It was the end of August, with typical British summer weather, when I photographed Sophie & Marko’s London Wetland Centre wedding. A very relaxed day, with lots of smiles going around – just as relaxed as when I first met up with them in Battersea Park for their engagement shoot earlier in the summer.

First stop of the day was the hotel in Hammersmith where both the bride and groom were getting ready. Going to the boys’ room first, I was reminded of a skill I have been meaning to learn – how to tie a cravat! It seems to be a question I get a lot from grooms, however failing having an expert “knotter” in the room they reverted to good-old-trusty Youtube to help them out and in the end they all got there. Although I think Marko had to tie pretty much all the cravats of his groomsmen. In the girls’ room things were a little bit more calm, with Sophie having her hair and make-up done whilst sipping on a glass of champagne. It was also the first time I saw Sohpie’s stunning wedding dress, and I was especially a fan of the satin detail in the skirt, and the detail in the top. It is not very often that you see brides with short dresses, but this absolutely suited her!

Once the wedding party was dressed and ready to go, we headed over to St Mary Magdelene Church in Mortlake for the wedding ceremony. As Marko was standing nervously at the front of the church, I waited for the bride to arrive in an very cool VW Beetle convertible with the bridesmaids following in a VW campervan. The ceremony was very traditional, with readings from siblings and friends. Following the official part of the day friends and family gathered outside the church in very high spirits to congratulate the newly weds in the courtyard while they waited for the bus to arrive.

A short fifteen minute ride away and we arrived at the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes, and it is here where the party started. Whilst the guests were enjoying a lovely drink reception, I had fun photographing the bride and groom with their wedding party. Possibly one of my favourite and most laughter-filled photo sessions to date, which resulted in one of my favourite photos of the day. From the images below can you guess which one it is? Then I spent some time with Sophie and Marko for their couple portraits amongst the beautiful greenery of the centre. Some quiet time for them together away from the madness of the wedding day, before rejoining everybody for the wedding breakfast.

After a delicious meal, and the formalities of the speeches, it was down to business for the first dance. And not just any first dance. This was a fully choreographed routine set to “I’m a believer” originally made famous by The Monkees. Very entertaining and fun, it put a smile on everybody’s face in the room. And that really set the tone for the rest of the evening that consisted of laughter, drinks and special dance moves. All in all an incredibly fun day, that gave me great pleasure to photograph. I can’t help but have a cheeky grin on my face when I think back to it. I will leave it there for now and let the photos tell the story…

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