Oldham wedding photographer for couples with children Archives

November 24, 2017January 31, 2018

Weddings with loads of children equal loads of fun!

The best weddings have loads of children!

One of the first moments that gives me goose bumps at a wedding is the seconds leading up to the brides entrance. Tawnia, with her arm snuggled in to her super proud Dad, looked classically elegant in her dress. Capturing a final daughter and Dad time together before Tawnia’s special moment was all the more lovely especially with the gorgeous staircase at Chadderton Town Hall as a backdrop.

The excitement was tremendous!

Meanwhile, little did she know that the flutter of tiny feet just above her head was happening as her happy little boy, Albie, was grinning from ear to ear, practicing his walking up the aisle. Surrounded by all of the special people in his life, he was having a whale of a time!

A gorgeous ceremony

Intimate moments throughout the ceremony usually make me do a bit of blinking (and if it gets severe, a subtle and quiet cough) to avoid me crying! Like this moment during the exchange of rings when it’s like the happy couple are the only people present, or when Tawnia read out the most beautifully written and personalised commitment to her little boy Albie, on behalf of herself and Tony. Now that I have children of my own, intimate moments like this make me proud of capture such times for generations to come.

My favourite kind of colours

The minutes after the ceremony offer the opportunity to highlight relaxed and happy faces, bursting with pride and joy. I just love the creamy, dreamy colours that sum up the theme of the wedding to a tee! To be fair, I’d love one of those Bridesmaid dresses myself!

A cake too good to eat!

Arriving at the reception is an exciting time as I anticipate how the theme is brought to life. Tawnia and Tony’s was just as expected as the dreamy, creamy theme continued with gorgeous florals. As I got stuck into photographing the wedding cake, the story behind it unfolded. Tawnia’s super talented Mum and sister had created it! Trust me when I say it looked too good to eat!

Fun times with all of the children

Following the wedding breakfast, I have to admit I had tonnes of fun with all of the younger members of the wedding party. With fifteen (ish) young and fabulous children, at times I felt like the Pied Piper as I had children follow me round as we created individual portraits, created short videos and even roped a few Mums in for party time!

Tawnia and Tony, it was a pleasure to spend the day capturing your special day. Your family and friends were so much fun and I wish you and your gorgeously happy boy a long and prosperous future together

Other blog posts you might find useful:

My love of weddings for couples with small children

Reason 4/12 – It’s not just about the photography

My four top tips for keeping small children entertained at a wedding

September 21, 2017January 31, 2018

My love of weddings for couples who have small children

The world of weddings!

When I created Inspired by Joseph photography, I never ever imagined that a significant portion of my work would be wedding related. It’s an area that I had never considered feeling that family photography was my focus. However, I seem to be developing an area of growth specifically in weddings for couples who have small children. Can I let you in on a secret? I absolutely love it! Don’t get me wrong, I find wedding photography seriously nerve wracking. After all it is such a massive responsibility but when I see my clients reactions when they see their photos, I am so glad that they are becoming an increasingly bigger part of my product offering.

Something for everyone

I first met Natalie months back when she made contact about her upcoming wedding. I loved hearing all about her plans and the concept she had sounded brilliant! Wedding budgets can easily spiral out of control but I worked with Natalie on a package that suited her to a tee. That’s the thing with me, no package is set in stone. I can alter elements to make it work for you, especially for weddings as each couple can want something totally different from the next.

Being a Girl Guide has it’s advantages!

In the hours that ran up to the wedding, the heavens opened. And I mean opened! There were rain clouds each way I looked and my plan B/C/D for shooting in the rain at an outdoor venue seemed to be coming to the forefront of my mind. I’m always prepared for all eventualities (can you tell I was a girl guide?) but still, I knew that Natalie was banking on the sunshine so I crossed my fingers and hoped that it would pass. And it did.

The sun shone between brilliant white clouds and a fantastic shade of blue from start to finish. The ceremony was ultra personal. As Natalie and Stuart read their vows it was an honour to watch friends and family react to the love that was on display for us all to see. Their smiles were infectious and the laughter you could bottle and sell. You could feel the energy as the ceremony came to a close and we started on the group photos. A massive thank you goes to Davina, Natalie’s sister for being the best chief assistant photographer. In reality, she did fantastic getting everyone ready and waiting for what I can only describe as group photos filled with bucket loads of laughter and happiness. When I talk about authentic photography, this was it in a nutshell. I mean, look, how happy does everyone look?

I love how unique each wedding is

Moreover, there were elements of the wedding that, along with the photographs will last way longer than other elements of the wedding. Just take a look at these lovely bears, matched with the bridesmaids dresses! How nice to keep and much better than a bunch of flowers which only last week if you are lucky!

Thank you Natalie

Thank you Natalie for allowing me the honour of documenting your special day. You guys made my experience me so much fun and it will be a wedding that sticks in my mind for a long time to come!

