What is your most memorable wedding?
I don't grade my weddings like this, but my favourite venue is Knowsley Hall.
Describe your style in 5 adjectives.
Beautiful, modern, fun, emotional, realistic.
What about your business are you most proud of?
The way I deal with guests on the day - consistently friendly and gentle.
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
Relax! Don't lose sight of the fact that the day is about the two of you, not your table decorations or chair covers.
What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?
A friend of mine themed a wedding around a country barn style with daisies in tiny glass bottles, along with hay bales and crusty wooden ladders. Beautiful!
Describe your typical process with a couple.
From the first contact, I arrange a meeting at my home to go through my prices and albums. Then, when the couple have booked (with a non-refundable downpayment of about 30%) and a couple of weeks before the wedding, we meet at the venue to plan the day (my experience here is often invaluable!) and take a stroll around the sites, looking for those beautiful backdrops for couple photos. We'll also work out a rain contingency! The invoice is settled, and then we wait for the big day! After the shoot, I go through all the photos and edit them, put them on a USB stick and then show them to the couple at a post-wedding viewing meeting. We choose the album features, so that I can design and order the album. This is done via an online-proofing service, so the couple can request changes to the design very easily. Finally, the album is printed, delivered and handed over. Job done! :-)
What is the No. 1 photo that you think every couple should take?
A photo of the whole crowd with the bride and groom.
What is the most original photo you’ve been asked to take at a wedding?
I've been doing this too long to remember! Probably my favourite quirky photo overall was the entire wedding party in a cinema, with 3-D glasses on, pretending to be scared of the movie. My idea, of course!
What do you recommend for a rainy day wedding?
A roof! Choose your venue carefully to make sure it has a beautiful interior as well as exterior. The gardens may be amazing, but if it's chucking it down and the building interior is shabby and poor, you're in trouble.
Describe how you got into photography.
I got my first camera as a 14th birthday present, over 30 years ago. That was it - I was hooked! I studied Graphic Design and Photography at college, and went self-employed in 2000. Since then, wedding photography has become the discipline that provides 95% of my yearly turnover. I love it!