Smile

I'm not talking about Brides and Grooms here kids, that tends to be all they do! I'm talking guests! And why wouldn't they smile, you'd think? They have made the cut, the happy couple have wanted them to share in their joy! It's a lovely day out, a gathering of your favourite humans.

Yet as I shoot guests arriving, or waiting for the ceremony to begin, they can often look like they'd rather be somewhere else (not the case, but tell your face!), or worse still, I get grumpy looks in to my camera! Like they think I am stealing their souls!

Please, future wedding guests, please just smile! The couple have hired me to capture their day. They cherish their guests. They love you enough to want to remember how it felt to be with them.

Say hello to other guests. Join in with the chit chat. Put your phone away. Admire the beautiful surroundings, the flowers, the candles, the bows on your chair, Great Aunt Fanny's fascinator. Anything and everything that is in the room, placed with purpose, to enhance your day.

You'll be so present in the moment you won't even realise I've captured natural, genuine, expressive moments of you that you and the couple will adore.

Hold Hands

Brides and Grooms- YOU ARE ALLOWED TO TOUCH!

This isn't the 1500's where you must remain chaste until you are wed. You can hold hands!

I don't know if it's nerves or the formality of being in Church or standing in a government building with an official in front of you, or the thought that your Nan and Granddad are watching but so many couples fail to connect physically during the beginning of their ceremony, standing stock still, stiff, staring ahead like they are in court!

I always tell my brides and grooms to just get hold of each other! It will calm your nerves. It will ground you. It will start your marriage as you mean to go on- supporting each other and holding each other up physically and emotionally.

It also makes the photographs nicer!

So hold hands.

You are together.

This is your moment.

Enjoy it.

Fill up from the front

Another one for guests- especially if you have a large venue, please don't hide at the back!

The first row will usually be reserved for the immediate family and wedding party, and if that includes you, you'll know, so get up there kids!

But the rest of you riff-raff? You don't need to hide at the back! There's nothing worse than empty pews and vacant chairs so if you see a gap, get your bums in them!

Brides and grooms want you there, you are their support system, so gather around and fill those seats!

Weddings are about togetherness. So gather together.

In unity.

Pretend you don't mind!

When it comes to group portraits this is maybe the hardest part of the day for a wedding photographer.

A mass of people, milling about, unsure of what to do, and I'll have a list of shots the couple have requested...because they cherish you!

So just get in there if you are asked to. Pretend you don't mind, even if you hate it, even if it seems to be taking ages to work through the couples list, because the quicker you are on board the quicker it will be over and you can get off to cocktail hour!

Even if you "hate" photographs of yourself, you hate being in the limelight, by trying to hide from the camera or sheepish in joining in, or worse still, giving me a death stare down the lens, you are actually drawing more attention to yourself, so just relax, smile, be present.

Trust that those looking at these pictures in years to come will cherish them and remember your warmth and spirit and won't be picking you apart from top to toe like you do yourself!

And please just smile :)