Over the years Iโve worked with couples who threw out the rulebook entirely โ replacing it with something real, meaningful, and entirely them. Whether you’re queer, creative, neurodivergent, or just allergic to beige chair covers, this guide is here to help you plan a wedding that reflects who you are โ not what the wedding industry (or your parents, society, co-workers or anyone else!) says you should be.
1. Ditch the “Shoulds”
Full disclosure I have a personal vendetta against the word should – anytime my subconscious starts yelling ‘but you SHOULD’ at me I know it’s time to stop and take a breath. You donโt need to wear white, walk down an aisle, or cut a cake (unless it’s with a sword – then hell yes, letโs do it). Ask yourself:
What would make you feel most comfortable on the day?
What elements actually excite you?
What can you skip without feeling guilty?
Try writing a list: โWTF We Actually Want at Our Wedding.โ It can be surprisingly clarifying.
2. Source Your Music Creatively
Instead of booking through agencies who take a chunky cut, consider hiring local musicians, DJs, or even vinyl-spinning friends directly. You’ll not only save money, but also get someone who cares more about vibe than volume. The money you do spend will go directly back to grass roots musicians and we all know they need as much support as they can get!
Check out:
Local open mic nights or pubs/small venues in your area.
Independent DJ collectives in London and beyond.
Instagram hashtags like #LondonWeddingDJ or #QueerMusiciansUK
Ask them what they actually like to play โ trust me, the energy is so different when someone isnโt being forced to play Ed Sheeran on loop.
3. Make the Ceremony Yours
Don’t want a church wedding or a registrar reading the same old legal jargon? Hire a celebrant โ they can create a ceremony based entirely on your story. It can include personal vows, music, poetry, rituals, or even your dog as the ring bearer.
Check out this guest blog post where Kathryn breaks it down. I’ve shot hundreds of weddings in my time and every time the celebrant led ceremony just hits different.
4. Choose Suppliers Who Get You
The right photographer, florist, or planner doesnโt just โdo the jobโ โ they vibe with your values. When you book with someone who gets what youโre about (and doesnโt bat an eye when you say you want to arrive on a bike or wear black), the whole day feels smoother, safer, and more you.
Bonus tip: Always ask vendors how they support LGBTQIA+ couples and what kind of events they feel most at home shooting. If they hesitate? Keep looking.
5. Document It Your Way
Spoiler: posed group shots arenโt compulsory. I focus on capturing people being real โ laughing, hugging, crying, dancing badly โ because those are the photos youโll actually want to look back on.
Some of the most iconic weddings Iโve shot had:
Pizza vans instead of plated meals
Tattoos in place of rings
First dances in the pub
Ceremonies in living rooms, art galleries, and warehouses
It doesnโt need to be big. It just needs to be yours.
Final Thought
You donโt need to convince your nan, your dad, your hairdresser or even your registrar that your wedding is valid. You donโt need to do it โright.โ You just need to feel like yourselves โ whatever that looks like.
And if you’re ready to plan something untraditional, unfiltered, and unforgettableโฆ ๐ท Letโs talk.
Confetti photos? Total gold. They’re the kind of wild, joy-packed, frame-it-forever moments that scream we just got married! But as carefree as they look, there’s a bit of behind-the-scenes magic that makes them actually work.
Bonus? Itโs also a sneaky way to get a full group photo of your wedding guests โ no awkward posing, no trying not to blink, no trying to wrangle Great Aunt Sue into place. Just natural smiles, colour, and pure celebration.
If you’re dreaming of that slow-motion, petal-showered walk of glory, hereโs how to pull it off…
1. Pick Confetti That Actually Works (and Looks Good in Photos)
Not all confetti is created equal. If you want that dreamy, floaty effect that gives your photographer time to capture every moment, go for larger, biodegradable paper petals. They fall slower, show up beautifully on camera, and donโt leave a plastic mess behind.
My go-to? Flutter Darlings. They make eco-friendly, camera-friendly confetti in gorgeous colours that flutter (obviously) like a dream. Plus, your venue will thank you. They even offer matching canons which can be used to create that absolute snowstorm of colour if you wanna go big!
2. Check the Rules Before You Chuck
Before you get too excited and bulk-order the rainbow mix, check with your venue. Some venues only allow confetti in specific spots. Others have a strict biodegradable-only policy. And yes, some are full-on no confetti, ever. (Boo.)
