YORK PLACE

PHOTO & FILM STUDIO

Documentary wedding photograph from an intimate wedding in London. In the foreground to the right of the frame a bride in white dress holds her wedding train, her veil floating out behind her, her face not included in the frame. In her right hand is her bridal bouquet, behind which a smiling bridesmaid holds another bouquet. Behind and to her right the groom bends down to take the hand of a young boy, a pram with another child framed between them. Far left of the frame a woman in a blue dress looks on.

Intimate London Wedding Photography // Natasha & Greg

Small in Numbers but huge in joy and personality

October 15, 2020

“York Place Studios are incredible photographers and truly lovely people. We ended up having our wedding in the midst of COVID and decided to go ahead with two weeks’ notice. Despite our original guest list of 150, we ended up as only a party of 16 due to all the restrictions but Dom wasn’t fazed in the slightest and slotted in effortlessly, putting everyone at ease. We have literally dozens upon dozens of mind blowing photos that you would want to frame. If you’re debating whether or not to go with York Place then don’t – it’ll be the best wedding planning decision you will make!” – Natasha & Greg

A LONDON MICRO WEDDING – SMALL IN NUMBERS BUT HUGE IN JOY & PERSONALITY

Years ago this month I got married in a tiny restaurant in the Canaries, surrounded by 28 of Matt and I’s family and closest friends.

There were, of course, others we would have liked to be there and some very difficult choices we had to make with the guest list but, with 30 our venue’s maximum capacity, they were choices we simply had to make and now, looking back after all these years do you know what?

I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Those that couldn’t be there were of course sorely missed, but having such a limited number meant that every single person who was there emerged an even closer friend at the end. We spent time together, we shared an experience together and, whilst a tropical storm wreaked havoc on our ‘tropical’ wedding for 3 or 4 days, we did everything together. Our wedding became not just one day of trying to grab five minutes with as many people as possible, it became something much more intimate, a chance to really relax in the company of a great group of people, to get to know them better and truly share this important moment in our lives with them. And, all in all, I think it was all the more special for it.

So whilst the micro-wedding revolution being legally enforced is of course not a situation any of us want to find ourselves in, it’s actually led to some extraordinary moments this year. Micro weddings are truly special events. That heightened sense of intimacy, that close bond and companionship make them a powerful shared experience, a memory not just of the wedding itself but of the time you all spent together. One of the thrills of being a wedding photographer is how different every single shoot can be despite all revolving around this central, most eternal idea of two people coming together in marriage, and whilst the scale may be reduced, the fun, the memories and the power of the occasion certainly are not. The starting point of our documentary style of photography is always focussing on people, and having more time to explore individual personalities and really get to understand the people around us is a rare and exciting project, and one I’m so excited to be photographing.

I only spent around six hours or so in the company of the lovely Natasha & Greg, yet the vibe of their intimate London wedding reminded me so much of my own. The small group really knew each other, really banded together to make this miniaturised microcosm version of their wedding every bit as special as their original plans could have been. Whatever the size and scale weddings are, at their heart, about love and friendship, yet in the fast-flowing flood of excitement, ideas, inspiration and occasional admin and, let’s face it, politics that hit the second you announce your engagement, it’s sometimes all too easy to forget that. But with micro weddings as small in numbers yet huge in love, warmth, friendship and personality as Natasha & Greg’s, it’s perhaps just the reminder we need.

Natasha & Greg, it was truly an honour and privilege to share these special, unforgettable memories with you.

