 There’s something rather special about a wedding tucked into those few quiet days between Christmas and New Year, and Hannah and Matt’s intimate December wedding in Warwick was exactly that. With only their closest family and friends knowing about their plans, this was a beautifully personal celebration that began at the gorgeous St John’s House in Warwick before moving on to The Saxon Mill for their reception. 
I’ve photographed weddings at St John’s House several times, and it remains one of my favourite civil ceremony venues in Warwick. It’s a beautiful historic Jacobean house with all the character and grandeur you might expect from a stately home, but without needing to plan an enormous stately home wedding around it. For couples wanting an intimate civil ceremony somewhere that still feels really special, it’s an absolute gem.
 Hannah and Matt had kept their wedding plans fairly quiet, with a small group of around 40 of their closest family and friends there to celebrate with them. Their two young children were, of course, a huge part of the day too. The smaller guest list gave the whole ceremony a wonderfully intimate atmosphere. There was none of the feeling of putting on a huge production, just two people getting married surrounded by the people who mattered most.    The ceremony itself was lovely and relaxed, with plenty of emotion and those little unscripted moments that I always look for. One of the things I love about smaller weddings is that you really notice the connections between everybody in the room. There’s nowhere for those glances, smiles and reactions to hide, which makes them wonderful to photograph.
Afterwards, we headed into the grounds of St John’s House for photographs. Civil ceremonies can sometimes mean working quickly, and I think we had around fifteen minutes before everyone needed to leave. So we made the most of every one of them, fitting in portraits of Hannah and Matt, immediate family photographs and a full group shot before it was time to head over to the reception.   The celebrations continued at The Saxon Mill in Guys Cliffe, a gorgeous country pub and wedding venue sitting alongside the River Avon. It was a perfect choice for an intimate winter wedding. The old mill, river and surrounding grounds gave us another completely different backdrop for photographs, while inside everything felt warm and cosy for a late-December celebration.
Upstairs, Hannah and Matt had their own room set up for the wedding breakfast, and this is where I found possibly one of my favourite alternative wedding cakes. Forget a traditional three-tier masterpiece. Hannah and Matt had Colin and Connie the Caterpillar cakes dressed as a bride and groom, surrounded by an entire little wedding party of mini caterpillar cakes. It was fun, completely different and absolutely perfect for a relaxed family wedding. The tables were filled with lovely little details too, with the Christmas tree and decorations adding to that cosy festive feeling.
 Despite being just one day before New Year’s Eve, the weather was surprisingly mild, so we headed back outside for some more photographs. We used the bridge beside the River Avon, the water and the old mill as our backdrop before moving around the edge of the property for some more family and group photographs. After having such a short window at St John’s House, it was lovely to have a little more time here and let Hannah and Matt enjoy their portraits without feeling rushed.
 Then everyone headed back inside for drinks and some time simply chatting and enjoying being together. And I think that's what suited this wedding so perfectly. It wasn't about filling every minute of the day with entertainment or following a huge schedule. It was about Hannah and Matt celebrating with their children, family and closest friends.
Of course, Colin and Connie eventually had to meet their fate, and it was time for the cake cutting before we headed outside once more. 
This time Hannah and Matt brought their children with them for some sparkler photographs. There’s something about sparklers at a winter wedding that just works. The early darkness that comes with a December wedding suddenly becomes an advantage, giving us the perfect opportunity to create something a little different before everyone headed upstairs for dinner.
The wedding breakfast began with a “How Well Do You Know the Bride and Groom?” quiz, which was a brilliant way to get everyone involved and produced plenty of laughs around the room.
Then came the speeches, with Hannah taking the lead and making the first speech, followed by a few words from Matt and then his two best men. It was a fitting end to a wedding that had never tried to be anything other than exactly what Hannah and Matt wanted.  Hannah and Matt’s wedding was a lovely reminder that a wedding doesn’t have to be enormous to feel incredibly special.
