your wedding images

london fine art wedding photographer lily sawyer photo

your wedding

I believe that your wedding day is a tangible expression of your soul. Expressive, impassioned, touching, meaningful, fervent, moving. It is about honouring faith, family and friends. A statement of your beliefs, an expression of love and respect to your family, and a gesture of appreciation to your friends

Your wedding is the beginning of your marriage in gratitude to those you love and honour.

It is a record of serendipitous unplanned moments which are just as important as the defining events of the day and the traditional heirloom photographs; together they make up an authentic and complete story of your day

Your wedding is not the best day of your life; it is only the first of many best days to come.

your wedding day

Wedding planning is exciting, fun and yes, overwhelming. There are times when you are tempted to run away with your beloved and have a quiet private wedding in some romantic wood aglow with candlelight and twinkling stars above, or on the beach, just the two of you savouring the feel of exquisite warm sand on your feet and the lulling sound of gentle waves.

Exciting as that may sound, you push those thoughts away. Instead you turn your thoughts to the people you love. Your precious parents who would be thrilled to witness such a momentous occasion in your life. Your gentle and nurturing grandparents who would eagerly snap a photo of you with their shiny pocket cameras as you walk up the aisle. Your dearest friends who walked with you through the years, who cannot wait to pop open a bottle of bubbly, chink glasses with you, take a million selfies, shout your happiest moments and celebrate you.

You realise this is what your dream day is about – celebrating love in the presence of your belovedS. A special day set aside all for love, in faith, with family and friends.

london fine art wedding photographer lily sawyer photo

your wedding images

With a relaxed, unintrusive and photojournalistic approach to photography, my aim is to tell your story in beautiful photographs. I will capture special moments of your day as they unfold, starting from the bride getting ready until the late night carriages. My hope is for your photographs to remind you of the emotions, the laughter, that special look, the tiny serendipitous small things that happen without planning… a small touch, a smiling face, a warm hug…moments in-between.

Your images will look natural, elegant and feel soulful, romantic and dreamy with a soft vintage touch. Each image will be edited individually with warm, rich and deep yet soft tones. It is very important to me that you love yourself in your wedding photographs. I have learned many tips over the years as a people photographer. My artistic yet relaxed approach to capturing images will make you feel at ease in front of the camera. As a result, you will love the way you look in photographs.

your wedding details

I believe details play a special part in strengthening memories so I pay special attention to things that you treasure and have spent precious time in making perfect. Items that have sentimental value and you hold close to your heart. Location chosen for the deep meaning they have in your lives. Lovingly handcrafted d-i-y project borne from your creative ideas. Vases and table decorations oozing in rustic charm. Lace, beads and jewels that adorn your outfits. The sparkle in your jewellery. Wild large-headed blooms on the table next to mismatched gilded china. Buntings gently dancing in the air. The cosy and romantic glow of festoon lights in the garden. Gifts given to you by your most beloved people in the world. All these details help tell an authentic story of your dream wedding day.

london fine art wedding photographer lily sawyer photo

your story and a little of mine…

When I got married back in 2003, I felt I was planning for a romantic Autumn wedding in a Graeco-Roman shell of a building in London. I remember planning the feel of the wedding: rich autumnal colours, twinkly lights dancing on the tables, the warmth of family and friends, a carefully selected playlist playing in the background and great food.

But the day went by so quickly and I didn’t get a chance to take everything in or see every one of our 200+ guests. I had less than 100 professional photos from the day and missed many photos of family and friends, dreamy images of me getting ready and many details that took weeks in planning.

When I started photographing weddings a few years later, I photographed my dress, shoes, rings and accessories from the wedding that I had kept. I put together my own wedding album of a meager 12 pages with about 30 images from the day. Well curated but hardly a complete story.

Since becoming a professional wedding photographer my aim is to capture and weave into your authentic story how your wedding day unfolds…

…from the details you have spent months preparing

…getting ready with your closest of friends

…traveling to the venue in the special wedding car you have chosen

…the deeply meaningful ceremony – unplanned and candid moments as well as the defining ones

…a few traditional photos with family that you have planned for

…new wedding memories you make as newlyweds during a short bride and groom portrait session in the locations of your choice – we keep this as brief as possible so you have time to chat to family and friends who have come near and far

…the chinking of glasses and the sound of laughter all through the reception culminating with your evening party and dancing and a planned leaving shot.

london fine art wedding photographer lily sawyer photo

I provide an average of 100 fully edited images per hour of cover, more or less depending on how your day unfolds and on whether you have a second photographer, the number of guests and the amount of details and decorations, so that when you look at your photographs you will feel transported back to the day and relive your story from beginning to end. For a full day cover, you will get an average of 1000 fully edited images to remember your day by.

Your story should not be hidden in a flash drive or just viewed on your computer, although you will get those too. I can provide you with a beautiful curated authentic wedding story with photos of your choice in a stunning printed album that you can keep as a lasting heirloom for your children and grandchildren.

london fine art wedding photographer lily sawyer photo

So what makes a good story?

It’s the unfolding moments of your wedding day that move you to smile, to shed tears of joy, to laugh, to savour the warmth of beloved company bursting with memories of a day full of meaning, soul and love.

“Thank you for the exquisite photographs you took of our wedding. We really feel that you have captured the essence of the day and we have so much fun reliving the day through the photos. A number of our guests have commented on the excellent quality of the photography!” Mark and Kat

Click here for a free wedding brochure full of tips and ideas to help you plan your wedding. Contact me for a hard copy.