Ciara and Joe, who met when they were 11 and began their relationship as each other’s prom dates, were married in July. Unhappy with how their wedding photos turned out, they decided to do a portrait session in September and they’re so glad they did! “Our wedding was never about having a ‘perfect’ traditional wedding”, they said “but weren’t initially happy with how our original wedding photographs came out. We’d put so much thought into the look and atmosphere of our day, but the photographs didn’t capture it in the way we’d imagined.”

That’s where Dawn and Carl at Ever Thine Film & Photography came in. “They worked with us to recreate the shots we felt we’d missed on the day and I am so happy we redid the photos because the result was exactly what we’d hoped for – dark, romantic, a little alternative and, most importantly, completely us. You don’t have to get everything perfect on the actual day but choosing the right photographers for your vision is important!”

Their wedding had a mostly black and white palette, with red flowers, black suits and black bridesmaid dresses. Tattoos and alternative music were part of the day, too. Ciara and Joe chose what suited them, without feeling obliged to follow a checklist for an alternative wedding.

They organised their wedding in six months while Ciara’s mum was fighting cancer. The reception was DIY, with her bridesmaids decorating the room the night before. The one thing they wish they hadn’t DIYed though, was the photos! The bride also felt she buckled to the pressure to book a professional make-up artist and as a result didn’t feel like she looked like herself.

“I wish I knew not to just trust family friends to do our photos and I wish I didn’t give into the pressure of needing a make up artist too”, Ciara said. “BUT if our story can tell you one things its to not worry about getting the photos on the day, or if you’re not happy. You can redo them like we did! It meant a lot to us to have the opportunity to create those memories again, this time knowing we’d finally captured our wedding the way we’d always wanted to remember it.”