Laura & Lewis - A Big Fat Celebration of LOVE (featuring a scene-stealing rescue pup!) - Stock Farm Wedding - Cheshire Wedding Photographer

“Love starts as a feeling,
But to continue is a choice;
And I find myself choosing you
More and more every day”

— Justin Wetch

There is a ritual to my work that I dig into with gusto - a preparation, a gathering and list-making and polishing. I pack my bag, I clean my lenses and format my memory cards, I charge my batteries. For 2 hours or 12 of shooting, the ritual is consistent and comforting. And then once I’ve arrived, the wedding day follows a fairly predicatable and traditional format when we’re allowed 5 guests or 500. I have eased into a quiet confidence in my job in recent years, trusting the process of the day and the joy it will contain to provide a natual and organic and BEAUTIFUL flow to the day. Occasionally there are surprises and challenges but never have I felt caught off-guard or uneasy or unprepared. I say this not with arrogance but with a solid assurance that my chosen profession is also my life’s calling and so my job is inextricably entwined with who I am as a human.

The looming menace of the pandemic has mercifully been kept at bay on the few occasions I’ve been able to comfortably and consistently work (and I know, painfully, how lucky I am for that) but as we edge closer to some semblance of normality, that faceless monster lurks and threatens to steal what small and perfect celebrations and rituals we claim for ourselves and, whilst I’ve stayed largely positive and pragmatic, I will go to battle against this demon to defend my livelihood which, as we know, defines me. There have been lessons learned but the glimmers of light coming through, the celebrations FINALLY taking place are culminating in the largest exhale of relief after we’ve been holding our breaths for what feels like forever.

Yesterday, even despite the circumstances surrounding me stepping in to shoot with just a week’s notice and the hand sanitizer and the masks and the careful spacing around felt like another EXTRAORDINARY step towards NORMAL. People are loving so so much bigger than ever before, joy is abounding and it almost feels like the sun is purposely shining a little brighter and surrounding us in much-needed and welcomed warmth. There is DELIGHT and I cannot think of another couple who embody this magic golden time than the exquisite Laura & Lewis who got married in the family embrace at the beautiful Stock Farm in Knutsford. With their gorgeous rescue pup Jack faithfully at their feet, the happy couple said their vows on the lush green lawn in front of their dearest friends and family and there was not a dry eye in sight! The day followed in a relaxed, summer-sweet fashion with heartfelt (and hilarious) speeches, a Spanish-inspired tapas feast and the most magical golden hour portraits that photographers can only wish for.

I cannot thank the happy couple enough for welcoming me so so warmly and lovingly into their lives and their wedding day. Laura & Lewis have been through the wedding-planning ringer but they’ve taken every single hurdle in their stride and truly produced an INCREDIBLE wedding day. I have never laughed and cried so much in equal measure and I’m so so honoured to have been given the chance to capture it for them. From the very bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for bringing me back to work, for reminding me just how much I love this wild and wondrous job. Here’s a little sneak peek of what we got up to…