Everyone Remembers the Kiss, But It’s the Quiet Moments That Make the Story

There’s this familiar shift that happens in every ceremony. The room softens. People lean in just a little closer. The excitement becomes almost tangible. Everyone knows what’s coming next, and for a few seconds, it feels like the world presses pause.

The kiss.

It usually arrives with soft noise, shy smiles, and that warm flutter that moves through the whole room. Phones lift (because of course it’s going straight to socials), parents get emotional in the sweetest way, and couples squeeze each other’s hands like, “This was us once.” Too adorable! 

I take the shot every time, not because I have to, but because it’s simply too precious to miss.

But while everyone’s eyes are fixed on that one big scene, I’m quietly watching everything else unfold around it.

I see the groom release a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. I notice the bride’s fingers relax as she finally lets herself believe, “We’re here… this is really happening.” 

A friend wipes a tear so quickly that even the couple misses it. A hand squeeze. A shaky laugh. A whisper only meant for one person. These tiny pieces orbiting the big moment are what fascinate me. They’re delicate, easy to miss, but they’re the ones that bring a story to life.

They’re at the core of how I approach documentary wedding photography, watching, not interrupting.

What I Watch For

I don’t direct much. I don’t pause the day or ask couples to redo things “for the camera.” I don’t pull people out of their own memories just to create a fake one. It’s simply not how a storytelling wedding photographer works.

Instead,

I prefer to blend into the room.
I prefer to earn invisibility.

I always tell myself, “If I’m being noticed too much, I’m doing it wrong.”

My camera moves with the rhythm of the day, not the other way around. I wait. I listen. I watch hands, faces, breath, stillness, and laughter. The story isn’t built out of big poses or staged smiles. It reveals itself in quiet gestures that happen when no one thinks a camera is pointed at them.

There are moments when I’ll step aside with a couple for a calm portrait, but even that is gentle. It’s not about stiff angles or forced smiles. It’s simply giving them space to breathe together, laugh together, exist together. And while they do, I record it as naturally as it happens.

Those unposed pockets of calm sit beautifully alongside the spontaneous moments of the day, creating a story that feels whole and honest.

Because for me, the magic is always in the in-between.

A hand brushing a cheek.
A glance shared across a room.
A quiet breath just before saying “I do.”

That’s what I chase.

Why These Little Moments Matter

Years later, when couples look through their photos, it’s rarely the big, expected moments they talk about most. They love them, of course. But what they hold closest are the tiny ones they didn’t realise were happening.

A hug in the corner.
A teary smile during a reading.
A relieved, joyful laugh right after the ceremony.
A parent watching quietly from the side, eyes full of pride.

These are the images that transport people back to how the day felt, not just how it looked.

And for me, that’s the whole point.

These little, fleeting moments are what really stick in your heart, not just the obvious “big” scenes. I’m Jonny Donovan, and honestly, after ten years of natural wedding photography in London, I know how to spot them and capture them.

Think I might be your person with a camera? Let’s have a chat and see what shakes out.