This past weekend was a pretty special one. Glorious sunshine and some serious cause for celebration. I’m talking about Pride, which took to the streets of London on Saturday, in all of its glittery glory! Pride is a hugely important date in the calendar – a chance for people to come together and celebrate love in all of its forms, but also to protest against the discrimination that is still felt across so many industries and areas of life. It’s fabulous and fun, but it’s also fierce and powerful.
I love the world of weddings, and have found a huge amount of fulfilment since becoming a wedding photographer. However, diversity in the wedding industry is not always apparent. In many of the blogs and magazines, there’s certainly a huge leaning towards the heteronormative. There’s a fabulous bunch of publications and wedding professionals who are fighting to change this, and I’m proud to be among them. This month I was featured among some brilliant fellow photographers in Brides magazine celebrating Pride, with some truly stunning same-sex wedding photographs.
Sourcing suppliers for a wedding can be intimidating for couples when ‘gay friendly’ isn’t always a given. This breaks my heart a little bit. So, this post shouts about it with pride. I want to tell your love story, no matter its gender. Love is love, and the world will always be in need of more of it.
Some of my Favourite Gay Weddings
Merryn and Dora
I shot this beautiful wedding in the gorgeous June sunshine during official Pride month. Dora and Merryn met while studying for their PhDs in Brighton, and wanted an Oxford wedding as it’s Merryn’s home town. They just happened to choose some of my all time favourite Oxford locations for their day. After an intimate dinner at the Ashmolean Museum, they moved on to a big party at the Cherwell Boat House, a beautiful venue right on the river.
Sophie and Emily
Sophie and Emily had the first same sex marriage in an Oxford University chapel. It was a seriously momentous and special occasion and I was thrilled to be able to capture it. The weather was not kind to these two lovely ladies, but their hot pink umbrellas brought a gorgeous splash of colour to the day.
Jessica and Claudia
Jessica and Claudia’s bridal shoot in Brighton was such a lovely, fun day. We went from the park to the arcades, to the seafront and these two rocked every single image. I love their bridal style, and they clearly absolutely adore each other. It was a total pleasure to photograph them. (You can find out more about this shoot here.)
Maria and Judith
I often get butterflies at people’s weddings, and will frequently end the day with face-ache from smiling so much, but it’s rare that a wedding will reduce me to tears. Enter Maria and Judith! These two have been together many years and in a civil partnership for the last ten. As soon as gay marriage was legalised, they upgraded their partnership in a day that was incredibly emotional and truly truly joyous.
Cate and Lalla
Some of my favourite couple’s shots in a very, very long time. The jewel tones of Cate and Lalla’s dresses popped beautifully against the scenery. We went on a lovely walk together between their ceremony at the Oxford Registry Office and reception at the Randolph Hotel for these shots, so as not to take them away from their guests for too long. I love how completely head over heels they look in every single image.
So a slightly belated but no less heartfelt happy Pride! If you’re in the process of planning your wedding, and want a photographer to help you shout about your love, get in touch and let’s have a chat.
Thank you for such an important article and for sharing some stunning photographs. My wife and I celebrated our first anniversary Two days ago and remembered how frustrating it had been to see “normal” weddings in every magazine, perhaps with a token same-sex photo in small print somewhere near the back. We were hugely embarrassed by Moss Bros at a very large wedding exibition when shunned by the salesman after we told him there was no groom. It was mortifying – especially as we wanted to order seven suits for our male relatives. We complained but got nothing back. So much subtle ignorance remains, keep going, the fight for equality means so much. Great article. Thank you