With the nights rolling in and temperatures dropping I thought it was the perfect time to warm you all up with the beautiful, intimate winter wedding of Claire and Philip. I absolutely LOVE small weddings, and these guys had around 20 guests, mid December in Birmingham’s incredible Hotel du Vin, huddled together in beautiful candlelight. The vibe of a small wedding is so different to a large wedding, and so so special. You feel like you’re tucked away in a magical little bubble, and all emotions are completely intensified. All the chaos and activity of a larger wedding gives way to allow a complete focus on close connection and warmth, and there is no-one there who does not love the couple with all their heart. It’s a total privilege to be part of a celebration like this and I squeal with excitement every time I get asked to photograph one.

I had already met Claire and Philip during their gorgeous autumnal engagement shoot, so it was wonderful to catch up with them again and share such an incredible day. We were blessed with a beautiful bright and crisp winter’s day, and they opted to do a ‘First Look’ and have their couple shots taken before the ceremony to take advantage of the light and so that once the wedding was underway they didn’t have to have any break from their guests. On a happy note, Phil has just last week informed me that two of their friends who met at this wedding are getting married next month – so huge congratulations to them also – the romance of this day obviously rubbed off! But for now, here are Claire and Philip and their beautifully intimate wedding day…