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Destination Wedding: The Old Lady at Sea, Galle, Sri Lanka – Laura and Ken

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , — • Written by alex @ 11:51 pm on February 3, 2013.

I first met Laura about 4 years ago while on a Joe McNally workshop out at GPP in Dubai. She’s an awesome Dubai based photographer who at the time was just starting out. A lot’s happened since then, I’ve moved 3 times, gone full time and now we’ve both got married. Although I hadn’t seen her ages, when Laura asked if I was willing to hop on a plane and be her wedding photographer in Sri Lanka I jumped at the chance. Hanging out with old friends, being on a beach in the sun (there was 3″ of snow on the ground when I flew) and taking pretty pictures. Work doesn’t get much better than that!

I have to admit this is the first wedding where I started and ended the day in the pool. Laura even jumped in with her dress on. So much fun and we all needed to cool down after the mad rush in the midday sun.


Destination Wedding Photographer Sri Lanka

Hit the link for more photos. Probably one of my favorite weddings ever inside!
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Wedding: Hotel Du Vin, Poole and St Nicholas Church Studland – Andrea and Damian

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , — • Written by alex @ 1:36 am on January 15, 2013.

What a weekend, a 15 hour wedding on Sunday, a 4 hour drive then another wedding the next day. Good job they were both good ones! Andrea and Damian started me off, getting married at St Nicholas Church in Studland, following it up with an intimate candle lit reception at Hotel Du Vin in Poole.

Here’s a quick one from the day. Stay tuned, lots more to come soon!

Wedding Hotel De Vin Poole Bride and Groom portrait

EDIT: Lots more added hit the link to see more!

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Wedding: Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire – Emma and Heath

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , — • Written by alex @ 1:54 am on January 10, 2013.

Part 2 of the weekend: Heath and Emma’s totally relaxed and gorgeous wedding at Bolsover Castle near the Peak District. Nothing over the top, nothing too fancy just a good honest wedding with a lot of love. Heath and Emma even ended up cooking dinner for all their guests. How cool is that?

Here’s one to keep you going while I work on the rest:

Wedding Bolsover Castle Peak District Bride and Groom

EDIT: Lots more added. Hit the link for more…
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Published: Rebecca and Joe wedding – Buxted Park

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , — • Written by alex @ 12:10 am on November 27, 2012.

Great to see Rebecca & Joe’s wedding at Buxted Park in East Sussex just got published in Wedding Ideas this month. If you’ve got a copy to hand turn to page 173 to check them out!

WI1

WI2

More soon,
Alex icon biggrin


Published: Nov/Dec Brides Magazine – Steph and Nick, Hong Kong

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , — • Written by alex @ 12:32 am on October 9, 2012.

I’ve been incredibly lucky with the amazing array of weddings I’ve photographed this year so far, from beaches, to stately homes, to dear friends, to heading overseas. So I was sort of stumped when Brides Magazine invited me to submit one of my weddings for publication. In the end I had to send them Steph and Nick’s – it was the first time I’ve been to Hong Kong after all, and the first time I’ve seen a bride wear seven different, equally stunning wedding dresses in one day! If you’ve bought the November/December edition of the magazine, head to the ‘How She Did It’ section. You’ll not only find my photos, but you’ll also be able to see how Steph and Nick achieved their beautiful, fresh green and white colour scheme. If you haven’t yet bought a copy, here’s a pdf of the page (but I do recommend buying the magazine to see all of the other colour schemes they feature for some great inspiration!).

Published Brides Magazine

More adventures soon,
Alex icon biggrin


Wedding: Vicky and Dan – Our Lady and the English Martyrs (OLEM), Downing College, St Catherines College and Doubletree Hilton, Cambridge

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , — • Written by alex @ 1:34 am on September 4, 2012.

Vicky and Dan’s wedding was the first time I stepped foot inside OLEM Church since getting married to Holly nearly a year ago. I obviously didn’t get any photos of my own that time, so I was thrilled when Vicky and Dan asked me to be their photographer: finally I could get some shots of that beautiful gothic architecture! Vicky and Dan rocked their wedding day a little differently to most. Unusually for me, I didn’t stay for the whole day: Vicky and Dan wanted me to capture the ceremony and head into Cambridge for some portraits.

