Elton Mogg Photography

Like me on Facebook

2012-01-27T14:18:00.000Z

Well, I guess a lot of you may feel it's about time and you are of course right. So, finally I have just launched my own facebook page for Elton Mogg Photography. I will of course still be updating this blog with all my latest work and pictures but also intend to use facebook to throw in the odd preview picture or two from recent weddings and other shoots, detail any offers I'm currently running as well as hopefully allow you and anyone else interested an easier way to contact and engage with me about my work, your wedding or photography shoot or even just so you can pop in and say Hi...

So now I have to ask really nicely for you to click on facebook and go ahead and like me....

Reflection Shoot

2012-01-18T10:42:00.000Z

Just after New Year I spent a lovely morning photographing Nick and his two daughters, firstly on their favourite family walk with the dog and secondly back at the house with some lighting set ups. The brief was lots of shots of the girls on their own and together as the walls of his house (and of course their facebook walls too no doubt!) had plenty of space for some new pictures.

Christina & Alan at Maunsel House

2012-01-16T17:10:00.000Z

So here it is, my first post of 2012. Took a while I know...

With this in mind I've decided for the new year I am going to do things a little differently with my updates. Previously I would offer up one preview picture and initial write up of my wedding from the weekend and then at a later date do a more detailed review of that wedding. What I'm going to do now is review the wedding straight afterwards with a small selection of some of my initial favourite images from the day - hopefully this will keep the blog up to date and give you some more images to have a look at from each wedding. There are quite a few weddings from last year that I have still not posted reviews on so I will try and slot those in during the course of this year too.

So onto my first wedding of the year which was the beautiful Christina and Alan's celebration held at Maunsel House in Somerset. To say this is a quirky venue is probably an understatement as it is full of so much history and obscure artifacts that you could explore it for days and keep finding new things. It was cold and frosty and everything you would expect of a January wedding with roaring fires warming up the couple and guests after their service in the nearby St Mary's Church in North Petherton. A really gorgeous day filled with much laughter, fun and happiness - a perfect wedding to start the year with!

Maunsel House

Christina getting ready

The rings

If any picture sums up Maunsel, this must be it, removable tommy guns, rocket launchers etc lined the bar, could the boys (or myself) resist the opportunity...clearly not!

The beautiful flower girl

Spotted this great composition during the ceremony

The gorgeous bride

The happy couple inside the house

A lovely Father of the brides speech

Whose going to be next?

2011-12-31T15:27:00.000Z

What better way to end what has been a fantastic year than with the lovely wedding of Claire and Russell which was celebrated at Audley Wood Hotel in Hampshire.

For the time of year it could be considered a fairly mild winter wedding but as the day progressed the chill factor increased and I was grateful that the gorgeous couple were brave souls who were more than happy to do some external shots on the day too.

My preview picture of choice came from the evening party which was held in a separate marquee from the main building making for some great fun pictures as everyone dashed across in the rain.

As it is the last day of the year, I will also say a massive thank you to all the couples whose weddings I have photographed this year, everyone of them has been a great experience and it has been my pleasure to get to know so many nice people celebrating their love for one another and I wish you all a very happy future together. And to all my couples booked for next year I will be very much looking forward to capturing your special day for you and seeing you again soon.

Finally a very Happy New Year to all my readers and followers too.

Happy Christmas Everyone

2011-12-24T10:19:00.000Z

Just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

This was the biggest tree we could find courtesy of Peppa Pig world at Paulton's Park.

Weekend wedding in Austria

2011-12-13T12:41:00.000Z

Well I come to the end of an amazing year for overseas weddings and the fourth and final adventure abroad took us to the really very beautiful town of Lech in Austria. When I think about going away for Christmas and finding log cabins and skiing for the family I know this will be the place I dream about.

