A relaxed and stylish black tie wedding at Merrydale Manor in Cheshire, full of heartfelt moments, elegant details, and classic UK summer vibes. Captured by documentary wedding photographer Laura Bareham.

Creating an inclusive wedding is a great way of allowing yourselves and everyone on your guest list to authentically express themselves and feel accommodated. This in turn will help everyone feel more comfortable, and create a relaxed and welcoming environment!

Shall we talk about having friends and family as your wedding photographer? 🤔

Read on for some of my thoughts on the topic, and for some pointers at the end for those who are set on going ahead with it.

When it comes to getting married, the internet and life in general has an ABUNDANCE of information and inspiration about all of the romantic, fun and exciting bits about your wedding - outfits, florals, venues, photographers, decor, confetti.... but often very little about how you actually get married.

So, let's break it down and have a closer look at what it actually takes to get married here in the UK. Lets do it!

Sandhole Oak Barn is one of those venues that perfectly balances rustic charm and sophisticated elegance, and Rhian and Ben’s stunning wedding day suited this balance perfectly. Having photographed weddings at Sandhole Oak Barn twice now, I can confidently say it’s one of my favourite Cheshire wedding venues!

The wonderful Nick and Victoire tied the know at Victoria Baths in Manchester in August 2022, surrounded by their nearest and dearest. Anyone who's had the pleasure of visiting this unique beautiful venue will know that it is quite possibly one of the most stunningly unique places you could imagine getting married!

One of the things I hear most from my couples is "we hate having our photo taken, so you'll have to help us out a bit!" It can be super intimidating to imagine someone wielding a camera, following you about on your wedding day and snapping away through moments that are already quite highly charged with excitement (and sometimes stress!). If this is something that resonates with you, fear not. I know that for a lot of people, even though they feel absolute dread at the thought of being in front of the camera, having a beautiful gallery of images to cherish after their day is done and dusted is of paramount importance. That's why I'm here with 9 top tips to help you tackle that wedding photo fear!

It all begins with an idea.