We started out in Downing College, where Vicky got ready. In the quest to make time for photos she and Dan decided to have a ‘first look’ before the ceremony, and I love the photo of Vicky sneaking up on Dan! Dan, not to be outdone, is a bit of a showman and enjoyed treating Vicky like an absolute queen – even getting down on one knee (I thought that only happened at the proposal, not the wedding day) and kissing his bride’s hand. The sun was on best behaviour, darting in and out of the clouds at jut the right moments for us to get some beautiful photos in Downing.

We took the traditional group photos before the ceremony, which left us some time afterwards to hang around in OLEM to take some more dramatic shots (I know I’m a bit biased, but it really is a gorgeous church!). While everyone else headed straight to the reception at the Doubletree, we went the scenic route. We nabbed some photos on Kings Parade and then headed to St Catz, where Dan studied. A punt picked us up on the river and the newlyweds arrived in style – they were punted right into their reception!

After a traditional Chinese tea ceremony we had speeches. One of the most moving moments of the day for me was discovering that Vicky’s father learned English just to give his speech to the assembled guests (Vicky is from China, Daniel is from Germany, and they had plenty of British friends so it was a really culturally rich wedding!).

Well, at that point it was time to take my leave. Even though it was an early night for me, I was quite sad not to stay for what was bound to be a wonderful evening if the day was anything to go by!

So without further ado – here’s the photos!

001 Wedding St Catz St Catherines College Cambridge

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Wedding: Burwell, Cambridge – Gemma and James

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , — • Written by alex @ 4:03 am on August 1, 2012.

Gemma and I go way back… to last year, when I photographed her being a bridesmaid at Holly and Phil’s amazing wedding. This time, Gemma was getting married to her childhood sweetheart James, and Holly was maid of honour. Seeing as I knew what a fun group these guys were already, I had high expectations for Gemma and James’ wedding – expectations that they totally smashed.

Our day started off at the Diva Spa, where Gemma had her hair and make up done before heading back to her mum’s house to finish getting ready. Gemma’s mum had gone to so much effort to make her garden look extra beautiful in case the weather was nice, so I was really pleased to be able to get a shot of the bridesmaids in the gorgeous grounds.

Meanwhile, my second photographer Chris (of Gryphon Photography) was with the men at the farm where the reception was going to be held. They had a collection of vintage cars – including a Land Rover that I would give my camera hand to own! – that they drove to the church. Gemma wasn’t to be outdone though – she arrived in a Bentley loaned by James’ grandfather (he did have a two-door, but he simply had to upgrade to the four-door when he knew it was going to be a vital part of the wedding!).

The church was just a taster of what was to come: a beautiful, grand building festooned with flowers. In a really poignant moment, one of Gemma’s brothers walked her down the aisle, as Gemma’s father sadly passed away some years ago. He was definitely present in spirit though: Gemma had a photo of him that watched over the celebrations.

After the ceremony we headed back to James’ father’s farm, where the marquee felt as though it was literally bathed in light. All the summery touches that Gemma and James had added to the tables came into their own in the sunshine. We managed to get some more photos of the new husband and wife in the Land Rover, before heading in for a three course dinner that included a trio of desserts (for those of you who know me, this was pretty much the icing on the cake).

The day ended as it had begun: relaxed and fun! Gemma’s other brother gave the ‘father of the bride’ speech, and later in the evening we set up a crazybooth outside with some of the couple’s excellent props. And unusually for me, we even took some photos in a cornfield with permission! Instead of walking across a random field, this particularly cornfield belonged to James’ dad. For me, knowing that the setting is connected to the family makes the photos even more special.

Well, I’ve probably written enough – I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking! Congratulations Gemma and James, and as always thanks so much for having me along.

49 Landrover two portrait on their wedding day bride and groom2

Lots more after the jump…
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Engagement: Trinity College Cambridge – Claire and WeiKei

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , — • Written by alex @ 12:04 am on .

It was in that part of July when it was still sunny and hot (otherwise known as – the shortest British summer ever) when I headed over to Cambridge for an engagement shoot with the lovely Wai Kei and Clarie. Wai Kei and Clarie are actually getting married in Japan next year, but they had come over from their home in Hong Kong to visit Wai Kei’s alma mater, and decided to have an engagement session at the same time.

