On a cloudy day, as a bride and groom were getting ready to walk down the aisle in Wigan, England, their photographer rushed to perform a quick fix.
“Let’s fix the hair,” Stephen Clarke said.
The bride, Heidi, stayed still, expecting Mr. Clarke to smooth her hair out.
Instead, Mr. Clarke ran up to the groom, Mark, and rubbed his hand over his balding head. Immediately, the bride burst into laughter.
As peals of laughter lingered through the space outside Lancashire Manor, the bride and groom walked down the aisle showered by confetti.
At the end of the walk, Mr. Clarke received a big hug from the groom for his hilarious act.
Later, wedding guests went up to Mr. Clarke to have their pictures taken, curious to see if he would make any other funny remarks.
Looking back on this moment from September 2022, Mr. Clarke said the idea came to him after he fixed the bride’s hair.
He thought to himself: “Why don’t I do it with a guy who’s got no hair, and it'll get a laugh.”
One of the wedding guests decided to post the video on social media where it has gone viral. When Heidi caught wind of the video, she sent it to Mr. Clarke—who doesn’t use social media—but was thrilled to know the moment was being viewed by so many.
“I don’t know why it’s taken 18 months to get viral,” the 52-year-old told The Epoch Times, adding a lot of friends and family texted him about his viral fame.
Mr. Clarke said his mother thinks the video is hilarious and can’t stop watching it.
Spreading Laughter For Over a Decade
The “fix the hair” trick is an old one in Mr. Clarke’s book. With over 10 years of experience in wedding photography, he knows how to make couples relax on their special day.Coming up with funny remarks and comments throughout the day, he helps ease the nerves of anxious couples on their wedding day.
“I’ve sort of mastered my art over the years I’ve been doing it,” he said, adding that the pictures come out better when everyone is naturally happy and smiling rather than when they’re posing.
Working in the wedding industry has been a family affair for the Clarkes; Mr. Clarke’s wife, Emma Clark, runs two bridal shops. The couple have two children, aged 23 and 19, one of whom also works in one of the bridal shops.
For him, wedding photography is more than just a business. He develops warm relationships with many of the couples he works with, even going on outings and vacations with some of them.
Over the years, people have recommended him to their friends and family for his relaxed and fun style of working.
“I’ve had comments in the past that people have said jokingly, I’m rubbish as a photographer, but as a comedian, I’m hilarious,” he said, adding that some have thought he’s funnier than the comedian, Peter Kay.
Recalling a hilarious moment at a wedding, Mr. Clarke said a bride’s mother, who wanted pictures taken with her friends, told him to capture her “best side.”
Mr. Clarke got the bride’s mother and her friends looking at him for the picture. He then quipped that something wasn’t quite right and asked the bride’s mother to turn, having her back facing the camera.
“I took the picture, and I went, ‘Oh, perfect. That’s it. I’ve now got the bride’s mom’s best side’, which was the back of her head,” he said. “Obviously, the ladies were all laughing and joking.”
For Mr. Clarke documenting weddings is his passion—a passion that creates memories that stay with couples for their entire lives.
