Not everyone dreams about being the centre of attention on their wedding day. In fact, most couples who enquire with me start by saying some version of:
“We’re really awkward in front of the camera.”
Or:
“We want photos, but we don’t want the day to turn into a photoshoot.”
And honestly? As a fellow introvert, I completely get it.
Not everyone wants a huge wedding with a packed timeline, endless posing and hours spent performing for the camera. For many couples, especially those planning smaller weddings or town hall ceremonies in Sussex, the appeal lies in the exact opposite: keeping things simple, meaningful and low-pressure.
You don’t have to love being photographed to have beautiful wedding photos
One of the biggest misconceptions about wedding photography is that you need to somehow become a different version of yourself for the day.
That you need to:
- know how to pose
- enjoy being the centre of attention
- smile at the camera all day
- spend hours taking photos away from your guests
But the couples I work with usually want something much more grounded than that.
They want to:
- get married
- spend time with the people they love
- celebrate without pressure
- remember the day honestly
The photography is there to support the experience — not take over it.
Why smaller weddings often feel easier
I think this is one of the reasons micro weddings and town hall weddings have become so popular in recent years.
Smaller weddings tend to leave more room to actually experience the day.
There’s often less pressure, fewer expectations and less of that feeling that the wedding is turning into a production. Couples can focus on what matters to them rather than trying to impress hundreds of guests or recreate something they saw online.
And from a photography perspective, smaller weddings often allow for more genuine moments too. There’s time for hugs after the ceremony, conversations over drinks, laughter between family members, the quiet in-between moments and guests actually interacting with each other. Those are usually the moments people end up caring about most later on.
My approach to wedding photography
My wedding coverage is intentionally designed for couples who want the day to feel relaxed and unforced.
My base package covers 2 hours, with additional hours available if needed. For many smaller weddings, that’s enough time to document the ceremony, some group photos, candid moments during drinks and a few relaxed portraits of the two of you together.
There isn’t time for 50 different group photo combinations, hours of posing or turning the day into a content shoot. And that’s very intentional. Of course we’ll still take some family photos — because grandma will almost certainly insist on them — but the focus stays on the experience of the day rather than performing it for the camera.
I want you to actually spend your wedding with your guests, not disappear for long photo sessions while everyone waits for you to come back.
The way I photograph weddings is much closer to documentary photography than traditional posed wedding photography. I’ll guide you when needed, but I’m far more interested in real interactions, movement, connection and atmosphere than perfectly choreographed images.
Your wedding doesn’t have to be performative
I think a lot of couples quietly feel disconnected from the version of weddings they see online. The pressure for everything to look perfect, the expectation to turn the day into a production and the idea that the wedding somehow becomes a performance for other people.
But a wedding can also simply be two people forming a union and celebrating it with the people who matter most to them. That’s enough. And the photos don’t need to prove anything to anyone else, they just need to feel like you.
Planning a relaxed micro wedding in Sussex?
If you’re planning a small wedding, town hall ceremony or low-key celebration in Sussex and want photography that feels natural, calm and unobtrusive, I’d love to hear from you.
Whether you’re getting married in Brighton, Worthing, Lewes or somewhere else along the Sussex coast, my approach is always centred around helping people feel comfortable rather than camera-ready.