A beautiful historic ceremony at St John’s House, around 40 of their favourite people, their two children right at the heart of everything, and a relaxed reception beside the River Avon at The Saxon Mill. Add Christmas decorations, sparklers and a caterpillar wedding cake and you have a pretty perfect December wedding. It was an absolute pleasure to be trusted to capture such a personal day for Hannah and Matt and their family. If you’re planning an intimate wedding at St John’s House, The Saxon Mill or elsewhere in Warwickshire and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures the people and moments that really matter, I’d love to hear from you.   Rhian and Craig celebrated their August wedding at the beautiful Weatheroak Hall at Kings Norton Golf Club in Alvechurch, with everything from their ceremony through to the evening celebrations taking place in one location. I came to photograph their day through a recommendation from Nik, someone I used to work with, and recommendations are always particularly lovely to receive. There’s a real sense of trust involved when someone puts your name forward to photograph such an important day.   I wasn’t actually booked to photograph the bridal preparations, but anyone who knows me knows I’m early for absolutely everything. Arriving ahead of schedule gave me around half an hour to dash upstairs and capture those final moments of the morning. The bridesmaids were getting into their gorgeous black dresses while Rhian was putting on her wedding dress and making those last preparations before heading downstairs. It was an unexpected little extra chapter to the wedding story that I was really pleased to be there to capture.  Then it was downstairs to the ceremony room, which was flooded with beautiful natural light, where Craig was waiting rather nervously for his bride. After around 15 years photographing weddings, I’ve learnt that despite all the talk about emotional brides, it’s very often the groom waiting at the end of the aisle who gets me. Craig was absolutely no exception.    Rhian looked incredible as she entered the ceremony, with the black bridesmaids’ dresses and coordinating black suits of Craig and his wedding party creating such a striking, elegant look. With around 50 day guests, the ceremony felt wonderfully intimate. There were two readings and plenty of emotion throughout, particularly from Craig, who certainly wasn’t trying to hide the tears. Their son was very much part of the ceremony too, making it feel like a celebration of their family as much as of Rhian and Craig becoming husband and wife. Seeing him walk back down the aisle alongside them afterwards was a particularly lovely moment.   After the ceremony everyone gathered in the entrance hall for reception drinks, which gave me a chance to catch some of those completely unscripted moments that often end up being favourites. This included a family member disappearing underneath Rhian’s dress to help pin it up. Glamorous wedding photography at its finest! If it happens in front of my camera, there’s a fairly good chance it’s going in the gallery.  We headed outside for the group photographs, but August apparently had other ideas and the heavens opened. We managed to get the full group photograph before retreating back inside, but thankfully Weatheroak Hall has a fantastic indoor balcony and staircase area, so the rain certainly didn’t stop us.     We used the balcony for photographs of the wedding party and some portraits of Rhian, making the most of the natural light and architecture while we waited for the weather outside to settle. And then came their alternative to traditional wedding confetti.  Instead of confetti, Rhian and Craig chose bubbles. We positioned the newlyweds downstairs while their guests gathered around the balcony above them, blowing bubbles down into the entrance hall. It created a brilliant alternative to the traditional confetti photograph and gave us something completely unique to their venue and their day. Sometimes the weather forcing you to change the original plan actually gives you something better.    Eventually the rain eased enough for us to sneak back outside with just Rhian and Craig. We headed down towards the lake and around the grounds for their couple portraits, as well as making use of the beautiful exterior of Weatheroak Hall itself. Because I’d photographed weddings here before, I already knew some of my favourite areas to take them, and the softer light after the rain was perfect for relaxed portraits without the harsh August sunshine.    The speeches followed, with Rhian herself taking the microphone, along with her dad, Craig and his two best men. Speeches are one of my favourite opportunities to stop concentrating solely on whoever has the microphone and watch the rest of the room instead. The reactions are often where the real photographs are, and there were plenty here, from laughter and slightly nervous smiles to some genuinely emotional moments between Rhian, Craig and their families.   Before the evening celebrations properly got underway, there was time for the traditional cake cutting and a few photographs of the cake and its details. Then the evening guests began arriving and it was very quickly apparent that this was a group who were ready for a party.     Rhian and Craig’s first dance was genuinely one of the loveliest I’ve photographed. It was beautifully romantic and emotional, giving the two of them a moment together in the middle of a very busy day. Before long, their family and friends joined them and the dance floor filled. From that point onwards the evening celebrations were well and truly underway, with everyone dancing and making the most of the party.  From an emotional ceremony and a few August rain showers to balcony bubbles, lakeside portraits and a packed dance floor, Rhian and Craig’s Weatheroak Hall wedding certainly gave us plenty to photograph.
