A wedding that was never staged
Joe and Sandy’s two-day wedding took place across South East London — from a legal ceremony at Lambeth Town Hall to a relaxed celebration at Watson’s General Telegraph
They chose a documentary approach because they didn’t want to spend their wedding being directed. They wanted it to feel like their day, not a photoshoot.
Some of my favourite images from these two days are the ones they took themselves on film — passing the camera between them, capturing their own perspective of it all.
A mix of digital on the Sony A9 and film throughout, with everything kept simple and unobtrusive.
Somewhere that meant something to them
The first was a small legal ceremony at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton. Just family, a short ceremony, and a few moments afterwards to take it all in.
Afterwards, we stepped outside into Brixton — stopping for a handful of group photos by the town hall and the Ritzy Cinema before wandering through the market.
Nothing staged, just moving through the area together. We made a stop outside The Shrub and Shutter — the place they had their first date. It was closed in the daytime, but that didn’t really matter. They brought a couple of drinks with them and had a quiet toast outside instead. They also brought a scarf — half Arsenal, half West Ham. A small detail, but one that says a lot.
A few relaxed portraits, a walk through somewhere that meant something to them, and then the day carried on.
A couple of days later, things shifted.
Their second day was a full celebration at Watson’s General Telegraph in South East London — a completely different energy.
More people, more noise, more movement.
The ceremony folded straight into a long table banquet, drinks flowing, conversations overlapping. It felt more like a gathering than a formal wedding — exactly what they wanted.
I moved through it all quietly — catching moments as they happened, stepping in where needed, but mostly letting the day unfold.
By the evening, the dance floor had taken over. At some point, I stopped being just the photographer and ended up dancing alongside them, camera still in hand.
Kind words
