“Surprise, Surprise, we got married! Alison & Steve’s secret ceremony in Bristol

This was a COVID-friendly, tiny wedding. In fact it was just Alison and Steve, their two children and niece… oh! and me!

It seems to be more common for couples to do away with the traditional aspects of the wedding day, such as arriving separately. None of that for Alison and Steve. After all, it’s hardly traditional to wear a mask and cover yourselves in hand-sanitiser, so ‘in for a penny…’

What it meant was that we could mix things up a little and do some photos before the actual ceremony at Bristol Register Office. This venue is in the oldest parts of the city and so there are some fascinating cobbled alley-ways, historic Tudor streets and tucked-away ancient churches (insert your favourite insult about me here!).

The ceremony was the first I’ve done since the COVID-19 pandemic wedding disruption, but actually, it was less different to usual than I was expecting.

The ever-awesome registrar made things as normal and intimate as possible, and actually the large table separating him from Alison and Steve was the only real difference to other very intimate weddings I have shot.

After the ceremony, all five of them wandered over to Castle Park nearby, and we got a few more photos of them as a family. They were so relaxed together, and managed to expertly navigate the passers-by that were offering their enthusiastic ‘Bristol flavoured’ congratulations :-)

What about the clickbait 'Surprise’ title?

Well, apart from the three guests that were preset, the rest of their families had no idea they were getting married. These other friends and family were in fact at a restaurant in Bath to celebrate Alison’s ‘birthday’. The truth was out, as soon as they arrived. A great evening and night was had by all accounts!

Below are a few of my favourite shots from the day.

Back in the game…

It was an absolutely incredible feeling to be back shooting weddings after so long, and I realised only then how much I’d missed it. I am still shooting my lovely family shoots, but there is something about a wedding; the immediacy, intimacy and the fact that it cannot be repeated.