What to expect
A short walkthrough of how a wedding shoot tends to go, written for couples who haven’t booked a photographer before.
The first email
You write a short note — date, venue, and a couple of lines about the day. I reply within a working day with whether I’m free, a sample gallery from a similar wedding, and the price for your day. No long sales pitch.
Meeting up
If we’re a fit, we meet for a coffee, a beer, or a long walk somewhere in Bristol. I want to hear about you both — how you met, what kind of wedding you’re planning, the bits you’re nervous about. You can ask anything you want. There’s no script.
The booking
If you’d like to go ahead, a deposit holds the date. I send a simple contract and we agree the timeline. After that I’m in your inbox occasionally over the months leading up to the wedding, mostly to ask about prep locations and to share the engagement-shoot plan.
The engagement shoot
About a month or two before the wedding we do an engagement shoot. It’s around an hour, usually somewhere with personal meaning — where you met, your favourite walk, your garden. It’s not about producing magazine pictures (though it sometimes does). It’s about you getting used to being in front of a camera before the wedding day. Almost every couple says they’re glad we did it.
The week before
I’ll be in touch a few days before the wedding to confirm timings, addresses, and anyone I should know about (anxious uncles, the friend you want a picture with, etc.). I keep it light — you have enough to think about.
The day itself
I usually arrive with the bridal party for the last of the prep. From there I follow the day as it happens. I don’t direct people unless I genuinely need to (the couple portraits, the formal family groups). The rest of the time I’m looking for the natural moments — the laugh during the speeches, the second glance during the vows, the kids stealing food at the reception.
I shoot solo, so I work quietly. Most guests stop noticing me within the first hour. That’s the goal.
I usually stay through the first dance and a chunk of the dance floor. Beyond nine hours we agree extra time in advance.
After the wedding
Within a week or two I share a small set of preview pictures so you have something to live with while the full edit is in progress. Four to six weeks after the wedding you receive a vintage box, packed by hand, containing a USB drive, a few sample prints, and a private gallery link you can share with family.
Albums and prints
Albums are designed in collaboration with you — I propose a sequence, you adjust. Album cost is separate from the wedding package; quotes available on request. Prints can be ordered any time through the prints page.
After all that
You stay in touch if you want to. I love hearing how the year is going, when the baby arrives, when you move house. Some of the couples on this site come back for portraits or family shoots years later. That’s the best part of the job.