Other blog posts you might find useful:

Reason 4/12 – it’s not just about the photography

My top 4 tips for keeping small children entertained at a wedding

All you need is love

August 1, 2017January 31, 2018

Reason 4/12: It’s not just about the photography….

Photography is subjective. Photography is personal. Photography is emotional.

So I wanted to share with you one of the twelve reasons why I believe that my clients have given me the absolute privilege and honour of documenting them and their loved ones across the Oldham Tameside area and beyond. Whether it be a cake smash, family session, wedding or baby bump adventure, I love them all!

Specifically, when it comes to wedding photography…

When it comes to wedding photography there are thousands of photographers to choose from, each with their own unique style, way of working and of course, price list. Thorough research is an absolute must to ensure that you choose a photographer who floats your boat and you can imagine being their on your wedding day.

It really is about more than photography!

When I have a chat with couples who are looking to find the perfect photographer, one of the things I talk about is how I’m not just a photographer! With over thirteen years marketing experience, I have tonnes of experience that is of value to clients. I’ve run tonnes of events from opening new Halifax branches, to organising conferences for hundreds of people and celebrating inaugural flights from Manchester Airport. As a result, this brings a shed load of hints and tips to become creative and of course, keep costs down for events such as weddings! It’s simply amazing what can create a real impact on a small budget, which is a bonus so that money can stretch to other elements of a wedding.

Can I share a story with you?

I love to listen at length to understand how clients envisage their wedding day to be. Not only does it help me to start to think creatively from a photography perspective but it also gives me the opportunity to ask questions and recall if there is anything with my marketing head on that I can do to add value. So when I was chatting to Suzie about her upcoming, overseas wedding and we got talking about flowers, I wondered if I could help.

Suzie explained that there was an option for her to select a fresh flowered bouquet but that she loved the idea of a brooch bouquet. I watched as her eyes lit up and she explained how she always fancied the idea of creating one, using brooches from special females in her life. We spent a while talking through how this may work, she illustrated her ideas with a few pins on Pinterest and I talked about some great places that I imagined she could source some of the items she would need to create the bouquet.

In the run up to the wedding, this bouquet became the golden thread of her wedding for me. I’d often text to check how it was going and even lent her my glue gun to create her personalised and ever so beautiful bouquet. I loved watching it develop and on the day of the wedding, even spent time fixing a few of the pins to ensure it was perfect with her sister. See, I make it my mission to go above and beyond in whatever way I can, not just when it comes down to the photography.

And just look at the end result…

An absolutely stunningly beautiful bouquet that she can keep for a lifetime. Bursting with brooches and memories of special women in her life, my heart still skips a bit when a picture pops up on screen. And of course, I absolutely adored photographing it with all of the love, history and dedication that went into it.

Reason 4/12: it’s not just about the photography…

Other blog posts you might find useful:

5 cheap and cheerful ways to showcase your photos

The secret to keeping your phone memory free

Take five minutes to read this now – you must do it

May 21, 2017January 31, 2018

My top four tips for keeping smaller children entertained at a wedding

Two of my most favourite things are children and weddings. Put the two together and I get a little bit giddy!

Take the last wedding I had the honour of photographing for the lovely Vikki and Jamie. There were numerous children at their wedding and some of my fondest memories are of photographing the mini people whilst Vikki made her final preparations. In reality, it felt delightful to know I had given the grown ups some time to focus on their getting ready stage – my role as a photographer includes being a bit of an entertainer too!! Similarly, I also loved the mini family portrait session I held after the wedding breakfast for her brother Michael and his lovely family. In summary, all part of the Inspired By Joseph experience.

Stop judging and just get on!

This weekend, Pippa Middleton married James Matthews and as you can imagine, a lot of the media headlines have been around Prince George and Princess Charlotte. How did they behave? Likewise, did they steal the show? I say, leave it be and let them get on!! If you’ve read my latest Huffington Post blog, you will notice a bit of a reoccurring theme for me – stop judging and just focus on your own life.

My top four tips for keeping smaller children entertained at a wedding are:
1. Have them pack a special, small bag full of goodies for quiet times in the day. This can be full of their favourite toys and books – minus the noisy ones of course. Maybe throw in a few surprises for them. Make a point about it, do it together and tell them why they are allowed their special bag with them.

2. Make them feel special and important. Make sure they can get a suitable view of what is happening. Are there any jobs you can give them to do on the day? Perhaps they could help you take some photos of friends and family after the ceremony? Have they got their own special tub of confetti ready to throw?
3. I am a super strong believer that it’s all about positive mindset. If you say your kids will misbehave, not sit still or will scream and shout, they probably will!

4. Ask the photographer to get a lovely family picture of you all to help you remember the day. An absolute must!

Is that helpful? I’d love to know of any other tips you find invaluable and I’m sure my readers would appreciate any tips!