Planning a wedding is seriously exciting and at times a little overwhelming. I’ve put together this page to give you the low down on how I work and the kind of images I produce.
"We cannot recommend Sophie highly enough. She is the best money you will ever spend! Her photos are magical and will give you memories to last a lifetime." Susie and Jes
Huge congratulations on getting engaged and welcome to my site.
​
A little about me... I'm Soph and I've been a photographer for 14 years, before which I had a career in TV production, which I loved, but the pull of photography was too much, so I went back to college and became a full time professional photographer. 14 years and over 100 weddings later and here I am; exuding calm, experience and a huge smile.
I'm a full-time photographer and photograph between 10-15 weddings a year, with the rest of the time spent photographing brand content, events and families.
Calm . Experienced. Huge Smile
About You...
You know what you don't want; which is a bossy, awkward, formal photographer. Well I'm certainly not that...
You'd love your wedding to be captured in all it's glory, from the details to all the gorgeous interactions, but you don't want to really notice the photographer being there.
You don't want anything too formal but would like a few group shots as well as couple shots, all done in a really relaxed and unforced way of course.
About SMP Weddings...
​
I set up SMP Weddings in 2007 and from the very start it's been about trying to capture weddings in the most vivid and candid way possible. I shoot in a natural and unobtrusive way, for me photographing a wedding is all about capturing the atmosphere and the personality of the day.
​
Outside of photography, I married my first love (Olly), I'm a mum (Herbie and Arlo), little sister to Lexi and Jessie, massively family orientated, a jump-suit wearer, a trainer obsessive and a big fan of listening to BBC 6 music.
Marquees, tipis, hotels, country houses, castles, galleries, pavilions, gardens, Palaces, halls, clubs, pubs, restaurants, barns, farms…
​
...small and intimate or large and lavish, celebrate love in whatever way is YOU, anything goes.
Details... fees and timings.
Fees
All photographer fees include a memory stick including the full size edited images with a license to print, an online gallery up within 2-4 weeks of the wedding, and a pre wedding consultation (either over the phone or in person). Albums, books, prints and cards are all available on request.
​
Full Day (10 hrs) £1,850
Long Day (8 hrs) £1,550
Half Day (5 hrs) £985
Per Hour £235 (minimum of 2 hrs per booking)
​
* An additional photographer is highly recommended for weddings with over 125 guests. A second photographer is £550 for 8 hours.
Photographing all the small in-between moments as well as the big bold ones.
How do the timings
work on the day?
​
​
For a 10 hour coverage the photography for the day usually runs a little like this:
11am-1pm, bride getting ready
​
1pm-2pm, groom and the guests arriving for the ceremony
​
2pm-3pm, ceremony
​
3pm-4.30pm, drinks and canapés
​
4.30pm-5pm, formal shots (both the couple shots and the groups whilst the majority of guests are being called through to the wedding breakfast).
​
5pm-7pm, wedding breakfast
​
7pm-8pm, drinks and speeches
​
8pm-9pm, dancing
What do I photograph on the day and why?
The Bridal Prep...
With every great story there is a solid beginning and weddings are no exception. The time spent with the bride, her best friends and close family are without doubt a highlight for me.
The energy is a contagious cocktail of excitement and nerves. The mornings are full of gossip, reminiscing, pampering and most importantly the indulgence of the bride by her closest friends and family. There is always a lot of laughter, happiness, the occasional tear, and for me the opportunity to build up the story; the anticipation for the ceremony is where the story for each wedding begins.
It flies by in a fit of eye lash extensions and bubbly, by the end of which the bridal party hardly notice being photographed.
The energy at the bridal prep is a contagious cocktail of excitement and nerves.
Pre Ceremony ...
After photographing the bridal party, I head over to the ceremony venue, to capture the camaraderie of the men and the excitement of the guests arriving.
It is at this point that take the opportunity to have a chat to whomever is conducting the ceremony to establish their rules.
​
I love the atmosphere as the guests arrive, everyone in their finest get up, ready to celebrate LOVE. Once all the guests have been welcomed and a hundred kisses and hugs have beeb dished out, it's time for some pre-ceremony quiet time. This is a really reflective time for the groom, full of expectation and anticipation.
​
Finally, I wait outside the venue (be it a church, barn, hotel, palace, cathedral) for the bride so I can capture those precious
moments before she walks down the aisle.
I love the atmosphere as the guests arrive, the excitement and anticipation is almost tangible at this point.
The Ceremony...
​
This is the central point of your wedding day with all other images either leading to this point or following on from it. The love of both the couple and their friends&family really is tangible at this point, there's always a really heightened sense of emotion at this point.
Regardless of the setting I always approach the ceremony in the same way, I focus on the emotion of the moment between the couple, documenting them sensitively so they are not aware of my presence. For me it is really important to photograph the nuptials in order for the rest of the images to make sense.
The ceremony is the central point of a wedding day, with all other images either leading to this point or following on from it.
The Formal Shots...
The majority of the wedding photos are of a documentary nature, but really if we don’t capture some formal shots, your parents, grandparents, aunties/uncles might lynch me!
I try and do these reasonable quickly (15mins) so that the guests can get back to enjoying the day, but it is really lovely to have a some group shots - it’s so rare to have all your favourite people in one place at one time, and let’s face it, when is everyone going to look that good again?!
As for your couple shots it really isn’t painful, I promise. I tend to take couples for a short picturesque walk and photograph them as I go. I just encourage couple to walk and chat whilst they reflect on the ceremony and the intimacy of it comes across beautifully in the images, without a second of self conscious posing.
​
Group couple shots don’t need to be formal... in fact it’s the in between moments that I love the most.
The Reception...
During the wedding party I mingle, constantly looking for meaningful interactions and strong compositions. The initial reception drinks are always a great opportunity to get people fresh; the hugging, the reunion of old friends and family with lots to catch up on.
Then there’s the speeches with the outrageous reactions and tearful declarations, by the time it comes to cutting the cake and the first dance, the party is always swinging and I capture it all; sunset cigars, midnight fireworks, hog roasts, street dances, flash mobs, ping pong, cocktail mixing, dance offs, sofa snuggling, shots, bucking broncos....
During the reception, I mingle, constantly looking for images. Most people think I’m a guest with a fancy camera, which makes getting natural, uninterrupted moments much easier.
Setting The Scene...
Setting the scene for your wedding photographs involves the stunning locations, the favours, the flowers and all the details that have been slaved over.
Getting married is one of the biggest celebrations you'll have in your life, so every detail is agonised over with huge amounts of thought and a huge amount of energy is invested in creating that perfect atmosphere.
Couples pour their personalities into the details and I capture all of this, from the landscape to the canapés, every part of the day is included. These images punctuate the story of the day and form a vivid visual record.
​
If you'd like a photographer who's everywhere but never in the way (most people think I'm a guest with a fancy camera), who's always smiling, oozes calm and has over a hundred weddings under her belt then please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.
Would you like to chat?
​
It can be totally overwhelming choosing a wedding photographer, so the best way to get a decent understanding of how it works and if we're a good fit is to have a chat on the phone.
​
So please do get in touch and Iet me know a few details about your plans and I can give you a call to chat everything through.
​
I respond to all enquiries within 24 hours so if you haven't heard from me then please check you junk folder as my emails sometimes end up in there!!
​
The Barn,
Ockenden Lane,
Cuckfield,
Sussex
RH17 5LD
​
07887 884 997
@images.by.soph