Dominique.Guests assemble in a London church ready for an intimate London micro wedding. Four of the five people in the photograph wear face-masks due to being a covid-19 wedding. Micro wedding photography by York Place StudiosGroom stands beside wedding car prior to his micro wedding ceremony in St Etheldredas Church in LondonGroom checks the time whilst his masked (due to Covid-19) groosman holds out his boutonierre ready for fittingSocially distanced wedding guests sit in church ready for an intimate covid wedding in London. On the right of the frame one guest helps another to fit his buttonhole to his black wedding suit.Groomsman crouches beside a little boy in a London church wedding. On the right we see the legs of a little girl being held in a woman's armsGuests (socially distanced) stand as the bride and her father make their entrance and approach the waiting groom. Wedding photograph from a micro wedding in London.Documentary wedding photograph of an Intimate London church wedding ceremony as the bride makes her entrance alongside her father. The smiling groom watches from the front as the socially distanced guests stand around them. Captured from the church balcony Groom (left) & bride (centre) smile and hold hands as they are pronounced husband and wife at a London church micro wedding. (Right) the father of the bride smiles and claps along with other guests framed in the backgroundA wedding reading is delivered from a church lectern whilst the seated bride and groom watch on. Photograph captured from elevated plane on balcony.Smiling bride and groom are applauded by their socially distanced wedding guests at a London micro wedding ceremonyBride and groom exchange rings and promises at an intimate London wedding ceremony. Black & white documentary style photography.Bride smiles back towards her guest whilst standing with her groom and witnesses at the altar of St Ethelreda's RC Church, London during an intimate wedding ceremony. Documentary photograph captured from church balconyWoman leans down to sign the register at an intimate micro wedding. Beside her the bride and groom share a smile whilst in the foreground the father of the bride stands looking across the frameBride and groom walk back down the aisle as husband and wife after an intimate london wedding.Bride and groom walk back down the aisle as husband and wife as their guests applaud. Documentary wedding image photographed from church balconyBride and Groom walk down church steps hand-in-hand immediately following their wedding ceremony Smiling bride emerges from a London church. Holding the end of her veil is the arm of an unseen figure through the doorway.Bride, groom and bridesmaid exit church following London wedding ceremony.A bride and groom stand together on a London streetRight of the frame we see the shoulder of a bride holding her bouquet. To her left is her groom. Both look back towards the four bridesmaids smiling at them and framed between them. Intimate London wedding photography outside St Etheldreda's ChurchBlack & white documentary wedding photograph outside St Etheldreda's church in Londona laughing bride and groom stand either side of the frame, between them four female guests enjoy the joke, another guest framed between themDocumentary wedding photograph from an intimate wedding in London. In the foreground to the right of the frame a bride in white dress holds her wedding train, her veil floating out behind her, her face not included in the frame. In her right hand is her bridal bouquet, behind which a smiling bridesmaid holds another bouquet. Behind and to her right the groom bends down to take the hand of a young boy, a pram with another child framed between them. Far left of the frame a woman in a blue dress looks on.Black & White documentary wedding photograph at a London micro wedding. (Right) we can see the bridal bouquet, being held by the bride off frame. In the background a young child in a pram looks toward the camera, a third leg mysteriously coming from behind the pram whilst the children's mother takes a drink behind them. (Centre) a bridesmaid looks back towards the church entrance. Left a woman in a wheelchair provides symmetry with the pram, flaked by groomsmen.A bride walks down the street away from camera towards some London double-decker red buses. In her hand is her bouquet.Bride walks through the London streets holding her bouquet by her side casually. Street documentary wedding photography by Dominique ShawStreet style documentary wedding photograph captured in London. A bride and groom's legs photographed from behind as they walk down a London street. Between them the bride holds her bouquet upside down.Bride and groom are showered in confetti by their guests at a small London weddingBride and groom prepare to walk down a confetti line at an intimate London wedding. Photography by York Place Studios Bride and groom walk back through a confetti line following their micro wedding ceremonyintimate london wedding photographyUnposed wedding portrait of a young boy at an outdoor London wedding reception holding a toy.Father of the bride points over the photographer's shoulder in this street documentary style wedding photograph. Beside him stands the bride and in the foreground a woman sits, her head and shoulders visibile. On the left a child hides his head and shoulders in his mother's blue skirt whilst a groomsman beside her appears to raise a toast to someone with a champagne glass, another child in his other arm.Intimate micro wedding reception in Greyfriars Passage LondonLayered street style wedding photograph of guests gathered for a micro wedding reception framed by the gates of Greyfriar's Passage, LondonWoman in blue dress bends over and plays with the baby she is carrying at a London outdoor wedding reception. Right of the frame another child stands looking down at the floor inquisitively whilst on the left of the frame we can see a mans legs in pin-striped trousersIntimate London wedding photography of guests standing and seating at at various heights at a wedding reception in Greyfriars PassageA hand points to a bridesmaid's unusual Paris skyline dress, the bridesmaid's face cropped out of the frame. To the right a little girl sits on the ground next to a yellow tricycle. Other guest's legs, feet and various toys are