Having the whole celebration in one venue allowed the day to flow naturally, while Weatheroak Hall gave us plenty of options when the weather changed its mind halfway through. Thank you to Rhian and Craig for trusting me to capture their wedding day, and to Nik for the recommendation that brought us together. If you’re planning your own wedding at Weatheroak Hall or Kings Norton Golf Club in Alvechurch and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures all the emotion, laughter and unexpected moments along the way, I’d love to hear from you.  Sarah and Alex’s July wedding at Blakelands Country House in Stourbridge was such a lovely one for me to photograph, not least because Sarah was already a client of mine. I first met her through my studio photography, and I’d even photographed their daughter as a baby, so getting to come back and capture another huge milestone for their family made the day feel that little bit more special.  One of the things I immediately loved about Blakelands Country House was the beautiful accommodation available for getting ready. Sarah and her bridal party had their own self-contained space, complete with a little kitchenette downstairs and a gorgeous, spacious room upstairs. For a photographer, it was perfect. There was plenty of room, lovely light and some beautiful places to photograph all those important details before the day really got underway.   Sarah’s beautiful wedding dress looked incredible hanging against the mirror, and I spent some time photographing the dress, flowers and all the little details while everyone was getting ready.   Then it was into the morning preparations. Sarah had her bridesmaids and family around her while hair and makeup were finished, and it was such a lovely room to be part of. There was a really warm family atmosphere throughout the morning, with everyone getting ready, chatting and enjoying those last few hours before the ceremony. It was also rather lovely for me seeing Sarah and Alex’s daughter again. The last time she had been in front of my camera she was a tiny baby for her newborn photographs, and now here she was watching Mum and Dad get married!   Meanwhile, Alex and his wedding party were getting ready in another part of the venue, which meant I could easily move between the two and capture both sides of the morning. This was also where my years of wedding photography came in unexpectedly useful! None of the men had snipped open the buttonholes on their jackets. Luckily, I carry a little penknife kit and scissors in my wedding bag, so photographer temporarily became seamstress while we got everyone sorted. We headed downstairs afterwards for some relaxed photographs of Alex and his best man, along with those final details of getting their flowers pinned into place.   Back upstairs, it was time for Sarah to get into her dress with help from her mum, followed by one of my favourite parts of a wedding morning, the first look with Dad. There’s something about that first moment a father sees his daughter completely ready to walk down the aisle that never gets old, and this one was beautiful.  The styling throughout the wedding was gorgeous. Soft lilac and mauve tones ran through the bridal party, while Alex and his groomsmen wore navy with coordinating lilac details in their ties and buttonholes. Sarah’s bouquet brought everything together beautifully with those same lilac tones mixed with deeper blues.   Then it was time for the outdoor ceremony. Alex was waiting, looking understandably nervous, before Sarah made her way down the aisle on her dad’s arm. Their teenage son had the very important job of being Alex’s best man and looking after the rings, making the ceremony a proper family affair. The weather was slightly overcast, which some couples worry about, but from a photography point of view it was absolutely perfect. Beautiful soft light without harsh shadows or anyone squinting into the July sunshine. And there was another rather unusual feature to their ceremony. Blakelands sits beneath a flight path, so throughout the vows we had aeroplanes passing overhead, adding something completely unique to the atmosphere of the day.   After the ceremony we moved on to the family and group photographs, including one that involved me hanging out of a window to get everyone into the frame. Sometimes wedding photography requires slightly more questionable working positions than the job description suggests!    Then Sarah and Alex had a little time away from everyone for their couple portraits around the grounds. Blakelands gave us so much variety. We photographed beside the lake, where the fish seemed determined to get themselves into the wedding gallery by leaping completely out of the water like tiny whales. We wandered through the wildflowers and orchard and made use of the gorgeous swing for some beautiful portraits of Sarah. It was a lovely opportunity for Sarah and Alex to have a little breathing space together in the middle of such a busy day.   The wedding breakfast took place in the beautiful barn, and the attention to detail was everywhere. There were handmade touches throughout the tables, including personalised wooden name markers and cookies made by Alex himself. Those personal details are always some of my favourites because they make a wedding completely individual to the couple rather than simply looking like anyone else’s day.    Then came the speeches. There were definitely a few nerves beforehand, but they needn’t have worried. Everything went brilliantly, with plenty of emotion and laughter from Sarah, Alex and their guests.  Afterwards we headed back outside for confetti, and this produced what is still one of my favourite confetti photographs I’ve ever taken. Sometimes absolutely everything comes together in one frame, and this was one of those moments.  There was plenty to keep the younger guests entertained too, including a face painter. I stayed around to capture the children having their faces painted and, more importantly, their reactions when they saw the finished results.    As the barn was transformed for the evening celebrations, the photo booth opened, evening guests began arriving and the party got underway. And then came possibly the most unexpected wedding photographer perk of the year. Before I left, the lovely owner of Blakelands told me I was welcome to help myself to apples from their orchard. I went home not only with memory cards full of Sarah and Alex’s wedding, but several big bags of apples too. Those apples subsequently became three very good apple pies, so I think it’s fair to say Blakelands looked after the photographer exceptionally well!  By the time I left, I’d had such a wonderful day. Blakelands Country House is a beautiful wedding venue with fantastic grounds, loads of photographic opportunities and a lovely relaxed atmosphere, and I would happily photograph another wedding there.
