Small intimate winter wedding.

My Last wedding this year was this beautiful Micro Wedding at the Farmhouse, Redcoats in Hitchin.

It was a case of serendipity that I got the chance to photograph this wedding. Without the pandemic I would not have been shooting door step portraits on my neighbours during lockdown, this lead me to meet the newbies to the lane, Liz and Tom who had just cancelled their August Wedding. Secondly, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to say I could also film their day. During the first lockdown, I brushed up on my video skills with the awesome Mick Shah of Miki studios, So when Liz and Tom mentioned they wanted to film the service, I let them know that I had been dabbling in video work and it was agreed I would see what I could do, the photos would come first but anything I could film would be a bonus!

For couples who have tied the knot during the pandemic, the restrictions have changed a number of times, ranging from 15 guests to 30 guests then back to 15. Sometimes guest were only allowed to attend the service, then a sit down meal was allowed, then it wasn’t, then it was again. It has been so hard to keep up and the limbo of trying to keep on top your wedding plans during such a difficult year is no easy task. For Liz and Tom, this wedding was the third wedding they had planned. Once they had decided that the most important thing about getting married, was actually getting married, they decided to have a small wedding and it would follow with a big celebration next June (🤞) at their original venue. So the first weekend after the UK came out of it’s second lockdown, Liz and Tom got married!

The day of the wedding I was able to stroll a few steps down our little lane to grab some shots of Tom getting ready, what he lacked in grooms men, George the cat attempted to fill the void, I think he did a rather good job, although it did mean Tom had to remove a load of cat hair from his wedding jacket just before he left! At Redcoats the bridal room seemed almost normal, a tad emotional Liz along with Katy (Makeup by Katy) who was her MUA and Claire (Barberalla Bridal Hair) working wonders on her hair. There was the added protection of masks and plenty of hand sanitiser for all us trades people keeping us as covid safe as we could be. No matter if there are only 15 wedding guests or 150, the pre wedding buzz and anticipation is exactly the same and Liz gave me all of 5 seconds after I had arrived and got my camera out, before she started to cry.

The Farmhouse at Redcoats is a great blend of cool contemporary decor with a historic cosy rustic barn. The iconic Pencil portraits by Young and Battaglia never fail to raise a smile and I love watching couples try to balance a pencil between their nose and lips! Tom and Liz were surprising good at this. Redcoats is also one of those venues that can actually be quite tricky to shoot in, pockets of harsh light cut through scenes, and the barn has next to no natural light. It was really fun to get creative with the light and use the challenge to my advantage. The weather gods were also kind to us, and gave us the most beautiful winter sun, so this meant we were able to grab some perfect golden hour light just before they sat down for their wedding breakfast, it was a photographers dream!

Redcoats always do such a fantastic job of making weddings seem effortless, they use the space they have so well, I have seen the barn full, I have seen the barn marry a couple with only two other guests, and now I have seen it with just 15 in. Every time it looked amazing, and the effort the venue put in is the same, regardless of the number of people attending. Well done team Redcoats! Also a shout out to Hitchin florist Stephany Rose, who’s beautiful flowers help set the scene perfectly!

Liz and Tom’s day really was just perfect, it was so full of love and joy and I know that when the celebrations are back on, these guys will party hard with all those they love who missed out on this day.

And as for my video…….

If you are thinking about having a micro wedding and would like to talk through the different photography and videography options please get in touch. I am a massive fan of these smaller weddings and if you need any convincing that they are blooming lovely then check out some of my recent micro weddings here, Hannah and Pete, Rosie and Ben.

Here are a few photos from the day.