Love, Served Neat | Nottingham

24 Aug

This is your sign that wedding photos don't have to be all serious faces and awkward posing.

They can be champagne at the bar, wandering around Nottingham, dramatic architecture, gorgeous gowns and a photographer occasionally shouting, "Right, give me a REAL laugh!"

Niamh and Peter enjoying champagne at the bar during a wedding editorial at Cleaver & Wake in Nottingham

I recently photographed this gorgeous wedding-inspired shoot at Cleaver & Wake in Nottingham, and it was SO different from my usual light, bright and airy work.

And I loved it.

Niamh and Peter walking outside Cleaver & Wake in Nottingham during a wedding photography editorial

Moody, modern & a little bit fancy

Cleaver & Wake was the perfect setting for this one.

The dark, moody interiors, warm tones, gold details and those beautiful arches gave everything a completely different feel. Add in two incredible gowns, some gorgeous lace details and champagne at the bar and... yep. I was very happy.

Niamh wore two completely different looks throughout the shoot.

The first was sleek, fitted and effortlessly modern, with a shape that flared slightly at the bottom. This was probably my favourite of the two — especially when we photographed her outside against the building.

Then came the lace gown.

It was softer and more dramatic, with beautiful lace detailing, and we had so much fun photographing it around the staircase. One of my favourite detail shots from the entire day is actually just the dress hanging on the steps. Sometimes it's the simplest photographs that just work.

And then... champagne at the bar

My absolute favourite images from the day came from one of the simplest setups. Niamh hopped up onto the bar, Peter stood beside her, and they had a little drink together while looking at each other. Nothing complicated.

Just a couple, a glass of champagne and a really cool bar. And I LOVE how modern it feels. It's a wedding photograph, but it doesn't necessarily look like a traditional wedding photograph. And that's exactly why I wanted to include it.

Your wedding doesn't have to look like everyone else's

One of the things I really enjoyed about this shoot was stepping outside my usual style. I'm naturally drawn to bright, colourful, airy images, but give me a dark room, some dramatic architecture and warm moody tones and apparently I'm very happy there too. And that's something I want my couples to know.

Your wedding doesn't have to fit one particular aesthetic.

Light and airy? Absolutely.

Dark and moody? YES.

Modern city wedding? Let's do it.

Big country-house wedding? I'm there.

Registry office and drinks in a bar afterwards? Even better.

I want to be able to photograph your wedding, wherever it is and whatever it looks like. And most importantly, I want you to actually enjoy having your photograph taken.Sometimes that means a little direction, a few ridiculous jokes and me encouraging you to have a proper giggle. Because you don't have to know what to do in front of the camera — that's my job. You just need to turn up, have a drink and enjoy yourselves. I'll take care of the rest.