Every now and then, as a photographer, you come across a couple, who are just an absolute pleasure to be around, right from the get-go. Paige and Jon were the absolute epitome of this, and when I turned up to capture their wedding at the Stratford registry office, it was more than clear, it was going to be a fun one.
When I photograph any wedding, what I'm really looking to do, is capture the emotion, the couple's personalities and the story of the day. Sometimes as a photographer, you have to coax out that emotion, just by having a bit of a laugh and a joke with the couple and their guests, but when it came to Jon and Paige, I can honestly say, they were an absolute dream to photograph.
We started off the day's coverage from Stratford registry office, where I met with Jon, and the steady influx of guests slowly arriving for the day's proceedings. I can generally gauge how the groom is feeling the first time I lay see them, and whilst Jon seemed pretty chilled, I still think there was a good amount of nerves going on beneath the surface.
As Jon was ushered in for his meeting with the registrar before the ceremony, Paige and her bridesmaids rocked up in a stretch limo, ready for the main event. They were a little on the early side, so the registrar had to pop them all in a holding room, well out of the way of Jon, whilst he had his meeting with the registrar. There was no hiding that they'd arrived though, as they could all be heard 2 rooms over laughing and giggling.
After he'd finished with his interrogation, we quickly got Jon positioned at the top of the room ready, whilst Paige went for her own interview with the registrar.
It's safe to say, there's always a good amount of excitement when both the bride and the groom are in the same building, but still apart. They both know each other are there, and you can really feel the atmosphere ramp up. The guests are seated, the groom is constantly looking over his shoulder, and there's just a real air of nervousness, anxiety and happiness.
Let me be the first to tell you, Paige is an absolute ray of sunshine. She's one of these girls who lights up the room the moment she enters. She's so facially expressive, and there was absolutely no mistaking how happy she was to be marrying Jon. We had it all, smiles, laughs and even a good smattering of tears. It was just a fantastic moment to witness and a pleasure to capture.
Once the ceremony was over, it was straight outside for a cheeky confetti shot. As the newlyweds were heading to a second venue for their reception, I wrapped up that shot nice and quickly, so I could race ahead to photograph them arriving at the Barley Barn in Rugby.
Top marks to the staff at the Barley barn, the room looked incredible and was suitably adorned with an array of little touches and decorations. It looked fantastic.
As the couple arrived (In style too might I add) I grabbed a few quick shots of just newlyweds together. Going back to what I said earlier, these shots were an absolute breeze to photograph, as both Paige and Jon are just the most naturally happy, smiley and chilled-out people. I could have quite easily forgotten I was there to work, and just put my camera down to share some time with them both.
The guests slowly made their way to the venue, so it was back to fading into the background to capture the guests and the couple enjoying themselves. As you can imagine, everyone was in high spirits, which is exactly what you want when capturing those more candid shots.
Time really flew with Jon and Paige, and as the couple sat down to eat with their guests, I knew my time with them both was nearly over. They'd kindly included me in the catering, so I disappeared into a quiet corner to tuck into some food, look through the day's photos and to charge up the batteries.
We just had speeches and the bouquet toss left to photograph, which flew by. At that point, it was time for me to leave them both to enjoy the rest of their day.
I just had the best time with them both throughout the whole day and had it not been a bit weird, I'd have happily stayed for the duration to enjoy the rest of the day with Jon and Paige. From the beginning of the day, they both felt like long-lost friends. They're just genuinely two of the nicest, bubbliest and happiest couples I've ever met, and I really do hope they'll continue to stay in touch!
Thats me done for this week!
Peace, Love and Photo's.
Jono x
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