Back in 2019, an email popped into my inbox from the sweetest couple living in Scotland. They had their hearts set on Eryri (Snowdonia) for their dream wedding and only wanted a few photos at the registry office in Llandudno. That email turned out to be the spark that ignited my love for intimate weddings and elopements. I still have it saved to this day, and here’s what it said:

“We are having a very small wedding. Just the two of us, our witnessess and a couple of kids. The wedding will take place at Llandudno Town Hall and will start at 2:30pm. It’s just a 2 minute drive from the hotel. I’d like some photos to be taken at the hotel when we are getting our make-up and hair done, then ceremony and some outdoors photos, ideally mountain scenery but we haven’t really planned yet where we would go for those photos.”

The moment I read that email – probably about ten times in a row – I had a full-on ‘hold my beer’ moment. Where could I take them? I’d photographed plenty of weddings at countryside venues, but this couple wanted something different. Something wild. Something outdoorsy. It was the kind of challenge I’d been waiting for, and I dove in head first.

I suggested a one-hour drive to the base of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and they were immediately on board. On their wedding day, it rained non-stop while we snapped photos outside, and guess what? We loved every single soggy second of it. It was exhilarating, special, and honestly, I couldn’t stop buzzing about it for months. That day awakened something in me – a love for unconventional, outdoorsy weddings – and I haven’t looked back since.

Back in 2019, elopements were still a bit of an underground thing. They were often seen as something only “skint” couples did, with most heading to Gretna Green in Scotland. Registry office weddings weren’t exactly cool either. But I could feel the potential, the magic in keeping things small, intimate, and meaningful.

Then came the pandemic, and everything changed. Couples began to see the beauty in simplicity, the joy in doing things their way. Small weddings became a revelation: different, personal, and perfect for those who didn’t vibe with the big wedding scene.

Suddenly, my inbox was full of couples asking for advice on jaw-dropping locations for their one-of-a-kind wedding adventures. Helping them create the wedding day of their dreams quickly became my greatest passion. It wasn’t just about the photos anymore – it was about helping people live their love story, their way, in the most spectacular places imaginable.