Cambridge is a beautiful city even in the rain, but in full on sun it’s simply stunning. Wai Kei studied at Trinity, so we were lucky enough to get permission to take some shots in the colleges, which are usually off limits for non-students. We had a blast exploring not just Trinity, but also St Cats and some of Cambridge’s unique locations, like King’s Parade, the river (complete with punts!) and the Eagle pub (naturally).

In the best tradition of Asian weddings, Clarie had already bought ONE of her wedding dresses (yes, she will probably wear quite a few on the Big Day!). She paired it with some yellow wedges, which just goes to show how fun and quirky this couple are. We ended up staying out way longer than we had planned – how can you not when you’re taking photos of a beautiful couple in a beautiful city? I’m really glad we did, because our last shot is one I’m really proud of: Clarie changed into a darker evening dress and we managed to get a dramatic shot outside the Senate House.

I wish Wai Kei and Clarie the most amazing wedding next year – it was an honour to get some photos of this fun, super-photogenic couple.

AB 067

Lots more after the jump…
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Wedding: Victoria and Simon – The Great Barn Rolvenden and St Mary the Virgin, High Holden

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , , — • Written by alex @ 3:30 am on July 26, 2012.

You may have already seen my photo of Victoria and Simon’s Morris Minor driving through some pretty gorgeous country roads (what you can’t see is me desperately trying to balance for long enough to take the shot…). It’s fair to say that the Morris Minor was a big part of the wedding day: Victoria was dropped off at the church in it, and after the ceremony everyone waved them on their way to the reception, this time with Simon at the wheel. It’s definitely one of the most impressive vintage cars I’ve had the honour of photographing. In fact, it was almost as photogenic as Victoria and Simon. Almost…

Being an ex-marine, you might expect Simon’s wedding to be, well, pretty darn manly, but he and Victoria managed to strike a perfect balance: romantic without descending into plain sappiness. What other wedding has both a guard of honour and a bouncy castle? And although Simon’s best man may have gone into frankly unnecessary detail about his initiation into the marines, they held their speeches from a balcony, a la Romeo and Juliet.

Victoria was just as hard-core as her husband. When given the easy option or the option of wading through wet cornfields to get a photo, she chose the latter. I’m pleased to say that she didn’t take the risk in vain – we got some amazing shots, and Victoria’s dress emerged surprisingly unscathed.

One of the reasons I love being a wedding photographer is seeing how each couple adds their own personal touches to the day. Victoria and Simon had so many of these little touches that made the day definitively them: there’s nothing quite like watching a burly marine reading a sappy poem about dinosaurs in love, or having a mass of games like a bouncy castle and mini golf to keep everyone entertained, or watching the couple’s friend playing their favourite songs as part of the band. Even more impressive was the beautiful fireworks display at the end of the night (thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to get some amazing photos of that!) and the fact that Simon had secretly rigged something on the roof of Rolvenden Barn so that as the final song played (Purple Rain) confetti floated down from the ceiling in the perfect, romantic end to the night.

Despite the dodgy weather on my drive back to Bristol (I must have aqua-planed at least three times!) I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. A simply amazing day. Thank you for choosing me as your photographer, guys, hope you enjoy the photos….

AB 044 Wedding Drive through the country Bride and Groom Moris Minor Great barn Rolvenden

As always, way more after the jump…
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Wedding: Old Down Manor, Bristol – Liz and Dan

Filed under Uncategorized Tags: , , , — • Written by Alex @ 2:59 am on July 18, 2012.

Ok it’s 4am here and I really should get to bed. Just really wanted to share this one quickly first though from Liz and Dan’s wedding at Old Down today. Really great fun day, Liz is a fellow photographer and knows a lot of the folks at Old Down. Always an honour to photograph another great photographers wedding.

Stormy day!

UPDATE: OK I didn’t think I could do the day justice with photos alone so here’s a quick slideshow with some amazing music by Lizzy’s super talented sister, Joanna Gayther.

 

 

Some seriously great design going on. Props to all the people who made it happen:

DressAlissia Couture
StylingThe Little Wedding Helper
FlowersSorori Design
ShoesKurt Geiger
StationeryLizzy May and Archibold Edwards
LocationOld Down Manor
Vintage AccessorisAuntie’s Vintage China

Let me know what you think in the comments below!
More soon,
Alex

(Click here to see more…)


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A collection of work by British photographer Alex Beckett. Weddings, Commercial and Fine Art Photography.
| (c) 2013 Alex Beckett Photography