A Once in a Lifetime Experience - Photographing a Wedding in the UK!

Back in Decmber of 2021 I embarked on the most adventurous thing that I have ever done - I set off on a weeklong journey to London, Oxford, and Bicester, England to photograph my first international wedding. I was traveling alone in my first time out of the country (having just secured a passport weeks earlier) and did it all while navigating a worldwide pandemic with ever-changing rules and regulations - oh, and still being severely immunocompromised! It was honestly one of the coolest things that I've ever done and I realized recently that I never fully shared my adventure with everyone! Just a few weeks after getting back to North Carolina, I was hospitalized for several weeks with double Covid pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Over the past 4 years I've dealt with one health complication after another and I kept telling myself that I would write up a story about my trip "when I had the time". Well, better late than never! I've been recovering well from my kidney transplant over the past 2 months and I don't have any client photos to edit - so what better time to share my journey than right now! I'll post a few photos as I chronical my week in the UK, but there will also be a full gallery posted to my FB for people to check out! Hope you enjoy!

I would never herald myself as a "big traveler". Up until this point in my life, I had only flown three times - once to California to march in the Rose Bowl Parade with WCU and the other two times were to represent Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at social studies conventions (New Orleans and Chicago). The flight to the UK was long and uneventful and navigating Heathrow was a bunch of fun for this first timer! The real hindrance to the beginning of my trip was the mandatory Covid testing. Once I landed, I had to get nasal swab done right in the terminal before leaving for Bicester. For the first 2 days of my trip, I was quarantined in my Bicester hotel waiting on the results of my Covid test - they threatened international travelers with a national registry essentially saying that I could be sent home if I violated the quarantine. So other than getting McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, and some groceries (all in the parking lot of my hotel), I was stuck at the Premier Inn!

A Quick Stroll Through Oxford

Finally, on day three, I was able catch a train to Oxford to explore all of the academic and architectural marvels that I had previously only dreamed of seeing in person. My first stop was the Radcliffe Camera, an iconic circular library building that dominates the city center. Its elegant stone facade and dome are a photographer’s dream. The building is part of the Bodleian Library complex, which is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The history teacher in me couldn't pass up the opportunity to get inside the library, so I sprung for a guided tour. First up was the Divinity School, which is a masterpiece of medieval architecture, famous for its intricate vaulted ceiling. It was originally used for lectures and exams in theology and now serves as a popular filming location for movies (namely the hospital from the Harry Potter films). Exiting the Divinity School, we walked through the Convocation House, which was normally reserved for university staff, but in the 17th Century was used as a location of King Charles' I Parliament. Finally, upstairs I got to tour the Old Bodleian Library, a treasure trove of rare books and manuscripts and although no photos are allowed, you'd probably recognize it as the Hogwart's Library! After the tour I walked the several miles back to the train station and arrived back in Bicester to rest up for the wedding the next day.

A Real British Wedding!

I'm going to create a separate entry for the wedding, as it was the longest wedding day that I've ever photographed! Solo-shooting a 16-hour wedding, over 4,000 miles from home, was not for the faint of heart, but it was one of the most fun and enlightening things that I've ever done in my 11 years of capturing weddings! I'll share a quick shot from the ceremony (shot in an 11th Century thatched-roof barn that was mentioned in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book) , but check back for the full post on the wedding to see even more great shots from the day!

A Self-Guided Tour of London

After my marathon wedding day, I caught up with the bride, groom, and wedding party for a traditional English breakfast at The Lion (a pub that has been open consistantly since 1732). When finished, I walked a mile to the train station and took an hour ride right into central London. Coming from a country with limited public transportation, I impressed myself with how quickly I was able to master the London Underground - and for roughly $22 a day for unlimited rides, I definitely got my money's worth!

London, Day 1:

My first day in the city was unintentionally dedicated to London’s royal and religious heritage. Looking back, I probably should have had a plan or route in mind before setting off, but I was so excited to be exploring, that I figured I would just wing it. After making it from Bicester to the Marylebone Station (and then walking over to Baker Street), I had a few more tube stops before exiting and walking from the train station directly to Buckingham Palace. With the sun setting just before 4:00pm (crazy, I know), I took a few quick photos and set off in search of my next landmark. Admittedly, my quick glance Apple Maps led me in error to Westminster Cathedral - still magnificent and beautiful, but imagine my surprise when I arrived and it was red brick, neo-Byzantine Cathedral instead of the Gothic behemoth I was expecting. Nearby, Westminster Abbey was still waiting for me - and was truly incredible to see in person! Just a block away, I felt a little like Clark Grizwald at Wally World when I rounded the corner to see Big Ben covered in scaffolding. As the sun set, I crossed the Thames, walked through a Christmas market, and caught a train at Waterloo Station to take me back north to Oxford Circus where I walked Regent and Carnaby Streets taking in all of the lights and decorations and even popped in to a few of the shops! As it got late, I made my way back into the Underground and eventually caught the hour-long train back up to Bicester to get some sleep.

London, Day 2:

Back in the city, I had only one goal for the day - even if it was in the complete opposite direction of everything else I wanted to see. I made it my mission to get Ella Pearl, my 5 year old (at the time lol) daughter, an authentic Paddington Bear from the actual Paddington Station. A once-in-a-lifteme trip deserves a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir. After securing the package, I hopped back on the Underground and made my way again to the Waterloo Station (I was already getting familiar with my surroundings haha). From there I walked straight out to the Thames to see the Tower Bridge, obviously one of the city’s most recognizable symbols. Everywhere I went, I took a photo with Paddington (Flat Stanley style - does that age me?) so that Ella could have a stuffed animal that actually went to all of the amazing places that I did! From there, I set off walking back down the Thames and across London Bridge (and back across again) and then headed to Borough Market to catch a quick dinner (as suggest by a longtime friend on a previous Facebook post). Appparently a food lover’s paradise - I wouldn't get to find out, because I arrived about 20 minutes after the market shut down for the evening. Since it was dark now, I put dinner on hold and did the most touristy thing that I could imagine - I took a ride on the London Eye! Seeing London’s landmarks from above was a breathtaking experience and a perfect way round out my trip! Although I should have been exhausted at this point, I decided to walk back across Westminster Bridge and up through Trefalger Square and to the Christmas market in front the British Museum. I left from there and walked through the West End (a few years to early for The First Shadow) and settled on eating dinner at Gordon Ramsey's Street Burger. With my final evening in England drawing to a close, I made a few more train transfers before getting back to my hotel to prep for my 4:00am ride to the airport (which was amazingly provided by Callum, a groom of mine from a wedding a few years before - how cool?!)

Final Thoughts on the Trip of a Lifetime

My trip to England was even more incredible than I could have imagined. I know exploring in the UK (where everything is in English) isn't really seen as challenge, but navigating in a foreign country all by myself was such a fun adventure. Just adding up my three official days of tourism (one in Oxford and two in London), I logged just under 30 miles of walking (around 64,000 steps). To know that all of this was possible because I made the leap to take my photography businesss full-time, was very surreal. I taught about these historical landmarks for 7 years as a public school teacher and I never dreamed that I would ever get to see them outside of a textbook or computer screen. Now that I'm off dialysis and clear to travel again, I cannot wait to see where my photography will take me next, and hopefully, I can get another stamp in my passport!