This blog takes a look back at our 2023 wedding season so far – the first 6 months in fact. And what a first half of the year we’ve had! Below you’ll find at least one image from every wedding we’ve photographed so far in 2023 up to our first few weddings of July – plus a few of our own family photos. Below is one from Shani and Abin’s Cheshire wedding (read more about this and our other fantastic weddings below).
We hope you enjoy looking through – and reading the stories behind our images. We’re also delighted to say we’ve received the most amazing feedback from every single one of our 2023 couples – and we’ve included this here. Knowing you, our couple, love the moments we capture for you is absolutely everything to us.
We’d like to say a big thanks to all our past, present and future couples – plus thank all the suppliers and venues we’ve worked with. Lastly, a big thanks to our photographer friends who have assisted or second shot for us this year. You can see a confetti moment from Ashridge House above – and a lovely couple shot of Emma and Matt together at sunset. This couple shot was unposed – taken as Emma and Matt took a walk together, enjoying a moment away from the crowd, at the end of the day.
Recharging our batteries before wedding season
The hiatus that arrived at the end of 2022 (our busiest ever year – see our best of 2022 here to read all about it), has afforded us some time to reflect on our experiences and take time to recharge our batteries. Also, a quieter start to 2023 has meant we’ve been able to spend a little more down time all together as a family.
You’ll see some images of us and our family in this little section. You might have seen us on our Instagram story every now and again – the two of us, plus three young boys makes our perfectly blended, crazy little family.
Now, we’re back shooting weddings and getting busier by the day – the new season is in full flow. We’re still spending as much time as possible having adventures with our boys – but we’re also hard at work, either shooting a wedding or editing one on most days. We have so many fantastic wedding days to look forward to, all over the country – and have already photographed some incredible days, which you’ll find below. First, here are a few more images of us and our family.
Above, there’s Hugo and Xavi digging on a wintry beach, Hollie holding a sleepy Hugo at Danes Dyke on Mother’s Day and then Harrison (looking angelic – but probably plotting something). Below you’ll see Xavi concentrating hard as he fires a bow and arrow at the beach. Our beautiful boys – keeping us on our toes at every turn!
“Oh my gosh you guys. Wow. I have no idea how to thank you enough! I clicked through these alternating between tears, gasps and laughter, they are absolutely stunning. It’s like a gallery of renaissance oil paintings of everyone we love having an amazing time and looking joyful. Looking at them is like reliving it! I cannot believe how cool some of these are. We could not be happier thank you, thank you!! You are absolute artists!”
We start off our wedding round up by looking at our last wedding of June 2023 – Tatty and Theo’s incredible London wedding, which took place at the Round Chapel and Hoxton Docks. And as you can see, we’re pleased to say Tatty and Theo loved our preview images from their day! Every piece of feedback we receive from our couples means so much to us. Truly lovely words from such a lovely couple.
Tatty and Theo’s wedding was as amazing as it was unique. During a rare quiet moment we chatted to Theo about this and we said: “There has never been a wedding like this before!” – and we really meant it. Every wedding is different to the last – and this was a day that was like no other we’ve ever photographed.
It was a wedding full of such creative touches, with so many surprises – a mass vow renewal, a cake pinata, the king Himself, Elvis Presley. These are just a few of the things we had the pleasure of photographing – and as a whole, the day said so much about Tatty and Theo. It was an incredibly relaxed day, that flowed so naturally – but no less intricately planned.
Above all though, to paraphrase Tatty’s words above, we felt such an abundance of joy from everyone present. Joy carried the wedding along, it swept everyone up. From location to location, from room to room. From moment to moment. Everyone had the biggest smile on their face, as everyone was part of the fun (no matter how young or how old). That’s not just every guest, but every supplier too. We’re so pleased Tatty and Theo felt our images embodied that sense of joy that was such a part of the day – we felt it ourselves, too.
“We are so glad we booked you and we’re so excited – we’ve been to a number of recent weddings where we’ve been posed almost endlessly, so we are really happy we can just relax at our own wedding!”
We’ve received so many lovely emails recently from couples who are so excited for us to be photographing their wedding day. These emails included the above quote from Libby and Peter (which really made us smile).
