Weybridge Register Office Wedding – Gosia & Alan
When Covid-19 arrived in the UK in early 2020, we really had no idea of the devastating impact it was going to have, or how long it would last. Weddings of course were immediately put on hold as high-risk, being events where many people gather in close proximity and with lots of physical contact! In the absence of a vaccine at this time, most people felt that these precautions were necessary. Little did we know how long we were going to have to live with restrictions of one kind or another, nor sadly how many people would die or suffer from the effects of Covid.
As the year progressed restrictions came and went, and by October we were able to have small weddings at least, even if the big gatherings were still not allowed. Some couples decided to go ahead with a smaller scale wedding and have their big party later on, so I photographed several “mini weddings” like Gosia and Alan’s at Rylston (Weybridge Register Office).
Covid-rules wedding at Weybridge Register Office
Most register offices in the UK at this time were enforcing quite strict rules – a maximum of 4 guests, safety screens between the officiant and the couple, and of course the wearing of masks by guests and staff. Despite these limitations, Gosia and Alan decided not to wait any longer, and went ahead with their wedding in October 2020. I was delighted to be asked to come along and photograph their special day – even if it was on a smaller scale than they had hoped!
Despite being the official photographer, I wasn’t allowed in the room during the ceremony – I had to take my photos through an open window, while standing in the flower bed outside! An unorthodox solution perhaps, but at least it meant that Alan and Gosia got to have some professional photos of their ceremony. Despite not being able to move around as I normally would, I was able to get a reasonable view of the ceremony (mostly using my longer lens!) Luckily it was a sunny day and didn’t rain!
Wedding photos in the garden at Rylston
Once the ceremony concluded, Gosia and Alan and their guests came out to meet me in the garden. The weather was very cooperative being one of those crisp sunny days you sometimes get in autumn in the UK.
We started with some posed group photos, and then I took Alan and Gosia into the garden for some pictures of just the two on them. Thankfully outdoors nobody was required to wear a mask!
Posed photos with a touch of flash
When there are so few guests I can’t do much in the way of candid unposed photos, so we concentrated on getting some nice but relaxed images of the couple. I used a touch of flash for some images, to balance the bright sun, positioning Gosia and Alan so they weren’t facing into the direct sun. I like to do this as it means the couple don’t end up squinting, and also the sun provides a mice touch of rim lighting.
Last but not least, I captured Gosia’s bouquet toss, before the couple and their guests headed off for their wedding breakfast.
Here’s a selection of my favourite images from Gosia and Alan’s wedding:
Weybridge Register Office Wedding – Gosia & Alan’s photos
It was a pleasure to photograph Alan and Gosia’s wedding despite the limitations we had to work under! If you are planning your wedding and would like to talk about the options for photography, please do get in touch via my contact page.
