Wed Leicester

It was quite a few years ago that Bekki mentioned getting married and that she’d like me to be her photographer. Much has happened since then including fatherhood and relocation to Shropshire so I was really looking forward to going back to Leicester for the shoot at the charming Guildhall, parts of which date back to 1390. I took Bekki’s preparation photographs at the lovely Hotel Maiyango which is a stone’s throw away from The Guildhall where Bekki and her ladies were all very excited and being royally entertained by her hairdresser and her collection of stories. After taking my photographs (including several of the Vivienne Westwood shoes) I went to meet an old acquaintance Comedian Ben Ennis who works at The Guildhall. Ben showed me around and suggested some areas that would be good for taking photographs as well as lamenting the dire state of Leicester City Football Club. The ceremony was a delight to capture and thanks to my helper on the day, the legendary Mo, the formal shots were taken without a hitch. Bekki and Paul were amazingly patient as I tried to photograph them in as many interesting areas of The Guildhall as possible. Later we all went to Colourworks Restaurant for food, speeches and thanks before heading back to The Guildhall for dancing, cake and the final pictures. It really was good to be working in Leicester with such a sweet couple and their great family and friends. The groom’s brother and some friends were musicians whom I had photographed many times before when I was covering the Leicester music scene and so it was quite nice to see them scrubbed up and not sweating on a stage.

So, it was good to go back to my roots, do some work in Leicester and hear that mellifluous accent again. Here's hoping that I get to shoot another wedding at the wonderful Guildhall again.

UPDATE: Since writing this, Leicester City Football Club have become rather good and Ben Ennis is cheery once more...