scattered between, filling the frame.Black & white intimate London wedding photograph during an outdoor wedding reception.Multiple small stories erupt between the guests and children at an outdoor London wedding ceremony. The photograph is carefully framed to allow each story room to breathe and embrace the light and shadow of the area. Bride, groom and father of the bride laugh hysterically during wedding speeches in Greyfriar's passage. Monochrome wedding photographin the foreground a bride and groom, their backs to camera, look at each other across the frame. Between them in the background a section of bunting hangs down, beneath which are four seated guestsA young child seated outside on the ground front centre plays with a hat. Around her are lots of children's toys. Behind her the father of the bride speech is under way. Standing behind her the bride, groom, and father of the bride hold champagne glasses and laughWedding speeches take place in London's Greyfriars passageGuests enjoy a joke together during a covid-19 miniaturised wedding in LondonBride and groom inspect their marriage certificate during their intimate wedding reception in London, photographed by York Place Studiosfour female wedding guests face the same direction as they simultaneously take a drink of champagneFemale wedding guest holds a tissue to her eye as she laughs and cries with the bride. They stand beside a white clothed table of food, another seated female guest taking a drink of champagne beside it.(Left) a bride sits laughing with someone outside of the frame. To her left two seated guests enjoy a conversation Bride adjusts the brim of the hat worn by a woman in a wheelchair whilst around them various guests are engaged in other conversations.Black & white wedding photography. A bride lovingly inspects the necklace worn by an older female guest.In a courtyard at an outdoor wedding ceremony in London a smiling woman in sunglasses (right) rests her feet on a footrest. Beside her the bride smiles in conversation with a female guest. On the far left of the image a little boy with his back turned to camera has placed his face on a chair, making an unusual shape. On the floor in front of him lies a book with the title "Monster" written in bold upon itA bride is seated in the centre of the frame at an outdoor wedding in London. She laughs along with the two seated guests to her left. To her right a woman stands in the background as she comes to join the conversation, whilst beside her, closer to camera, two more seated members of the wedding party interact.Guests interact at an intimate London wedding. To the left the bride sips champagne whilst in conversation with a female guest as they stand behind a table. Beside them but in the foreground the groom, his face not visible, separates the frame as he talks to a smiling woman beside him. Framed either side of them in the background other guests share private conversations whilst at the very front of the image a man crouches down to the height of the child next to him and both appear to be laughingMonochrome wedding photograph of London wedding scene - 8 guests stand and sit together within the frame, yet all eyes seem to face in different directions.Bride and her father stand and laugh at an unseen joke whilst to their left a seated bridesmaid and family member converse. Documentary style wedding photographA tiered wedding cake is unexpectedly revealed by a guest during an intimate outdoor micro wedding in LondonDocumentary style photograph of a wedding cake as it is being sliced up and served to guests at a London micro weddingA little boy touches his mum's leg and stares at the camera whilst around him we see the shapes of guests being served cake. No-one else's face is visible. Unposed documentary wedding moment photographed by York Place StudiosA guest opens his mouth wide to eat a slice of wedding cake at an outdoor London micro wedding reception. Photographed in black & white.London street wedding photography scene. A little girl in the background, creeping towards the exit, is framed between the bride, groom and guests. Only the little girl's face is fully visible as she looks back towards the cameraIntimate black & white documentary wedding photograph of guests sitting on a bench at a micro wedding reception. Though they are seated together each is engaged in entirely separate mini-stories from one anotherMultiple guests interact with the bride and groom at an intimate London Micro wedding reception. Photo captured at a slight distance, framed by two brick columns either side.Wedding parallels. On the left a woman in a wheelchair sits with an unusual expression on her face. On the right, positioned exactly evenly, a child stands with a similar expression. Street style wedding photograph captured in London UKWedding guests stand together in a London courtyard, all engaged in separate stories in this multi-layered image.Bride (front, centre) laughs hard at a joke also enjoyed by her father standing behind her and a groomsman to her left. Between and around them multiple other stories are evolving, including a child crawling out through the gates behindA bride places her head on the shoulder of her father standing beside her, both with their backs to camera. On the right of the frame is a woman seated in a wheelchair wearing a wide brimmed hat and sunglassesA groom and Father of the bride shake hands at an outdoor intimate wedding in London. Behind and between stands the bride watching on.Multi-layered street documentary wedding photograph at an intimate London wedding reception. Bride and groom stand centre, to their right is a woman in a wheelchair, being pushed by the father of the bride who blows a kiss to one of the guests. Several other guests watch on.Bride and groom kiss in the foreground at the end of an intimate London wedding. Meanwhile in the background we can see guests removing temporary trees from the area.

Intimate London micro-weddings are a perfect match for our style of wedding photography and videography and if you’re planning a smaller wedding event and connected with these images we’d love to talk to you about what we can offer, including special micro wedding packages, short film highlights and wedding live-streaming services.

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