Above all, as Libby and Peter’s quote says, we want you to enjoy your wedding and have the best day ever. Our approach means photography will never get in the way of that. We don’t move you and your guests around or pose you; we don’t tidy up the floor or tables or tell you what to do; we won’t tell you where to look or get you to repeat things again and again.
We don’t take endless group shots or follow a set template of what we feel a wedding should entail. From the very beginning of the day until the end, we want you to have fun, relax and enjoy the wedding you’ve spent so long planning. We’re there to document your day as it unfolds – beautiful, funny and poignant moments happening naturally.
We’ve now photographed Libby and Peter’s beautiful Lake District wedding and we were thrilled that they loved our preview images from their day: “Oh my goodness, the images are absolutely gorgeous. We are over the moon!!” Thanks so much to our good friend Janina for second shooting this beautiful wedding for us.
“Wow, we absolutely love the previews!”
As June turned to July, we photographed this stunning wedding at Wrenbury Hall in Cheshire with Shani and Abin. A Sri Lankan – Indian wedding with around 200 guests, there were so many amazing moments for us to capture. We started off with Shani and her family – and Abin and his groomsmen. Two really relaxing mornings, everyone enjoying getting ready before a beautiful Catholic ceremony.
Shani wore a stunning white sari – with Abin looking incredibly dapper in a white tuxedo. Everywhere we turned we saw sophisticated black-tie and beautiful saris. This made for such an elegantly colourful day. After the ceremony we all travelled to Wrenbury Hall. Later on, we chatted to one of Abin’s groomsmen – a doctor himself, just like Shani and Abin – and he told us that “about 50 percent of the guests here are doctors”. Well, it turns out doctors like to party!
After an arrival ice cream (much needed to help cool everyone down) the Indian / Sri Lankan canapés were served – and what incredibly tasty canapés they were! We were kindly asked to help ourselves by the lovely catering staff (and on a long but exciting wedding day we’ll always gladly accept a canapé to keep us going!). We can safely say that they were definitely some of the best canapés we’ve ever eaten!
Then Shani changed into a beautiful white gown and it was onto some incredibly emotional speeches, before the aforementioned party. There were so many fun moments on the dance floor to capture. We really loved photographing this beautiful and fun wedding – and we’re so pleased Shane and Abin love their preview photos:
“We have absolutely LOVED looking through the preview photos you sent to us – they reflect so many different emotions from the day and are such beautiful memories. You both really are such talented photographers and you’re brilliant at what you do. The shots you got are so impressive and artistic! You were both honesty such a pleasure to have as part of our wedding – so kind, flexible, friendly and unobtrusive. And even though nothing was staged we have some of the most beautiful couple photos just from the previews! And when we were talking about our wedding afterwards we have both said how we don’t have memories of standing for ages having staged photos but rather just having fun and being present which is perfect and really all thanks to you both.” Such lovely words from Shani and Abin!
“Hi Patrick (and Hollie!). I just wanted to say the biggest thank you for being such a wonderful part of our day. Without even seeing the photos, you were so brilliant, and made the day so fun and easy. We had an unbelievable time, thank you so much”
This is another lovely email we received recently, from Emma and Matt. They got married a few weeks ago, with Patrick capturing their day. It means so much to us to get such positive feedback straight after the wedding – before we’ve even had time to edit any previews.
A particular highlight of the day was chatting to Emma’s 95 year old granddad. He told us what an amazing job we’d been doing – and then asked (though we’re paraphrasing a little) if we were concerned about phones superseding cameras. We explained that as we offered an artistic style completely different to someone with a phone camera, our work would continue to be valued – he seemed genuinely happy with this. We then chatted about the emergence of AI photography – and his worries about the impact on both our Art and as it transpired, the impact of AI on humanity as a whole (he went into such detail about an article he’d read about AI recently). Emma’s granddad was such a warm, knowledgeable, insightful and funny character. If we can be anything like him by the time we’re 95 then we’ll be doing something (probably everything) right. We walked away from the conversation smiling and continued smiling all day – it was that kind of wedding.
It’s also so lovely of Emma to include Hollie in her thanks above, even though Hollie wasn’t there at the wedding itself. Hollie leads on the editing process, ensuring complete consistency to the look of the images before we work on the final gallery together. Every wedding is an artistic collaboration between us. The feeling we both get when we ‘finish’ a wedding is one of immense pride – and excitement. Excitement to deliver the gallery to you, our couples, so you can relive your day all over again. You can see some of our images from this wonderful wedding in this section, including one that won Patrick a WPJA award.
