Lyde Court Wedding Hereford: Michael & Carissa

As soon as Michael & Carissa Skyped me all the way from Australia I knew I wanted to photograph their wedding. We instantly clicked & were on the same page. Plus I loved their venue - Lyde Court, where I have photographed a few times before.

Carissa is from Australia & they met there 10/11 years ago when Michael was travelling. They have been living there together but have now decided to move to the UK, Birmingham to be precise, as that is where Michael is from. Once they arrived back here, about a month before the wedding I met them both & had an engagement shoot. Again, I was instantly excited about the wedding as they are both completely natural with each other which made them natural & relaxed in front of the camera.

Rob was with me for the big day & we were both excited to see that the ceremony was going to be taking place outside underneath an arch that Michael built! Obviously we had to then go inside for 5 minutes so they could say the vows once more to make it legal. The whole day was incredibly relaxed & nothing fazed Michael & Carissa. They were an absolute pleasure to be around & I shed a few tears during the ceremony wherein they said their own vows to each other which were beautiful. One of my favourite lines from Carissa to Michael was: "You are my best friend, & I am your biggest fan."

To make them even more perfect, they both got each other exactly the same wedding gift - a silver broach of their dog. So when Carissa opened hers she laughed & said "I have got him exactly the same." How lovely. Michael had also arranged for their spaniel to come during the drinks reception for a little while to surprise Carissa.

This was a wedding that didn't feel like work at all. We LOVED it. Until next time...