Ruth & Craig

Welcome to the wedding of Ruth & Craig at Swallows Nest Barn

Post-lockdown love is in the air...

We are just so happy to see weddings going ahead again. As with every part of our lives, there are some slight adjustments to ensure safety; lower numbers, social distance measures and, of course, masks are now essentials alongside the tissues and confetti! But the course principles of weddings are exactly the same - celebrating love and sharing special moments with loved ones.

Chris, from Artisan X photography, was thrilled to get back behind the lens for his first post-lockdown wedding and what a corker it was too. Ruth and Craig tied the knot at beautiful Swallows Nest Edge, a stunning wedding and events venue on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Chris has sent us his top picks from the gallery and tells us a little bit more about the day...

Eye Candy

Chris says

I`m so lucky as a Birmingham Wedding Photographer, as there`s so many places in the Midlands that I enjoy shooting at – and today was no exception.

Ruth & Craig had met me a few years ago as I had photographed Ruth`s friend’s wedding at Coombe Abbey, where she was a bridesmaid, so it was awesome to catch up again as one of my first weddings back after COVID!

The couple loved my photojournalistic wedding photography style after seeing me sneak around their friend’s wedding, so delivering quality wedding photography was important to me.

This couple had enjoyed a pre wedding shoot with me previously, and it really seemed to settle their nerves, esp during the run up to the wedding which as I’m sure you can appreciate was stressful. The couple were after some really creative Wedding Photography for their big day and loved my documentary style wedding photography as well, so I really pushed myself to deliver both aspects for them.

So, the day arrived. And it was quite the day of calamity, torrential rains, storm weather, and totally soaking rains! Not only that but there were literally two huge car crashes just outside the venue, which caused a big traffic jam. Unbelievable! But Ruth arrived only 30 minutes late, and we were into it. Seeing her walk down that aisle was amazing!

The wedding was at Swallows Nest Barn and it’s such a great location to work in – what an amazing backdrop for the portraits! The couple were very at ease after the vows, laughing and joking and when it came to their portraits, it was super easy as the couple did not want to do anything too posed. I was able to convince to try a few dynamic images to compliment the more candid portraits and thankfully they ended up loving them – the storm was in full effect at that moment as well!

After the ceremony it was off to their local pub for some pie and mash, as well as some quick speeches and lots of alcohol. I just loved shooting this wedding so much. This was just what I needed after the collapse of the industry due to COVID, but now that the restrictions have been lifted, weddings are back baby!

Ruth & Craig’s Review

“Any married couple knows that on your wedding day, you spend more time with your photographer than maybe anyone else on the day and so when planning our wedding, my husband and I knew we needed to find someone we were comfortable with and that we got a good energy from. So when I was a bridesmaid at my friends wedding and we met Chris, we instantly knew he was our guy. His energy and attitude is infectious and we were taken away by his ability to capture special moments. After a short conversation we had Chris booked for our date 2 years ahead.

We had the misfortune of planning a wedding during the uncertainty of lockdown and as you’ll know, it was a difficult time for many. So when Chris would call for catch ups and to offer his full support for our altering plans we knew we were in good hands. We changed our date, our venue and our entire itinerary within days of the wedding and Chris was there for every step, checking in, offering guidance and consistently putting a positive spin on every alteration.

This support meant that on our day, when I was running late, a little stressed and very emotional, just having Chris turn up and start taking some shots made me instantly calmer. The rest of the day was absolutely amazing and Chris played a really significant part in that.

Needless to say, the pictures are absolutely breathtaking.”

The Need to Know

PHOTOGRAPHER

Welcome to the wedding of Ruth & Craig at Swallows Nest Barn

Post-lockdown love is in the air...