Harry & Hannah’s Birmingham City Centre Wedding was a fantastic event to photograph. Beginning at the Malmaison Hotel with Bridal & Bridesmaids preparation, the gorgeous Bride was then met by her future husband & his Groomsmen, where they walked through the famous Birmingham Mailbox & onto the Registry Office for the Marriage Ceremony. This meant that I was able to capture some wonderful Documentary images with the Bride & Groom walking through the Urban landscape of Birmingham. These images look fabulous in the finished luxury album & also on the DVD slideshow – couples love them as they are modern & add to the storytelling of the day. Before the actual day of the Wedding I always do a ‘walk through’ of the journey which not only helps me to time how long it takes to walk from one location to another, but I get to scout any unusual areas or interesting places that would make awesome ‘photo-stops’.
Harvey Nichols Birmingham LED Wall
On the particular day I did a walk from the Hotel through the Mailbox & it was the grand opening day of the new Harvey Nichols store. As I walked inside I was met by the most amazing LED wall. Almost instantly I thought ‘Wowza – if only I could get Hannah & Harry to have a photograph in front of this on their Wedding Day, that would be quite something’. I knew that I needed to plan this, an impromptu ‘flash mob’ on the day wouldn’t go down too well with a luxury store & their security. So I asked to speak to the Events manager in store & explained that I would be walking through the Mailbox on a busy Saturday lunchtime & could I come in store to do a bridal portrait? She was very lovely & explained she would have to check a few details before giving permission & said she would email me. I left super-excited, trying not to get my hopes up but knowing that it could be a logistics nightmare on the busiest shopping day of the week.
A few days later I received an email asking approximately what time it would be & how many people would come in store – thankfully I had worked timings out on my recce, so I provided a time & explained it would just be the four of us – Hannah, Harry, my lighting assistant Charles & myself. We had confirmation that security had been briefed & they were all ready for us. Next step? I broke the news to my bride & groom & they were as excited as I was!!! This was going to be both epic & scary all at the same time – we literally had 10 mins to get THE shot as time was a premium. We just couldn’t be late to the registry office – I don’t need to explain the reasons why LOL 😉
Birmingham City Centre Wedding
On the day of the Wedding, guests who were at the hotel were originally going to make their way to the Registry Office beforehand but because of all the excitement & how absolutely gorgeous the Bride looked, we all ended up walking together. As we all approached the entrance to the Harvey Nichols store, more people appeared including shoppers & store staff. I set the lighting up, got Hannah & Harry in place & the magic happened. I looked at my lighting assistant & when he saw me grinning excitedly at the rear LCD screen of me camera we high-fived ourselves. We had nailed it!! Then within minutes we were gone & onto the Registry Office, stopping for more photographs on the way.
I am so proud of the image & highlights that by planning & working closely with a couple I can capture unique, creative & modern Wedding Portraits for them. These images compliment the Documentary shots & make fabulous wall art. Harvey Nichols loved the image & shared it to their many Twitter followers, which made me hugely proud. Like myself, whenever Hannah & Harry & their families & guests see that photograph in the future, they will always remember that amazing & fun journey from the Malmaison Hotel to Birmingham Registry Office.
