I honestly don’t have the words to convey how amazingly kind, lovely, funny & just all round incredible Yasmin & James are. This is a very appropriate wedding for me to be sharing this week because both myself & Rob LOVED being a part of their day SO MUCH. It’s a day I look back on & smile, & it’s a day that reminds me why I am a wedding photographer.

When Yasmin & James originally booked me I knew it was going to be a stylish one, & I knew we would get along. We have similar tastes & mix with the same people so we instantly ‘got’ each other. Yasmin felt like a friend straight away & when we still message now, I feel as though I have known her for years. That’s when you know you have hit your perfect ‘client’. I actually first met Yasmin at another wedding where she was doing the bride’s hair, another thing we have in common, both working in the same industry.

They got married at Merrydale Manor in Cheshire. Somewhere we had not been before, which I always love. Turning up to somewhere new & exploring the surroundings, getting my creative hat on! It certainly didn’t disappoint. As soon as I saw their gorgeous ceremony room my heart was doing a little excited & nervous dance. I say nervous as a positive! I think it’s normal to still feel the pressure when shooting a wedding, especially when you can see it’s going to be a big one! It keeps you on your toes & then makes the end result so much more rewarding. The nerves actually make me work better. I have always been that way. Strange but good I suppose!

Rob stayed with the boys in the morning & I was with Yasmin & her nine bridesmaids! Although it was a very big group, the spacious venue didn’t let it feel claustrophobic & the morning was very relaxed - apart from the HEAT! It was a VERY hot day, which is great & what everyone wants, but not really when getting ready! Be prepared with fans if a heatwave is predicted for your day.

Going back to the word I used earlier ‘stylish’ - well that was an understatement. Designer was everywhere at this wedding. The table names, the Tiffany bridesmaid gifts, Jimmy Choo’s, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 (best perfume in the world!) , even James had his very own pair of Louboutin’s! You only had to pop your head around the ceremony door to see the amounts of flowers & candles to know that nothing had been sacrificed for their incredible day.

After a gorgeous (& very hot) ceremony, Yasmin & James were greeted by their dog Bertie. I always love doing these photos but shoot as quick as I can as nobody wants paw prints on the dress! Now I have my own dog, I really understand why couples want to see them & have a photo, even if it is for five minutes! After this, we all went to the lawn for a wonderful atmospheric drinks reception in the sunshine. The large amount of guests kept myself & Rob very busy along with the family & couple portraits. We then went to have a look at their amazing wedding breakfast room with Yasmin & James, again I think this is a lovely thing to do so you can get a photo of them surrounded by all of their decor & ideas before the food comes out & drinks cover the tables. After some very lovely speeches, everyone was ‘merry’ so I did a few more B&G portraits & general natural shots now everyone was a bit more confident in front of the camera! Not that this group needed confidence…

We then had the throwing of the bouquet, which James also did for the group of single men. This was a first, & I actually thought - why not!? Unfortunately the bouquet ended up in pieces on the floor, luckily they didn’t use Yasmin’s, it was one of the bridesmaids…maybe another good tip if you want to keep your bouquet for as long as possible! We then watched them go into the madness of the night with DJ Mystery J & I can only imagine what went on when we left.

A couple of weeks after was mine & Rob’s wedding. We were lost for words when James knocked on our door a couple of days before with a card from them both with dollars in for our honeymoon. I am still speechless to this day, & thank you was & is not enough to say. They are honestly two of the most amazing people I have had the pleasure of meeting. We both LOVE them & I count myself lucky I was there photographer.

Now, enjoy the scroll….suppliers listed at the bottom.