I loved Maria and Styles from the moment we had our first consultation. Proper down-to-earth people who were going to get married their way – even if it meant dancing down the aisle.

“Dancing won’t be a problem, will it?”

“Have you met me?”

Maria and Styles got married at Dudley Registry Office, and honestly, it was just a really lovely day with the two of them doing their thing with the people who matter.

Laid-back, easy going and just generally… fun!

How it all felt

Their story goes back a long way. Their families met over 30 years ago at Pontins (Pontins! I’ll show the photos of me at Pontins one day…) and have been intertwined ever since. The two of them have been through thick and thin, gradually becoming ever closer until the (frankly) inevitable happened and they fell in love.

This was the first wedding of the year for me and it reminded me why I love doing what I do, whether its somewhere small and intimate like Dudley Registry Office or somewhere more epic. The connection between these two is palpable – laughter, joy and the sense that nothing’s off limits. Made for each other. It’s seriously infectious.

And they gave me one of my favourite quotes in their pre-wedding questionnaire.

the day for us is really just a celebration of how lucky we are to have each other. We plan to laugh our way through life and get plenty of sunshine along the way.

But yeah… it rained

Of course it did. Standard. Still, Dudley Registry Office looked amazing even through the drizzle.

But as I say to people, I’m there to tell the story of their day and sometimes rain’s part of that story. Never be afraid of bad weather. It’s not afraid of you.

We walked over to Priory Park after, because you kind of have to if you’re getting married at Dudley Registry Office. When you have 67 people to fit in a photo, a sunken garden is a godsend. 

It was drizzly and a bit grey, and there was a slight nervousness about the decision to move outside but…

…out of nowhere, the clouds split open for a bit.

Perfect timing. We got everyone together, smashed through the group photos and no one got soaked. Job done.

Honestly, that’s how these days go half the time. You don’t need perfect weather, you just need to roll with it a bit.

The whole “we’re awkward in photos” thing

They both told me they didn’t like having their photo taken, which again is pretty standard.

So we didn’t do anything weird with it. No posing them like mannequins or asking them to do anything that felt unnatural. We just had a wander outside Dudley Registry Office, had a chat, let them settle into it.

That’s always the turning point. When people realise nothing embarrassing is about to happen, they relax, and then suddenly they look like themselves again.

The ceremony room

It’s smaller than people expect, which is actually great.

You’re not stood miles away from everyone. It feels close, a bit more personal, less like you’re on display. If the idea of loads of eyes on you makes your stomach drop a bit, this helps.

Plus – huge brilliant windows. We were the last of the day, and the windows were our back-up plan for if it rained.

And it helps all the registry office staff are lovely people.

Priory Park is a gift

Priory Park is basically your built-in photo spot at Dudley Registry Office.

You’ve got open space for group shots, the ruins for something a bit more interesting, and enough room to just wander off for five minutes if you need a breather.

Give yourself a bit of time to go over there after the ceremony. It makes the whole thing feel less rushed.

I’d say you should pencil in about 20 minutes to get everyone in position if you’re having photos outside. And it’s open to the public, so there’s always the potential for Odd Strangers to photobomb the group shots!

Don’t panic about the weather

Just don’t.

Have a rough plan, sure, but don’t build your whole day around trying to control it. It’s the UK. It’s going to do what it wants. I’ve a whole blog about winter weddings in the West Midlands. Check it out. 

Cloudy is actually great for photos anyway, and if it rains, we work around it. Like we did at Dudley Registry Office.

Keep group photos sensible

You don’t need a massive list.

Pick the people you actually care about getting a photo with, keep it tight, and it’ll be over before anyone gets bored or disappears to the bar.

Maria and Styles gave me the names of everyone they wanted photos with, and it made it nice and simple.

Keep the rest of the day feeling like you

After some time out for portraits in Priory Park and the grounds of Dudley Registry Office, Maria and Styles went off to celebrate with their people after in a club that meant a lot to them and their family. And I was very, very jealous.