We’ve now sent Emma and Matt their previews and they love them: “Oh such happy memories! They’re fantastic, they bring to life all the joy of the day and all the colours. We’re really thrilled with them, thank you so much!” Thanks so much for the amazing feedback Emma and Matt, it means so much to us.
“We are absolutely thrilled!”
In early June, we had the pleasure of photographing Alice and Ant’s Derbyshire wedding (thanks so much to our friend Dan for second shooting). It was our first visit to Callow Hall, a beautiful venue nestled within stunning scenery.
It was such a relaxed day – guests had arrived a few days earlier and it was immediately clear how at home everyone felt. After a ceremony at a local Catholic church, we headed back to Callow Hall for canapés and drinks – before a raucous party in the evening.
The party was led by a fantastic saxophone player, who made sure the energy was high in the room post-wedding breakfast and it wasn’t long before everyone was on their feet dancing.
We’re so pleased Alice and Ant loved their preview photos: “Hi Patrick and Hollie, thank you so so much for the amazing wedding previews, we were literally blown away when we saw them!! We received them whilst on our honeymoon in the Seychelles and it was so much fun looking at them albeit with super slow wifi.
So it was great when we got back to the uk last week so we could have a proper look! We are absolutely thrilled with them and can’t wait for the rest. Thanks again to Patrick and Dan on the day!” Thanks so much for the lovely feedback – we so appreciate it!
“The artistry in how you have documented our day is incredible”
One of our most recent weddings was Olivia and Josh’s big day at East Riddlesden Hall in Yorkshire. What a fantastic day it was. The image below is from Olivia and Josh’s couple shoot – spot the moody skies in the background. It was one of those weddings when guests kept ducking in and out of the venue, trying to avoid the frequent showers. In one particular break in the weather, Olivia and Josh decided to go for a stroll around the grounds of their beautiful venue.
We made sure we kept this part of the day as relaxed as possible – just an extension of our documentary approach. No posing or prompting from us – no directions on how to hold each other or when to kiss, laugh or smile. Who needs that on their wedding day, seriously? Josh and Olivia thanked us afterwards, saying how much they enjoyed the opportunity to have some time together – just being themselves – and said how much they appreciated our approach. Such a lovely couple – we loved it too!
The rest of the day flew by with happy tears, smiles and so many laughs. Then when the evening reception started, there was a surprise for everyone – entertainment courtesy of the amazing Back Chat Brass.
Their roving band makes for such a fun and immersive experience and always gets the party well and truly started. Thanks so much to our friend Natasha for second shooting this beautiful wedding for us.
We’re so pleased Olivia and Josh love their preview images: “Wow! Just wow, we are absolutely blown away by the preview and we have re looked at them multiple times. Each time we look we see something that we hadn’t initially noticed. The artistry in how you have documented our day is incredible and has gotten us even more excited to see the complete album.”
A right royal party!
On the day when some across the country were celebrating the coronation of our new King, we were celebrating Rebecca and Christian’s wedding at Riverlands. There was a slight royal theme to the day – with a few nods to the new King and the queen consort along the way.
But the day was all about Rebecca, Christian and all their closest friends and family. We were made to feel a part of the wedding right from the moment we arrived and we loved every moment. The rain came and went with such force – but as often happens, the rain only brought people closer together.
Rebecca and Christian loved their preview photos, writing: “We had the best day and you were so great from start to finish. The preview photos are amazing! Thank you so much.” You can see images of Rebecca and Christian enjoying a kiss (while wearing Charles and Camilla masks, of course – Hollie won a WPJA award for this), guests running trying to avoid the rain and also, a layered shot showing how busy the getting ready stage can be.
“You made us both feel so calm and relaxed”
Hollie went back to Saltmarshe Hall earlier this year – one of our favourite local venues. It was such a wonderful day with Amber, Adam and all their guests. Hollie won a WPJA award for one of her images from the day, which she was thrilled about. Bridesmaids descending the stairs, making their way to the ceremony.
