Category: Wedding photography
Wedding photos at Bristol Docks – James & Angie
When I saw the Temperley logo on the dress cover for Angie’s wedding gown I thought I might actually die. I love Temperley. And oh my, this was a beauty to behold. The 1940s Hollywood style Long Jean dress is embellished with jewels, sequins and beads and has fabulous cut away sections at the back making it quite the statement piece. It looked amazing in photos from every angle but I especially loved the back. Oh yes. Never before have I been able to get away with so many photographs of a Bride’s back!
I was really excited to be second shooting this wedding with Rosie. We always have great fun together. And if this plus a Temperley gown wasn’t enough excitement for one day, then doing Bride & Groom photographs with the vintage trains at Bristol Docks was most definitely going to get the creativity flowing. It was just brilliant to use such an unusual location. Normally the weather doesn’t worry me. I’ve given up even looking at forecasts now, but this was one wedding where it just had to be dry for the outside photos. We weren’t going to miss out on this!
The wedding itself, and the reception, were held at ‘Riverstation’ which is a super stylish restaurant on Bristol harbour and benefits from the perfect aqua painted cladding next door for some funky group photographs! Continuing the very contemporary and quirky feel James and Angie chose a ‘cheese’ cake rather than a traditional wedding cake. In fact the whole day was very personal and reflective of the things that are important to James and Angie. Angie chose Lily of the Valley for her bouquet in memory of her Grandma Lily. And the two Best Men’s rewritten version of ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ (Angie is a big cat lover!) was the most original way, that I’ve heard so far, to say how special a couple are and to wish them all the best for their future.
It’s days like this that make the endless days of retouching and admin worthwhile.
♥ Venue: Riverstation♥ Dress: Long Jean, Temperley
♥ Flowers: Edward Allen
Pembroke Lodge wedding photography – James & Pip
James and Pip’s wedding at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park was lots of fun to photograph. Not just because of all the gorgeous things for me to get my camera round. But also because I was second shooting for the fab Rosie Parsons who’s a very good friend of mine. Rosie and I often work together; well, if you can call it work – there’s nothing better than doing a job you love, than doing it with a wonderful friend.
This was my third visit to Pembroke Lodge. Surrounded by trees, deer and open parkland it’s an oasis of calm. James and Pip had both their civil ceremony and reception there and had use of the downstairs rooms which open onto a courtyard with spectacular views across Surrey.
The day’s excitement started with a bespoke Ellie & Charlotte gown and a fabbie pair of Louboutins. I do love a bit of a red sole. I also adored the elegance of Pip’s choice of simple white hydrangea bouquets and table centre-pieces. The French themed table plan as a reminder of James and Pip’s link to France was really fun too. And the traditional Chinese wedding cake looked delicious – meringue piled high with cream and fruit.
The big highlight of the day however was the surprise singing waiters who burst into song after the main course to the delight of all the guests. The reactions of the guests who had truly believed these were real staff up until the moment they started singing was brilliant. It went down an absolute storm and had everyone singing, clapping and dancing along. Literally up out of their chairs dancing. I’d highly recommend it, très entertaining.
♥ Venue: Pembroke Lodge, Richmond♥ Dress: Ellie & Charlotte
♥ Cake: Golden Gate Cake Shop
♥ Flowers: The Luxe ♥ Entertainment: Soprano Bella
James and Julia’s Lavenham wedding (part 2)
Getting a sense of the venue and location into their wedding photographs was really important to Julia and James. This isn’t as obvious as it might sound; many wedding photographers don’t do it. But showing off the venue is something that I love to do.
Dominique and I enjoyed a walk through the narrow streets of Lavenham for James and Julia’s ‘Bride and Groom photo session’. Lavenham oozes history, beauty and character so it wasn’t hard to find some great spots for photographs. The half-timbered crooked buildings and warm limewashed Suffolk colours made great backdrops. James and Julia were totally at ease and seemed to really enjoy having their photographs taken. Quite the contrast to their pre-wedding shoot which they were rather nervous about. Just goes to show it’s worth having a practice before the day.
We arrived back at The Swan just in time to photograph all the dinner table details. I love details and this wedding didn’t disappoint. The tables were named ‘I love you’ in different languages and there were more flowers, of course! Elegant candleabra were decorated with pinks and purples and each place setting had a rose perfectly hand-tied to the napkin. The Godiva chocolates and whisky miniatures went down a treat. And the mini watering cans with a packet of flower seeds were the perfect gift to remember a wedding where flowers played such a big part.
After dinner and the speeches there was cake and lots of dancing. And a long drive home! But it was well worth it.
♥ Venue: The Swan at Lavenham
♥ Dress: Suzanne Neville
♥ Cake: Couture Cakes (based in Spalding, Lincolnshire)
♥ Flowers: Hayford & Rhodes (London based)
Lavenham wedding photography – James & Julia (part 1)
It’s no good. James and Julia’s wedding was just too lovely for one blog post. There’s so much to share that I simply couldn’t narrow down the number of photographs any further! So, part 1 …
The Swan at Lavenham was the gem of a setting for the day. James and Julia both got ready here which made it easy for Dominique and I to capture getting ready photographs of them both. Everyone was really relaxed during the preparations (not always the case!) and this tone continued for the entire day.
Julia looked very elegant in a simple but stunning Suzanne Neville gown. And the Bridesmaids wore dresses of the same gorgeous colour but in different styles to suit each of them. James looked pretty dapper too and the boys’ bright blue ties were particularly striking.
Where do I start with the flowers? When I arrived at the hotel there were flowers EVERYWHERE! But in a few short hours the transformation was quite breathtaking. Everywhere you looked a mass of beautiful pink roses, peonies and blue hydrangea complemented the wooden beams and frames of the hotel.
♥ Venue: The Swan at Lavenham
♥ Dress: Suzanne Neville
♥ Shoes: Emmy
♥ Flowers: Hayford & Rhodes
No ordinary wedding cake
As hard as I tried I couldn’t choose just one photo of Mark and Juanita’s wedding cake to include in the main blog post of their wedding. It truly deserves a post of its own. See what I mean?
Everything on the cake has personal meaning to the couple. The church is the one they married in. Their dog sits by a sign of their street name. The fields, sheep and the cows from their walks. And of course the two of them in their wedding finery. This was such a fun, personal cake. I loved photographing it.
No-one other than Hockleys could pull off a cake like this!
