A (very) white wedding…

Dec 18th, 2010 – when the weather suddenly resembled a scene from the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. Although the whole country seemed to be enveloped in the white stuff it was the speed and depth of the snowfall which surprised southern England. It became a real fight to get from A to B and then to C during coverage of this commission in central London. And not just for me.

Some fun, informal bridal prep shots were scheduled in Islington for late morning, then back onto the tube with all the kit to head down to the wonderfully atmospheric Somerset House, scene of the ceremony and reception. Earlier on I’d stood for ages at Angel tube station willing the snow to stop (it didn’t), then braved the elements walking down to Islington Green for a coffee, hoping maybe then the snow would ease (it still didn’t). Not to worry, get stuck in – ice is temporary, photography lasts forever! My clients on the day were Renee and Mark, a terrific couple from the USA who are based in town for work reasons. Right from our initial meeting we had a laugh, chatting and swapping ideas for the way their photography could come together. The wedding itself was a very small, personal occasion with just family and a few close friends, all of whom had flown in from America a few days before.

All was well as we approached mid-pm, and then for some reason (I’ll never understand) the cab firm cancelled the cars which would bring everybody to the Strand for the 4.30pm ceremony. Penny Merricks of Tigerlily Weddings had been brought in to organize the whole occasion and upon receipt of the news from the taxi firm lept into action, flagged down some black cabs and jolly well set off in convoy to collect the guests, groom, bride – everybody! Impressive work to say the very least and in true Tigerlily fashion the job was done in style, no matter what.

The rest flowed beautifully and I felt throughout it was a pure people day, with a few trimmings. I’ll always appreciate Renee and Mark’s trust in letting me do my thing and just stand back to shoot the day as it unfolded. Even the fact that come 11pm I was marooned in a very festive London for the night due to chronic travel disruption didn’t dampen the spirits. In the grand scheme of life it wasn’t an issue… it was Christmas!

Here are some of the shots I feel capture the day :

Advertisement