The image below shows the cutting of the cake. Hollie noticed the mirror behind the cake showed the reactions of the excited bridesmaids, with the cake cutting in the foreground, for context. We’re always looking to capture moments in a unique way, to find a new angle or perspective. The other image shows Amber and Adam during their first dance, with their guests watching on in the background.
We’re so pleased Amber and Adam love their wedding photographs: “Thanks for such an amazing day. You made us both feel so calm and relaxed. The photos are absolutely amazing. I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve looked through them. I love how relaxed and natural they are, absolutely amazing, we love them and couldn’t of asked for any better. Absolutely unreal”. Such lovely words from a really lovely couple – they made Hollie feel so welcome, like just another wedding guest.
“Thank you for our wedding photographs! They are just incredible in every singly way. We love them so much! Thank you, thank you!”
Our first wedding of the year was at Victoria Warehouse, in Manchester and what a fantastic wedding to start the year with. Emma and Dan originally booked us to photograph their wedding in 2020, but Covid got in the way. We’re so pleased they had their day at last in 2023. It was more than worth the wait!
Emma, Dan and their families made us feel so welcome from the beginning until the end and we’re so pleased they loved the photos we took for them. Huge thanks to our good friend Karl for second shooting this beautiful wedding for us.
A wedding at the Landmark Hotel in London
Back in late December 2022 Patrick photographed an amazing wedding at the Landmark Hotel in London – second shooting for one of our best friends in the industry Dave Scholes. We sometimes have to use second shooters ourselves – and we’re always happy to help our friends out too, when we can. There is an amazing sense of community in the wedding photography industry – one of the many reasons we feel really lucky to call wedding photography our job.
This was our first opportunity to attend a Jewish wedding and it’s an experience that will live long in the memory. There was so much emotion, so many poignant and meaningful moments and so much dancing!
We’ve photographed weddings of many different cultures and religions: Chinese weddings, Hong Kong weddings, Muslim weddings, Sheikh weddings, Hindu weddings, Greek weddings, Neo-pagan weddings, civil ceremonies and different denominations of Christian weddings. We’ve worked with many different faiths, different nationalities and different sexualities.
However, we don’t define people by their religion, culture or sexuality. For us each wedding is unique, because the people we meet and photograph are unique. For instance, every Hindu wedding is different from the last Hindu wedding we photographed and every church wedding is completely new to us. We don’t impose a pre-determined template on a wedding day. We let a wedding live and breathe by being unobtrusive during the event and being empathetic with the people.
We’re so lucky that weddings offer us the chance to meet so many people and provide us as photographers with so many incredible moments to immerse ourselves in. The images Patrick took from this wedding won us a This Is Reportage story award, too. This Is Reportage awards are the most highly prized documentary photography awards in the world and every one we’ve won means a great deal to us.
“These photos have made us feel so emotional and laugh so much all at the same time!”
Rebecca and Ryan got married at the beautiful Saltmarshe Hall – a stunning location for a wedding, situated just by the River Ouse in East Yorkshire. Below you’ll find some images from this wonderful Yorkshire wedding.
We are so pleased Rebecca and Ryan love their preview images: “They are fantastic. We’re currently in Bali on honeymoon and waking up to these has been the best start to the day. These photos have made us feel so emotional and laugh so much all at the same time. If this is just a preview we can’t wait to see all the others. We can’t thank you enough for being part of the day. We love these so much.”
The images in this section show what an amazing day Rebecca and Ryan enjoyed. The first is from later on in the night, Rebecca in heart shaped shades singing into the world’s tiniest microphone. Then one from the speeches. We always wait on, at the end of a speech – this is often where the best moments to photograph develop. A kiss between the couple – a hug between parent and their just married child – cheers from the guests. In this image, we can feel the energy of the moment – the top table, clapping the end of the speech with our happy couple at the centre, full of emotion.
Then we have Ryan and Rebecca eating cocktail sausages in unison – and finally, an unposed couple shot. This kind of moment would be so easy to pose at every wedding – however, we never do. We know, for many couples, it would feel so awkward to be posed and staged. People choose us as their photographers as they know we prefer to let moments flow naturally. Fun moments like this simply happen. So if you go for a quiet stroll together, we’ll be there to photograph it. However, if like Ryan and Rebecca you pick each up and run through your venue grounds at sunset – we’ll be ready! Whoever you are as a couple – that’s exactly what we’ll capture. As you can see, Ryan and Rebecca were so much fun to spend the day with.
