I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since the East Midlands round of The Wedding Industry Regional Finals. Folk who keep in touch with me on social media will know that there was stiff competition here in the East Midlands with a crop of excellent photographers in contention for the regional title, and the winner was absolutely deserving of the award. Of course, there was a bit of me that came away a little disappointed, but I also got to celebrate with some of my winning friends as well as meet some local wedding suppliers in the flesh – finally.

When I got home, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat down to read my feedback from my couples. I interrupted the sitting to get some tissues and then carried on reading some more. By this point, I felt like I’d won the lottery because the stuff that my gorgeous brides and grooms had to say about me reminded me of exactly why I love my job so very much. I don’t take photographs of smoochy loved up couples to win awards – although they are fabulous accolades – it’s about capturing the most important day of their life perfectly for them to remember the day by forever.

This time last year I’d just handed in my notice to leave my teaching job. This feedback 100% affirms to me that I made the right decision. So here’s a little bit of reflection and some of my favourite bits from the couples that took the time to vote for me, and some of my favourite pictures too.

“Hannah was recommended to us by a friend, she was extremely personable and professional when we met her. We didn’t want traditional posed wedding photographs and she understood this. The images she captured are outstanding, really encapsulating the essence of the occasion, they are exactly what we were after. They are a permanent reminder of what was a perfect day, brilliant. The images will be something we will treasure always and cannot thank Hannah enough for sharing her passion with us.” – Lesley & Bernie

“It was really important to me to have the ‘right’ photographer on our special day. On meeting Hannah, I knew she was the one for us, almost straight away. After all, she would be with us all day. She has an excellent eye for those amazing shots to capture the beauty of the day.” – Claire & Dan

“We booked Hannah as we were so impressed with how she came across and tailored a package based on what information she had picked upon when in consultation. When Hannah left ours she was the third photographer we had seen since being let down. When we shut the door both of us smiled and said she is the one! Hannah was in touch through the months leading up to the big day. Hannah delivers on every promise without fail and nothing is too much… We did not only find our wedding photographer that day we found a new life friend. Her work says more than words describe and I’d be happy to share our wedding photographs as proof.” – Dan & Emma

“Hannah was very helpful with everything from the start giving me information on lists I needed to create to ensure I didn’t leave anything out that I would probably want and forget. Excellent communication and nothing was ever to much trouble! Hannah was and continues to be very helpful, friendly and easy to communicate with for information on prints etc. The way Hannah captured are wedding was so beautiful, every little detail Hannah thought of and my photos are so personal, natural and perfect.“ – Jess & Matt

“We really liked Hannah’s style of photography and felt comfortable with when we met with her. Several of our guests have recommended Hannah to friends/family as they were so impressed with her on the day. We are so pleased we had Hannah for our wedding as she captured the day perfectly and has not only captured the memories of the wedding but the event itself was made even better by her being there. She worked amazingly hard to get some unbelievable photos and surpassed all our already very high expectations. We cannot recommend Hannah highly enough and feel she is extremely deserving of industry recognition for her work.” – Julia & Dan

“Hannah has been superb in our wedding planning process- she could advise on all the timings of the day so we could plan adequately. Hannah directly quietly but firmly with guests and made sure that we had every shot we wanted. She also planned for us to have some quality time alone to enjoy the first few hours of marriage- an essential! We have just taken receipt of the images and they are stunning. Every single image is flawless and online gallery is beautifully laid out- perfect for sharing!” – Kerri & Ashley

“Such a lovely lady with such a passion for what she does. Half of the time we didn’t even know she was at the wedding, but at the same time the photos she took proved that she was everywhere. Everybody we have shown the photos to absolutely loves them. Some have had them printed in large for their homes and some have had them printed as presents for people, they are that good. Hannah is also such a nice lady who you wouldn’t mind inviting to your wedding as a guest let alone as a photographer.” – Richard & Jade

“Hannah was professional from the off our original photographer cancelled on us and we are glad she did now otherwise we wouldn’t have met her. Her work is amazing, we loved her ideas and she’s a fabulous lady to work with. Would defo recommend Hannah.” – Leanne & Ross

“Absolutely fantastic. I am a cameraphobe and I really dislike having my photo taken. I usually hate photographs of myself… obviously this makes me a tricky customer. Hannah was amazing. I felt completely at ease and having the engagement photoshoot first and then seeing those photos made me really excited to have photographs on the day rather than being nervous about another thing! The photos are stunning and her ability to catch angles and light is awesome. So grateful.” – Laura & Stafford

“Hannah came across as a really friendly person was easy to contact and arrange meetings with despite living and 1.5hr away! My mum was taken with her as soon as they met and the standard of her photos blew us away! The detail was amazing and her attention to surroundings was great! We live in a very picturesque area and I really wanted to capture the countryside in our shots. Upon speaking to Hannah I felt she really took on board all the details we gave her about ourselves and what we wanted from our photographer – eg. the classic post ceremony shots weren’t top prior but catching specific people who had traveled to be there was! She also made the effort to drive to us and take some fantastic engagement photos despite mine and my partners hectic schedules free of charge!” – Sophie & Tim

“From our first meeting with Hannah she made us feel relaxed about our wedding and being photographed. From someone who hates having their photo taken this was important. She listened to our ideas but also suggest her own which turned out to be amazing. On the day she wasn’t intrusive and got all the photos we had asked for and more. We had torrential rain from start to finish and she still managed to get beautiful photos outside. Hannah captured the laid back and fun style of our wedding.” – Lauren & Kris

Needless to say you can see why not winning stopped mattering. With one more wedding left in 2015 and as work starts to wind down for the year, I can’t help get excited about the twenty four weddings that are already in the diary for next year… My couples this year have set the bar high indeed and made 2015 the year that truly changed my life… 2016 has *big* boots to fill!