Just a quick one from yesterday. Had so much fun with Anna and Rik’s awesome VW beetle wedding car and some handy sparkers!
Drive it like you stole it!
UPDATE: Lots more added hit the link below to see them all!
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It’s always a little intimidating to shoot a fellow photographer’s wedding, but it’s also a real honour. I was delighted when Steve – who used to be an aviation and wedding photographer – asked me to photograph his wedding, especially when he told me his and Caroline’s plans.
Caroline and Steve chose their wedding day very carefully – they got married exactly twelve years after they had their first date (which apparently came about because of a bet – clearly not all gambling leads to evil!). They arranged a small, intimate wedding, but that didn’t stop some thing going wrong (doesn’t something always at a wedding?!). On the morning of the wedding, the cake company called to let them know that their cake had just come out of the oven and was going to look lovely in a few days time. Cue a panicked couple informing the cake company that they needed the cake today and a panicked cake company pulling off some speedy and impressive icing to get the cake ready in time. Well, it was definitely fresh!
Caroline and Steve’s wedding was personal from the start. They married at Steve’s local church, where the vicar was a family friend. The result was an intimate ceremony that felt really special – like everyone was privileged to witness the wedding.
The reception was held at Tilnee Hall, where the casual, fun atmosphere was only increased by the smells of the dinner – a proper BBQ! – being cooked. Dinner itself was served in a candlelit room. Because there were so few guests they were all served at one long table, like the single big family they had just become.
Caroline and Steve had a late ceremony, which actually worked out really well for taking photos – we caught the golden hour as the sun set, which always leads to some (I think) wonderful shots.
I won’t say too much about the rest of the night, mostly because it consisted of one of the craziest photobooths I’ve ever shot. Steve’s sister had organised some props for the booth and after a few drinks they were put to use in some pretty R-rated photos that rest assured will not be on this blog!
Here are some of the photos I can display in public!
Lore and lots more after the jump…
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When you get your guests spontaneously singing along to ‘All You Need Is Love’ when they haven’t even had a glass of champagne, you know you’ve got a good wedding on your hands. This was exactly what happened during the ceremony of Natalie and Ross’s wedding in Sussex, partly because of the awesome band, and partly because of their wonderful friends and family.
Natalie and Ross decided to hold their wedding in their place of work. Not the most obvious location for one of the few days when it’s pretty much criminal to do any work! They run an activity centre called Q Leisure in Sussex, and as soon as I saw the Quad bikes and go carts, I realised what a perfect location it is for a wedding that was sheer fun from start to finish.
Amidst the many wonderful moments was one that was pure luck: a fly past of vintage planes from a nearby air show that felt as though it was being put on just for the wedding! Other memories were courtesy of the incredible group of people who came together to celebrate their friends’ marriage, from the line of guests waiting to throw confetti on the couple as they drove down the driveway, to the massive queue for increasingly silly crazy booth photos.
Natalie and Ross – here’s wishing you a life filled with as much merriment, friendship and luck as you had on that wonderful day in September!
Loads and loads more after the jump…
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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!
Laura and Kerry got married because of squash. Kerry was part of a manly group of squash players at the company where he and Laura worked together. When Laura’s friends told him what a good squash player she was, he decided to challenge her to a game. It turns out that Laura wasn’t as good as her friends said she was… but they carried on ‘playing squash’ together anyway!
Fast-forward a few years and Laura is getting ready for her wedding in her family home, alongside her five sisters. Meanwhile, my second photographer Chris (from Gryphon Photography) was in the honeymoon suite of Southwood Hall with Kerry and his ushers, who spent a large proportion of the morning enjoying the Jacuzzi – it’s all right for some!
Miraculously, Laura was both punctual and late for the ceremony: she arrived at St George’s Church right on time… before realising that they had forgotten the flowers. Cue a quick trip back to the house to fetch them! The ceremony itself was beautiful – the church is the kind of building with windows placed just right so that light streams in through the windows onto the couple getting married – a photographer’s dream!
After the ceremony we drove off in a super-cool Vintage Bentley in search of a red telephone box. Laura and Kerry had seen a photo I took of Sarah and Simon last year in a telephone box in London, and wanted something similar. They found one right next to a park, and with some lighting jiggery pokery I’m pretty pleased with the result.
Then it was on to the reception at Southwood Hall (after stopping off at some particularly pretty cornfields on the way – Norfolk is pretty good on the photogenic landscapes front!), where plenty of garden games and ice cream awaited us. Dinner was themed around one of my favourite things – chocolate. Laura and Kerry had spent so much time on the decorations, and their handmade marshmallow trees were just amazing.
It may have started thundering during the speeches, but that didn’t make them any less entertaining: even Iron Man made an entrance (don’t ask). The evening got even sillier still, with Kerry strutting his stuff in a sailor’s hat and no shirt, and a crazy photo booth, where the Iron Man costume from earlier made quite a few appearances!
Well, that’s probably enough from me – here’s the photos and as always let me know what you think in the comments!
What do you do with a couple who have bought two wedding dresses and a violin just for an engagement shoot? Well, you go on an adventure around the Lake District with them, of course! Betsy lives in London, Henry lives in Sheffield and is from Australia, and they are getting married in Hong Kong next year, so they’re a truly jet-setting couple. They chose the Lake District for their engagement shoot because it’s where they went on their first holiday, and they knew some spectacular views just perfect for photos.
We met up with Betsy and Henry at Armathwaite Hotel for a very refined afternoon tea, before heading out to the Lakes. My photo radar seemed to be permanently pinging as we passed beautiful view after picturesque hill (we may have climbed a few fences to get into the prettiest fields). Betsy was an absolute trooper: she donned walking boots underneath her Pronovias dress, hopped over gates and strode ahead of us through the muddiest patches. Both she and Henry were committed to making the most of the landscape – they even bought props! When you combine that with their lovely personalities, well, suffice to say they were a total joy to work with.
As the sun set behind the mountains, we grabbed some dinner and headed to bed for the night (although Henry realised he had left his phone behind a rock earlier in the day, so we popped back to a wet field in the pitch black to retrieve it!). We were up early the next morning to grab a few final shots on a pier. This was where Henry’s musical talents became apparent: he played an old violin for some shots. Turns out that classical music sounds absolutely magical when played next to a lake. We only stopped when the rain got a bit too much for my camera gear and returned, damp but happy, to our B&B for some hot breakfast.
Holly and I were sad to say goodbye to Betsy and Henry: we had a wonderful time traipsing through wet fields on the search for romantic locations. Guys, we just hope you had as much fun as we did! I have no doubt that their wedding next year will be wonderful – full of little personal details and lots of beautiful fun. Betsy and Henry: here’s wishing you every happiness for your wedding and your lives beyond!
More after the jump…
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It was sunny! Great fun day yesterday with Kelvin and Gemma down in Dorset. Don’t know how they did it but the sun came out and made for an amazing day.
Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, lots more coming up soon – this time when I get back from Scotland.
Alex 
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.
Lots more after the jump…
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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….
As always, way more after the jump…
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Well apparently it was sunny yesterday down South. At Comlogon Castle? Yeah, not so much; lots of sideways rain.
Rachel and David took it all in their stride though. With all the laughter, fun, giggles and general merriment we all managed to forget about the weather outside and had an awesome day.
Anyway, here’s one to keep you going, more soon!
Alex