Like Night and Day - Your Wedding Story - Manchester Wedding Photographer
HOW ARE WE OUT THERE? The world - and my garden - is waking up and seemingly, gently, sometimes chaotically, tiptoeing or barrelling out into this brave new season. We’re on shaky footing for sure, I think. Our actions and presentation isn’t quite representative of how we may feel inside but we’re rolling with it and gripping tightly to connection in hope that human interaction may eventually ground us. There is a definitive ‘one step forward, 8 steps back’ feeling in the air - progress is infuriatingly slow. I admit that I’m so desperate for normalcy that I’ve thrust myself headfirst into ALL THE THINGS at once, to varying degrees of success. It’s hard to slow down after a period of so much stillness that, even though things have settled somewhat, I’m still playing catch up - never quite ahead of myself. Spring is my favourite time and it’s no coincidence that I seek out a higher concentration of weddings. We’re emerging from the dark and chill of winter, ready to start our next great adventure. My intentions going into this new Spring are to talk less and listen more, tend my garden with the same love and attention I give my family, read, paint, and continue telling love stories in a way that is authentic, honest, whimsical and with smack-you-in-the-face romance.
There is a balance to be found in storytelling, a cadence and tone as lyrical as a song. Wiith every wedding I shoot, I create a slideshow set to music - a ‘best of’ if you will! As much as this is a lovely encapsulation of your day - and hopefully one you treasure - it’s also a final chance for me to review your story and make sure I hit the right notes: strong and bold in the big moments, with colour and joy in the celebration and with patience, care and generosity in the lulls. Crafting these moments take choreography in advance of the day so that when your wedding day arrives, you can let go of all that anticipation and control and planning and coordination and let the exceptional team you’ve assembled take the reins. We’re here for YOU and only you and our one job is to wrap you up in a froth of love and joy, building a world that is pure magic with no thought for the gears turning behind the scenes.
Taking time to step out occasionally is key to your comfort - reconnect with your beloved, hold your faces in each other’s hands and your bodies close. From a logistics point of view, I use these moments - these ‘time-outs’ if you will - to take your wedding portraits. In the drama and buildup of the day, it’s a beautiful thing to have another person give you that time to breathe deep and remember why this whirlwind is happening: YOU and your story, however you’ve chosen to have it told. But these moments vary so much depending on where we are in the order of the day: when we duck out the first time, after the ceremony but before you sit down to feast and share speeches, there’s an air of anticipation of what’s next, an eagerness to get back to your guests. But then later, when the plates are cleared, drinks imbibed, merriment abounding, THAT is when we can create something special. In that transitional period of the day before the band begins to play, we sneak out once more. Fresh air, fresh perspective, fed and watered with air crackling in anticipation of the party to come we chase the sun or the stars and it’s time to PLAY.
And this is my point of this somewhat rambling blog post - all roads lead back to you on the day and finding touchstones that truly mark the transitions of your wedding day. The contrast between your two (short!) portrait sessions is remarkable and never fails to take my breath away when I’m piecing together your slideshow. Because, whether you notice it or not, your wedding WILL change you. That ethereal glow will follow you throughout the day and it’s my job to harness it, bottle it and share it with love. Regardless of when they’re held, weddings are springtime - they are growth and tendrils entwining, joy emerging and connections strengthening. They are family and levity, they are memory and commiseration. Weddings are, above all, JOY.
Shared below is exactly what I mean, a study of the contrast in a single wedding: wedding portraits taken earlier and later. I hope you love them as much as I do.
