As a Leek wedding photographer located in Staffordshire, you don’t expect a wedding enquiry from Spain.  You also don’t expect to win two global awards from a 3-hour wedding either!!

Kate & Helios reached out to me from sunny Spain to photograph their wedding in Leek, the ceremony taking place at Leek Registry Office.

K&H explained that they wanted to book me for a few hours, starting with some family/couple portraits in the morning at Kate’s parents’ home in Longsdon, near Leek, then on to the ceremony taking place at Leek Registry Office. We collaboratively thought Brough Park in Leek would be a great place to conclude the wedding over a relaxed picnic in the bandstand, allowing me to capture some candids and arrange a few family group photos.

Leek Wedding Photography

On the morning of their wedding, I was welcomed in to meet everyone by Kate’s mum and dad.  All I can say is I felt at ease straight away, everyone was so lovely and welcoming.  It was great to also finally meet Kate, Helios and their son León.  I was excited to start taking pictures as the area we were in was beautiful and the weather was holding with soft light, perfect for portraits.

To start a couple’s wedding with a family photography session is unusual to say the least, but all I can say is I wish all weddings were like this.  It was so relaxing and we had an hour together walking alongside the canal in Longsdon, near Leek.  From being with K&H and León it was evident to see that they are a very close family and so easygoing.  They loved my work and trusted me to capture them naturally with the occasional posed shot to make the best use of the scenery.  After 30 mins or so I discovered that Kate and Helios are big dancers, very good ones in fact – Helios teaches back home in Spain.  I was really keen to incorporate this into their portraits as it would be special for them and I was sure the pics would look amazing!  Kate told me they had access to a neighbour’s garden that was really stunning. It actually looked like a garden straight out of Italy, it was very impressive.

Award Winning – Leek Wedding Photographer

Award Image 1 – Once Kate and Helios had sat down León in the garden to watch them have some pics, I moved them into a nice, framed position and asked them to have a dance.  As a photographer, you just know when you’re taking pictures that are gold – this was it!!

After, I even said to Kate and Kelios “I think that image could win an award”  

The image came together perfectly, the two of them dancing in the glorious garden, but the icing on the cake was their little boy sitting in the garden watching them.  It’s that composition that makes this picture special.

We headed back to Kate’s parent’s home after a few more shots along the canal footpath, and it was time for the ceremony 🙂

Kate and Helios decided on Leek Registry Office to get married. It’s on the side of Moorlands House and is a lovely room with great access to the park.  When I arrived I was straight into taking pictures of the family and friends gathering near the entrance.  I knew it was a small wedding and the family had travelled from Spain too. These pictures were so vital in my eyes as it could have been the first time Helios’s family had met Kate’s.  Once I felt I had captured enough from outside I wanted to inspect the ceremony room and meet the registrar.

Before you know it I was photographing Kate being led in by her dad, arm in arm, both beaming with large smiles.

Award Image 2 – When the moment came for the exchange of rings I could see their son observing the proceedings with great interest.  As Helios placed the ring onto Kate’s finger I could see León move underneath them. I quickly switched to my 200mm lens and captured him, arm stretched, helping, looking up at his parents.  I made sure to document this moment as best I could, taking multiple frames to know I nailed all the expressions and hand movements.

Watching this moment build and capture it in the best way I could was so rewarding! Again I felt like I was witnessing something very special and knew I had just photographed another cracking moment.  From reviewing the picture after the ceremony, it looked as good as it felt!!

Between us, we all joked and spoke about that moment for a while and how wonderful it was 🙂

Wedding Photographer In Leek

From the ceremony, everyone made their way to the bandstand in Brough Park, Leek.  Everyone chipping in and carrying over picnic hampers, blankets etc. for a celebration.  This again was great to be part of and photograph.  It felt original and so relaxed, everyone had forgotten I was there and were all enjoying each other’s company and Kate’s mum’s cooking – including me, Yum!!!

The weather had been kind to us all day so a little drizzle when organising some groups wasn’t going to ruin everyone enjoying the day.  Plenty of bubbly and nice food was still circulating, and everyone was chatting and having a great time.  I spent the remainder of my time with Kate, Helios, their son León, their family and friends with a confetti shot and a first dance in the park.

Talk about a wedding being original and full of unique moments! I left everyone feeling so happy that I’d captured their wedding to the best of my ability and felt so honoured to be part of their day.