How am I going to survive without my Chippy crew? Over the last two years I’ve reassembled and bonded with these guys at friends and friends-of-friends weddings. Me sober. Them drunk.

But there was always lots of hugs and love.

One of the hardest parts of being a wedding photographer is finding the balance between getting right in there, being completely involved, so you can anticipate what happens next: the laughter, the tears, the craziness. But keeping a professional head on so as not to actually blur your own vision with tears, or laughing out loud at the speeches. This was a particularly hard one for me as the best men’s speech was probably one of the funniest, most brutal and yet heart warming I’ve ever heard.

Talloires itself is a magical place. A stunning backdrop for a wedding: surrounded by the mountains of the French Alps and with Lac Annecy at the foot. Everywhere you turn there is another overwhelming photo opportunity. The ceremony was held at The Priory, which is owned by Tufts University but which is the original site of the Benedictine Monastry built in 1031. It had a truly warm feel to the venue, with so much history. The reception was in the gardens of Ville Des Fleur just down the road and it was so lovely that everyone could just wander from one place to the next.

One of the great bonuses for my clients of shooting a destination wedding is that I’ll always be there longer than the actual day. It was great to drink a few beers and shoot a few frames the following day with everyone swimming in the lake.

Lou and Andy, I can’t thank you enough for flying me over to cover your wedding – I knew it would be fun, but your crowd are savage. And I feel honoured to have been part of it.

Thankfully I booked another from within their crazy tribe for next year so see you at Adam and Emma’s next year *air punch*. They might have to jump in the sea since it’s on the South coast. More boys jumping in water please. Shouldn’t be too cold at the beginning of September!

If you fancy getting married abroad and want to take your photographer with you (you know, so you don’t get one of those cheesy dudes who use lots of flash photography and who want you to stand in line for hours taking group shots), then drop me a line. I have a few bucket list places that we might be able to cut a deal on.

Contact Michelle