Using an umbrella to shield his new bride from the afternoon drizzle, Nathan and Hélène pose for a portrait outside of the Victorian-era Palm House at Belfast Botanical Gardens.
Hélène and Nathan's elopement was intimate and beautiful. They began the day with breakfast at home, shared with their two friends who were acting as witnesses. When they were ready to go, and with the rain pouring down outside, they took separate taxis to City Hall to get married.
Now, my main concern as a couple's wedding photographer is to document their celebration as candidly and naturally as I can. I want to be there for them at any given moment, and record a pictorial narrative that will always take them back to the day. It was a shock then at Hélène and Nathan's elopement to be excluded from the ceremony at the last minute due to Covid restrictions. Only their two witnesses and the registrar were allowed to be present for their ceremony at Belfast City Hall. This news came as a shock to Hélène and Nathan as well, and there was no time to adapt. It was just a measure of how far the pandemic was reshaping everyone's wedding plans at the time.
Thankfully, once they came out, we were able to continue shooting, and we took a little time to get some portraits before they had some lunch. I loved my time shooting with Hélène and Nathan, and felt fortunate to be there with them when the rest of their family and friends were still waiting to find out that they had been married.
