Dartmouth House
An Inspiration
I posted on my instagram a few weeks back…
Family. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s hard. It’s always worth your effort.
I have thought so much about family over the last few years. I was fortunate to grow up in a very stable one but Tom’s story and starting our own has caused me to think about family and what it is to us. And then we started up our Little Blossom Tree family photography business and writing the ‘about us’ page made me really think more about what I believe. I think that knowing why I take photos inspires them to be better and more beautiful. So why? Why family photography? Because we believe in it. We love to celebrate and champion it. Family is important. It’s what makes us who we are and it sets us up for the important roles we have in life. And by family, yes I do mean immediate family, but i think it's also the friends you choose; those around you that are like family.
I notice family units. I notice how they behave and how they choose to love and love unconditionally. I notice when they encourage and support without hesitation or when they give sacrificially. I notice in my own family when we don’t love enough. I notice because I am around family all the time - in life and in our job.
This was the third wedding we have shot within the family. Having shot Hannah’s wedding in 2015 and their cousin Will's last year, we now had the privilege of shooting hannah's brother, Sam’s and his gorgeous bride Liv. We have seen courage, incredible faith, unconditional love, endurance, commitment and grace in this family as they journey and continue to journey through life. They have inspired us.
As I watched them on this day, together, celebrating this beautiful marriage, I was reminded that there is nothing that is stronger or more beautiful than love. Nothing can compare. It can heal, it captures, it bonds, it doesn’t fail.
We might not all have families like this, but we can take inspiration from them and impact our own or future family. Why? Because they are worth it. They are what make you who you are. I love what Mother Teresa said ‘If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.’
Sam and Liv’s wedding was utterly and completely beautiful. Sam said in his speech to Liv. ‘I want to be more like you.’ They inspire each other to be better, to love better and to walk shoulder to shoulder, with grace in to all that is ahead. It was an absolute privilege to shoot this wedding and to be around this whole family once again. Their beautiful characters are an inspiration to us.
Venue: Dartmouth House, Mayfair, London
Catering: Claire Doggart
Flowers: Honeysuckle Rose Florist