A beautiful East Yorkshire wedding
Earlier in 2023, we photographed Hannah and Lewis’ Dunedin wedding. Hannah is one of Hollie’s old college friends – so it was particularly poignant to meet years later, on the biggest day of her life. Hannah and Lewis loved the photos we took for them, proudly declaring on social media after they received their images: “If you are booking a wedding photographer, don’t look any further!”. It means a lot to know how much they appreciated the moments we captured for them. Here’s one of Hollie’s images from the day, which won a WPJA Artistic Guild award.
“Thanks so much for the pictures, we love them!”
We photographed a wonderful wedding at Little Wold Vineyard recently. Liz and Ben planned a day that really showed their personalities – it was a day that featured their friends and family throughout. From Liz’s mum driving her to the ceremony (in a blinged-out white transit van), to personal readings in the service, to garden games to entertain the guests.
These games included giant chess. Ben is a huge fan of chess and a fan of huge chess too, clearly (sorry, terrible joke – Patrick). So we incorporated this into some of the images we took – including this photograph by Hollie. This image recently won a coveted This Is Reportage award.
We’re so pleased Liz and Ben loved their previews – thanks so much for the amazing feedback both of you: “Thanks so much for the pictures, we love them! We thought that the examples on your website were just the highlights, but all the images you sent us are incredible! Really looking forward to seeing the rest.” Also, you’ll find a rare photo of us together below from this lovely wedding – well, our feet anyway!
“We absolutely love these photos, they’re fantastic!”
We photographed Alyson and Mark’s wedding at Sledmere Barn in June. A Spanish themed day (thanks so much the amazing paella – some of the best wedding food we’ve had!) in East Yorkshire and we loved every moment. Below are some of the wedding guests basking in some Yorkshire sun, at Sledmere House.
A horse and carriage ride from the gatehouse at Sledmere House to the village church carried Alyson to meet Mark for a beautiful ceremony. Then it was onto the House for canapés, confetti and cocktails – and lastly, food and dancing at the barn. We loved the variety the different locations brought – all so close together, but each with their own unique feel.
We’re loved spending the day with Alyson and Mark and we’re so pleased to say they loved their preview photos. They sent us a really lovely email on the way to their Honeymoon: “We absolutely love these photos they’re fantastic! Thank you so much Hollie for being such a fabulous photographer and just going with the flow on our day.
We’re just sat in the departure lounge waiting for our flight to Jamaica, so this is a lovely way to start our honeymoon. Thanks so much again! Can’t wait for the others!” We’re delighted to say one of Hollie’s images from the day won a prestigious WPJA award – you can see an enthusiastic guest joining the band onstage (we can’t condone this – but he did have some award winning dance moves). The images above show an emotional moment just before the ceremony and Mark and Alyson during some fantastic speeches.
“The photos are incredible!”
Adam and Jen got married at Holdsworth House. What a day and what a party! As you’ll see, the day ended with Jen and Adam being hoisted on wedding guests’ shoulders and carried triumphantly around the dance floor. This gave us so many funny moments to capture. The day started off with rain though – a lot of it! It didn’t interfere with the day though.
Guests still enjoyed drinks outside – and then, just before the outdoor ceremony, the raindrops stopped. Perfect timing from the weather guests. Rain – and the weather in general – is the one thing you cannot plan for or control. And if it rains on your wedding day, you’ll be having too much of an amazing time to really even notice it.
Thanks so much to our friend Josh for second shooting this wedding for us. Jen and Adam are such a lovely couple – and their friends and family were just as lovely, too. The day seemed to fly by so fast – wedding days have a habit of defying time! As always though, we were on hand to capture so many natural photographs, to freeze those fleeting moments, for Jen and Adam to look back on in the years to come.
Jen and Adam sent us a lovely email saying thanks for their preview images: “Thank you so much for sending these over! They are absolutely amazing. We just sat down and relived the day. Thank you for doing a perfect job, again the photos are incredible!”
A wedding on the Ashridge Estate
Earlier this year, we second shot this stunning Ashridge Estate wedding for our dear friend Matt Godman. As we’ve been a little less busy this year, we’ve been able to second shoot for friends a few times already and we’ve so enjoyed this. Matt is our oldest friend in the industry – we began shooting weddings together many years ago (also, Matt was the celebrant on our own wedding day). We’re so pleased he asked us to assist him at this incredible Hertfordshire wedding – it was fun to shoot for him and Ashridge House is a stunning location.
