At the start of each new year I do a little review and share a post with my favourite moments and shoots of the previous year. 2020 is no different. As years go, it may not have been the best, thanks to the global pandemic, but each and every wonderful moment and shoot still deserve to be celebrated. So here we go, settle down with your tipple of choice and enjoy my best of 2020 wedding photography post. My round up may only include two weddings for 2020, but it showcases a host of beautiful styled shoots, engagement sessions, family portraits and maternity sessions I was blessed to capture last year.
This was a year filled with some lows but so many highs and I would love to share it with you. Click here to see the below Bridgerton inspired micro-wedding editorial featured on Love My Dress.
The start of 2020: London – Dubai – London – South Africa
I started the year with a wintery engagement shoot for my couple Leah & Derrek. They were set to get married in July but Covid-19 had other plans. With guests and family set to travel to the UK from the US, they made the difficult decision to postpone their wedding. Fast forward a year later and Leah & Derrek are expecting their first child. Navigating numerous lockdowns, I was able to meet up with them in December 2020 to do a maternity session and will be seeing them again in summer for a family shoot. To view more of my maternity portraits sessions, click here.
In March I attended my first Engage Luxury Wedding Business Summit in Dubai. This honestly was the experience of a lifetime. Engage gave me the opportunity to meet and get to know incredible wedding suppliers from all over the world. The 3 days were crammed with fantastic keynote speakers and the nights were all about dressing up and having the time of our lives (and boy did we!!). The friendships I made during Engage would have been impossible to establish over Zoom. I left Dubai with a full heart, satisfied that I had made a great investment in myself and the future of my luxury wedding business. Below are just a few highlights:
From Dubai, I landed back in London for the weekend and then jetted off to South Africa to see my family. Sadly, due to Covid-19 I had to cut my trip short, BUT I am grateful that I at least got to see my family once last year. During my short stay in Kwazulu Natal, I was fortunate to capture a gorgeous real wedding set up at Netherwood Farms for leading South African wedding planning & design agency, Oh Happy Day. Inspired by the Mediterranean, this couple embraced an abundance of colour and I loved working with my lovely friend Jo. Below are some of my favourite images from that Netherwood Farms wedding:
As we settled into lockdown life throughout April, I started doing virtual chats & catch ups with my wedding industry friends on Instagram. It was a lovely way to check in on one another and having virtual coffee / G&T dates in the diary gave me a sense of purpose! You can watch these on my IGTV channel here:
Intimate weddings at The Four Seasons Hampshire:
As soon as we were able to do a socially distanced styled shoot in June, I was asked to work on a three day styled shoot with Hannah Hope and the team at The Four Seasons Hampshire. We worked with real couples who did their own hair & make up and created beautiful 2021 wedding inspiration. It felt great to be shooting again and to work with a team of incredible suppliers itching to create something after months of being at home. The shoot enabled us to give the couples some beautiful photos – wonderful memories during a very difficult time. The three editorials included: a styled proposal for Claire & Steve:
a luxurious white micro-wedding for Kerry & Leon (who will finally be tying the knot in France later this Spring after postponing their 2020 wedding:
and a beautiful wedding anniversary dinner for Jess & David, who tied the knot at Lemore Manor in 2019. These gorgeous editorials were featured numerous times, on Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, 5 Star Weddings and Absolutely Weddings.
Top 50 UK Wedding Photographer 2020 highlights:
Throughout summer I visited some of the most beautiful wedding venues in the UK with Hannah Hope. We visited Blenheim Palace – a World Heritage site with over 300 years of history and home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family:
Kirtlington Park – one of the top wedding venues in the UK, Kirtlington Park, is an 18th Century English country house wedding venue in the Oxfordshire countryside:
Heckfield Place – a Georgian family home lovingly restored from its classic origins and rewoven into 400 acres of secluded Hampshire landscape:
Ardington House – a Georgian masterpiece in South Oxfordshire:
and Osea Island (of The Third Day fame). Osea Island is an enchanting and exclusive luxury island holiday resort located surprisingly close to central London:
In July 2020 I was voted one of the Top 50 Wedding Photographers by GoHen. Such an honour and a wonderful silver lining during a very difficult year. Read more about my inclusion here.
At the end of July I did an engagement shoot for my lovely couple Katie & Chris who were set to get married in August 2020. Much like many other wedding couples, they were forced to postpone their wedding. Their shoot turned out to be one of highlights of 2020 for them and for me. For more London engagement sessions, click here.
With lockdown ending (restrictions relaxing, I was able to do 22 Personal Branding Shoots in 2020. This gave me the needed push to finally launch a standalone website for my personal branding photography. Head to the blog to read about the shoots I did in 2020.
Summer 2020: embracing the longer days and beautiful sunsets:
In August I had the pleasure of working on a breath-taking styled shoot with Ruth from All For Love London and AMV Weddings at Stowe House. I’ll share more once these have been featured, but in the meantime, here’s a little preview. We shot three separate looks – wonderful inspiration for brides who love an abundance of flowers and want something that is easy to replicate at a micro-wedding.
Look 1:
Look 2:
Look 3:
August also brought the chance to catch up and do a socially distanced family shoot for one of my past couples Roxy & Efe. It was good to see each other again and to create lovely memories of 2020 for them. For more family sessions, click here.
August turned out to be a month of special memories as I did a maternity shoot for my dear friends Nkima & Ricky in one of their favourite London spots – Trafalgar Square. Their little girl Octavia was born in October and she’s absolutely perfect!
I ended August with a micro-wedding booking for Anjali & Noel at Chelsea Town Hall followed by their intimate dinner at the Bluebird Chelsea. This would be my first of only two weddings I would shoot in 2020. To say it was emotional would be a huge understatement. Click here to view more London weddings.
2020 micro-wedding photography in London:
October saw my second and final wedding of 2020. Louisa & Loic were joined by 3 of their closest friends for their London wedding ceremony, followed by a lovely lunch at Bibendum in Chelsea. This wedding was even more special as Louisa is expecting their first child. I love capturing intimate weddings and this was by far the smallest wedding I have ever shot. Micro-weddings and elopements are becoming a trend for 2021/2022 and I’m embracing it with open arms, so get in touch if you’re looking for shorter coverage on your wedding day.
I ended October capturing the festive decorations created by Fig & Flower and Jenna Hewitt. Their collaboration brought so much joy to many homes in the run up to Christmas, and inspired Londoners to get festive during lockdown.
In November I shot the brand new Wonderlust at Home tablescape service for my dear friend Holly. Take a look at her website for more details of the styled tablescape boxes you can have delivered to your door. To view two of my favourite weddings with Holly, click here and here.
Looking back at 2020, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunities I had to do what I love. Thanks to the slower pace I genuinely had time to appreciate every moment. This may be a year that many want to forget, but I learnt many lessons in 2020 and it prepared me for whatever 2021 holds, so THANK YOU 2020 and HELLO 2021.
If you enjoyed my Best of 2020 wedding photography blog post, click here to view my portfolio.
I am now taking bookings for 2022 and still have a few dates available for 2021, so please get in touch as soon as possible if you would like to work with me.
Happy New Year!
