A breezy autumn day at Leeds Town Hall, Yorkshire set the scene for Sam and Lou's big wedding.
Guests gathered on the steps and a nervous excitement filled the air as the brides arrived in their vintage Bentley.
Sam had contacted me earlier that day to explain that they didn't want any distractions, so had decided to leave all phones at home (hold on to that thought, it comes back in the story).
After a few minutes inside the car finishing off the Champagne, Sam and Lou were ready to kick of the day. Nate - Sam's son - ventured out of the car, LGBTQ umbrella in hand to help Sam out of the car whilst a shower passed overhead. Lou skipped out of the car, excited to see friends and family. Luckily, Dad was on hand to be the CEO of Umbrella duty and shot over to help.
The ceremony wasn't until 1.30pm so we had lots of time to stand under the stunning Leeds Town Hall structure at the top of the grand steps, where I could watch on as everyone laughed and smiled waiting for the call from the registrar.
Despite the changes of 2020, today was about one thing only - celebrating Sam and Lou's love for each other and they embraced these new traditions. Once inside, the brides went straight to the ceremony hall and the guests waited outside for the call from the registrar, face masks on. I was lucky enough to be allowed into the hall with the girls so I could capture those nervous smiles and glances to one another (in one spot, no moving around for me anymore). This moment is my favourite part of the day. I love to capture the stories of a wedding day, and what better story to tell, than through the image of 2 people who love each other looking, chatting and laughing whilst they wait for those words that everyone knows - "Do you Sam, take.........".
A little late drama added a twist to the story. Remember when I said no phones? Well, just as the wedding was due to start we realised that two guests were missing. No phones, no contact details...no problem. Luckily I had my phone to hand (on silent of course) and thanks to the miracle of Facebook, Sam was able to track down said friends and call them (from a random man's facebook account). Of course they didn't answer, to be truthfuI I would have been fairly judgmental if they had :). So a message was the next best thing, which did the trick and now with all guests safely in the hall with masks firmly in place, it was time.