If confettiโs a no-go, donโt panic โ bubbles and streamers are great alternatives. Bubbles photograph beautifully (especially in golden hour light). Streamers work too, but someone will need to take responsibility for picking them up afterwards โ so assign that role clearly, or risk finding them in a hedge 3 months later. Just like confetti though more is more so whatever you use get lots!
3. Hide, Then Make Your Big Entrance
Hereโs where the magic happens โ but also where some coordination comes in.
Right after the ceremony, youโll need to disappear for a few minutes while your guests are directed outside. Then, theyโll be arranged in a flying V formation (yes, like a team of celebratory geese) ready to shower you in love, petals, and hopefully squeals of joy.
To pull this off, youโll need:
Someone to direct your guests into position
Someone to hand out confetti (and give a quick โthrow it UP not AT themโ speech).
Someone to hide you until everyone else is ready.
A member of venue staff or your wedding planner/coordinator can usually help โ just check with them beforehand.
Once everyoneโs in place, you make your big confetti-filled entrance. You walk through a tunnel of cheers and colour, I snap away, and BOOM โ youโve got the shot.
4. Let Your Photographer Do Their Thing
This is one of those moments where you just need to be in it. Donโt overthink it, take a slow wander through, remember to look at each other and donโt worry about where the confetti lands (yes, you might get it in your mouth โ itโs all part of the experience).
Your photographer will be ready and waiting to capture the magic โ just soak it all up, smile big, and celebrate the moment.
In Short: Confetti + Planning = Photo Gold
To recap:
Use fluttery, biodegradable confetti (we love Flutter Darlings)
Check what your venue allows
Get someone to help direct the crowd and hand out confetti
Hide briefly and make your entrance through a joyful flying V
Let the moment be messy, beautiful and you
If you want help planning your perfect confetti moment โ or someone to capture it in all its colourful glory โ you know where to find me.
What is a Celebrant Wedding? & Seven Reasons why theyโre awesome!
More and more couples are thinking carefully about their big day. You know you donโt want your wedding ceremony to be the same old, same old standard template, with no personality and with your names (often incorrectly) inserted here and there. You know you want a civil partnership or wedding ceremony thatโs personal. You want a relaxed wedding ceremony, that perfectly reflects you. A ceremony that sets the tone and kick starts the celebration and your future, instead of being relegated to just the โbit you have to get throughโ. You want an inclusive wedding or civil partnership ceremony thatโs joyful, meaningful and fun, not one that makes you feel like the proverbial square peg when you deserve to feel fabulous. Imagine a wedding ceremony that fits you both perfectly, because itโs been crafted and curated exclusively for you. Imagine a wedding ceremony where every word, every action and every moment has been included with intention, with no elements that feel outdated, uncomfortable or irrelevant, just there because you feel you โshouldโ. Imagine a ceremony that doesnโt feel like a chore, but instead a warm, meaningful, wholehearted celebration. A ceremony that youโre just as โ if not more โ excited about than the party that follows! This is all possible with a celebrant wedding ceremony. Here are ten reasons why a celebrant ceremony is awesome:
1.
With a celebrant – You get a fun, relaxed individually crafted ceremony, that truly reflects you! Not just the standard templateโฆ
When you choose a celebrant ceremony, your celebrant will create and craft a personal ceremony where every single word is written just for you both. Your wedding ceremony will start as a beautiful blank canvas, with each element chosen to reflect your relationship.
With a civil or religious ceremony, there are certain โlegally prescribed wordsโ that have to be spoken and responded to by you both and you will usually be given a choice of a couple of standard ceremony scripts to choose from with little to no ability to amend them. Lots of couples find that their ceremony options donโt really suit them, their partnership or their family. With limited options in these situations, it can mean the ceremony starts to feel like the bit that you โget throughโ before starting the party that youโve spent ages making feel personal to you.
A celebrant ceremony is the opposite of this. It can be as formal or informal as you like, with as many friends, family and loved ones taking part as you like (or not!) it can truly reflect your values as a modern family. Most of all, a celebrant ceremony will be fun, feel-good and fabulous, kickstarting your wedding celebrations!
2.
A celebrant ceremony will celebrate you as individuals
As a celebrant ceremony is not legally required to include specific wording and is crafted as a bespoke ceremony just for you, it is much easier for it to reflect your values and celebrate diversity not leaning on those hetero-normative or patriarchal tropes that often crop up in standard ceremoniesโฆeurgh!
