If I ask you right now, what is a wedding? I’m guessing the occasion that springs to mind will be at least a little formal, decorative, perhaps with someone in a white dress or a gold or red lehenga, guests in sparkly or flowery summer attire and plenty of suits and ties. These are the things we can’t help ourselves expecting, based on everything the media and tradition tells us a wedding ‘should’ be.
Here’s something amazing to go with your sunshine today! A colourful, crazy beautiful whirlwind of a wedding full of joy, laughter and love. Rike and Sachin spent two days at Château du Feÿ in France, surrounded by all their best people. As their award-winning wedding photographers York Place Studios put it, “Day one was a colourful Indian celebration, announcing itself with plenty of fanfare, whilst day two presented a characterful and emotional wedding reception.”
This is everything we love at English Wedding. Authentic, joyful, exciting weddings where traditions are what you choose to celebrate your cultures (rather than rules to be adhered to!) The joy in Rike and Sachin’s eyes, and shining from their guests’ grins, is so fabulously real.
Weddings are real. Weddings are real days, in your real lives, where you’re the same people as you are today. Weddings are everyday life, amplified a million times over: excitement, laughter, love and the people you invite to be around you, bring that amplifying effect. If I were to follow that sentence with something about a dress, and floral styling, it wouldn’t quite fit… and yet that’s how we’re generally shown weddings in the media. (Wedding blogs included – we publish weddings with beautiful styling and details, and they’re a joy to share.) But gorgeous styling isn’t what will stand the test of time in your images. We have to turn our attention back to people for that.
When I wrote about wedding trends for 2025, I hope it came across really strongly that authenticity is everything. Or, as award-winning photographers York Place Studios put it, any “spontaneous shenanigans” should absolutely be captured on camera! That’s how you’ll be able to really relive your wedding, rather than just remembering it through the images and videos captured by your wedding photography team.
Gorgeous couple Shannon and Tom got married at Botley Hill Barn at Christmas time. Their day is full of warmth and love. Their images are full of life and personality, captured by leading documentary wedding photographers York Place Studios.
If there’s one ‘trend’ coming through weddings over the last year, it’s authenticity. You’ll find it in your styling and decor, in your outfits and most of all in your wedding photography. Having an authentic, natural wedding means being yourselves. Having every moment reflect who you really are as a couple: from choosing what you wear to creating a ‘look’ for your tables – if just one guest says, “I love it: it’s so YOU” – then you’ve nailed it. Authentic wedding photography means you get to keep that feeling forever. It’s why Sophie and Chris chose documentary wedding photographers York Place Studios to capture their wedding at High Billinghurst Farm.
