We're still operating during COVID-19. How you may ask?

As everyone is aware, since March 2020 when COVID struck it's been a tricky time for everybody. We’ve seen multiple posts in supplier groups of people selling on their businesses, others having to postpone weddings and unfortunately a huge number of cancellations. It's not been an easy time and it doesn't look like things will be the same for a good while. However with a potential vaccine on the horizon we can finally start to return to some form of normal. Fingers crossed!

Lucky for us, we decided to join the wedding industry officially just as COVID was beginning to change things up. You might be wondering what on earth is lucky about that!? Well, because we both worked full time in the commercial photography and videography industry, time on furlough helped us create what you can see now as Unveil Weddings UK. We could have sat and enjoyed the time off, but instead we wanted to create something that is really ours, so maybe one day we can work for ourselves.

It wasn’t easy, but with the time we were able to experiment, take chances on advertising, make amends to the site without it disrupting the potential customers coming through the door. We’ve found it difficult because we don’t know how busy pre-COVID life was in the industry, but we’re taking it as it comes and trying to adapt and grow with every hurdle thrown at us and the industry as a whole.

So far we’ve had around ten bookings since March, many of which unfortunately needed to be postponed until next year. We had no issues in moving our couples weddings to their proposed dates as we want to do everything we can to help. We didn't charge our couples because simply no one is to blame.

If we can't re-book a date because we’re booked up, we’d ensure to hire a colleague to join us and split across the shoots, so we can ensure everyone is happy.

Obviously it’s a terrible situation but we always try and look for the positives in everything. This just means we get more time to get to know our couples. We always do this anyway, but this gives us an extra year of communication and meetups before the big day, so when it comes to the actual day we won’t be shooting just for a couple but for our friends too.

In the time we had available, we took one of our couples Angus & Nathan on a photo/video pre wedding shoot. This shoot has to be up there with one of our favourite shoots to date. From the couples shoot we got some fab content, had a great day out, and we were able to provide something sooner rather than waiting another year to get some awesome shots. We had so much fun, got to know one another and learned how we can work together. Now, when the wedding comes around we know everything will run so smoothly and the content they will receive will be everything they dream of.

When couples have enquired with us since March, we’ve found that the topic has generally been about continuing with their plans with an intimate wedding. This is something we can offer even with the restrictions in place, we will follow all government guidelines, making sure we are wearing masks, sanitising and keeping our distance. COVID is a tricky time, but let's make the most of it and share an experience that's so unique and will be looked back on in history.

A little bit about Ian.

Hello there! I’m Ian, thanks for checking out our blog! I’m 24 and originally from Bedfordshire.

I’ve been obsessed with creating my own films since picking up my Dad’s small digital camera at age 12. I could only film 42 seconds of footage at a time and with an early version of Windows Movie Maker I was able to create silly films to entertain my family and friends. I had a great response to my films and even had them played in front of my school. It was at this point I truly found my passion and my life since has revolved around film and photo. I still have my old films on a hard drive somewhere, but refuse to look at them due to the fear of ultimate cringe.

At age 17 I started working in the photography and videography industry whilst still at school completing my A-levels, creating films and conducting photoshoots for local small businesses. It was during this time that I shot my first wedding video. It was such an amazing experience to be involved in a couples big day and since then I was hooked on working with couples and shooting weddings.

I now shoot multiple weddings all across the UK both as a photographer or videographer and this year set up Unveil Weddings with Brydn. I had been working with Brydn for nearly 5 years at a video/photo agency in central london. Here I really refined my craft shooting for clients big and small and learnt how to adapt to many shooting situations. A few career highlights include shooting for American Express in London’s Pride Parade, directing shoots for the City London Council receiving over one million views and galloping through fields filming celebrities driving tanks.

I recently moved on from working at the video agency with Brydn and now work as Content Director for ‘The Social Mobility Pledge’. Through the Social Mobility Pledge we are helping organisations take steps in creating opportunities to the UK’s most disadvantaged communities as well as finding ways to help them operate in eco-friendly ways. My role involves shooting engaging videos across the UK for large companies who have signed up to the Pledge, companies such as Amazon, Direct Line and BP.

Outside of work I film and edit a Harry Potter baking Youtube series with my partner. He is baking his way through the Harry Potter books, creating a recipe for every item of food and drink that is mentioned inside. We recently hit 5000 subscribers so please check out the channel ‘Bradley Bakes’. I am also a very keen swimmer and used to train 7-8 times a week before photography and film took over my life. My hard work finally paid off as I made it to the UK National swimming championships competing in the 1500m freestyle.

Well, that’s enough about me! I want to hear your story, how did you both meet, how was your engagement and what do you want from your wedding day? I can’t wait to work with you and capture your story through our lenses.

A little bit about Brydn.

Hey, I'm Brydn. I am 26 years old and have been a photographer for 8 years now. Growing up in Clacton-on-Sea, I have a huge passion for the seaside and nature, especially the movement to protect it. I’m a big football fan, but unfortunately at the moment support Manchester United. Straight out of university, I worked for sports and advertising photographers, seeing how they worked and took inspiration from how they approached people and their jobs. I was fortunate enough to work for Norwich City FC as their club photographer in this first year too. 

Since then, I wanted to live and work in London, which I’ve now been successfully doing for 5 years, working for a video and photography agency. This has progressed from small photoshoots to now being fully immersed in video, from producing creative treatments to directing and overseeing it and then editing the final product.

I’ve always had a passion for people and you could easily have me under the label of a social butterfly. Whether that be playing sports, visiting the pub, or the park, I'm always surrounded by people who make me happy. 

I have been shooting weddings all the way through my career so far, but the step to create Unveil Weddings UK in March 2020 was the key to unlock everything I aspire to be in life. Lockdown life gave me more time than ever expected to get things underway, and as rubbish as COVID life has been for many, I feel it's been an opportunity we had to take. 

I get a huge amount of pride in taking pictures that people absolutely love, but I always want to try something new with every shoot, with the permission of our couples of course. Unveil is just at the beginning of its journey, with the aim set to be shooting weddings abroad so I can see some more of the world.

Another aspiration of mine is to take my commercial and artistic photography into working with wedding suppliers, shooting the advertising for the brands that our couples end up buying to wear or use on their big day.