Gloucester Wedding Photography - Sarah & Adrian

Have you ever seen the St Trinian movies? Not those hideous remakes, but the originals with Alistair Sim & George Cole? You have? Good. Keep them in mind for later reference.

I met Sarah & Adrian 6 months ago and got on like a house on fire. But without the insurance claim.

They knew exactly the style of wedding images they wanted, which always make my job so much easier. Lots and lots of photojournalist reportage photography. They would prefer not to see me at the wedding. At all. I never take it personally, despite wiping away a tear. But, of course they mean shooting their wedding as a Photojournalist. By far my favourite weddings.

We were promised sunny weather, and, although we didn't get that, we did get a bright, overcast day. Perfect weather for wedding photography. No need to find a number of shaded areas to avoid the harsh lighting.

The day started with Adrian working hard to finish off the table decorations and collecting the flowers with the assistance of my assistant-for-the-day, Kim, of Kim De Beer fame. If you read the previous blog you will know of her greatness.

After taking a few shots of Adrian, hard at work, we then went to shoot the bridal preparation with Sarah. Sarah looked fantastic in her gold dress.

We got to the Gloucester Registry Office for the Ceremony. One of my favourite venues as all the guests line up outside before the ceremony which is perfect for the photojournalist. Plenty of hedges, walls and pillars to stand near, taking shots of everyone anticipating the great day, without them noticing me.

The wedding ceremony was a real treat. I got front-of-house positioning to get some lovely shots of all the emotions fitting a wedding.

This is where your memories of St Trinian's will come in handy, as I describe one of the funniest moments I have ever seen at a wedding - and possibly anywhere else.

Picture this - Sarah & Adrian were reading their own vows to each other in front of their friends and family. A lovely moment. Not five feet behind them the 4 young girls, who by this point had provided much entertainment for me to shoot, decided that to entertain each other by jumping around in their seats, climbing over each other and letting out cries of how bored they were. The hilarious incredulity of seeing both of these moments at the same time was only surpassed by the fact that neither Sarah or Adrian noticed and completed their vows unaffected. My new favourite wedding moment and one that's going to take some beating.

Everyone made their way back to Gloucester's Gala Club for the Reception where, after more opportunities for me to get some informal shots, Kim and I had a chance to put our feet up and review the images so far, while the wedding party enjoyed their breakfast.

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, one of my favourite moments of any wedding are the speeches. I love walking around the room capturing true emotions. There are always tears, laughter and, in most instances, looks of horror as the Best Man "stitches up" the Groom. Adrian seems to have lived a purer life than most based on Darren's speech. Either that or Darren was being kind.

Sarah was very keen to get some shots of her son, Steve, who is going out to Afghanistan in a few weeks. The spare time after the speeches gave me an opportunity to get those for a very proud Mum. Good luck to Steve in the coming months.

I spent an hour at the local pub having dinner before the Evening Reception. 5 mins after settling down I heard a wall of sound behind me only to see the hilarious St Trinian Crew swarming towards me. They was a good 10 mins of good-natured terrorising of the locals and climbing over everything taller than them - which was everything.

This energy continued through to the Evening Reception where all the kids danced and threw themselves around the dance floor. I was also treated to some "robot" moves under the instruction of the dancer that I capture every movement. I did.

A long day and an utterly enjoyable one. Sarah & Adrian didn't stop smiling all day. This is the kind of wedding that reminds me how much I love to shoot them. Laughter, tears, hilarious kids with boundless energy and a group of friends and family who enjoyed every moment of the day.

Thank you to Sarah & Adrian for allowing me to capture their special day. I wish them all the very best the future has.

Flowers supplied by Daisy Chain, Gloucester - www.daisychaingloucester.co.uk
Suits supplied by Beaus & Balls, Gloucester - www.beaus-and-balls.co.uk
Balloons supplied by All Occasioins, Gloucester - www.alloccasionsglos.co.uk