Article by Kellianne Newiss

Say Yes to the Black Dress (and the Jeans, the Leather Jacket and Everything Else)

Your wedding day. Your clothes. Your rules.

Say yes to the black dress. Say yes to the white dress. Say yes to the suit, the top hat, the short dress, the jeans, the leather jacket, the fur coat, the trainers or absolutely anything else that makes you look in the mirror and think "Yep. That's me."

Because honestly? Your wedding day should be about you.

Not what your family thinks you should wear. Not what Instagram says a wedding should look like. Not what tradition tells you a couple ought to do.

Just you, your person and a day that feels completely, wonderfully yours.

Throw the wedding rulebook out the window

I'm a wedding photographer based in the Manchester and Peak District area, photographing weddings across Manchester, Stockport, Cheshire and beyond, and some of my favourite weddings are the ones where couples have decided to do things their own way.

The tiny weddings. The city elopements. The relaxed ceremonies. The couples who say, "Actually, we don't really want to do that."

GOOD. You don't have to.

Don't want a traditional wedding dress? Don't wear one. Want to wear black? Wear black. Want to get married in jeans and a leather jacket? I'll probably be even more excited to photograph it.

Don't want flowers? Skip the flowers. Don't care about having a wedding cake? Have pizza instead. Or no cake at all.

Want to walk down the aisle together? Brilliant. Want to walk down separately? Also brilliant.

Want to spend half an hour wandering around Manchester together after your ceremony while I photograph you laughing, chatting and being completely yourselves? That sounds like my kind of wedding.

Your wedding doesn't have to look like everyone else's

There's something really special about a wedding that feels like the couple who are actually getting married.

And that's particularly important to me when I'm photographing LGBTQ+ weddings and all-inclusive weddings.

There isn't one way to get married. There doesn't have to be a bride and groom. There doesn't have to be a traditional bridal or groom party. There doesn't have to be one person waiting at the end of an aisle while the other walks towards them.

There are just two people who love each other and everything else is completely up for grabs.

I want my couples to feel comfortable being exactly who they are in front of my camera. Whether you're planning a big celebration with everyone you love or a tiny intimate wedding with just your closest people, I want your photographs to feel like you, not like you've stepped into somebody else's wedding Pinterest board.

Why I love intimate weddings

If I'm honest, my favourite weddings are often the tiny ones. The ones where I get to spend a couple of hours with my couple and really get to know them.

There's something lovely about having that time together. We can slow down. We can chat. We can have a laugh.

And, most importantly, I usually have more time to take you away for your couple portraits. And I love this part of the day.

You don't need to know how to pose. You don't need to be comfortable in front of a camera. In fact, if the thought of having your photograph taken makes you want to hide behind a plant, you're probably exactly the kind of couple I love photographing.

I'll gently guide you when you need it, but I'm much more interested in capturing the way you naturally interact with each other, the little looks, the laughing, the hand-holding and all those tiny moments that make your relationship yours.

What actually matters to you?

If you're planning your wedding, I'd encourage you to ask yourselves one simple question: What is actually important to us?

Not what you're supposed to care about. What do you care about?

Maybe it's having all your favourite people in one room. Maybe it's incredible food. Maybe it's dancing until midnight. Maybe it's getting married at Stockport Town Hall and wandering through the streets afterwards. Maybe it's an intimate ceremony somewhere in Cheshire followed by a brilliant meal. Maybe it's disappearing into the Peak District for some photographs together. Maybe it's wearing the most ridiculous outfit you've ever owned.

Maybe it's all of the above. Or maybe your perfect wedding looks absolutely nothing like a traditional wedding. And that's OK.

Let's make some wedding memories

For me, wedding photography isn't about creating a collection of perfectly posed photographs that could belong to anyone. It's about telling your story.

The big moments, obviously. But also the tiny ones. The nervous hands. The massive grin when you see each other. The champagne. The chaos. The tears. The questionable dance moves. The people you love. The way you look at each other when nobody else is watching.

And, yes, the black dress, or jeans or leather jacket.

So if you're planning an intimate, alternative, LGBTQ+ or completely non-traditional wedding in Manchester, Stockport, Cheshire or the Peak District, please know that you don't have to fit into a particular wedding-shaped box.

Wear the black dress. Wear the jeans. Wear the leather. Wear the trainers. Wear whatever makes you feel like you.

Skip the flowers. Have the cake. Don't have the cake. Get married in a town hall. Get married in the countryside. Elope. Have a party. Keep it tiny. Do it your way.

Because when you look back at your wedding photographs years from now, I hope you don't see a day where you tried to follow all the rules. I hope you see the two of you having the absolute time of your lives.

And that, to me, is what makes a beautiful wedding.