Want to walk down the aisle together with all your parents? Amazing!
Want to involve and honour your chosen family in a fitting way? Fantastic!
Want a ceremony that doesnโt assume a wedding equals children? Definitely!
Want to announce your new, blended surname in a big reveal? Letโs do this!
Lots of the โstandard wedding wordingโ in civil or religious ceremonies is still very traditional, and while not deliberately exclusive, it definitely doesnโt reflect lots of relationships. You deserve a ceremony that fits you both perfectly – no compromises or crossed fingers!
3.
With a celebrant wedding – Your celebrant has your back!
When you choose to be creative in your wedding planning, shunning the โstandardโ and being authentic to yourselves, you may face questions and challenges. Know that as your wedding celebrant, I will always have your back and be on your side! Iโll make sure you get the ceremony you want, whatever that looks like, no matter what other people think. Nevertheless, she persisted! Nevertheless, we persist!
4.
With a celebrant – You can involve family, friends and fur-babies in your ceremony!
While your big day will focus on the two of you. There may well be other loved ones that you want to involve in different ways.
Perhaps you want your schnauzer to be your canine ring-bearer or both sets of grandparents to add ribbons to your handfasting wedding knot. You might even want your friends to lead a wedding sing-a-long to your love song! All of these things (and so many more) are possible at a celebrant ceremony!
It might also be the case that there are people, important to you both, who are no longer with us. As your celebrant, I can also advise and support you if youโd like a sensitive way to honour them as part of your ceremony.
5.
With a celebrant- You can include wedding rituals to reflect your unique situation
There are so many wedding rituals to choose from to symbolise your partnership. Perhaps you want your different cultures reflected on your wedding day or for all of your children to play a role in celebrating your new blended family. Exchanging rings is just one option, and while itโs lovely, it is the only wedding ritual that is included in civil ceremonies. What if you want to be able to include a different or additional symbolic act?
In fact – If you have a civil ceremony you cannot have any ritual that has any connotation to any faith. So you may find that blending all the elements of your shared heritages isnโt an option. So what options are there in a celebrant wedding? You might want to consider:
Ring-warming
Handfasting
Lighting a Unity Candle
Sand Blending
Planting a Tree
Sharing a drink from the Quaich
6.
With a celebrant wedding – You handpick the person at the end of the aisle!
Your wedding or civil partnership will be a day when you want to be surrounded by people you like and love, now more than ever am I right? So wouldnโt it be great if the person with you at the front, the one sharing your story and gently guiding you through your vows, was someone you had chosen and had the chance to get to know? While still having all the training and experience you just donโt get with even the most trusted friend!
Having a celebrant means you can do just that. Your ceremony will be delivered by someone you have come to know, like and trust. Not just by the person allocated to your date and who you meet that morning.
7.
With a celebrant ceremony- You can have your wedding outdoors, at home or absolutely ANYWHERE you like!
Always dreamed of getting married on a hilltop? Want to hold your wedding at the coffee shop where you met? Want a relaxed wedding ceremony in your garden under your favourite tree? With a celebrant wedding, you can do just that!
Perhaps you want to say your vows in a beach wedding ceremony or use the backdrop of your local art gallery as a wedding venue, or maybe your gran isnโt well enough to travel so you want to get married in her garden. With a celebrant ceremony, you can have your wedding ceremony exactly where you want.
Sounds fabulous right? I hope youโll agree that there are so many reasons why you should have a celebrant ceremony!!
FYIโฆ Is a celebrant wedding legally recognised?
At the moment, celebrant ceremonies are sadly not legally recognised in England or Wales. They have been recognised in Scotland since 2005 and are now legally recognised in Jersey and Northern Ireland. But donโt despair! You can still have a feel-good, fabulous personalised celebrant ceremony. I can advise on how you can obtain a statutory legal registration from your local register office for usually around ยฃ50. You say all the legally required words, but you donโt have to include any of the โwedding-yโ bits unless you want to. You can choose to do this in the days, weeks or even months running up to your celebrant ceremony, or even on the day itself. Iโm happy to help you figure out the right plan for you.
