The Part of the Wedding when… Getting Ready

Being a story-telling photographer who doesn’t interfere on the wedding day I get to tell some very interesting stories. One part of the day that I love very much is the very beginning of the day – getting ready.

It’s always the most nervous part of the day for me as I arrive at a house/hotel with no idea of what I’m walking into. It could be a whirlwind of activity and nerves or an oasis of calm organisation. Generally it’s somewhere between the two… because of my unposed approached to weddings I tend to work with couples who are quite relaxed and fairly unstressed about their wedding day. Couples are focused, organised, particular about the day they want but at the same time unprecious.

I once arrived at the hotel room of a bride 2 hours before they were due to leave for the church, knocked on the door. It was flung open and I was greeted with “Hi Andrew – we’re going to be late!” and it was chaos in that room. Six bridesmaids running everywhere and a bride that then proceeded to do everyone’s hair before her own. She was 45 minutes late to the church.

But this is rare.

I’ve photographed a lot of weddings and the beginning part of the day is when the tone for the rest of the day can be set. I could walk into a room and point out all the things that still need to be done and may not have been thought about – labels cut out of dresses, button holes to go to the church, stickers on the soles of shoes – but wouldn’t that spoil the fun!