No More Cookie Cutter Weddings

While I was at Uni studying photography I assisted at a few weddings then after graduating started my own business (although realised it's not really for me) have attended a fair few weddings, add in the weddings of family and friends as well and you would think that I would be a bit jaded by now, but when someone does something a little different it's still so much fun to attend them.

Over the years, the way people organise their weddings has changed drastically and I must admit I am a big fan of this change. These days’ people seem to feel free to hold a wedding that suits them and their family and friends. Most of todays modern weddings are a reflection of the personality, tastes and values of the bride and groom. In the past, especially in the 80s and 90s, people seemed to be compelled to do things in a certain way. Most people got married in church, the majority of grooms wore morning suits and the bride pretty much always looked like your archetypal fairytale princess. There was nothing wrong with these weddings. They were all enjoyable and memorable, but looking at them through the lens of a camera you soon realised that they were all very, very similar.

I love these paper flower by Jessica from Along Came Cherry 

I am sure you have probably already heard of the term ‘cookie cutter’ weddings, even the big expensive weddings were similar, the limos were bigger, and the wedding party bigger, the floral displays bigger...well you get the picture. Yes, these weddings were slightly more glamorous, but every wedding pretty much had the same look and feel. Today, I am pleased to say that is no longer the case. Every wedding is different and seems to be much more memorable for that fact.

Retro camera for quick snaps always go down well at weddings

I am not a huge fan of the wackier ones, for example, Rocky Horror show or Sound of Music weddings always seem a bit over the top to me. I really enjoy the smaller more intimate ones with a personal touch - ones that encourage friends to chip in, make the decorations yourself, local produce for food, upcycled dresses and a more relaxed atmosphere. Or course attention to detail is still key and it would still be best to hire some professionals to ease the stress of the big day such as making sure of getting the brides makeup just right. This is not always easy to achieve, it takes someone like Sarah Meredith, the make up artist from Manchester to be able to pull this off. She has experience of working on models and does TV work too, so she is used to creating a character look.

The more people who buy into the theme of the wedding the better it seems to be. Of course, getting everyone to dress in costume is not really an option. Finding something you can wear and use again without breaking the bank is hard enough, so most brides and grooms do not think it is fair to get their guests to dress up in this way. However, the more of the wedding party that dress according to the easier it is to pull off a themed wedding and make it truly memorable.

I took these photos at one of my favourite blogger friends wedding last year - Fritha from TigerLillyQuinn, it was one of the best weddings I have been too, small, personal, fun and family friendly. Go check out her amazing blog.

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