One of the biggest challenges when sourcing a photographer is how on earth you know if they are the right person for YOU. Not your sister, not that other couple that got married at the same venue or even that GORGEOUS shoot you saw on insta. I’m gonna take a punt here and guess that you’ve probably never booked a wedding photographer before. Google says there are 24,500,000 results for the search term โwedding photographer Londonโ so don’t worry, that sense of deep overwhelm creeping up the back of your neck is totally appropriate given the circumstances!
Here’s the good news, I’ve been doing this a while now (ahem, over ten years!) and after many, MANY shoots, worked out a pretty simple formula to know if you have found the right one for you. Perhaps shockingly it might not be me! I want you to find the photographer you like as much as I want to find the client I want so read on and let’s see if it’s a match!
THREE GOLDEN RULES
1. STYLE
Do you like their photos? Sounds obvious but there’s a lot of styles out there so if you’re not sure yet try googling ‘dark and moody’ ‘light and airy’ ‘documentary’ etc. Add your area to find local photographers and make sure their portfolio is right up your street before you book because that is what you will get. Gone are the days of hiring a photographer and sending them a list of every single shot you absolutely must have (thank god!) Nowadays we are entrusted to deliver a set of images that show your day, with your friends and your family however that unfolds. Most of us have spent many years honing our style – both in terms of shooting and editing – and that is what we will deliver. After all – you wouldn’t hire a cartoonist to paint the Sistene chapel would you!
2. BUDGET
Again it sounds obvious but for the love of god please don’t pay someone more than you can afford. There really are photographers out there for all budgets. I’m always happy to offer bespoke quotes based on ALL your needs including budget. I also offer payment plans so it’s always worth asking, if you really love someone’s work, be open about what you want and what you have and they will offer you what they can within those parameters. Every wedding is different and – full disclosure – I kinda hate that I have to offer ‘packages’, I’d much rather hear what YOU want/need and find an amount that works for us both.
3. PESONALITY
Would you have at least two pints (glasses of wine, cups of coffee, shots of tequila – whatever your poison) with your photographer? If not, I’m sorry to say they are not the one. Getting married is a big deal, you spent a lot of time and energy planning this day – the last thing you want is for some weirdo photographer to start singing the virtues of Brexit over group photos! Check the vibes before the day.
Ok so Iโve been wracking my brains over the last few months, thinking how I can help keep my work accessible during the current cost of living crisis here in the UK.
I firmly believe that everyone deserves amazing photos of their wedding day and the investment is worth every penny – after all, what else will you have to look back on decades from now. However, weโve all been hit by these price hikes and are all looking at ways to save, or spread costs wherever possible. With this in mind Iโve decided to offer Payment Plans to anyone who might need it this year.
Hereโs the deal;
Interest Free – my aim is to help, not get people into debt so costs will remain the same whether you choose to pay it all upfront or split the cost.
Deposit required – in order to secure your date you will still need to pay an initial deposit this is due to the fact I will be turning away other enquiries based on your booking.
Minimum Booking of 6 hours – this is simply to ensure my costs are covered with the split payments.
Monthly payments based on 30% of balance owed after deposit are standard, however I am open to other plans where needed.
For more info drop me an email and Iโd be happy to discuss options openly and honestly.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! What a year that was – the first ‘proper’ year of weddings without Covid restrictions and you guys were REALLY ready to party. I’ve fallen in love with Reception party photography all over again thanks to my amazing couples and their families (keep an eye on insta for the upcoming reel!) and hope to be shooting a lot longer into the night in 2023.
This year I managed to photograph not one, not two, but three old friend’s weddings and each was an absolute blast. From stetsons to drag queens, smoke bombs to tube trains and THAT black velvet dress, I left every single party beaming from ear to ear and desperate to get those shots off my camera and onto my laptop to take a look at what we captured.
On a personal note this will forever be the year I lost my beloved cat Cotton, which I still find hard to believe happened at times, but wanted to thank everyone who was kind enough to allow me some space to grieve before jumping back into shoots and emails, truly you’ve no idea how much that meant to me. As you will know if you follow me on insta we now have a new member of the family; Spider who is currently working on his harness training skills – this time next year I’ll be that crazy lady walking my cat down the street on a lead :)
After a long hiatus I also managed a couple of styled shoots this year, something I love and miss doing from my days as a producer with Guinness World Records but, as I learned to my detriment this year, really need to be all done and dusted by Spring before wedding season really kicks off so yet another huge thank you to all the lovely models and suppliers who waited so patiently whilst I juggled our collabs with client bookings.
