The BORING 20s
One hundred years ago, the roaring 20s were bringing glitz, glamour and a frenzy of fun to high society… a century on and the BORING 20’s are offering up a platter of highly mutable disease, unflattering face wear, new normals and an unprecedented mix of worry and tedium.
January 2021 was pretty poxy: the post festive anti-climax coupled the indefinite lockdown made it a miserable month. So, bored of pandemic related memes dominating social media, I decided to initiate a competition to spread a bit of love over the weblinet and BIG UP the talented troop of photographers I’d worked with during my celebrant career.
Wicked Wedding Photographer Competition is born…
I hope you’ll agree that my website is littered with luscious, loved-up snaps. I’m fortunate that so many of the photographers I’ve worked with over the years have supported my business by allowing me to showcase my ceremonies using their sensational shots. So why not do something for them in return?
The first Wicked Wedding Photographer competition was 'Wicked Wedding Photographer of 2020' but as 2020 was a bit frosty on the old wedding front, I opened it up to all photographers, and couples, I’d ever worked with and loads got involved!
The title of the competition was ‘Capturing Love in a Humanist Ceremony’ and there was a whole lot of love on show I can tell you! I whittled down the entries to a shortlist of five and with the plentiful plethora of photos offered up tjhat was no easy feat.
Reams of amateur critics took to the polls to vote for their favourites. After a tense week the public spoke and very first Wicked Wedding Photographer award went to the handsome husband and wife team, Julia and Martin, at Spinning Your Dreams Photography. I love that this talented duo spend their time together capturing other couples' happiness - doing a job they love with the person they love... Winning combo!! 😍😍 Martin and Julia Webb (hence the name Spinning!) are Shropshire based but willing to travel and are experts in relaxed wedding photography. Part of the reason I reckon they're so shit-hot is they are also experts at making couples FEEL comfortable. Such utterly lovely people worthy of 2020's crown.
And a big SHOUT OUT to the two stunners in the centre of this shot, Dave and Angharad, immortalised in pixels tying their knot! At this precise moment the room erupted with cheers and clapping... and just look at the satisfaction on their faces, priceless. Each of their handfasting ribbons held its own meaning: one represented Angharad's Welsh heritage and another Dave's Irish roots. The third was to symbolise their connection with the Earth. 🌎 And if you’re wondering ‘what’s that elegant backdrop?’ it’s the splendour of Plas Dinam Country House, a posh, pretty property in the heart of Wales and the best thing is you hire the whole place! I’ve had the pleasure of working there a few times and I can’t rave about it enough. Apart from the fact that it’s gorgeous and all yours, Louise and the team are proper pros making all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes look effortless.
Wicked Wedding Photographer 2021 – Let’s do it all again!
The competition had such a positive response with hundreds turning out to vote that I decided to make it an annual affair. This January I resumed the search for Wicked Wedding Photographer of the Year and 2021 had a bounty of weddings to draw upon. For this year’s theme I settled on ‘Capturing Joy in a Humanist Ceremony’. I was showered with a marvellous myriad of magnificent photos and it was another tall order getting it down to these five... first world problems!
All the photos got lots of attention and votes but there was one clear winner… Chris Andrews Photography featuring Dan and Annie or Danannie for short!
Danannie tied the knot in Usk Castle, so I thought it was only fitting for their niblings (a non-gender specific term, or plural for, nieces and nephews... what a cute word!) to crown them King and Queen of Usk for the day (a little secret I kept from them with some help from Annie’s sister!)
As we all know, confetti is freaking fantastic for photos… but it’s a bloody pain in the buttocks to clean up, especially outside on a damp day. Instead, Annie and Dan thought of a colourful, innovative alternative and had their guests waving hundreds of coloured streamers as they waltzed through a tunnel of love made by their nearest and dearest.
Chris captured this epic moment of Dan and Annie on a post ‘I do’ (post coronation) high, as were all their subjects. This photo is screaming with joy and filled with fun, energy and massive smiles, all fabulously frozen in time.
Chris is such a nice chap and takes unposed, candid shots of your wedding day in action and he’s not scared to get amongst the party to do so! Chris claims this was one of the best weddings he’s ever documented and certainly one of the most fun :)
Thank you!
I want to say a massive THANK YOU to all the photographers, and couples, who have taken part in these competitions, it’s been fun. And THANK YOU for allowing me to use your phenomenal photos, it’s a real privilege.
Every single photographer featured in these competitions is undeniably wicked in their own right, serving up a slice of themselves, spliced with your love and happiness, leaving you with photos you’ll treasure forever.
I can’t wait to see what the Wicked Wedding Photographer 2022 line up looks like… bring it on!
Yours joyfully,
Siân
Other featured photographers: Jake Morely Jay Risdale