m going to shut the hell up and let these preview images speak for themselves. I say it all the time but I’m saying it again: I LOVE this job so much , I LOVE these humans who put EVERYTHING into this work and by proximity elevate those of us around them. That every single person on the shoot today threw everything into the concept and worked at the very top of their game. And that they all entrusted me to capture their incredibly artistry is incredibly humbling. Work like today, physically and creatively and emotionally working to match everyone else’s energy and vision makes me a better photographer. There is beauty in this exhaustion, there is power in connection and perfection in the way the hair goes a little wild, the dress gets a little muddy, the faces get even closer together.

Thank you to my dream team for their exquisite work today. Thank you to Lauren for bringing us all together and letting me boss you all around for a few hours. But mostly thank you to Queen Nina and her Zakk for remaining open and brave and trusting and continuing to let me re-invent their wedding photos over and over again.