Best Wedding Photos of 2019

I’m running out of ways to express how much better each year is compared to the last.  Honestly, every year is a blast.  I meet amazing people, make new friends, visit beautiful new wedding venues and take loads of photos that I’m truly proud of.

This year I’m going to pinch an idea from the American tradition of Thanksgiving and make a list of all the things I am thankful for this year.

So, in no particular order, here are a few things I am thankful for in 2019.

• Getting to photograph the wedding of my neighbours and friends Amy and Richard at Ringwood Hall.  Being a guest as well as the photographer does bring complications, especially with my own kids being there, but it was a great experience to be on both sides for once.
• Meeting last year’s Great British Bake Off winner, Rahul, and getting to witness a wedding cake unlike anything I have ever seen (or tasted) before.  I don’t mean this in a gushing celeb-spotting kind of way because that’s not me.  For me this was a humbling experience where I learned not to take someone’s talents for granted.  Yes, Rahul is capable of some truly magnificent creations, that doesn’t mean it comes easy, he (and his team) spend months planning and building it.  I will watch GBBO with greater reverence from now on.
• Experiencing the majesty of Carlton Towers.  Emma and Oliver’s wedding was as close to a Royal Wedding as I have come, so far.
• Danielle & Josh, whose wedding taught me that you don’t have to stick to the schedule, so long as you and your guests are having a great time.  They never got around to doing a first dance, who cares?
• Going completely off the grid at Moira & Dave’s wedding at The Barn At Upcote.  No mobile signal and no WiFi, stressful at first but ultimately a very peaceful experience.
• Gary, for using his Groom powers to bump me to the front of the queue at the Nether Edge Pizza Co. van.
• I got to shoot a wedding at the Sheffield General Cemetery!  How cool / bizarre / slightly creepy is that?   I’ll admit, walking back through the cemetery to my car in the pitch black was even more terrifying than the time I had to walk through Barnsley Town Centre with all my camera gear, but yeah I’d go there again.
• Sonny, for taking charge of the group photo sessions and coming up with some bonkers ideas.  It’s great to see a groom who really has a passion for the photos.
• I learned to not always go for the beef.  Halloumi can be really nice too.
• The Vicar at Sonny & Helena’s wedding for accidentally saying Sonny’s brother’s name during the service.

• Every couple who put their faith in me to capture their wedding this year.
• All the guests at all the weddings who said hello and small-talked with me to make sure I wasn’t feeling lonely.
• The venue staff who went out of their way to get me a meal, or just a cup of coffee.
• The one barman at that one hotel who gave me a cheeky half pint of Goose Island Midway Session IPA without charging me, you know who you are.

Love and peace, see ya next year 🙂

James