Well, this wedding was a day to remember.. Caitlin and Josh have booked me for their Yorkshire Wedding Barn wedding next May, but due to family circumstances they decided to do the legal bit and have an intimate celebration this year too. Their wedding was full of joy, community, family.. and it really goes to show what weddings are really about - people and love. It was also so, so heartwarming and incredible to see so many of those close to them pulling this day together in around a week.

So! 2018 has flown by at a startling rate and it’s time to ‘round up’ ahead of diving into 2019.. I’ve shot enough weddings now to know what I love about them and which moments really make me tick. I know my ‘why’ for getting into this industry in the first place, I know why I love wedding photography the most, and I know the type of shots and the moments that really make my heart sing and make me excited about each and every wedding..

Kate and Joe - WHAT. A. DAY. An absolutely beautiful, ridiculously fun, heartfelt, emotional, romantic and awesome celebration that I wished could have gone on forever.. I'm lucky enough to know these two personally which made hearing their story all over again on their wedding day all the more special. Here are a few previews from their wonderful day at Ormesby Hall in Middlesbrough..

What a gorgeous intimate celebration this was.. Kelly and Mark said their vows in Middlesbrough's beautiful Town Hall in front of family, friends and lots of little ones! The entire day was really informal, and they wandered through the streets afterwards to relax and spend time with their guests. They were accompanied by their gorgeous two girls, and the day was really about family and what these two have together. Here are a few favourites from their day..

It's been a little while since a "Magic Seven' post, so here we are! For these posts I select my favourite (lucky number) seven images from the day.. the images I loved, the ones that sum the couple up, the ones that capture the magic of their day.. Today it's time for Amy and Matt.

I have the highlights from a perfectly-styled shoot today, for amazing wonder woman/head wear designer Katy from What Katy Did Next. I love her mix of metallics and botanicals, and we were lucky enough to shoot really locally to where I'm based at the beautiful Preston Park Museum and Gardens.

A throw back to an amazing Vegas wedding today.. Here are Kerry and Rob!

They flew over to Vegas to be married by Elvis in a chapel in the Old Town, before celebrating on Freemont Street with some close friends and family.. Yes, really. It was the stuff of destination wedding dreams. 

The latest post for 'The Magic Seven' is the lovely Emma and Ben, who had their wedding at the Star Inn at Harome in North Yorkshire. They had their fabulous daughter Noa there (her reaction to them exchanging their rings obviously made it into this selection!) and she had a fabulous outfit, crafted by Emma herself.

Another 'Magic Seven' post for you all today! And today I'm throwing it all the way back to Hannah and Dan's South of France village hall wedding. The most colourful and relaxed wedding.. drinks in the sunshine, boules, a BBQ and dancing the night away to a band in a local village hall.

Today's 'Magic Seven' is Emma and Shaun! These two got married one hot May day at the beautiful and rustic York Maze - a quirky barn venue in North Yorkshire - and had their ceremony in a different barn next door (above); such a beautiful space to tie the knot. They chose York Maze because it's such a relaxed and chilled out venue and they could really personalise and put their own stamp on it.

I was completely over-the-moon-excited to be asked to be part of an elopement. I adore the busy chaos of wedding so much, and in the middle of the chaos is where I’m most comfortable, there’s so much going on, so much interaction, so many faces, so much to photograph.. I’ve always wanted to be part of an elopement to see the other side. The calm. The two people sloping off and celebrating quietly together. Savouring the quiet of the day and just spending some ridiculously special and sacred time together..

Clare and Niall came back to Clare’s neck of the woods to tie the knot at gorgeous venue As You Like It in Jesmond, Newcastle. I love the set up there, everyone celebrated after the ceremony on the garden balcony and then went downstairs to the cellar bar to eat, drink and dance the night away. Plus these two were just gorgeous people inside and out which made the whole day a real dream to shoot – lovely stuff.

Today, for The Magic Seven, it's Nick and Stuart's Ham Yard Hotel wedding! It was a red-hot August day in London town, right in the heart of Soho. Nick and Stu emailed me their timings for the day and their plans prioritised mingling time with canapés, cocktails and, later, a surprise cinema screening.. I *knew* this was going to be a fabulously non-wedding-y-wedding to remember.. 

Yulia and Grahame married in Brielle in The Netherlands and I was over the moon to be asked to go over and photograph their day. This beautiful little town was celebrating the WWII veterans on the day they married which meant the streets were already lined with bunting; and these two, together with their gorgeous boy Thomas and guests from all over the world, celebrated at a local restaurant just a short walk from the ceremony.

I've decided to transform my blog this year and put a little bit more consideration into how I'm posting out into the world through it; I'd say it's a 'New Year's Resolution' but it just feels that declaring that adds more pressure than I'd like..

Behind The Curtain is going to be a new series of blog posts to showcase personal work, talk a little about what's been going on in my everyday life, and what work-related projects I'm working on and what's coming up. You may be aware, or not, that I keep a family blog too called Our Little Gang - so this is going to tie in with that blog and its posts too..

2017 was another busy, exciting and special year for so many reasons.. My work has taken me all over the UK and abroad, I've met and worked with truly wonderful couples, laughed and cried through speeches and unscripted moments, tried to push myself creatively more than ever, charged and packed my kit, shot, then charged and packed again (ad infinitum), and really tried to push and bring myself and my own approach to my work more than ever before..

I jumped at the chance to go and visit Tea With Alice - it's newly opened in Darlington by one of my couples from a few years ago, Mary and Mark. They've since had a little girl, Alice (hence the name!) and opened up this fabulous place! The brunchy-breakfasts were to die for.. right up my street. I'll definitely be heading back up here. Here are a few previews (and little video) of a delicious morning spent at Tea With Alice. Lovely stuff.

Sammy and Andy - where do I start! What a totally gorgeous wedding at Acklam Hall in Middlesbrough. These two smiled and laughed together all day. They held their wedding reception at the beautiful and newly refurbished Acklam Hall (I've been dying to shoot there after eating there a few times - it's so, so beautiful..) Here are a few preview pictures from Saturday - I really hope to be back at Middlesbrough's Acklam Hall for another fabulous wedding soon.. Congratulations you two!

Who's a fan of 1920s/Great Gatsby styling then? Yes?! You're going to love this Middleton Lodge, North Yorkshire wedding then..