A different kind of beautiful
As an alternative wedding photographer, I’m not usually the kinda' guy to gush and swoon over the details. But I need to set the record straight because daamn, there seems to be some weird idea that if you choose to have a fun, alternative wedding, you’ll have to sacrifice an element of beauty from your day. Like it’s a choice between the two.
But f*ck that!
This was hands down, one of the most
crazy, fun, festival infused weddings I’ve
ever been to. But also one of the most beautiful. The attention to detail, the thought behind every choice, the love of photography as an art.
It was like a photoshoot with sambuca. Lots of sambuca.
In this barn wedding venue in Wales, Marilyn and Roland proved that those crazy, fun weddings can be jaw-droppingly gorgeous. And that ‘alternative’ just means ‘a different kind of beautiful’.
A celebrity red carpet of wedding professionals
Here’s one of the biggest advantages of having an intimate wedding. Whether it's an alternative wedding or a traditional one, you have so much freedom to have your day exactly how you want it.
Without the crushing financial restraints of having to buy dinner for hundreds of folk you ain't even seen since you were last in a bloody diaper, Marilyn and Roland had the freedom to style out their wedding & you KNOW they went to town wit' it! With styling by the incredibly talented Tara Knott, this has without a doubt got to be one of the most unbelievably, talent-packed supplier lists I have ever seen.
Swigging from a hip flask in a Willoby Watters
Marylin, even after her 10th sambuca, looked stunning in Capricorn by Willowby Watters. The boho vibes of the Willowby collection fit in so well with the atmosphere of the day. And the illusion tulle and ivory lace allowed her to look the epitome of a beautiful, very pissed, bride, while still showing off her tats!
And of course, we HAVE to mention the veil! Rebecca Anne’s hand-embroidered veils have become the veils to wear and can be customised with initials, quotes, names, anything you like.
Veils have got a bit of a bad rep for being traditional and outdated. But Marilyn comes flying in, single-handedly reclaiming veils back over to the cool side of the yard!
Flawless alternative intimate wedding styling
Hell, theres just so much to it! Through & through this wedding was straight up just wild & so unbelievably beautiful as well!
A carefully considered colour theme ran through the whole day, and perfectly complemented the backdrop of the barn. The peach, toffee and white roses, chrysanthemums and gypsophila in the florals, the orange and cream vegan cake decorated with gold leaf and flowers, the neon lights, the rustic yet elegant stationery. It was all just so perfectly executed!
And that’s mentioning only a very select few of the suppliers who got involved. As I said, I’m not usually one to bang on about styling but you gotta admit, this is pretty special, right?!
Don’t you just love an intimate wedding?!
Parts of the day really did feel like we were at a festival. One of the wedding guests was an insanely talented musician named Tom Korni. He was drip feeding us only the best live music all day, serenading our ears with the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters & pretty much anything anyone could think of. Folk were laying on the grassy banks, cracking ciders and calling out requests like it was the last day at Glasto!
And when we were sitting around the campfire later, with Tom playing us a few tunes, Hannah from The Giraffe Shed rocked up with fish and chips for everyone, only to be followed up by Roland's best man & yet another round of f*ckin' sambuca of course, this guy man!
But it’s this kind of atmosphere that’s turning people towards having an intimate wedding rather than a larger traditional one. Because not only do you have so much more freedom with the styling, but the atmosphere is just that much more relaxed, fun and...well...intimate!
The Giraffe Shed wedding venue
The Giraffe Shed itself is like no other. Such a f*ckin' cool, laid-back venue. The DIY wedding venue in Wales has the BEST vibes, surrounded by countryside, packed with sheep, and just so, so chill! And as I’ve said before, DIY wedding venues are perfect for alternative weddings. Because you have a blank canvas from which to style your day, so you can completely make it your own.
The Giraffe Shed is also great for the intimate weddings like Marylin and Roland’s. They’ve recently started offering micro-wedding packages, giving you a cheap wedding venue alternative if you’re planning a smaller wedding. Only issue with this is, the party’s over by 10pm.
But that being said, with the way the Best Man was dishing out sambuca, 10pm was late enough!
Marilyn and Roland’s actual wedding at the Giraffe Shed
I know this sounds weird, but these guys have been ‘married’ before. A lot. As a popular model couple, they’ve modelled for countless wedding-themed styled shoots as the bride and groom. Just google them, they’re everywhere!
And funnily enough, that’s actually where we met. I was at a workshop at the same wedding venue, The Giraffe Shed a few months before. And Marilyn and Roland were the model couple there. We were chatting away and they mentioned they were getting married there a few months later.
How to choose your wedding photographer
Fast forward a few weeks and Marilyn slid into my DMs, saying she wanted me to photograph their actual wedding! Man, these two could’ve literally chosen anyone and they chose me! Trust me, it blew my mind!
But I’m so glad she did, because honestly I fucking LOVE these guys! We’ve built up this great relationship over the past year, we had a proper laugh together on the day & now they're gonna' be paying me a visit at two of their friends weddings next year, you know Ima' be lining my stomach ready for round 2 & 3. I really think having that relationship shines through in the photos though & trust me, it's so incredibly important when it comes to choosing any photographer. Especially for an intimate wedding like this one.
You'll spend more time with your photographer than any other supplier and you wanna be able to relax & really be yourselves. And if we’re having a laugh, if you’re comfortable around me, if you trust me as a photographer. Well, my friend, that’s when we’ll get those badass, romantic, killer shots.
So if you think we’d get on and you’d love to have me photograph your wedding, I’d love to be there with you on your day. Get in touch to see if I’m free and let’s do this!