The tale of the alternative wedding photographer
Gather round, kids. Lemme tell you a story. It’s a story all about an alternative wedding photographer from Sheffield. And how a lovely young couple from Birmingham danced their way into his heart, and onto his blog.
Our story starts- like any good story- on a three hour journey through the pissing rain. But as I rock up to Formby Beach, the clouds parted, the sea sang, the sun caressed the dunes as though welcoming an old friend and bathed our engagement shoot in a glorious golden glow.
Aight so, I've set the scene, let's crack on.
Honestly though, these guys were f*ckin’ awesome man!
From their gorgeous engagement shoot on the beach, to their super-emotional, high energy ceremony. All the way through to when I finally stumbled off the dance floor of one of the wildest receptions I’ve ever been to. From the first phone call, they were beyond perfect. And their attention to detail was insane. And just look at the energy in the photos. They never stopped dancing!
Ready for this one? It’s a beast
Formby Beach engagement shoot
Now, as you might remember from our little story, it had just finished pissing down with rain right in time for THE perfect sunset.
And the entire shoot was insane. We ran around the beach listening to Anderson Paak, choking up with laughter, getting to know each other, and getting all romantic in the glow of the setting sun.
Then came an outfit change and they just ran into the sea at dusk, dancing through the waves and settling in the sand as we wrapped things up. I’ve got so much time for these guys!
Now remember these photos, because they’ll come into play later in our story…
Should you have a second shooter? Hell yeah!
Fast forward a few months to the wedding day. One of the best damn days I could've dreamt of. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
On the day I got to work alongside the man himself, Tom from @foundfilms.tv, whatta' guy! It was great to have someone to bounce ideas off. And another set of eyes to catch those little, finer details and make small changes with!
And if you’re thinking about having a second shooter, this is a big, huge ass reason why it’s so important to consider. You know how the saying goes, two minds are better than one? It's 110% the truth. Like for sure, you might be raising your budget but trust me, for what it costs? You're literally getting me in two places, a larger gallery and all while freeing me up to be more creative while still not missing a thing.
Introducing: the world’s most stylish bride and groom
Having a second shooter also means you can get shots of the other prep and a story ain't at all complete without the second half having their moment.
And trust me, when your other half's got as much style as G, you definitely wanna' be catching some o' that getting ready! I mean, my guy G woke up looking this fresh but throwing on a White Damask Jacquard Jacket from Mochee and Kurt Geiger shoes, he knew what game he was playing!
But we can’t not talk about Amuda, right? The sleek silhouette of a queen, a plunging neckline and beautiful detailing of her Pronovias dress from Rachel Ash Bridalwear. And just take a look at that headpiece! Real ‘Great Gatsby roaring 20’s’ vibes.
Just watching these guys slippin' on their dancing shoes, you still couldn't anticipate what was to come!
High energy ceremony in Hotel Du Vin
Amuda and G proved once and for all that there doesn’t have to be a ‘boring part’ of your wedding.
The ceremony in Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham was nuts! In a good way! Usually the ceremony part of the day is quite subdued, but these guys started as they meant to go on! They had a live band playing, it got super emotional. And they even had a team there to live-record the whole thing so their friends and family around the world could join in the party.
And after the ceremony they f*ckin' DANCED down the aisle! They were dancing, their guests were dancing, hell, even I was jamming! This whole wedding was a proper celebration from start to finish.
And when you’re dancing through the legal bit, just imagine what the party’s gonna be like!
Couple’s portrait session in Birmingham
One of the great things about getting married in a big city is we can go exploring together for your couple’s portraits.
Now I've seen these guys dance. I saw it on the beach, I saw it in the ceremony. These guys have rhythm in their soul! They danced down the aisle, through the waterfall of confetti and out onto the Birmingham streets like the king and queen they are.
We stopped off at a bar called The Florence. And you know it’s only right I photoshopped the sign to say ‘The Farrells’ right?! Had to be done.
Reception in The Iron House Birmingham
The Iron House in Birmingham is such a cool space. And you know Amuda and G added their own little touch!
Remember their Formby Beach engagement shoot from the start of our story? Well when I got to the reception, the photos were all over the walls! Nice little touch.
After Amuda and G made some MAD entrance, everyone gathered around a TV. Now what I didn't tell you about these guys is that they're creatives too, they shoot vlogs, models, all the good stuff... So of course, G had made a huge proposal film that they played out for everyone and then slapped all the engagement photos at the end in a little slideshow. It was beautiful to see and I mean, what a way to wind down before the party officially starts?
Before we get to that, G didn’t wanna' read a long ass groom’s speech. So instead he secretly got Bea (girl on the guitar) to do an acoustic cover of their favourite song without Amuda knowing. Literally the second she started playing, Amuda was in tears. Man, I’m standing there with a damn lump in the back of my throat and that shit got real emotional, real quick!
So when it came to doing a slideshow for their gallery, of course I got in touch with Bea to snap up a recording of her singing it again to put in the slideshow as a surprise!
They Great Gatsby’d this shit!
Now the party? WAS FUCKING WILD! Like no shit, I’m there at 10pm considering getting a last minute hotel or just sleeping in my car. Because damn! They Great Gatsby’d this shit!
I’m a sucker for dancing. If people are up dancing, Ima' be sticking around and throwing you some shapes! And when I tell you, this was banger after banger after banger. With dance off after dance off!
No word of a lie, one of my flashes were popping off that much it like full on packed in, really hit me with the 'you don't pay me enough for this shit' - but this my friend, is where spares come in handy!
Just a fucking epic, unforgettable night.
Looking for an alternative wedding photographer?
As an alternative wedding photographer, it’s always so important to me to build a good relationship with my couples. Because I don’t want you to feel awkward around me. I want us to have an absolute blast together. So I can tell the story of your day, giving you a wedding gallery that lets you relive every amazing second of it. And captures every detail of your weird and wonderful love for each other in an authentic, real way.
If you’re lovin’ my style and want me to be your wedding photographer, I’d love to be there with you. Get in touch today to see if I’m free.