Seriously…did 2021 only have about 3 months in it? It has FLOWN by!
We all found ourselves going into the year feeling a bit weird after 2020, and a little unsure of what 2021 would have in store. The year was still anything but normal…and everyone had their hardships and difficulties. Lets be honest, it's been a bit shite at times...but amongst that have been some amazing, beautiful moments too. So rather than bang on about the bad bits we are going to list our top things we have been grateful for this past 12 months… We photographed SO many more weddings!
Seems obvious since the previous year we only managed to shoot four because of lockdowns BUT what an absolute pleasure it was to be back doing so much of what we love! Tough and busy at times, but so worthwhile! We ended up shooting not only our own 2021 couples (and some of our 2020 couples who rescheduled) but also ended up covering for some talented photographers who got hit with covid too.
What this really reminded us of was the real importance of having a photographer at a wedding...so many of the weddings we covered had beautiful, touching moments that otherwise wouldn't have been preserved and it meant a lot to us that we could help in some small way both for the couples and out fellow photographers!
We got to see people dancing and smiling again!
Lockdown weddings looked a little different, still beautiful of course, but without the dance floor in the evening things felt a bit strange…sort of like the town in Footloose. Once the dancing ban was lifted, my word did people go for on the dance floor!
We also had the pleasure of seeing some of the best wedding bands we have ever seen this year from indie bands and buskers to full brass bands!
People really embraced the moment…
I don’t know if it is just us but there seems to have been a real shift in the way people think about spending time with family and friends since lockdown. We all so so appreciate the moments that we get together and it showed at this years weddings.
The speeches were heartfelt, phones got put away so people could be truly present and missing loved ones were celebrated and present in the day. It was really beautiful to see how grateful people were to be together, and it is one thing we would love to take into the future with us (not the rest of the lockdown stuff though that can stay gone ta!)
We embraced community over competition and felt the industry love this year...
This one is a little more self serving but we were SO happy to be able to work with people that we truly admired this year…from amazing wedding venues to creative designers and fellow photographers. We got to exhibit at the Ethical Wedding Fair in Manchester and even had a few features in some of our favourite blogs including Brides Up North & Festival Brides!
When we got hit by the dreaded rona in August we were overwhelmed by how supportive not only our lovely associate shooters were who helped us work on the wedding we missed, but also by the love from the couple who we had to let down...they even dropped us off some vegan wedding cake when we were out of isolation!
From instagram group chats, Facebook support groups and new industry friends...everyone really has been there for each other this year and proved that community over competition is the way to go!
So what is next...
On to the future. Well, none of us really know how the start of 2022 is going to pan out and I think it is fair to say that we are all a little hesitant to get over excited about starting a new year, maybe tip toeing into January rather than jumping headfirst in?
What we do know, is that we love what we do. So we have decided it is going to be the year that we REALLY ramp up our business. We figure if not now then when? Being your own boss is as rewarding as it can be stressful, but we wouldn't have it any other way...so we have some very exciting new projects that we are working on ready for our next wedding season!
Excitingly, when we aren’t shooting or editing weddings, we will be working in our recently renovated workshop on our sister company designing and crafting wedding decor and homeware...the last touches are going into the decorating now and once it's ready we will give everyone a virtual tour but for now you can have a cheeky look at our IG and support our new side hustle here
For all of you who got this far, thank you. If you read this you in some way have supported our business whether that’s an online follow, working side by side with us at a wedding, having us photograph your special day, or just being there for a little moral support! We won't lie...it’s been a tough one, but a great one, and we can only hope that 2022 brings more of the latter for all of us!
Emily & Micah
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