Some wedding days ease you in gently.
Sofia and Ryan’s started with champagne above Nottingham and ended with people being carried around the dance floor on shoulders.
So, not one of the quiet ones.
Their whole day took place in the centre of Nottingham, beginning with bridal prep at St Mary’s Quarters before heading over to Cleaver & Wake for the ceremony and party.
Bridal Prep at St Mary’s Quarters
I arrived in Nottingham nice and early and walked over to St Mary’s Quarters, where Sofia was getting ready.
It’s a brilliant place to start a city wedding. The building has loads of Georgian character, the rooms are beautifully finished and the rooftop looks out across Nottingham towards St Mary’s Church.
Inside, everything was gradually coming together. Outfits ready, final touches being sorted and champagne opened as the nerves and excitement started to build.
We made time for a few photographs on the rooftop before leaving. Nothing too arranged, just Sofia, the people closest to her and that unmistakable Nottingham backdrop.
Then it was time to head across the city and get married.
A Modern Nottingham Wedding at Cleaver & Wake
Cleaver & Wake feels very different from a traditional country house or converted barn.
It’s modern, clean and properly finished, with huge windows, city views and an events team who clearly know what they’re doing. The whole operation was slick without ever feeling corporate or impersonal.
Everything moved easily from the ceremony into drinks, food and the evening celebration. That makes a real difference on a wedding day because nobody is left wondering where they’re supposed to be or what is happening next.
It also gave me plenty of freedom to move around, observe what was happening and photograph the day without constantly interrupting it.
A Brilliant Ceremony with Nottingham Registrars
Nottingham’s registrars are always excellent to work with, and Jeremy was no exception.
He led the ceremony with exactly the right balance of warmth, humour and sincerity. It felt personal without becoming overdone, and he gave Sofia and Ryan’s reactions plenty of room to breathe.
There were emotional moments, plenty of smiles and some brilliant reactions from their families.
Exactly what a wedding ceremony should feel like.
Signature Cocktails, Excellent Food and Unpredictable Weather
After the ceremony, the signature cocktails appeared.
Having a cocktail created for each of them was a lovely personal touch—and gave everybody a very good excuse to get the celebration properly started.
The food at Cleaver & Wake was excellent too. That probably shouldn’t be surprising when your wedding venue sits above one of Nottingham’s best-known restaurants, but the team still delivered everything with an impressive level of care.
Outside, the weather was being far less cooperative.
It kept changing its mind throughout the day, moving between dry spells and sudden rain. Fortunately, Cleaver & Wake has loads of space and light indoors, so there was never any pressure to force outdoor photographs at the wrong moment.
When the opportunity did arrive, Sofia and Ryan were completely up for heading onto the rooftop with my trusty umbrella.
Rainy Wedding Photographs on the Rooftop
Rainy portraits don’t need to become a major production.
We stepped outside, worked quickly and had some fun with it. The wet rooftop, city backdrop and changing sky gave the photographs a completely different atmosphere from the rest of the day.
The umbrella did its job, Sofia and Ryan embraced the weather, and we created something that couldn’t have happened on a perfectly clear afternoon.
Little did I know that it would be the last rain I’d see at a wedding for quite some time.
The 2026 summer heatwave was just around the corner, bringing weeks of blue skies, high temperatures and photographers everywhere desperately searching for shade.
At that point, though, standing on a wet Nottingham rooftop felt completely normal.
Two Families and One Huge Party
The evening was where everything really took off.
Sofia and Ryan brought together Indian and Bulgarian extended families, and the result was an absolutely brilliant mix of people, music and energy.
This wasn’t a dance floor that needed persuading.
Once the music started, people properly committed. The room filled, the dancing became increasingly enthusiastic and, before long, people were up on shoulders.
Everywhere I looked, something was happening. Big groups dancing together, relatives throwing themselves into it and the kind of expressions you only get when everybody has stopped worrying about the camera.
It was loud, joyful and occasionally chaotic.
In other words, excellent fun to photograph.
A Proper Nottingham City Wedding
Sofia and Ryan’s wedding had everything I enjoy about photographing city celebrations.
There was character and champagne at St Mary’s Quarters, a modern ceremony at Cleaver & Wake, unpredictable weather, rooftop portraits and a party that never really slowed down.
More importantly, the whole day felt like them.
Nothing stiff. Nothing dragged out for the sake of photographs. Just two people celebrating with a room full of family and friends who were very ready to have a good time.
Sofia and Ryan, thank you for having me along.
What a day.
