One of my favourite things, when I'm shooting a wedding, is watching the antics of the little guests. 

The kids.

Kids are awesome.  And tiring.  And then awesome again.
I've got 3 of my own, so I know how they can go from the cutest things on the planet one minute, to making you want to pull your hair out the next.  There's a reason that people invented alcohol - and I'd wager a bet that a screaming 2 year old was behind it!

I love the little moments at a wedding - the ones that the Bride and Groom very rarely see until they get their photos back.  That's what I like to do.  I like to capture these little moments forever.  Photos that can be shown in 10 years time when they think they're all grown up!
I love these moments - bridal prep where two sisters are like little Princesses getting ready for the Ball.  Sneaking little selfies on their phones.  Ceremonies where the kids are that bored that they haven't realised the hymn book is upside down.  Outside the church where confetti wars are the best thing on the Earth for 5 minutes.  At the reception where they can't manage any more food, but demolish the sweetie cart in half an hour flat.  Sneaky fingers going for the wedding cake.  Bubbles and balloons - these are two of the greatest inventions to keep a kid busy that have ever been made!  The quiet moments, when two 10 year olds can sit in conversation like a couple of 50s housewives and two 15 year olds can chase each other around like they're 9 again.  The dancefloor, where they let loose like the adults daren't, when sliding is still the best thing in the world and swirly dresses make awesome twirls like they see on TV.
They all catch me eventually, and I get the goofy grin or the embarrassed smile or the covered face or the squeal of laughter.  Sometimes I even get a pose! 

These are precious moments.  Moments which can, and will, be cherished forever. 

There's one thing that kids can teach us - and that's how to live.  Now.  In the moment.  Live every second without a care about what's next.  Cry out your frustrations for a few minutes, but then carry on being the King or Queen of your world.
We all need to live like kids sometimes.

But, don't worry if you don't have kids, or there's no kids at your wedding.  After a few drinks down our necks, us adults soon shed the worry of adulting and start acting like kids again anyway...

Here are a few of those moments.

I thought I'd put a blog post together to show what I get up to in my spare time. 

I have a strong fascination with all things broken and abandoned.  I love rusty steel and twisted metal, broken stones and mossy rocks, shattered glass and age old bottles, broken clocks and worn-out watches.  I love to stand in a place where men and women once toiled and bled, the industry long since gone and their efforts forgotten.  I love the feel of walking down a hospital corridor where cries of joy and tears of sadness would never be heard again, just the eerie silence of something forgotten - maybe the occasional patter of dripping water from the now broken ceilings.  I love to sit in a chair where someone once spent the majority of their daily grind, see the random bits of graffiti carved into the desks, wondering who the initials 'JB' belonged to or whether 'Steve' still loved 'Alice'.  The sadness of some of these places can bring a tear to your eye, the thoughts of someone's job gone as another steelworks or mill closed their doors.  Some of the sights can be breathtaking too - the grandeur of the details in the building, the size of the doorways, the handwritten signs and the craftwork in the smallest window. 

So, here are a few snaps of some of the places that I've visited.  Abandoned mills, steelworks, factories, potteries, hospitals, asylums, collieries, churches, mortuaries, houses and mansions.  Broken RAF bases, trainyards, garages, farms and barns.  Lost cemeteries and junkyards.

I try to see the beauty in the broken.  The splendour of the past in the grime of the present.

Have a nosey through - someone you know, knew or loved could have once walked these halls, drove these cars, sat in these chairs and watched these clocks, just waiting for the weekend... 

I spent my birthday this year photographing the wedding of Laura and Chris, in a pretty cool little converted chapel restaurant in the middle of Derby.

We started the day with some bridal prep at the couple's home in Ashbourne before moving on down to Masa Restaurant in Derby centre for the vows and evening do.

Bridal prep was a complete laugh - a house full of women drinking Prosecco.  With willy straws.  Need I say more!
Pretty soon the Limo turned up for the girls, so it was a fight through traffic to get down and parked up at the restaurant.  In typical fashion, the car park I had planned to use had been roped off for work, but a stroke of luck got me the very last on-street parking spot!

The restaurant itself is a pretty cool place.  A converted Chapel that dates back to the 1800s.  For more info on Masa, click HERE.

Chris was waiting patiently inside and pretty soon the Bridal Party made their entrance.  One of the Bridesmaid's first jobs raised a few laughs - the placing of a phone book at the end of the aisle for Laura to stand on.  Probably the best use of a phonebook in years - I have no idea where they managed to find one!
Pretty soon the vows were done, kisses were kissed and confetti was thrown.  The room was soon converted back to normal, drinks were flowing and food was served.
The wedding had a pretty cool travel-theme.  Paper planes made out of maps were soon zooming around - mostly over the balcony into the lower bar area!

After the speeches had been said, the DJ kicked the beats up and the party got underway.  The Bride and Groom get extra points from me for doing the dance from Pulp Fiction as their first dance.  One of my favourite movies.

It was a pretty awesome day.

Did I mention it was my birthday?  Well so did the Groom.  In his speech.  And the Bride.  And the Bridesmaids.  And the DJ...

Thanks for having me guys - it was a blast.

Here are a few images from their day. 
(Make up by Peach Berry Hair and Make Up.)

A few weeks ago I had the lovely pleasure of photographing the wedding of Dawn and Callum down in Chesterfield.

The day started with a little bridal prep at the lovely Ringwood Hall Hotel, followed by a quick drive back into Yorkshire to Christ Church in Hackenthorpe for the vows, then back to Ringwood Hall for the wedding breakfast and evening do.

The day was blue-sky beautiful with the sun blazing down.  The bridal prep was a laugh as usual, with plenty of kids running round to keep everyone on their toes.  Balancing a chair on the bed to hang the wedding dress wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but I survived the wobbly deal unscathed!

After the prep, it was on to the church.

Callum was patiently waiting for his Bride-to-be.  He was also looking a tad nervous!
The vows were fun, with plenty of laughs thrown in.  Also plenty of tears from both the bride and the groom!
Pretty soon the vows were done, songs were sung and confetti was thrown.  And kisses were had - lots of kisses.

Back to the Hall!

We arrived back and chilled in the gardens while finishing touches were made to the room.
I whisked Dawn and Callum away for a few photos round the grounds, then it was back to inspect the room.  When Callum saw the memorial place setting for his father at the top table, the emotions ran very high.  It was an absolutely beautiful, touching moment.  I had a bit of a lump in my throat too!

Food was served, toasts were had, cakes were cut and dances were danced.

And lots more kissing too.

A beautiful, emotional day that I was privileged to be a part of. 
Thanks for having me guys - you rocked.

Here's a few images from their day.