I think we just finished 2021
Who knows?! My sense of time is completely confuddled due to these ongoing ‘unprecedented times’. I talk casually of ‘last year’ as if it was 2019, sitting here waiting for ‘precedented times’ when I am slapped with the realisation that we have had 2019, 2020 and now 2021! This year passed in a blur. 2021, the year we waited for throughout 2020. It happened - it flew right by. I turned 37 (plus three) years old, I shot 40 weddings, I travelled 2,852 miles, I edited 42,000 images and made 8 wedding highlight films. 7 weddings and styled shoots of mine were published in big wedding blogs and magazines and I ended the year finding out that I was an East Midlands Wedding Photographer finalist in The Wedding Industry Awards.
I’m still in a heightened state with a pile of editing but took a moment during ‘twixmas’ where I reflected on the year and asked myself ‘how on earth did I survive it?’ There were weeks where I had 4-5 weddings in one week. A stark contrast to what I signed up for when I started this business! But I did it. I crowbarred in those postponed weddings in between the weddings I already had in the diary, I helped the couples who decided to have a last-minute bash, I was on standby to help other photographers in case they needed a backup for their day and I learned to love ‘click and collect’ as a way to do the food shop again. It started with a plod, into a sprint and I’ve continued galloping as my prep for next year has already begun.
I am ending the year with my usual review slideshow (with a twist, keep watching!) and alongside this, this year I am going to share with you what went well at weddings. Take them on as your top tips for a better wedding day experience. I’ll also delve a little into what changes I saw with 2021 weddings, some of which you may choose to leave behind for your day.
The year that was 2021
What went well:
I witnessed some of the best groomsmen ever! Usually, bridesmaids get the applause for being hands-on but this year, I noticed that the groomsmen were the ones that helped the most. They made the day run smoothly, moved furniture, didn’t pick up a single phone to capture a selfie and even parked my car for me in a particularly sticky situation! More groomsmen like this, please! I think lots of couples really chose wisely when they chose their wedding parties. Remember, your wedding tribe are meant to be those who you love, yes, but also the ones that will HELP on the day. Especially if you have decided to forgo an on the day wedding co-ordinator. They are the ones that are meant to find the bits you need when you get ready, to help direct the guests, to gather folk for the group photos. They’re not just chosen to plan your hen/stag do’s or to beef up the guest list and ‘even out’ a wedding group photo.
Wedding guests were ready to MAKE THE WEDDING A WEDDING! Yep, we were let out this year. Allowed out. Allowed to party. And most wedding guests did not disappoint. Your wedding guests really do make the wedding. They cried, they whacked their head back in a loud laugh, they danced, they strutted around thinking the world was their catwalk, they played games in the pouring rain, they did shots and they joined in. One thing reduced numbers at weddings taught many couples was to really think about and hone in on their guest list. Invite those who count, those who will make the wedding experience a good one and give you the memories that you’re after.
Embracing the rain. That’s it. It was a wet summer (again). I can count on my hand how many dry sunny wedding days I had. But it was embraced. Muddy shoes? “Who cares, get the photos, G.” Wet hair? “More hairspray, give me the umbrella and take the pic, G.” Puddle? “Let’s go round this one, G.”
I say it every year and I’ll say it again, the weddings where couples have trusted me completely have been the weddings that have got the banging photos. I am totally there to capture the day as it happens but my couples also invest in me because they see the beautiful photos in my portfolio and say ‘I want something like that’. Well, that happens when I am not given a shot list, when I am given time on the day and when a couple say: “We’re all yours, G”.
I’m still a creative at heart and unlocking this happens when you trust me. I’m not just clicking a button. Ask me all you need to before you book, tell me what’s important and even tell me your wedding worries. Take 30mins to meet me virtually and keep in touch once you book. 90% of my couples follow me on Instagram to keep in touch, this really helps build a relationship and allows us all to feel way more comfortable with each other on the day. It is not uncommon for me, at all, to even have met or spoken to parents and/or close friends of the couple before the day too. Genuinely! I am with couples all day and am often viewed as someone more than just there to do their job. It warms my heart and creative juices even more when I am treated like a friend and welcomed in. If guests see that, they’re often quick to open up to me too. Thank you for inviting me to take a selfie with you, thank you for dragging me into the photo booth with you, thank you for feeding me when you are being fed, thank you for making sure my drinks are on a tab, thank you for your cards and gifts, thank you for your 5-star reviews. Thank you for recommending me to others. In the words of Dido: Thank you.
