THE FIRST MEET: HOW YOUR ELOPEMENT DAY BEGINS
Some of the best moments of an elopement happen before anyone has said a word of the ceremony. They happen in a doorway, at the bottom of a staircase or beside a lake, when two people see each other, all dressed up, ready to marry.
I call it the first meet, and it's one of my favourite parts of the day. Here's how it works when I'm both your celebrant and your photographer, and how you can shape it so it suits the two of you.
I Message Before I Arrive
I come to your accommodation on the morning of your elopement, or the afternoon, or the evening, depending on when your ceremony is. Before I get there I send a message to say I'm on my way, just so I never catch you unaware. By then we've spoken plenty in the weeks leading up to it, so it feels less like a supplier arriving and more like someone you know popping in.
It's optional, but from feedback, couples love the photographs taken before leaving the accommodation. They show how your day really started.
Getting Ready, Captured Quietly
As I walk in, I start taking natural, candid photographs of you getting ready. Straightening a tie, polishing shoes, tying laces. Hair and make-up, the bouquet being sorted out, one last look in the mirror. It's all captured in high definition and nobody needs to pose.
You won't even notice I'm there for much of it. There are chances for a few styled and guided shots too, but the most important thing for me is to capture you being you.
One Upstairs, One Downstairs
The first meet doesn't happen by accident. We plan how it will go in our meetings beforehand, so that nobody has to think about it on the day. A simple version looks like this: one of you waits upstairs and the other downstairs, or you stay in different rooms. I set up a video camera with a wide angle lens, and with the press of a button it starts recording. My own camera is ready too.
Then I stay out of frame and encourage you to come into the room. That's the moment it all starts. The first sight of each other in the dress or suit, the hugs, the embraces that follow. It's powerful and emotional, and every second of it is captured.
Outdoors, on a Bridge or by a Lake
A first meet doesn't have to be indoors. If your cottage or accommodation has grounds, we can step outside and do it in the garden. Or, if you'd like something with more scenery, friends or family can drive you to a place separately, and you see each other for the first time on a bridge, in a quiet secluded spot or beside a lake.
If family and friends are with you, that's even better. You can have photographs with them individually, then together once you've met. The setting is yours to choose, and I'll help you pick something that works for the light, the weather and the walk.
A Calm Start to Your Day
A first meet gives you a few quiet minutes together before the day gathers pace. By the time we reach your ceremony, you've already taken each other in, shared a hug and had a laugh about how nervous you both were.
There's something else I love about it. You start your day knowing your album is already filling up. Your first meet photographs come to you within 4 weeks, and any video within 8 weeks, in your Love Story Album, online and printed. After the first meet, I carry on capturing moments as we get into the car and I drive you to your elopement.
A Cottage With Personal Touches
Couples often ask what a first meet looks like in real life. Davinia and Joao stayed in a cottage close to their elopement location and lightly decorated it with personal touches. Their Signature package included first meet photographs, transport and post-ceremony pictures, and you can see how their day came together on their portfolio page.
What to Think About Beforehand
A few simple decisions shape how your first meet feels, and we'll talk them through in our meetings:
Where it happens: a room in your accommodation, the garden, or somewhere out in the landscape.
Who's there: just the two of you, or family and friends gathered to watch and cheer.
How you get there: if you're meeting outdoors, who drives each of you so you arrive separately.
What time: the first meet follows the shape of your day, so it might be a bright morning or a soft evening.
None of it needs to be complicated. I'd rather you spent the weeks beforehand looking forward to it than worrying about the details, and that's what the planning is for.
Making It Part of Your Day
The first meet is one of many details we can weave into your elopement. If you'd like to see how the packages work and what each one includes, my elopement packages explain the options, and the page on how to elope to North Wales answers the common questions about timings and planning.
For the whole day in order, from the first meet to the ceremony and the photographs afterwards, my Deluxe elopement guide walks through each step. And when you're ready to chat about yours, the enquiry page is the place to start.
Whether it's a doorway, a garden or a bridge by the water, the first meet is where your day starts to feel real.