Alex & Gan's 'Pose Free' wedding at Harbour Hotel, Chichester

If you ask people at a wedding what their least favourite part of the event was, I would expect the majority to reply 'The group photos.' Whether that's because of the waiting around to be called, the repetitive static poses or just not being able to start the celebrations straight away, it can really affect you & your guests mood.

Alex & Gan was adamant that they didn't want this at all for their wedding day.

The brief I got from Alex before hand, was that they wanted a totally chill day, with no posed photos or formalities- other than the service itself. Even the staged romantic photos of the couple was a no, No matter how nice the final photo was, they would still feel like 'a pair of prats' lovingly gazing into each others eyes, as it just isn't natural for them.

Eventually, after a couple of postponements thanks to covid, Alex and Gan were able to tie the knot on a warm June afternoon. The secluded church of St Mary's at Sidlesham, was bathed in sunshine as their guests arrived and filled the church.

The service had all the love and emotion of a great wedding, conducted by the priest who's personality & humour couldn't have been more of a perfect match for Alex & Gan.

Once the service was complete, guests lined the pathway from the church, to welcome the new couple by covering them with confetti. Everyone then huddled together for one large group photo.

That’s it! The celebrations could begin.

However, despite any formal photos scheduled, Alex & Gan didn't miss out on any pictures. As people where relaxed and chatting throughout the day, they caught my attention as I was passing, and closed in together for the group photo they wanted (as well as one or two unexpected photo bombers!)

This meant that the photos we're taken on their terms, with huge natural smiles & absolutely no bored expressions, making the photos much more special to look back on.

The music then took over & the party really got going. The new Mr & Mrs were introduced to rapturous cheers to the accompaniment of Chesney Hawkes 'The one and only' (Alex's favourite song!) and packed the dancefloor with there first dance (which didn't empty all night,) The Proclaimers- 500 miles!

When Alex first told me their plans for how relaxed a wedding they wanted this to be, I was skeptical if it would work for the photography. Even discussing it with other photographers everyone wasn't sure how we'd be able to document the story of the day with enough quality.

However, I was very wrong. When looking through the final images, this turned out to be one of the truest representations of any wedding day I've ever photographed, as well as being one of the most enjoyable.

If you're reading this, and hate the idea of the 'posed group shots,' then let this be an example of why you don't have to have them at all! Feel free to break from tradition!

Check out some of the amazing pictures below.

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