Ashridge is a really impressive location. As we turned the final corner, making our way up the drive to the house, we were taken aback by the sheer scale of the building – it felt like we were driving onto a film set. Then the wedding itself was fantastic, with the ceremony – held on the stairs of a great hall – being particularly memorable. This incredible setting afforded us the opportunity to take this image of the ‘first kiss’ from a unique vantage point. We recently won a This Is Reportage story award for the images we took at this wonderful wedding.
“Thank you so much for sending the previews through so fast and so many! We’re in love with every one of these images”
Ellie and Lee got married at Oaklands, East Yorkshire in June – and as the quote above shows, they absolutely loved the preview photos we’ve already sent to them. We loved being a part of this beautiful wedding – Ellie and Lee are such a nice couple, with such a funny sense of humour. They made sure we were part of the day – with every guest being just as welcoming as they were.
Oaklands is a local venue to us that’s we’ve visited many times. But we’re not sure we’ve ever photographed such a relaxed and fun day there as Ellie and Lee’s day. The image above shows Lee’s best man handing over the rings during the ceremony – he was quite the character throughout the day!
Then there’s confetti – and there’s always one guest who goes in hard when throwing it (we’re pleased to say no grooms were harmed in the making of this photograph). And below is Ellie’s shadow, captured just as she adjusts her veil. The shadow alone – cast on the stone floor outside the beautiful Yorkshire wedding venue – shows just what a stunning dress and veil it was.
Oaklands offers a beautiful, outside first dance area – fairy lights twinkle setting such a romantic atmosphere. We positioned ourselves for this shot so we could make the most of the trees in the foreground – framing Ellie and Lee in golden lights.
“They are incredible and brought us straight back to our special day”
We photographed this beautiful Beverley Barn wedding earlier in the year. Abigail and Chris were the loveliest of couples and planned a wonderful wedding day. A relaxed beginning to the wedding, to a beautiful church service to a fantastic reception at the barn. We’re so pleased Abigail and Chris loved their photos: “Thank you for sending these photos through; they are incredible and brought us straight back to our special day!” One of Hollie’s images from the wedding won a Wedding Photojournalist Association Master Piece award too, which was lovely news to receive.
Bridesmaids at the Deer House
Earlier this year, Patrick was asked to second shoot for some more of our friends in wedding photography, Richard and Christine Steadman. A fellow husband and wife duo, we’ve been friends for years – and it was so great shooting this beautiful day for them at the Deer House. One of Patrick’s images from the day won a Wedding Photojournalists Association Master Piece Award, too!
The Festival Of The Unicorn
In May 2023, Hollie was asked to photograph the Festival Of The Unicorn – in aid for Elsie’s appeal. Elsie’s mum is an old friend of Patrick – so the appeal is close to heart. More than this though – much more than this – Elsie is a very special little girl who had a very special wish… to see a unicorn! The local community came together to make this wish a reality, with over a hundred ‘unicorns’ descending on Sledmere House. Today, we were so happy to find out that the event raised over £17,000 for Elsie’s appeal. The appeal is raising money for Elsie, who has Battens disease. The unicorn festival was a wonderful event and we’re so pleased it was such a success. Elsie had the most fantastic time meeting so many unicorns!
“We cannot thank you enough!”
Nicki and Craig got married at Bunny Hill in Yorkshire – such a wonderful wedding. At the time, it was the first warm wedding we’d photographed this year and this led to people relaxing and enjoying the day – with so many comments about Spring being ‘here at last’. We love this moment from the morning, showing different layers of guests getting ready for the day ahead (with the Teletubbies sun watching on, too). It was great to work with our good friend Josh Moore of SJM Wedding Films at this wedding too (Josh filmed our own wedding day and we highly recommend him!). We’re so pleased Nicki and Crag loved their photos: “We can not thank you enough, you captured our perfect day with all these images in the perfect way!! We love them all thank you so so, so much”.
Thanks so much to our friend Karl for second shooting this wonderful wedding – Karl did an amazing job, just as all our second shooters always do. We’re delighted to say one of Patrick’s images from the wedding won an WPJA Artistic Guild award, too.
