Sofia and John | Stockholm
There are weddings that move you as a photographer. And then there are weddings that move you as a parent. Sofia and John's day in Stockholm was both — and writing this one feels a little different, because this time, it was my son getting married.
In July, my wife and I travelled to Sweden to celebrate John and Sofia, and I had the profound privilege of doing what I love most in the world at the most personal event of my life. People ask me, fairly often, whether I feel like I miss out by being behind the camera rather than simply being a guest. My honest answer is no — quite the opposite. As the photographer, I am the person who spends the most time with the couple on their wedding day. I am there for the quiet moments between the grand ones, the unguarded glances, the tears before they are wiped away. On this particular day, that meant I was closer to my son than perhaps any other guest in attendance. I would not trade that for anything.
The Venue
Weeks before the wedding, John, Sofia and I had done a practice shoot at the venue — something I try to do whenever possible, and something that pays dividends on the day itself. The location was extraordinary: set right on the water's edge in Stockholm, with the vast Baltic stretching out behind it and enormous cruise ships moving slowly through the background like something from another world entirely. John and Sofia had set their hearts on a wedding that felt personal, informal, and handcrafted — and the venue reflected that perfectly. Every detail had been considered and made with love.
Sofia
Sofia looked absolutely stunning. Her dress was beautiful, and she carried herself with a grace and warmth that made it impossible to look anywhere else. I will confess I am perhaps not the most objective judge of how John looked — but I will say, with every confidence, that he was an exceptionally handsome groom.
The Ceremony
The moment that will stay with me longest came before a single vow was spoken. Sofia's father brought her around the corner of the building towards the ceremony, and the collective gasp from the gathered guests was audible. Standing in a light summer breeze, with those great ships drifting past on the water behind them, Sofia and John said their vows and shared their first kiss as husband and wife before the people they love most in the world.
One piece of advice I always offer couples is to share a second kiss as they come back up the aisle together — a private, joyful moment just for the two of them, now that the formality has passed and the reality of what they have just done begins to settle in. John and Sofia took that suggestion, and the image I captured in that moment is one of my absolute favourites from the entire day.
The hugs that followed were long and heartfelt, and John — my composed, capable, wonderful son — was completely overcome. There were tears of joy, and plenty of them, and not only from the groom.
Group Shots & The Couple Shoot
The group shots that followed offered me a novel experience — being in them. With a remote trigger in hand and my wife by my side, we joined the family photographs, which felt wonderfully strange and entirely right. We got them done, and I am glad we did.
The couple shoot was split across two sessions, which I highly recommend when the opportunity allows. We covered a good variety of images after the group shots while the energy was still high, and then — later in the evening, when the Stockholm summer light turned golden and impossibly beautiful — we stole another twenty minutes together. Those evening images have a quality to them that is difficult to describe. The light does something extraordinary at that hour, and John and Sofia looked every bit as in love at the end of the day as they had at the beginning.
The Celebration
I gave a speech. It turns out that is a slightly different experience when the groom is your son, and I will leave it at that.
The food was exceptional — a wood-fired pizza truck had set up on site, turning out incredible pizzas throughout the evening, and the whole thing added to the relaxed, joyful, homemade feeling that Sofia and John had so carefully created. Then came the karaoke, the toasts, the laughter, and the kind of easy, unhurried celebration that happens when the right people are gathered together in a beautiful place.
And then, as midnight approached on a Swedish summer's night, a brave contingent of guests did what the occasion apparently demanded — and swam in the Baltic.
I watched from the shore, heart absolutely full.
John and Sofia — thank you for letting me be your photographer, and for making me the proudest father in Stockholm that day. Here's to every adventure ahead.
Sofia said “Tony shot our wedding and was both a brilliant and professional photographer as well as an easy going and comfortable guide to the day. With so much going on in every moment he seemed to always know where to be to capture the special little moments that we didn’t even realize were happening ourselves.
The best part of having him around (other than the amazing photos) was that he just knew what everyone needed to be doing and how to do it. Obviously, we spent months planning our special day but there were always little moments where we weren’t entirely sure what to do and Tony, with his experience, was great at making those little suggestions which made the special moments that we will cherish the most. That’s not something we really thought we would be getting from a photographer but just made the whole experience so seamless and easy – it was like having a wedding coach and photographer in one!
Having a practice shoot was not something we were really expecting to do with a photographer but was worth its weight in gold! We got to practice poses, talk about what we did and didn’t like and see what worked for us. This meant that on the day we could capture a ton of great photos without eating into the rest of the wedding schedule. We also ended up with another set of great pictures of us!
Could not wish for a better experience! Thoroughly recommended!.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