Most importantly, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph Sarah and Alex and to be trusted with another chapter of a family I’d already had the privilege of photographing before. Thank you, Sarah and Alex, for having me along for such a special day. If you’re planning your own wedding at Blakelands Country House in Stourbridge and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures the people, details and all those little moments in between, I’d love to hear from you.  Some weddings feel less like work and more like being invited to celebrate with friends. Hannah and Lee’s day at Mickleton Hills Farm was exactly that. I’ve worked with this couple so many times over the years, and they’ve sent so many lovely clients my way, that walking into their wedding felt like stepping into a room full of familiar faces. Everywhere I turned, there were past wedding couples and newborn clients. It honestly felt like I’d been invited as a guest who just happened to have a camera in my hand.
From the moment I arrived, the whole day was filled with laughter. Hannah and Lee are the kind of couple who bring the fun with them, and by mid-morning everyone’s cheeks were already aching from how much we’d laughed. 
 Their ceremony at Mickleton Hills Farm was beautifully relaxed, with that soft August light and the countryside views wrapping around the courtyard. The atmosphere was warm, calm, and full of emotion, with their family and friends completely immersed in the moment.
The speeches were unforgettable. The best men delivered one of the funniest speeches I’ve ever heard, and at one point the entire room erupted when one of the brave best men was challenged to down an entire large bottle of MD 20/20. He did not hesitate. It was chaotic, hilarious, and so perfectly them. 
Before I packed up, we slipped back outside for some peaceful sunset portraits. After a day full of noise, love, and laughter, the quiet of the fields was completely different. Just the three of us, golden light, and a chance for them to breathe and take it all in. Those final images are some of my favourites. Hannah and Lee’s wedding was joyful from start to finish, and being part of their story over the years has been an absolute honour.  Wedding TeamIt took a brilliant team of suppliers to bring Hannah and Lee’s day together:
If you are planning your wedding at Mickleton Hills Farm and love relaxed, natural photography filled with genuine moments, I would love to hear from you.  Charlotte and Lewis’ wedding at Mythe Barn was one of those days that stays with you long after you’ve packed your cameras away. From start to finish it was full of laughter, emotion, and those little moments that make a wedding day feel truly special.
 I arrived early, as I always do, and before the bridal party arrived I had time to really take in the venue. Mythe Barn is a beautiful barn conversion wedding venue in Sheepy Magna, and on this particular May day it looked incredible. The sun was shining with dramatic clouds rolling through the sky, creating the perfect backdrop.
While I waited, I started photographing the details, and one detail in particular completely stole the show: Charlotte’s shoes. Elegant stiletto heels with beautiful gold wings at the back, they were absolute perfection. I spent quite a while moving them around the venue, styling them in different spots and making the most of the quiet time. Those shoes became a little theme running through the morning.
 When Charlotte arrived with her bridesmaids, the atmosphere instantly became fun and relaxed. Hair and makeup had been done elsewhere, so the final touches happened back at the venue. I captured Charlotte getting into her dress, fastening her jewellery, and sharing lovely moments with her bridesmaids.   One of the most emotional moments of the morning was Charlotte’s first reveal with her dad. Shortly after, she shared another reveal with her two sons, Charlotte and Lewis’ boys, which was just as heartfelt and incredibly special. 
As we headed into the ceremony room, I found Lewis waiting, full of nerves and emotion. The ceremony began with the littlest bridesmaid and the couple’s youngest son, followed by the rest of the bridal party and Charlotte’s older son, before Charlotte walked down the aisle on her father’s arm.      The ceremony was filled with emotion and laughter, with giggles shared between Charlotte and Lewis and their guests throughout. After the ceremony, we moved outside for Portrait and family photographs while guests enjoyed snacks in the sunshine. We took a few relaxed portraits before moving on to the speeches. 
 The speeches were full of laughs, followed by confetti and some hilarious boxer shots with the groom, best man, ushers, and both fathers.
  The celebrations continued with a vintage-style photo booth in a caravan, outdoor games for the children, and the dance floor opening later in the evening.
Charlotte shared a beautifully emotional first dance with her dad, followed by her first dance with Lewis.    As the evening rolled on, guests enjoyed a hog roast outdoors in the warm weather. Some guests were staying overnight, which meant we even captured the flower girls in their flower girl pyjamas.
 By the time I left Mythe Barn, my face genuinely ached from smiling and laughing so much. Charlotte and Lewis are an amazing couple, and it’s been lovely to stay in touch over the years and see their family grow.
If you’re planning a wedding at Mythe Barn and are looking for relaxed, natural photography that captures both the big moments and the quiet ones in between, I’d love to hear from you. |
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December 2025
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