Hilde, a biochemist, and Graham, a mathematician, met as graduates with Graham studying a PhD at Trinity College, Cambridge, fell in love and still live in the historic University town that brought them together. So it was only fitting that they should return to the very place that they first met to celebrate their marriage. Trinity College provides a pretty amazing backdrop whatever the conditions, but as the 23rd March dawned, it was clear that the Norwegian Hilde had brought something of her home country’s weather with her for the big day!

Wandering through the flurry of white flakes on my way to the Varsity Hotel where the Bride was getting ready, it was already clear that the Scandinavian-esque snow and ice were going to feature heavily in the images of the day. In the hotel the excitement and air of adventure was fuelled by the sight of the streets outside becoming more and more idyllic, as Hilde and her assortment of bridesmaids from all four corners of the globe (one of whom braved the weather to make an emergency umbrella-dash!) prepared themselves for the trip to Trinity.

At the College we just had time for a few quick photos in the snow, nipping in and out of the warm to brave the weather, while we waited for what turned out to be a rather fun ceremony, conducted by the Trinity chaplain Paul, and the traditional drinks and canapés. As well as some great shots of Hilde, Graham and their bridesmaids and groomsmen on the College steps, I couldn’t resist dragging the entire wedding outside to capture a big group shot of everyone in the snow, before the three-course dinner in Trinity’s beautiful Hall and some fantastic candlelit speeches.

Finally, the party moved to the Michaelhouse Café on Trinity Street, where the Bride and Groom took the occasional respite from the heat of the celebrations for a few more sneaky shots in the snow. King’s College Chapel made a particularly impressive backdrop for some dramatic images of the new husband and wife in the winter-y weather. The perfect end to this particular Cambridge fairy-tale!

Anyway, here are the photographs, as always – let me know what you think via the comments section!

Dress: The Tailor’s Cat Make-up: Lucy Ridley Bridal Preparation Venue: The Varsity Hotel and Spa Ceremony Venue: Trinity College, Cambridge Reception Venue: Michaelhouse Café

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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!

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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.

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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.

Lots more after the jump…
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Just a quick one today as I’m on the iPad in Oxford. Had to put this up from Charlie and Dan’s wedding at Anstey Hall yesterday though. Really fab day.

Quite some party too, hope everyone’s not feeling too sore this morning!

UPDATE: Much more added after the jump!

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I feel like I have a hangover. Finally made it back to Bristol at 4:30am after a really great day at Anstey Hall in Cambridge. Katie and Matthew’s wedding was totally awesome, weather held out and the sun shone as they stepped out of St Mary’s Church in Saffron Walden.

Beautiful day, beautiful couple, here’s one before I knuckle down to editing and email! Feel free to let me know what you think below…

UPDATE: Just added a little video montage of the day. Hit the link to see it!

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Wow what a wedding. Back in Bristol now recovering from the epic rainyness which was Nat and Gez’s wedding. Going to take a slightly different tak this week. Holly (my wife) was actually maid of honour so I’m going to hand over the reins to her…

I’ll admit it, I tend to be a sobber at weddings – even when I’ve assisted Alex on the weddings of people I’ve never met before, I find myself welling up. So you can imagine how much I cried at the wedding of two of my closest and dearest friends. From the beautiful reading (about two dinosaurs!), to the fantastic speeches and finally the first dance to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, where Gez surprised Natalie by breaking out some lindy hop moves he’d been learning in secret for the past 6 months. Yep, I was a wreck.

We may not have had the best weather, but that didn’t spoil the day one bit. South Farm is a beautiful venue and the couple had put so much thought into the little details that made the wedding very ‘them’. There was an Easter egg hunt, a fun questionnaire to answer at dinner, and beautiful hand made favours (bird seed feeders in the shape of hearts).

There are so many happy memories I’m going to take away from Nat and Gez’s wedding – it was a day of pure joy. And (although I admit I’m biased) I reckon Alex has managed to capture that feeling in his photos!

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The wedding I swore I’d never shoot.

I’ve known Katherine for over 6 years now. One spring night I turned up on her doorstep to take a closer look at the room they had for rent. A small box room in an unassuming part of Cambridge. The room wasn’t all that great, I’d seen 3 better ones previously, but I stayed for a quick cup of tea and began a friendship which would span houses, relationships, careers and countries.

We always jokingly swore that I’d never shoot her wedding if she ever got married. She wanted me to be partying rather than working and I thought she was probably right. Times change though and when Graham mark III proposed both ‘Frin and I had changed our minds; I somehow couldn’t imagine her having any other photographer. It’s strange to say this but somehow being so involved in photographing somebody’s wedding (especially a close friend’s) gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Anyway enough of that, time to get on with the photos!

More from a seriously sunny day in Cambridge after the jump…
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Wow, what a day. Finally made it back to Bristol at 4:30am after a day of tears, laughter, squid, polaroids and a 40 odd piece samba band. Not taken quite so many photos in a long time!

Anyway here’s one to keep you going until I can get the rest up.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

More soon,
Alex

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Oh no, I’ve done it again. Another epic photo post.

Holly and Phil tied the knot a few weeks back in Swaffham Prior,Cambridge. Phil had contacted me last year having seen this very blog and decided I was the one for their wedding. I have to say I was honoured when they booked without even meeting me! Fast forward 9months and we all finally got the chance to meet for a drink at TheSnug while I was passing through Cambridge. I’m always a touch nervous meeting a couple for the first time, especially when they’ve already booked, but with Holly and Phil I really lucked out. We all got on like a house on fire and Phil filled me in on some of his cunning and devious plans for the day.

The day started with me photographing Holly getting ready at the Mead village (Phil’s Dad really has built an entire village in theCambridge countryside) and Tom (my trusty second photographer) covering Phil. I love covering the girls getting ready; there’s always so much going on and you can feel the excitement in the air. I was a bit sad last week when I wasn’t allowed to be with my own Holly getting ready for our wedding!

The venue itself was a real treat: Phil had really gone to town on the marquee. I haven’t seen quite so much work put into a marquee in a long time and it really paid off. From the amazing cupcake table through to the trees covered in candles it really was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple.

I guess it’s time for me to get on with the photos so I’ll start with this one.

More after the jump!
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