Some weddings take a year of planning. This one took a birthday lunch.
Naomi and Maik told her parents they were meeting for a casual birthday meal at The Fat Italian in Ormskirk. What her parents did not know was that the restaurant sits directly opposite Ormskirk Register Office, or that before the day was out they would be asked to walk across the road and act as witnesses at their daughter's wedding. No save the dates, no seating plan, no hundred guests. Just the two of them, their young daughter, Naomi's parents and one person quietly in on the secret with a camera.
That person was Charlene McNabb of Love Gets Sweeter, a Lancashire videographer and photographer who has been filming weddings since 2010 and who is now part of the Littlewed Supplier Circle. She had already documented the couple's pregnancy and their daughter's newborn days, so when they asked her to keep a wedding secret for them, she was the obvious choice. "Capturing that 'wait, what... now?' and then helping them relive that moment with her parents in candid video and photos was a total career highlight," she says.
A Wedding Morning at Home
Because the day was so small, it had room for the parts that usually get lost. Rather than starting the coverage at the ceremony, Charlene began at the family home, where Naomi and Maik got ready together. There was no hair and make-up production line and no clock-watching, just a relaxed morning with their daughter, Maik reading with her on the floor while Naomi finished getting ready.
One frame from that morning, their daughter watching her mum put on her wedding shoes, has since gone on to win awards. "As a mother myself I can imagine how amazing that will be for her daughter to look back on when she's older," Charlene says.
A wedding doesn't need a three-course banquet for 100 people to feel monumental.
The Reveal and the Walk Across the Road
From the house, the family headed to The Fat Italian for the "birthday lunch". The reveal happened at the table, and Charlene's photographs from those few minutes are the heart of the whole story: the disbelief, the laughter, Naomi's dad pulling her into a hug, a glass of champagne that suddenly meant something else entirely.
Then it was a short walk across the road. Ormskirk Register Office sits right in the heart of the town, and Naomi's mum walked with her to the door of the ceremony room. There were tears before a single vow had been said.
A Ceremony for Five
Inside, the ceremony was as small as a wedding gets and all the better for it. Their daughter took her first steps down the aisle. Naomi's parents, who had arrived expecting a birthday lunch, signed the register as witnesses. The rings were exchanged, a few more tears were wiped away and the whole thing ended in confetti and summer sunshine on the steps outside.
One Storyteller, Two Mediums
Charlene covered the whole day on her own, switching between stills and film. In a small ceremony room that matters. Two separate teams for photography and video can fill a register office suite with more crew than guests, while one person moving quietly around the edges barely registers. "It meant we got the key shots of the rings being exchanged and vows being shared, but also the moving footage and audio of those emotional moments too," she says. "It's a unique approach for couples who want the full production value without the production crowd."
You can watch Naomi and Maik's highlights film on Charlene's original post.
"Choosing a shorter video and photography package isn't about a smaller budget. It's about a more personal approach."
Planning Your Own Ormskirk Elopement: Charlene's Local Tips
Ormskirk is, in Charlene's words, "arguably one of the most underrated spots for a Lancashire elopement." If this story has you thinking about something similar, here is what she would tell you.
1. The register office is easy to get to. It sits in the centre of the historic market town with a car park to the rear, which takes away the headache of parking for a city-centre wedding.
2. Book your meal across the road. The Fat Italian is directly opposite the register office, so you can go from "I do" to a celebration meal in minutes. It also makes a very convincing cover story.
3. Or drive a little further for something special. A short drive takes you to Michelin-starred cooking at Moor Hall and its sister restaurant The Barn at Moor Hall, or to Solo in Aughton.
4. Portraits are a short walk away. The historic architecture of the town centre and the greenery of Victoria Park and Coronation Park mean you do not need to travel far for relaxed couple portraits.
5. Use the train. Ormskirk station is a short walk from the register office, with routes towards Preston via Burscough and into Liverpool, Southport and the Wirral, and even on to Liverpool South Parkway for the airport if you are flying off straight after.
6. Start the coverage at home. With a short ceremony, the getting-ready hour is where a lot of the story lives. Naomi and Maik's quiet morning with their daughter gave them some of their favourite images.
7. Keep the numbers tiny. A register office ceremony in England needs two witnesses, and that is all. Two parents or two best friends will do. Remember to give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the date.
More Small Weddings in Lancashire
If the Ormskirk story has you looking at the rest of the county, our Lancashire venues page lists every intimate venue we have verified there, and our guide to intimate wedding venues in Lancashire walks through them all. For another register office with a view, The Wedding Chapel on Blackpool's promenade puts the Tower in the window for ceremonies from £30.
Featured venue
The Wedding Chapel
Blackpool, Lancashire
Still deciding between something this small and a slightly bigger day? Our piece on micro weddings versus elopements sets out the difference, and how to tell your family you're having a small wedding covers the conversation Naomi and Maik neatly sidestepped.
Can you have a small wedding at Ormskirk Register Office?
Yes. Ormskirk Register Office sits in the centre of the market town and its ceremony rooms suit an elopement or a very small wedding. Naomi and Maik married there with her parents as their two witnesses and their young daughter beside them. Contact Lancashire County Council's registration service for current room sizes, availability and fees.
How many witnesses do you need for a register office wedding in England?
Two. Your witnesses can be anyone you like over the age of 18 who understands the ceremony, which is why an elopement with a couple of parents or close friends works so neatly. You also need to give notice of marriage at your local register office at least 29 days before the wedding.
Where can you eat after an Ormskirk Register Office wedding?
The Fat Italian sits directly opposite the register office, which is where Naomi and Maik's "birthday lunch" took place. For something more celebratory, Moor Hall and The Barn at Moor Hall in Aughton are a short drive away, as is Solo in Aughton.
Where are the best spots for wedding portraits in Ormskirk?
You barely need to travel. The historic market town centre gives you character architecture a few steps from the register office, while Victoria Park and Coronation Park offer greenery for relaxed couple portraits.
Is it worth booking one person for both photography and video at a small wedding?
For an elopement or a small ceremony room it often is. One person moving quietly between stills and film is far less intrusive than two separate teams, and you still come away with the key photographs plus moving footage and the sound of your vows.
Photography and film by Charlene McNabb of Love Gets Sweeter, a Lancashire-based videographer and photographer covering small weddings and elopements across the UK and Ireland. Thank you to Naomi and Maik for letting us share their day.