A shotgun wedding!
It is no exaggeration to say that we hold THOUSANDS of wedding photographs in the Photo Centre Collection.
A wedding at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1951 - BRO 1944/1/134/1
In fact, weddings formed a large part of the commercial side of the business. Covering an area from roughly Eyemouth to the north and Alnwick to the south; staff photographers could easily see themselves covering more than one wedding on a Saturday at the hight of the season in the spring and summer. For example, on Easter Saturday in 1953 there were five!
David Smith had a format for photographing weddings which was adhered to rigidly from the 1950s all the way through to 2012. In the early days of glass plates, the number of photographs taken ranged from 3 to 20 depending on the budget of the bride and groom. These had to include, the bride and her father, the bride and groom outside the church (full length and half length), the bridal party and then the bridal party with family members. There was usually a portrait of the bride and groom cutting the cake at the reception too. Depending on how picturesque the church grounds were, sometimes the portraits were taken in a nearby garden or in the grounds of the reception venue.
An example of a standard full length portrait of the bride and groom, 1953 - BRO 1944/1/430/1
When the business bought a Rolleiflex film camera in the mid-late 1950s the number of shots taken exploded! With 12 pictures to a roll of film, between 50 and 100 photographs were regularly taken at a single wedding. Multiples also began to be taken to ensure there was at least one with everyone’s eyes open and the bridesmaids all looking forward.
This added massively to the workload. Immediately after a wedding, the film or plates were developed, and proof prints made. These were presented in a little white book. If for some reason there was a problem with the photographs or the camera had acted up, the photographer would still have time to dash back to the reception and re-take the photographs whilst the bride was still in her dress. The aim was to have the proof prints at the wedding reception for all the guests to see. This would hopefully ensure good orders for prints afterwards.
An example of a book of wedding proof prints from September 1962 - From a private collection.
The flexibility of film also added a new set of photographs to the list the photographer had to take. In addition to the formal portraits, the bride and groom may opt to have their guests photographed as they arrive at the church. This is something my own grandparents chose for their wedding in 1962. Looking back, these are a fantastic record of members of the family who did not appear in the formal family groups.
The 1960s also saw the introduction of colour. Although it had been around for many years it was expensive, and it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the majority of weddings were taken in colour. During the 1950s portraits were often hand coloured and some of our negatives are still accompanied by their colour lists.
The 1970s also saw the introduction of 35mm film. This made the equipment more portable but didn’t seem to alter much in the visual way the portraits were taken. This is how weddings continued to be covered until 2012 when the Photo Centre closed.
As you can imagine, unless you have a personal connection to the wedding, these portraits become quite repetitive. Details in the background often spark interest as do the changing fashions (the 1970s offer some real gems!). I think the most exciting wedding photograph I’ve come across to date was taken at the wedding of Lucinda Lambton to Henry Harrod in 1965.
The excitement did not come from the wedding itself, but from finding the legendary photographer Cecil Beaton poking out from behind a gravestone (it would of course be the case that this was the only double exposure in the whole set!). He had been commissioned by Lord Lambton to take the official portraits back at Fenton House.
There was one location for a wedding which totally bucked the trend and altered the way David and Ian Smith and their photographers captured the day. That was Holy Island. There’s nothing boring about a Holy Island wedding as you’ll see from this set of photographs from 1953. It’s also interesting to note that the wedding was held at 8 o’clock in the morning so guests wouldn’t be trapped by the tide.
The Island has a number of customs which must be followed. After the couple are joined in holy matrimony the bride must jump the ‘Petting Stone’ (with assistance). The couple are then held at the church gates until a toll is paid to the Island’s oldest inhabitant. From there, they are walked through the streets with a volley of shotgun fire sounding over their heads. Finally a plate of wedding cake is broken over the bride’s head. For a jolly 1940s version of the scene take a look at this Pathe news reel.
It is finding gems like this set of photographs which I enjoy most about my work on the collection. What, on paper, looks to be just another wedding turned out to be something much more interesting.
We hold every negative to every photograph ever taken by the Photo Centre to if you’re missing any of your own wedding photographs or you’re exploring your family history let us know! We may be able to supply you with just the photograph you’ve been looking for.
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