Flaming Silk Photography, Aylesbury

Every wedding is memorable to us, by the time the wedding is over the clients often feel like friends. One particular wedding sticks out in my mind as the weather was so incredibly windy. The bride lived close to the church and was getting ready at home so had decided to walk to the church which made for some interesting windswept portraits, and after the ceremony an umbrella we were using for Bride & Groom portraits blew inside out and then completely broke!

Honestly? Enjoy it. There are no hard and fast rules, do what suits you. If your family and friends love you they'll understand that it's YOUR day, not theirs. It's all too easy to get caught up in tradition and doing things you think the guests will want. My biggest regret from my own wedding is that I wasn't selfish enough.

It's hard to choose a favourite, but at one wedding we photographed, the Father of the Bride surprised everyone with a musical number on the guitar and a song he wrote instead of a speech. It was lovely, because it was so unexpected.

Typical we will meet with a couple prior to their booking us to discuss their plans, get to know them and ensure we are a good fit for their wedding. Before the wedding we will be in contact on the phone or via email to make sure we have all the information we need. We visit the venue(s) before the date of the wedding to pre-plan shooting opportunities, and we also encourage couples to have a short pre-wedding shoot with us to get an idea of how we work and what to expect on the day. On the day of the wedding we will arrive usually shortly before the time agreed, set up any necessary equipment and begin shooting. We will already have a greed a list of must-have shots with the couple beforehand. After the wedding we will select one shot to be shared on our facebook page, usually a few days after the wedding. This is the first sneak peek you will see. We aim to complete the initial editing of the images within 2 weeks of the wedding. These images are then sent to the clients on USB memory sticks in colour and B&W. Just before the memory sticks are sent out we will write and publish a blog post containing a selection of images. The Bride & Groom then choose the images they would like included in their album and designs are produced for the couple to approve. Once albums are approved they are printed, checked and delivered. This usually takes around 2 weeks.

I think it would be very boring if we were all the same, but I do think every couple should have a photo of their first kiss as husband and wife.

Wellington boots, an umbrella and a positive attitude! You can't predict the weather but you shouldn't let it ruin your day either. It's not about sunny skies, it's about how much you love each other.

I've loved photography since I got my first camera as a child. I went to University to study photography as I couldn't see myself doing anything else as a career, and I fell in love with it even more. I liked shooting on film, and I still mostly choose to do this in my unpaid work, there was nothing better to me than an afternoon spent in the darkroom hand-printing my own photographs. Obviously the way I work has changed a lot since digital photography became the standard, but I think that my knowledge of analogue photography and the darkroom helps to understand how digital photography and editing works as it's based on the same ideas.