Place in United Kingdom
Mark Wallis Photography
This was Liv & Matt's second lot of confetti having chosen to run the gauntlet again at the start of their evening reception at First Option Location Studio in Hackney, London. Matt is experiencing the downside to the combination of a big, open-mouthed smile, and light and floaty biodegradable confetti.
Back in May 2009, I photographed the wedding of Rebecca and Robert, and ten years later they asked me back to capture all the fun of their tenth-anniversary vow renewal. To the untrained eye, it was essentially a wedding without a wedding cake, and music and dancing were central to everything that happened on the day. The Function Band played (and the guests danced) during the drinks reception, whilst the guests were sitting for dinner, as soon as the meal had finished and long into the night, and they brought stadium-level lighting and smoke machines with them!
Rhi and Olli had planned their wedding in secret, inviting a small band of family and friends to a spurious birthday party in a big house in the Cheshire countryside. Over breakfast, with much of Rhi's preparations already underway upstairs, they came clean to much shock, surprise and tears. Although Rhi's father was in on the secret, her mother wasn't, and they shared a few quiet moments together in amongst the panic of preparing for an unexpectedly big day!
I've seen some brave attempts to limit the carnage caused by confetti, but none as bold as this couple's approach. With a wedding at Masseria Potenti in Puglia, Italy what better way to run the confetti gauntlet than in a vintage Fiat 500?! Obviously there was a lot of faith placed in the groom's ability to control his right foot when standing in my usual spot in front of the approaching couple!
There are many reasons to get married on a clifftop on the Greek island of Santorini, but the key one is the amazing view of the caldera that dominates the place. This couple had a long 'Mamma Mia' themed ceremony which gave me the opportunity to climb a staircase and get this wide angle shot.
I often hear photographers complain about smoke machines. They're all wrong. Smoke machines are great. The things they do with light are incredible. Unfortunately I only see them on rare occasions as most venues don't allow them (I've seen a band cause a full evacuation at the ORNC in Greenwich!). Marquees and DIY weddings are the best hunting ground and so it was with this wedding. If I remember correctly the couple had hired it themselves and it made for a great backdrop to their first dance. More smoke machines please!