2021 wedding surprises that baffled me and a fair few others:
These are the 2021 observations I made and have seen discussed amongst wedding suppliers in the UK. They’re not based on a single wedding, not necessarily my weddings either! But, they are things that are unique to 2021 and have baffled many in the wedding industry. You may note that many of my points cover my pet hate for a phone on a wedding day.
Loads (and I mean loads) of people getting ready with the wedding couple in a teeny tiny amount of space. What I and other wedding suppliers have seen this year during the morning of the wedding, more than ever before, is the large parties of people in and out, lots of carrier bags, food, shoes, underwear all over the floor waiting to be photographed. On top of this, the bride/grooms are being bombarded with questions about the day. Before now, the morning prep was an intimate occasion, they were a few friends or family having tea, making breakfast, playing music and reminiscing. Many of us photographers, videographers and makeup teams witness more so now that it’s a smaller space, a lot more guests and less time enjoying the time together but more boomerang making and selfie-taking. To improve the experience my tips are: invite just a few, make sure you have the space, take time to relax and enjoy each others company. Put your favourite music on, exchange letters and/or gifts, get the photo albums out and talk about the ‘good old days’. Nominate someone to ensure the place is tidy and put the phones away! You’re getting ready for a wedding, not a night out-out.
Speaking of phones, it’s not just the guests with a passion for a boomerang. A bone of contention being discussed right now amongst wedding suppliers is the taking of photos and videos of hair/make-up, venue styling by suppliers themselves on the wedding day. I get 2020 decimated businesses and it meant fewer opportunities for wedding suppliers being able to get photos/videos to show off their beautiful work/venue. However, I and other photographers/videographers have seen an increase where the morning is taken up by endless marketing opportunities or they’re in the way of your wedding day photo trying to get their own photo of you. I have even turned up to a wedding where a wedding venue dresser actually brought their own photographer to take photos of the set-up an hour before the ceremony was to begin. I get why it’s happening but I, and others, have seen couples having to rush and miss key moments of the day such as being dressed by a loved one, a ‘reveal’ of you in your wedding outfit etc because someone needed a photo for Instagram. If you’re happy for this to happen then so be it. If it’s something you’d rather not happen then perhaps have a word with suppliers beforehand so they know the score. Your suppliers can get in touch with me after to get photos. You concentrate on enjoying your day and creating an experience.
Is that a very big, practically an iPad, phone in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me? Phones are practically little laptops these days and let me just say this, you can see them very clearly in pockets. IF you desperately need your phone on the day then pop it in a blazer pocket, in a handbag or with a mate, especially when you’re exchanging vows and during the ‘couple photos’. Avoid trouser pockets, bras and heaven forbid in your actual hand.
Putting up with and including wedding guests on the day that we have to forgive because ‘that’s how they are’. Nah. Don’t do it. Just don’t. If you know someone on the guest list is likely to offend or upset someone, why invite them? They can clock in via zoom…on their phone…
So there it is. What went well and what can get in the bin. Hope you found it useful and it’s given you some pointers to think about for your day.
Now, using the trendy TikTok phrase, let’s look at 2021 to see if “I UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT!”
To all of my couples who chose me to be with you on your major life event, at the risk of sounding like a broken record: A MIGHTY big THANK YOU. I honestly don’t think I can put into words just how much I adore you, your wedding day and the trust you had in me to capture your wedding for you. I leave 2021 with waaaaay more friends than I had in 2020 and that’s because of you.
If you’re reading this thinking ‘Oi, G, take my photo and add me to your friend list’ then hit me up.
