2021 : A Review
Oi oi!
Well, we find ourselves here again at the end of another rollercoaster year, and I couldn’t be more pleased to finally be writing this review of the last 12 months.
As you’ll know, thanks to our friend the Coronavirus, so many weddings from 2020 were rescheduled to this year, and last year when I was booking them in I knew that 2021 would be tough… and I wasn’t wrong!
2021 was the year of two wedding seasons jammed into one. Double the weddings, double the sweat, double the sunburn, double the number of pints of Coca Cola downed in one minute. Double the editing but half the time, which meant four times the work. I’ve been living like a hermit this year in order to stay safe and healthy, and not let any of my couples down on their days. It hasn’t been easy this year, which is putting it mildly, but I have survived to tell the tale (just)!
After some delays and further postponements to weddings in spring, in May I blew the cobwebs off my cameras and put together a beautiful but very last minute styled shoot, incorporating real-life couple Sarah and Rachael. This colourful Pride-inspired shoot at Writtle College was put together with the help of a gang of dream team suppliers and was featured in top UK wedding blog Love My Dress. You can see that HERE.
Once real weddings finally got underway, it was all systems GO! A crazy love-fest chock full of happiness, relief, joy, booze, and a fair bit of rain. Oh boy did it rain this year! I think I can count on one hand how many 2021 weddings didn’t see a bit of rain! But that didn’t deter anyone, and people were as determined to celebrate as ever.
In between the rapturous celebrations there were also pangs of sadness. Loved ones who couldn’t attend wedding days, and loved ones who are no longer with us. It hasn’t been easy for many of you and I’m glad my photos can help a little to remember your loved ones by.
2021 didn’t disappoint in the ‘things you can’t unsee’ stakes, and there were plenty of other memorable moments that still make me laugh now. An actual fire during bridal prep at one wedding (never have candles at prep! Are you mad?), dogs dogs and more dogs (you can never have too many dogs at weddings), fireworks, sparklers, several bathtubs, a Christmas carol flash mob, and so much more. I’ve loved receiving your text messages at 3.30am and 5.00am letting me know you’ve just gone to bed; just being in your thoughts at those ungodly hours following your wedding is so rewarding.
Did I even hear one Ed Sheeran song for a first dance? I’m not sure I did, y’know. The popular choice this year was Becky Hill’s acoustic ‘I Could Get Used To This’ and it was a fab departure from good old ‘Thinking Out Loud’ (sorry Ed lovers).
I can never exaggerate how much I appreciate all of my lovely couples who entrust me to capture their wedding days, and in this most busiest and challenging of wedding seasons, I have wholly appreciated your kindness and patience as I work around the clock to get your photos to you. Thank you for being so wonderful, I have loved capturing your wedding days.
I didn’t get to hug many of you this year as I would’ve liked, but be assured all you 2021 brides and grooms have a special place in my heart.
But before any of the wedding madness in 2021, of course by far my greatest achievement this year was becoming a mum - something I wasn’t sure would ever happen - and in March we became parents to our daughter Jessica. Raising a newborn baby and returning to shooting weddings has been one of, if not the most challenging times of my life, as we navigated how to do it all in the most craziest of wedding years.
It has been a joy and privilege to capture your 2021 weddings, and all I can say is that you 2022 couples have some big shoes to fill! Here’s to another amazing 12 months. Check out the video below to see some of my favourite moments from 2021, be sure to turn the volume up for the best experience:
