A Wiltshire Summer Wedding - for a Wedding Photographer friend
“My word, Anna. I don’t know what to say. They are AMAZING. You have such a keen eye and we were in tears at some and howling at others. They are so beautiful... We can’t thank you enough.”
“Anna, We love, love the pictures. I can’t tell you how incredible they are. They are so ‘us’ which is the hardest thing to capture I think. Thank you so much ...so much for being there and being incredible at your job. ”
Anyone who is a documentary wedding photographer knows that Kevin Mullins is famous for and synonymous with two key things - award-winning pure documentary style wedding photography and as an ambassador for the Fuji camera systems. He has a whole host of other skills too - not least latterly as a DJ on the Incapable Staircase radio station where he is rapidly building a following with lovers of (loosely) country music. Go listen to him - he will bring cheer, humour and new tunes to your Thursday afternoons.
I met Kevin quite some years ago in our photographic journeys but in Covid times we’ve got to know each other properly, partly through his introducing me to the wonderful little camera that I use on my day’s off - the Fuji x100v - and partly because without him I would never have managed to build this website! We also share a liking for playing the guitar though people are still walking out of the room in our homes when we play.
So… last summer Kevin did me the honour of asking me to photograph a very special occasion that he and his wife Gemma were planning in their hometown of Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Kev amusingly gave the occasion a name - ‘The Thing’ - but really it was three things: a baptism (with his wife Gemma being baptised into the Catholic Church), their wedding day (by order of the Pope in accordance with RC Law) and, last but not least, a joyous gathering with their children, close family and friends.
I am always going to look back on this wedding with great fondness and as a memory the sheer fun and laughter in being around folks again after these dark times and the rediscovery of the joy of dancing. I love dancing (badly but who cares) and it felt like dancing to end all post -covid dancing. Yes, I had my Photography hat on and yes, I was taking the photographs for another professional wedding photographer - but any nerves I had were soon swept away by the summer sun, the very genuine, moving nature of their ceremony, the fabulous characters around me, the low-key and quintessentially English fete-like atmosphere of their reception at the church hall, and being given the complete freedom to do my thing with my cameras and tell the story in pictures in my way.
Here is a little abridged story of my time shooting Kevin and Gemma’s Wedding day ‘Thing’.
While Gemma chose to get ready quietly and in peace, there was a flurry of activity on the Mullins’s street as the butcher next door began putting the hog through its paces for the hog roast, best friends Clare and Nick got to work doing what friends do - sorting stuff, the dogs sat around not wondering nor caring what the fuss was about and Kevin and his son Albie made their way past the glorious Malmesbury Abbey and the Saturday morning cyclists to St Aldhelm's Roman Catholic Church to make some final checks and await the arrival of family, friends and a rather special person called Gemma.
This was of course a day of celebration of love - love between two people and the bonds between family and friends. It was also a day of celebrating faith with Gemma being baptised before she and Kevin reaffirmed their marriage vows. I was a little nervous for this bit I admit as it was the main thing that Kev wanted me to record in pictures but I managed not to swear in church when I realised he had forgotten to unlock the back door so I could sneak in to get a few pictures of the vows. Thankfully the Priest was a little more on the ball and opened it last minute for me! I had to forgive Kevin - after all it was finally his wedding day for once, not one of the 500 plus he has photographed over the years. He had a right to forget something for this one and I’ll get my own back maybe one day!
While the newlyweds made a pit stop home to change and check the dogs hadn’t left home, things got underway at the town hall. Close family, family from afar, local friends and old friends, children everywhere of every age, lots of welling up and emotion at Kevin’s speech, a hot roast to end all hog roasts courtesy of Michael the butcher across the street, a cake to end all cakes made by Gemma’s best mate’s daughter, and thence to some enthusiastic dancing as the sun dipped down on a beautiful, joyous and in these times, long-awaited day.
In case any of you reading this post are wondering about the Guy Clark song. Well, it is a wonderfully romantic story. About two years after they had been together, Kevin took Gemma to see his beloved Guy Clark in concert and secretly asked the manager if they would play ‘Stuff That Works’. They did and well, Kev didn’t exactly get down on one knee (he is way to cool for that and tells me only one works properly anyway after all his Rugby days) but he did ask Gemma to marry him, and luckily for him the wheeze worked and she said yes. And now they are properly married and have two wonderful children and two crazy but loveable dogs, and Gemma and their daughter Rosa have a beautiful horse called Star and Kev has a guitar and a dream to become a rock star though really he can never top his skill at taking photographs but don’t tell everyone that or I’ll be out of weddings this year!
Congratulations to a wonderful couple and family and thank you for choosing me Kev. I had a ball.
Please contact me to check my availability and tell me about your wedding day plans.
Where in the UK and when was this wedding? Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Where was the ceremony? St Aldhelm’s Roman Catholic Church, Malmesbury
Where was the reception? St Mary’s Hall, Malmesbury
Wedding type: Low-key relaxed family and friends country church wedding, baptism and church hall reception and party