2022 led me to a ton of awesome venues too; Gods Own Junkyard in Walthamstow has been on my list longer than I can remember, also St Dunstans in The East and the brilliant Battersea Park Bandstand. Some of my favourite suppliers of the year have to be Petal & Metal who designs incredible bridal ‘adornments’, Orhan London Tailoring who made and designed Nathan’s incredible velvet dress, Dance Floor Fillers achieved the impossible and got me up and dancing after 9 hours on my feet! (SO much better than that name suggests, promise).
Thanks to Kate and Rich this year I managed to offer something I’ve never seen before; an on the day social media image that you can share however you wish before you even cut that cake if you want!
Looking forward to 2023 now I’m starting early at the fabulous Quirky Wedding Fair on January 28th (3 days before my birthday so feel free to come say Hi and happy almost birthday). I’m hoping to get shooting more dancing and parties so if you’ve got an engagement party coming up get in touch – kinda like a try before you buy! I’ve just confirmed a stunning styled shoot at Proud Brighton with some incredible suppliers and of course I have heaps of incredible wedding bookings tantalisingly close. If you are interested in booking this year drop me a line, I still have a few spaces left and would love to hear more about you and your plans.
Something that comes up fairly often when speaking with people planning their wedding is the age old question โHave you shot at this venue before?โ Iโm fairly sure itโs a staple on any โ10 things you should ask your wedding photographerโ style lead magnets put out by all the big-wig wedding industry people at least once a year. Needless to say the short answer is pretty simple – but the long answer is probably more valid when looking at who you want to photograph your wedding. If this has come up in your planning read on to find out more about my take on why this does, and perhaps more importantly does NOT, matter as much as you may think.
It all starts with style – I always advise to aim for three things when choosing a photographer; style, budget and personality – there are SO many types of wedding photography and in case youโve stumbled across this blog without seeing my work somehow, I mainly shoot documentary – this means unposed, undirected simply capturing the day as it unfolds. My clients want personal, relaxed and unique shots that tell the story of their day. I shoot in all different types of venues from dimly lit underground bars in Soho to great big festival style weddings in the glaring sunshine. I LOVE the diversity of the weddings I shoot and familiarity with a location doesnโt even cross my mind when Iโm prepping for a shoot. Personal preference aside there is another reason that prior experience at a venue matters less than you might think – weather! As all Londoners know, the weather – and therefore light – can turn in a second here, it could be overcast and grey one minute then blazing sun the next. Sunset ranges from around 4pm in winter through to 9pm in summer – this changes the position of the sun at certain times as well as what time and where you need to rely on additional lighting.ย
This is where being a documentary photographer really pays off. So with all that experience from all different venues in all different weathers at all different times of year we can really make the most of YOUR wedding day, how it looked on that exact day in that exact place at that exact time. Sure thereโs a market for identikit wedding photos where you are guaranteed the same shots as everyone else who got married at your venue but if youโre after something unique this question is really not one you should be too worried about.
Liz and Stu chose to marry in the gorgeously art deco Stoke Newington Town Hall. A London couple to the core, they met in a pub here many years ago when both Liz and I worked together as bartenders. She thought Stu was in a band playing that night so gave him free drinks only to find out later that he worked in IT and was just a friend of the lead singer. He bought her a shot of Tuaca and they spent the next decade (or more!) partying their way around most of North London’s pubs and clubs and are still often found propping up the bar and making new friends wherever they go.
It probably goes without saying that I jumped at the chance to photograph their wedding day and knew Liz well enough to know she would spare no time in making this wedding look hot as shit! She’s a talented designer and always had an incredible eye for detail…though I’m not sure anyone thought she’d go as far as banning an entire colour from the day (play spot the rebellious blue details from the bridal party!) I mean if you’re gonna have a colour palette you want it to work right!
As you can see the whole event was a delight for the eyeballs (THAT headdress anyone!? I swear I gasped when I first saw it!) and I love the fact I’ve bumped into these two since at another wedding I was shooting, Stu was in his wedding suit and Liz was in her wedding shoes – no one-wear use with these two! Scroll to the bottom for supplier details in this one, and if you’ve got any questions just drop me a line.
Non Traditional Wedding Photography 