It's ok to be you on your wedding day. (In which I come dangerously close to quoting Bruno Mars)

Some of you lovely people out there may know this already, but I am recently engaged. It's brilliant and I am very excited and happy, but that's another post.

This post is about something that doesn't make me happy. I've been engaged a matter of days and already the pressure is starting. As I type this, my Facebook ads are as follows:

Lose 2 Stone in 2 Weeks Lose stone and join the diet revolution like everyone else.

Lose 6 Kgs in 2 Wks Keep the kilograms off with these sneaky tricks...

Reach your Wedding Weight Lose the Weight in Just One Week at UKs Most Exclusive Weight Loss Retreats

It's not just offensive because of the crap grammar.

The pressure is always there from the media to look a certain way or break your heart trying but in my years of using Facebook, I have never seen a Facebook ad for weight loss. Now that I have decided to publish my happy news on there, what I get in return is a never-ending stream of confidence chipping. I can refresh and three or four ads will replace them. Lose 2 stone, slim down, learn this diet trick, no need to go to the gym, secret diet weapons, lose weight, lose inches... chipchipchip. This kind of aggressive advertising isn't meant to get you the first time you see it, or the second... it's unrelentingly there, in the corner of your eye.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy, there's nothing wrong with being really slim if that's the way you are but I really object to constantly being told that I should lose weight at whatever cost. Two stone in two weeks? Are you kidding me?

Now, I am not in amazing shape. I had a baby four months ago. Maybe I could stand to lose a little, but I'm pretty happy in my own skin right now. What really hacks me off is people trying to create insecurity, not just for me but for any bride. Oh and I'm not saying that men aren't under pressure but I've seen my fiancé's Facebook and there isn't a diet ad in sight.

It just makes my heart sink. Aside from this having an effect on me as a bride, it also impacts on me as a wedding photographer. It's not just weight loss either.

Like when I get an email from a couple and before they're even telling me about their wedding, they're apologising. "I'm not that photogenic". "I'm not the prettiest". "I'm not the skinniest".

Please, let's set the record straight. We are so bombarded with advertising and  images and people trying to make money from putting us down that sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees.

All a bride and groom, or a bride and bride, or a groom and groom is is two people getting married. Aside from the legal criteria that is ALL YOU HAVE TO BE.

Don't apologise for it.
Don't torture yourself.
Just give me two people in love, being themselves and I am happy.

Hitched Breakthrough Awards 2011

So, you may have seen on Facebook/Twitter that I was lucky enough to win Best New Wedding Photographer on Hitched. Getting shortlisted was amazing and overwhelming enough, but to win has been amazing. If any of you lovely people reading this voted, I'd like to send you the hugest of thank-yous. Just in case you don't believe me, here's me and Hitched MD Dean Yardley when he came all the way to Wirksworth to present me with my award/listen to me babble inanely for a while.

Yes, my beauty regime ahead of this photo opportunity mainly involved eating all the pies.  

The thing with starting a business is that you are constantly looking ahead. Wondering which direction to take next. Worrying about the future. Creating goals. Planning, planning, planning. I am really glad to have had the chance to take some time to look back over the last few months and appreciate what a mad and wonderful journey (yes, I just used the word "journey". If it makes it's any consolation it made me sick in my mouth a bit and it won't happen again) starting this business has been and how brilliant and humbling it is to have won this award. I love my job so much and while I look forward to seeing where it takes me, I'm going to get a bit sentimental for a moment and have a look through some of my favourite experiences from the past few months while I have a cup of tea.

Farenheit Quartet (In which I reveal why I'll never be a cinematographer)

Farenheit are a fan-bloody-tastic acapella singing group here in Derbyshire. These guys love performing, whether it's at a wedding, a birthday party, a concert... you name it. The other day they decided to give busking a go and I inadvertently went along for the ride, camera in tow.

We started off in Peli Deli (can I just say, their chocolate & beetroot cake... amazeballs!) and then embarked on an all-singing adventure on the bus to Masson Mills, Matlock Bath and Matlock.

There are several reasons why these guys are great at what they do:

1) They sang on a bus. A BUS. Even when we all sort of fell over. Just for the joy of singing.
2) They have that rare knack that when they start to sing, whether it be on the bus or in a cafe or out on the street, everyone stops to listen.
3) Singing outdoors with no amplification is really bloody hard to do, especially when you factor in killer sunshine, random passers by and a heck of a lot of traffic noise (motorbikes of Matlock Bath, I'm looking at you).
4) They sing great songs, whether you want a vintage feel or something more up to date. Glee's got nothing  on these guys. I hope we get to do a wedding together at some point.
5) They're great fun but they're also exceptionally hard working and passionate about what they do. For the audience this translates as big grins, hairs standing up on the back of necks and mumblings of "I'm-not-crying-there's-just-a-bit-of-dust-in-my-eye..."

But, don't take my word for it! You see I also made a couple of videos while I was stalking accompanying them. Shaky camera work, falling over on the bus and drifting in and out of focus aside I hope it gives you some idea of how ace these guys are.


Farenheit Quartet from hannah millard on Vimeo.


To get in touch with Farenheit you can visit their website and pop them an email.