“Thank you so much for the photos – they’re amazing!”
Tara and Scott’s wedding at Dunedin gave us a fantastic day to photograph. A huge thanks to our friend Natasha for second shooting for us – she did an amazing job as always (Natasha is a brilliant photographer who sometimes second shoots for us – she’s a former bride of ours too, we photographed her wedding back in 2021).
It was also great to work with our good friend Jonny of A & A Video at the wedding too (Jonny is highly recommended by us – he has the same natural approach to weddings as we have). We’re so pleased Tara and Scott loved their photos – they sent a lovely email after we sent their final gallery: “Thank you so much for the photos – they’re amazing! Thank you for spending the day & night capturing our memories! Both you & Natasha – and they have been edited beautifully Hollie. We love how natural the photos are. We love every single photo!”
The Wild Child Photographer
Hollie is also an award winning family photographer and runs a separate family and commercial photography business called The Wild Child Photographer. For her family photography, Hollie photographs children and families the same way we photograph weddings – no staging or posing, just real moments. You won’t find a fake white background anywhere near one of Hollie’s family photos!
The name The Wild Child Photographer comes from Hollie photographing children as they really are and how they want to be – a little bit wild, having fun. It’s apt too, as we have three slightly wild boys ourselves! You can follow Hollie’s Wild Child Instagram here. Hollie often gets enquiries for family photography from our previous wedding couples – so if you’re ever looking for some beautiful, real and non-cheesy family photography, drop Hollie a message – she photographs families all over the UK. Here’s some of Hollie’s Wild Child images from 2023.
A Nikkah in Luton
At the end of May, we assisted our friend and fellow photographer Barnaby Stanliand, documenting a Nikkah ceremony in Luton. It was great to photograph this beautiful occasion and spend the day with our good friend Barnaby.
A wedding at Priests House in Yorkshire
We were delighted to second shoot a wedding at the wonderful Priests House in Yorkshire earlier this year, again shooting for our friends Richard and Christine. It was a beautiful wedding at this truly stunning location – and one of Patrick’s images from the day won a WPJA award, too. This image was taken just before the beginning of the wedding speeches – the venue staff get drinks ready all the time oblivious to the couple sharing a passionate kiss just through the open doorway.
Podcasts, awards and more
We’ve been lucky enough to win Photographers Keeping It Real, This Is Reportage, Fearless and WPJA awards already this year – look out for these on our Instagram. We’ll be judging several awards too, including returning as judges of the TWIA awards (the biggest such awards in the wedding photography industry – we’re former National winners, too). We’ve also appeared on two podcasts this year. First off was the To Have And Download Podcast (run by photographer Alex Benyon) and our just released appearance on the Photographers Keeping It Real Podcast (where we were interviewed by photographer and our friend Scott Carney). We’re honoured to be continued to be afforded these opportunities to talk about our passion for wedding photography.
2023, 2024 and beyond
We have so many amazing weddings to look forward to this year and next year, too. This year, we’re going back to so many of our favourite venues – Hodsock Priory, Riverlands, Saltmarshe Hall, Little Wold Vineyard, Tickton Grange, East Riddlesden Hall, Woolas Barn, Sandburn Hall, Rise Hall, Willerby Barn, The Tithe Barn and Carlton Towers to name just some of the venues we’re visiting that we know and love.
As well as many visiting venues we know already, we’re so looking forward to visiting new locations as well. Visiting new places – and having the opportunity to photograph them in our own style for the first time – is one of the many perks of this job in fact!
These include Doxford Docks in London, Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, Wrenbury Hall near Nantwich, The Cary Arms in Devon, Newburgh Priory in Yorkshire, The Townhead Estate in the Lake District, The Canary Shed in Essex, Kenwood House Gardens in London and closing out autumn (before Winter season begins), with a wedding that goes from London to Bath and back again on the British Pullman train (think Wes Anderson vibes!). Again, these are just some of the ‘new’ venues we’ll be visiting this year – there are many more new locations for us to look forward to in 2023 and 2024.
If you’re getting married this year (or the next!) we cannot wait to meet you and share your day with you. We hope all the planning is going well. If we can help at all, please get in touch. You know where we are! Hollie and Patrick Mateer – M and G Wedding Photography