Daniel Thomas Photography

It was a very modest wedding in Woking but about 95% of it was DIY and it looked absolutely stunning...so much so that I asked which company had styled it.

Rustic, documentary, fun, authentic, intimate

That I offer each couple a personalised experience and make them feel valued.

Now, I know that you'll think I'm saying this because I'm a photographer but I'm honestly not. My No. 1 wedding planning tip is to invest in a professional wedding photographer. At the end of your wedding the photos will be one of the few tangible things left (including your marriage, obviously). Wedding photography is not easy and requires a lot of commitment and hours so don't ask a relative who has a 'proper' camera to do it. You want someone who knows what they are doing and who will deliver beautiful images that you can treasure forever. I refer to wedding photography as an investment because you may think it's expensive to begin with but when you are showing your children the images in 30 or 40 years time you won't even remember how much you paid for them.

A lovely couple decorated a pallet with ivy and then hung they engagement photos from it. It looked gorgeous and really made an impact.

A couple will get in contact with me and I will then arrange to meet them at either a coffee shop or their place (or even sometimes their wedding venue, if they're allowed). This initial consultation is to introduce myself to the couple and show them my work from previous weddings and my process leading up to, during and after a wedding. This is also a great chance to ask me any questions. If the couple don't book me there and then they will go away, have a chat with each other about it and usually get back to me within a week. Once the contract has been signed and a 25% initial payment has been made I am then that couples wedding photographer and it's very exciting :)

From a wedding photographers point of view I think the first kiss is a must. However, a bride and groom selfie with as many of the wedding guests as possible in the background is a really fun one to have and you can share it to social media immediately.

First of all check with the venue if they have a back-up plan for a rainy day, but also be prepared yourself. Take wellies, umbrellas, waterproofs etc. We'll still take photos if it rains as some of the most magical images are taken in the rain.

I studied broadcast journalism at university and a large part of this course was videography, which suited me as I was very creative growing up and loved recording family events. One day I started to take photos with the cameras that we were given to record on and prefered the results that I got and what I could do with the images. This led to me taking more and more photos and I got my first proper camera in 2014. I took lots of landscape shots with this camera before upgrading in 2018 when I started to take more and more portraits and started photographing weddings.