The Story So Far
Love is the Only Thing I Know - 2020, A Year
In January 2020, I gathered together with my favourite crew of talented wedding suppliers and we produced an epic, regal, rock and roll medieval wedding shoot at Peckforton Castle. In February I shot my first two weddings of the year, invigorated and eager for a full season ahead. And then it was March. And then the world stopped. Stillness descended, plans were changed and it was just all very quiet.
Make Just Somebody Happy - Clare & Jack's Holford Estate Winter Wedding - Cheshire Wedding Photography
Clare and Jack were supposed to marry in August with 300 of their big beautiful Irish Catholic family and friends by their side. Then Clare and Jack were supposed to marry in November with 30 close by. Yesterday Clare & Jack said their marriage vows in front of just 15 beloved family members. And 300 or just 15, it was exhilarating to work alongside a group of exceptional Cheshire wedding suppliers and give these beautiful, kind, generous humans the most amazing fairytale wedding of their dreams
What the World Needs Now is LOVE - Mikele & Polina - A Manchester Art Gallery Micro-Wedding
These two beautiful humans said their vows in an empty museum with just their 13 guests to witness and hundreds (thousands?) of years of extraordinary artworks. The sculptures held their breath as Polina made her entrance in the most astonishing red tulle confection of a wedding dress, the portraits nodded in approval at dapper Mikele in his velvet Regency-inspired suit and as they said their vows, all was right.
I Want to be Your Time Machine
This year, I've had to adapt and re-think what exactly Kate McCarthy Photography IS and what kind of a business I want it to be. It started as Squid & Pearl and I was shooting families and babies and mamas AND weddings. And then weddings became EVERYTHING.
Love is NOT cancelled - In Praise of the Teeny-Tiny Wedding and a Wedding Photographer's Perspective
2020 has been a year of re-birth, of re-incarnation, of re-setting. And like all birth stories, it’s been violent and messy, terrifying and enlightening. As wedding suppliers we’ve had to adapt our offerings - adapt or perish in the most dramatic of fashions. 2020 has been a rallying cry for the thousands of makers and creators, suppliers and chefs, servers and artists and entertainers, heavy-lifters and calm-the-bride-downers, planners and coordinators and magicians and dress-sellers, light-the-room-uppers, cleaners and every single large and small (but no less freaking important) human YOU rely on to create the fairytale ballroom or intimate woodland wedding of your goddamn dreams.
Alice & Oliver - A Beautifully Windswept St. George's Hall Wedding - Liverpool Wedding Photography
St George’s Hall is a behemoth of a columned building, situated just opposite Lime Street Station. This icon of a space (and Liverpool landmark) provided a STUNNING backdrop for Alice and Oliver’s nuptials and, despite the many restrictions in place (the masks are particularly timely!), nothing could overshadow the utter delight and romance of these two wonderful humans.
Jasmine & Will - Surprise! We're Married! - A Holford Estate Elopement
The WONDERFUL Jasmine and Will, like thousands of couples, had their big beautiful wedding plans totally scuppered by this bogeyman of a year. But with multiple factors to consider, not the least of which was ‘wedding planning fatigue’, after so much waiting and postponing and changing and multiple conversations with Frances and Hannah at
Tom & Maria - An intimate, emotional Hillbark Hotel Wedding - Wirral Wedding Photography
Perhaps not the big jolly day initially envisioned, yesterday’s very intimate Hillbark Hotel ceremony and backyard ‘covid-kosher’ mini-celebration was no less joyous…if anything the joy and love were palpable, wrapping our lovers in a snug cloak of happiness as they said their vows before a pared-back guest list of only dearest friends and relatives (less than thirty, I promise).