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.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of Antonia and Mark over in Halifax.

The day started with some bridal prep at Antonia's sister's house - conveniently just down the road from her mum's, which is where I turned up to do the prep shots!  We had a good laugh during the prep, with plenty of entertainment from the kids and the smallest dog I've ever seen. 
We wrapped up the prep and did a pretty cool bridal march down the road to the wedding car waiting at Toni's mum and dad's.  I think I actually started to whistle the Reservoir Dogs theme as everyone tromped down the street.
On to the church.
The ceremony was held in Christ Church, Mount Pellon. 
Mark was standing tall in church, looking pretty smart in dress uniform.  I tried not to make too  much noise as I clattered in - after all, he did have a sword!
The bridal party soon moved in, and it was swiftly on to the vows.  (There's an inside joke there too!)
The seriousness of the vows was soon broken when the ringbearer entered - Toni and Mark's English Bulldog in a little dress of her own!  It wasn't the most glamorous aisle walk - especially when she needed a bit of dragging to get to the required spot.  I think even the vicar laughed!
The vows were soon done, rings were on and confetti was thrown.  Well, shot.
On to the reception.
The reception was held at the Moorlands Inn, Ogden.
The drinks were soon flowing, food was served and then it was time for the speeches.
And I mean time.
These were probably the longest speeches that I've ever witnessed - it seems like you can't get a soldier off the mike when they start!  I proper laughed out loud with everyone else though. 
The cake was soon cut and the dancefloor called.  The first dance was lovely, the dance with the kids was super cute and the Father - Daughter dance just straight reduced people to tears.
I think they were shooting out emotions and tears from those confetti canons!
Oh, and then there was a dance off - and I had to LOL again!

Proper fun day, start to finish.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Connell and thanks for having me - I had an awesome time.

Here's a few pictures from their day.

Had a wedding consultation in Halifax today, so we all piled in the car to have a quick walk round the town afterwards. 
We only had a quick walk round - not very much is open on a Sunday!  There are some beautiful buildings here, but rather a lot of them are looking a bit neglected.  The number of boarded up places is another sign of the economic climate, and makes the town feel a little forgotten.  Still, as I said - some of the buildings are lovely. 
We spent a lot of time down near the war memorial at the Minster.  My 10 year old has recently joined the Sea Cadets and was pretty taken by it all. 
After a quick walk up to Wetherspoons, it was time for a quick dinner and a pint before heading home. 
Here's a few snaps.