Devon Wedding Photographer - Emma Stoner Wedding Photography

I wasn’t going to write a roundup for 2020 – a year that few will look back at fondly. Without the usual hustle & bustle of a busy wedding season I could almost have imagined that nothing much happened. This year’s wedding season was reduced to less 1/4 bookings that on a ‘normal’ year, we didn’t go to any festivals, parties or gatherings at all. A lot of time was spent in isolation or with limited groups of friends under restricted circumstances. Life was restricted and still is. Weddings were postponed and we wait for a sense of normality to return.

2020 was a huge shock for all of us and we’ve had to learn to live with uncertainty. I know it’s been especially hard for a lot of couples, who’ve had to change their wedding plans at the last minute. Jayzee & Jim, whose wedding I photographed in September, narrowly managed to go ahead with their wedding before some last minute restrictions came in a few days later. It was touch & go if it would go ahead and I know last year was a real rollercoaster for them. It was an honour to capture the utter joy of of finally being wed after such a journey.

I photographed four weddings in 2020 and I have to say that each was especially moving. Fleeting moments of togetherness in the midst of months of isolation have a particular poignancy. These family gatherings were cherished like none before. Although smaller, these weddings felt more memorable than many over the past few years.

Despite the masks and social distancing guidelines we still found a way to be together with small groups and new online communities were formed. I’ve been studying an MA in Documentary Photography online and part-time since September 2019. For me this past year has been about finding creative solutions to continuing my photography work and branching out in other directions. I’ve been working with plants and organic materials for an environmental photo-story. I also set up a project inviting people to share their Glastonbury Festival photos & memories. The ‘My Glastonbury Story’ project trended on the BBC & Independent and I’m now collaborating with a publisher. One of the reasons that this project has had such a good response is that it has chimed with something in the public consciousness. People are looking back at better times and wanting to hold on to a sense of normality and identity.

2020 was a year of nostalgia, a year of change and utter devastation for some. We can only look forward with a sense of hope & optimism that some things will have changed for the better. In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy the simple things.

Please do check out the My Glastonbury Story project online. Featured images by contributors; Brian Carson, John Novis, Rowena Draper & Danny Rhodes https://www.myglastonburystory.com/

If you are having a wedding this year I still have some space left so get in touch! Happy New Year everyone 🙂