Persephone & Josh - A Very Modern Stockport Town Hall Wedding - Manchester Wedding Photography

“I have seen Whales, black as tar, cushioned on a cornflower blue sea, creating a Versailles of fountain with their breath. I have watched butterflies emerge and sit, trembling, while the sun irons their wings smooth. I have watched Tigers, like flames, mating in the long grass. I have been dive-bombed by an angry Raven, black and glossy as the Devil’s hoof. I have lain in water warm as milk, soft as silk, while around me played a host of Dolphins. I have met a thousand animals and seen a thousand wonderful things… but –

All this I did without you. This was my loss.

All this I want to do with you. This will be my gain.”

— Gerald Durrell to Lee McGeorge

There is so much expectation planning a wedding - the musts and must nots, the drama of the guest list and all of the compromise that entails. Finding traditions that truly resonate within you in a fairly antiquated process, that feel authentic even when they’ve been performed for thousands of years. In this beautiful brave new world, my favourite trend for weddings in 2022 is that the rulebook has been thrown out the window and there’s a fervent push to JUST GET MARRIED and to eschew all of those previous angst-ridden planning obstacles in favour of a day that is uniquely and blissfully YOURS. Perhaps we have done a disservice to an older generation in submitting to what we believe are their expectations for our wedding days. In reality, I have only witnessed support and generosity and unconditional joy that two people have found each other in this wild world and are still choosing to tie that knot.

Today’s downpour for Persephone & Josh surely only strengthened that knot, as I was reminded by a kindly Stockport registrar - that the idea of luck bestowing upon rainy wedding days a reminder that a wet knot is nigh on impossible to untie and thus a perfect omen for a strong marriage. Whilst the big Greek Orthodox family wedding will be taking place on the Ionian coast sometime next year, Persephone & Josh took today as an opportunity to make it, rightly so, all about them. There was still ritual and solemnity in the vows but there was also a cheeky partnered walk down the aisle to Led Zeppelin, a KILLER kilt and EPIC bridal pants-suit, Ricky Martin singing our happy couple back up the marble staircase to their drinks reception & confetti hastily chucked in front of an iconic Stockport landmark.

When these two amazing humans first got in touch, there was only a vague idea of what the day was going to look like. One part was clear though, they were happy to just opt for my micro-coverage of 2 hours which was just enough to catch a beautifully private ‘first look’ between the bride and groom, all the special moments of the ceremony, confetti tossing and family group shotting and some quick, relaxed portraits before they whisked away in a minibus to their pub-quiz reception. The afternoon flew by and before we knew it I was hugging them both and saying my farewells. Although our interaction has been brief, I have loved so much getting to know these extraordinary people, I was so moved by their connection and I had a BLAST capturing some memories for them of a day that was done their way. Here’s a sneak peek of what we got up to…