a celebration full of life and light at hac bow

The ceremony was at St Anthony of Padua in Forest Gate. It’s a church that feels lived-in, not staged. People know where to stand. They breathe normally in there. The walk down the aisle wasn’t dramatics, it was just them. The kind of moment where you don’t need to say anything — you just photograph it and it says what it needs to say on its own.

Confetti outside the church was classic London wedding energy. Someone threw too early, someone threw late, someone threw directly into someone else’s face. Perfect. That’s the stuff.

Then Bow.

Sylvia and Joe found me through Joe’s brother, James. He’s a photographer friend of mine and, for reasons unknown, whenever a guest is the one who recommends me, I end up photographing them way more than I should. I had to tell myself to calm down this time because it was their wedding, not James’ personal headshot session. Could’ve easily made a “James Enjoying Himself” mini album. Still might one day.

The morning was in East London. Pretty relaxed. No big theatrics. Just people getting ready at the pace that makes sense. Coffee. Hair. Quiet chatter. A few laughs. Sylvia was calm, in that very grounded way some people are on their wedding day. No stress leaking out at the edges. Just… ready.