So my cousin Sarah calls me up to let me know that my cousin Mary is getting married and the conversation steers rapidly towards the fact that Mary would like me to shoot the wedding.

Any reputable wedding photographer will tell you that weddings are a high pressure event. A huge amount of planning and expense goes into creating the perfect day for the Bride, Groom and attendees. The expectations of the output are high and the schedule is tight and largely pre-ordained. Mistakes on an event for strangers are bad enough – insurance is in place to cover the dreaded possibility of a reshoot in the face of catastrophic failure – but working with family carries with it the additional menace of permanent exile

Booked at the absolutely gorgeous Ardington House in Oxfordshire with some light cloud, delivered to the venue via vintage bus, basically nothing could go wrong. Mary and her bridesmaids (and Bridesman!) looked absolutely radiant and it was an absolute pleasure to cover the day, and night.

As it was a family gathering I was sticking it out to the last, so I stayed shooting until the Bride and Groom had vanished off to the honeymoon suite, before crawling into the car and heading home for a much needed rest!