Enough of the travel agent sales pitch I hear you say, get on with the wedding! Well this was an amazing wedding that was blessed with the first snow of the year only two days before the big event. Anja and Christoph are from Germany but actually met in Lech so they wanted to celebrate their wedding in a place that had major significance for them. The service took place in the gorgeous old church that is a focal point for the town and afterwards the couple took a sleigh ride to the reception. After food and drinks and lots of pictures, the guests were given a couple of hours break to prepare for the evening reception. This was held up the mountain and the only way there was via cable car and then a walk down the ski run and across the slopes, cue much hilarity and bruised bottoms. Fortunately they had flames to guide the way and bring them to the celebration party.

Anja and Christoph were an absolutely wonderful couple to spend time with and we were looked after fantastically well throughout our stay, the only shame being we could not stay longer but we will look forward to going back and of course giving you a full wedding update in due course. So for now here are some pictures to give you a flavour of the day.

Anja's dress, a lovely creation from New York with feathers forming the bodice

An absolutely amazing church interior

Inside the reception venue

Outside with some fun skiiers getting in on the act

It can't be often that you get to capture a bride on a snow ski!

The guests arrive at the evening reception

The beautiful Lech church at night

Sophie & Stephan in Wiesbaden, Germany

2011-11-21T12:42:00.000Z

Ok it's been a while since I updated with a wedding story and there is quite a backlog so here goes. Sophie and Stephan were married in the small town of Wiesbaden, just outside of Frankfurt. This is one of the only towns not affected by bombing in the war so still has the original architecture which is simply beautiful. After an evening welcome party the night before the wedding, Sophie got ready at a local salon and then made the journey to the pretty little church in Kiedrich.

It's always unusual shooting a wedding ceremony in a foreign language but as a photographer it is always the special visual moments you are looking for and this wedding was full of them so the language difference was never an issue - besides the fact everyone could speak English (putting my linguistic skills to shame). Then it was on to the reception which was held in the Kurhaus which was just lovely. I should add that the weather on this wedding day was just wall to wall sunshine.

After some food and some time for pictures everyone retired to their homes or hotels for a few hours to recover and prepare themselves for the evening festivities which ran very very late into the night.

Sophie has a lie down whilst getting ready - not seen make up put on like this before

Getting the final embellishment for her dress ready

Nice detail of the back of the dress

The beautiful church

Sophie arrives

The flower girl awaits

Service underway

The ring goes on

Outside in the car

View of the Kurhaus

One of the beautiful flowergirls

Fun in the sun

Now that's what I call a strawberry cake!

Your not going anywhere

Inside the Kurhaus

The gorgeous Sophie

Perfect couple

Twirl your dress a bit, perfect

Just love this picture

and this one

Yup you've guessed it, this one too

Spotted this reflection as they walked away together and found it strangely beautiful

Onto the evening reception

Quick walk in the woods as the sun went down

Love the ambiance of this one

Last minute speech checking

The girls wanted to do a fun running shot

Speeches get underway

The girls did a wonderful surprise dance for the couple just before their first dance

Now it's our turn

We did it!

The best things in life are free

2011-11-18T12:37:00.000Z

I was delighted to recently discover that an image I took of my daughter Rheya has been used in the well known collection of Milk greeting cards.

This image was a winner in the Fresh Milk competition, Friendship, Family, Love & Laughter and featured in the International book published last year. You can read more about that book in one of my previous posts here

You can buy the card online but there was nothing quite as nice for a photographer as wandering into Paperchase and seeing one of your pictures in the card section. The icing on the cake is obviously that my daughter is the star of the show.

If you want to buy the card yourself you can either visit Paperchase or go online here.

Professional Photographer Magazine

2011-11-07T11:09:00.000Z

Every year the Professional Photographer magazine runs a competition to find the Professional Photographer of the Year (PPOTY). Whilst the competition is running various judges pick out their favourites of the entries so far to showcase in each magazines issue. You can imagine how delighted I was to find my entry included in this months showcase with a comment on why it was chosen.

The image is the one of Hayley on the stairs that you will find on the front page of my website.

Fingers crossed for the full results.

Saturday's Wedding at Nutfield Priory

2011-10-17T11:35:00.000+01:00

An absolutely glorious Autumnal day graced the lovely wedding of Christina and Jon which was held at St Barnabas Church in Ranmore followed by a reception at Nutfield Priory in Redhill. After getting ready at Nutfield Priory, Christina made the journey in a vintage car to the church where Jon awaited.

