I drove up to Birmingham on Thursday evening, the night before Zoë and James’ Henley wedding. I have known them both for many years so it was a real joy for me to be able to shoot their wedding day. It rained all the way up and the forecast for Friday wasn’t looking much better. I woke up to not only an overcast morning but to dark clouds determined to cause havoc. I arrived at Zoë’s house expecting nervousness, anxiety and perhaps a touch of panic. Instead, I was met with quiet serenity. The bride and bridesmaids were in the midst of having their hair and make-up done and I think having little Evie there (Zoë’s gorgeous daughter and flowergirl) to distract mum helped keep her calm. So well organised was the morning that the girls actually had over an hour in hand! The rain hammered down during the prep and just as we left, began to rain some more.
Meanwhile, at the Henley Golf and Country Club a few miles away, James was nervously awaiting his bride. I should tell you that they have been together for several years and have a house and two children; a huge commitment in itself. Still, James was very nervous indeed. I found him at the bar :D
And then the rain stopped. The ground dried. Zoë arrived. She looked absolutely beautiful. It was an emotional journey down the aisle on her brother’s arm. Zoë’s father passed away many years ago, understandably his absence weighed heavily on her and her family. Zoë was nervous about getting her words right and she needn’t have worried. She did brilliantly, although it was ironic that one of the few words she did stumble on was ‘impediment’. Sorry Zoë, I had to share that!
After the ceremony, it looked like it was going to rain again so we went out and shot as many photos as we could. As it turned out, the hour we had for photos was the only hour of the day that didn’t rain. Just as we finished it began raining again. So I thank you weather gods.
And lastly, to Harry. Boy… have you got some moves! Not only are you a poser for the camera (see the boy on the hill below) but you have some dance moves like I’ve never seen before. I asked James about them and he told me that Harry is currently obsessed with some sort of martial arts game. The result looked like a cross between Michael Jackson and The Karate Kid. Awesome!
Congratulations and thank you Zoë and James! It was a pleasure and an honour to be present for your day and to be entrusted with capturing it all. Here are my favourite shots from the day. I hope you like them.
Aaaooowwww! Sha-mon!
by Chris
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