The one with the party... The story of an indie DIY wedding in Sheffield.

Chris Thompson - CRT Weddings

Oct 24, 20245 min read

Updated: Jan 16

When Sophie and Lewis booked me they'd already planned a day for their wedding, which was to be an intimate midweek celebration with close friends and family, followed by a meal afterwards. Keeping it a real calm special day about them and their love.

But this wasn't the reason why they were booking me. They had decided to split the wedding and celebration into two different days. With the celebration to be a big ol' knees up in Sheffield. Where everyone wore their brightest funkiest glad-rags and psyched themselves up for a full day of partying to celebrate this awesome couple tying the knot! This was where I came in, to photograph everyone dancing the night away and keep everyone happy in-front of the camera!

These guys wanted this party covered, which is where my right-hand man Andrew was tagged in to the team. Both of us worked hard on this one to capture every hilarious candid moment. (If there's an indie wedding party in Sheffield, lets face it, Andrew's made the guest list.)

This insane party was held at Perch Brewhouse in Sheffield. Perch is not a wedding venue, but most definitely the perfect open space for a gathering, where you can truly DIY the place and make it your own entirely. For anyone who is wanting to create a true indie party in a big space, venues like this are perfect.

These guys managed to bag this venue for free on the condition that they put a big bar tab on, which in hindsight is an absolute steal! Look at what they managed to do with the place! They fully ran with the festival theme, giving out VIP wristbands to all of their guests, allowing them access to the bar tab.

Many venues like this will offer similar deals, so shop around is this is something you're wanting to do!

Sophie and Lewis made the streamers and decorations themselves and honestly, wow. They looked professional and everything matched perfectly, the colour scheme was just insane, the perfect tones for a happy uplifting party atmosphere. These guys took control of every fine detail when it came to planning and decorating the venue. Down to hiring out the cool chequerboard dancefloor that they so desperately wanted as well hiring a kick-ass band and any equipment they needed to run the show. They truly picked everything and made it look exactly how they envisioned.

When I first got to the venue, we set straight off on a wander to get some snaps for the couples shoot. It was one of the top priorities that these guys got a photo in-front of the famous Pete McKee mural 'The Snog', which is attached to the pub Fagans. So that was our first stop.

From here we had a little stroll around the Steel City getting shots around some of Sheffield's iconic buildings and locations, like the Henderson's factory, need I say more?

We got some real amazing shots on this tour, further cementing that going on a little de-tour is worth it if you're in the right location and have the time to do it.

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen joined us as we got back to do some fun group shots and they didn't disappoint, these guys brought the FUN.

We ended up getting one killer shot of everyone walking (mostly) hand in hand with the cityscape of Sheffield in the distance. Honestly, I love this shot!

bride in silver dress and groom in light blue suit in a line with bridesmaids in oranges and pinks and groomsmen in matching suits all walking towards the camera with sheffield cityscape in the background

When we got back in the venue, the party had long started and everyone was drinking and mingling, there were smiles everywhere. As part of the package Perch provided a truly awesome barbeque.

bbq server dishing up burgers chips and fish sticks onto plate

Miami Twice - an 80s tribute band kicked off and that was it, they stole the show, the night, the whole party. No one sat down after they started playing and everyone danced. a fantastic addition to the day which just electrified the atmosphere. There was some serious boogeying, there were an insane amount of glow sticks, and there was an even more insane amount of people boogeying with glow sticks.

This day had everything, a cake made entirely of cheese, a father of the bride living his best life, smashed glasses followed by a Yorkshire 'Eyyyy', every spirit and tipple of alcohol you can think of, a heart burn station, a photobooth with the biggest chest of accessories and most importantly the happiest bride having the best time - dressed so glitzy, you could have mistaken her for a disco ball after few beveragino's.

This wedding is a perfect example of what you can create doing it in a DIY way, creating everything as you want it to be. Also shows that you don't need full coverage if your goal is to throw a big old party with all of your favourite people. And that about summarises my favourite Indie DIY Wedding in Sheffield.

Here is my full day vlog of this indie wedding party!

Loving this blog? Check out what Sophie and Lewis had to say about my work!

"Chris photographed one of our friends weddings last year and we loved his style and energy straight away!

Chris was THE man for our wedding party at the end of July this year.

The whole process from start to finish was silky smooth – enquiring on Instagram then using his website to book. We’d said we’d like some pictures in Sheffield, specifically at Fagan’s with the McKee mural, but other than that we left it up to him to decide (please trust your professionals!!!)

Chris had done a full recce of the area and where would be good places for photos – but even as we walked on his route you could see his creative eye was on the ball for spotting the shots. It was so easy to wander about with him and have our pictures taken as a couple and go with his flow and vision – it never felt forced or unnatural.

Then he did some fantastic group shots with our wedding party – the photos completely speak for themselves. The rest of the night we asked him to just capture the action and again, I feel like the photos speak for themselves and the words I’m writing don’t come close. We had a preview pinged into out inbox the very next day and were blown away.

Chris’s editing is wonderfully atmospheric, and his shots really captured the whole energy of the night.

We are SO excited for the full gallery!

Thank you so much for your artistry!

Soph and Lewis x"