Kate and Clares Vow Renewal Photos in the Stunning Oddfellows, Chester.

Aug 24
3 min read

As someone who mostly shoots weddings in North Wales, it's safe to say it was quite nice for a quick trip across the border to shoot Kate and Clare's vow renewal photos in Chester.

Two women in white hold hands and smile on a red aisle as guests applaud in a bright ceremony room with chandeliers.

I've shot at all sorts of weddings over the years, from massive 300 people parties to small weddings that just include the couple. I've even been a witness before, God help them 😂 But I do find that smaller, intimate do's can have such a different feel to them. They're often (but not always!) a bit calmer, a bit more personal and theres more chance for everyone there to actually feel involved rather than just being another face in a room. Kate and Clare's vow renewal was exactly that.

There was only about 25 of their nearest and dearest there and because of that, it genuinely felt like everyone was part of it and not just watching from the sidelines. Kate and Clare actually had time with everyone too. They could speak to people properly and enjoy the fact that the people around them were there because they genuinely wanted them there. You just can't replicate that in quite the same way at a massive wedding.

I mean, fuck, me and Bec only had 50 people during the day at our wedding and 100 guests in the evening and even that felt like it was hard to get around everyone. Now, this isnt me saying that you have to have a small wedding for it to feel better at all. Bigger weddings can be phenomenal and I've photographed loads that have been mental in the best possible way, but smaller weddings just give you something different.

Kate and Clare's vow renewal photos took chilled to a complete new level and the ceremony itself felt really personal too, which was made even better by finally getting to work with Julie. I first met Julie at one of Nant Gwrtheyrn's wedding fair and I've wanted to work with her for so long, so it was bloody lovely to finally get the chance. Having a good celebrant makes such a difference to the feel of a ceremony and you can make them as personal as possible and with such a small group there, that personal side of it came through even more.

Smiling woman in a floral dress reads from a folder at a small gathering in an elegant room by a fireplace.

Going back to smaller weddings though, let's not beat around the bush. Whether we like it or not, family politics plays a part in everyone's celebrations and guest lists can grow VERY quickly. You start with the people you genuinely want there, then suddenly you're being told you should invite your great Aunt and Uncle because you haven't seen them since witsun in 1992 and for some reason completely unbeknownst to you. Still to this day, in my experience, those who are the most offended about not being invited to the wedding are usually those you don't really do that much with anyway. And in the wise words of Sweet Brown:

Smiling woman in a colorful top and headscarf stands outdoors before a brick wall, laughing warmly.

Seeing Kate and Clare surrounded by such a small group of people just reinforced something for me though. You really don't need a massive guest list for something to feel important. It felt important because the right people were there, and thats the bit that matters. Not whether theres 25 people or 250. If you're planning a wedding and stressing yourself out over whether someone is going to be offended because they haven't made the cut, sometimes it's worth asking yourself one really simple question: who do we genuinely want around us when we sign the papers?

Because it's very easy for weddings to become about everyone else's expectations if you let them. Kate and Clare's vow renewal definitely didn't feel like that. It felt like theirs. After the ceremony, they wanted to keep the photos as chilled as the day was. We staid within the grounds of Oddfellows (which is an unbelievably pretty place anyway!) and it was a lovely chance for the two of them to just have a bit of time together after everything.

Kate and Clare’s vow renewal photos at Oddfellows, Chester.

And thats probably what I took away from the whole afternoon more than anything. You don't have to make a wedding bigger for it to feel more important. Sometimes having fewer people there just means you can actually spend more time chilling with the people who matter to you and be more present in whats happening. Kate and Clare absolutely did that.