It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a year since Freya and Dom got married, spending the day absolutely everywhere around Parbold.
A year later, they’re about to become three, with their first baby due any day now. So it seemed about time I finally got around to sharing some of their wedding day.
It was a proper relaxed, family-focused day, taking us around some of my favourite spots in Parbold, from the village hall and Christ Church to the canal and the surrounding countryside.
And there’s a nice little bit of déjà vu coming up too, as I’m about to photograph Freya’s sister’s wedding, using some of the very same locations.
I met Freya and her bridesmaids at Parbold Village Hall, where everyone was busy putting the finishing touches to the room.
There was a nice personal touch going on too, with Freya’s sister doing her makeup. It’s those little family moments that make wedding mornings feel like actual wedding mornings, rather than just a queue of people having their hair and makeup done.
Once everyone was ready, we jumped in the cars and headed a short distance up the road to the Airbnb where Dom and the rest of the wedding party were getting ready.
Rather than Dom seeing Freya for the first time as she walked down the aisle, they decided to do a first look. It gave them a few minutes together before everything properly kicked off, and meant we could get some photos without the usual rush of trying to squeeze everything in between the ceremony and the rest of the day.
From there, it was up the hill to Christ Church for the ceremony.
The ceremony itself was lovely, with the usual hymns getting an unexpected addition when everyone broke into Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley.
Which, frankly, is a much better wedding song than it has any right to be.
After the ceremony we headed outside for some group photos, keeping things fairly quick and relaxed before taking a little tour around Parbold.
One of my favourite parts of the day was simply wandering around Parbold with Freya and Dom, taking some time away from everyone else to get some photographs of the two of them.
We hopped a fence and had a bit of a wander around one of the farms, before we made our way to the canal, stopping whenever we found a pretty spot.
Nothing particularly complicated or staged. Just the two of them, enjoying a bit of time together while I followed them around with a camera....like a weirdo
But that's exactly the sort of thing I love about photographing weddings.
You don’t need an elaborate location or a perfectly choreographed photoshoot. Sometimes a walk along a canal with the person you love is more than enough.
Eventually it was time to head back to Parbold Village Hall, where the speeches and buffet were waiting.
The speeches brought the usual mix of stories, laughs and the occasional moment where someone probably wished they’d thought a little more carefully before handing a microphone to their mates.
Then came the ceilidh, which got everyone properly involved before Freya and Dom took to the floor for their first dance.
And after that, it was pretty much party time.
Freya and Dom’s wedding was a brilliant reminder of why I love photographing weddings in this part of the world.
A relaxed day, plenty of family, a few unexpected moments, some questionable dancing and absolutely no need to take everything too seriously.
And now, almost a year later, I’m getting ready to do it all again with Izzie & Jack — at some of the same Parbold locations!
I’m looking forward to that one!
And maybe there’ll be a baby announcement by the time that one gets published!!