A beautiful ceremony followed and then it was time for the couple and their guests to enjoy the October sunshine and celebrate until the early hours.

For their preview picture I chose this one of the dress, actually one of two, this one making a surprise appearance later in the evening.

Temple Gregory Wedding Planners

2011-10-11T17:00:00.000+01:00

I was delighted to find a blog post by Rebecca of Temple Gregory Wedding Planners all about a recent wedding of mine held at Rivervale Barn in Yateley. Loads of my pictures and way more details than I am ever able to obtain about all facets of Hayley and David's wonderful wedding celebration. And of course if your thinking of having a wedding planner then look no further.

Click here to go and see the whole story.

Recent Feedback

2011-10-07T12:08:00.000+01:00

It's always lovely to hear feedback from couples once they have seen their pictures so I thought I'd share two of my recent ones with you:

Elton,

Thank you so so much - the photos are absolutely incredible! We are so so pleased with them and everyone who has looked at them has said they are the best wedding photos they have ever seen!

We are so incredibly pleased with them and you have captured all of the special moments so perfectly. Looking through the photos allows us to re-live the day in such a special way and we feel so lucky to have had you as our wedding photographer

We can't thank you enough.

Georgie & Russell
--------
Hi Elton,

Wow I don't even know what to say! I've just had the best evening with my bridesmaids watching the photos on a slideshow. The timing couldn't have been anymore perfect given they were about to come round. The first time I saw the photos was with my bridesmaids! We thoroughly relived the day and we laughed and cried a lot just by looking at the photos - absolutely perfect :)

The images really are stunning and so captured the mood of the day. Some just took our breath away. Thank you so much for creating such beautiful beautiful images.

Claire

Weekend Wedding in Germany

2011-10-04T10:51:00.000+01:00

Well that was a hot weekend. Alas I was not in England for the last days of summer but instead I was lucky enough to be enjoying the sunshine at the wedding of the gorgeous Sophie and Stefan in Wiesbaden, Germany.

My third overseas wedding trip this year was a stunning event set in a really beautiful town that had just about everything you would hope for at a wedding celebration. After a Friday evening welcome party, it was up early for the getting ready and church service, then onto the first reception. This was followed by a break and then everyone reconvened in black tie and new outfits for the girls to reception number two and even more food and dancing into the very small hours.

As with any overseas wedding I have to say a very big thank you to Sophie and Stefan for looking after us so well throughout our stay. I have selected a few preview pictures from the wedding to give you a flavour of the day.

Interesting view to have whilst getting your make up done.

During the service

Arriving at the first reception

Got to love that mirror

Just love this shot of the happy couple

Evening festivities await

Saturday's Wedding at 45 Millbank

2011-09-26T10:59:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I was up in London photographing the beautiful wedding of Diane and James at 45 Millbank. A fabulous venue next to the Tate with beautiful rooms and views, with some of the best service I have seen.

Diane got ready just down the road at The Mint Hotel and then walked to the venue for final preparations. Dominique Blumenthal of The Perfect Wedding Company ensured that everything ran like clockwork which allowed the day to unfold in a wonderfully relaxed style. With their love of food the couple had a very long wedding breakfast with speeches intermingled with the six courses. They also had a photo booth and vodka luge for the evening festivites.

For their preview picture I chose this shot from the ceremony. Not least because the first kiss is always a great moment but the flash of the guests camera brings the whole of the congregation into the moment and highlights the couple perfectly.

Friday's wedding at Burford Bridge Hotel

2011-09-19T10:23:00.000+01:00

Beautiful sunshine graced the wedding celebration of Rebecca and James on Friday. Their wedding was held at St Nicholas Church in Great Bookham with a reception at the Mecure Burford Bridge Hotel in Dorking. Rebecca was one of the most animated brides I have ever seen and great fun to photograph. And when coupled with James made for a very special couple indeed and that made this such a fun wedding celebration to photograph.

For their preview picture I chose one from the getting ready as I love the reflection of the Mum in the mirror admiring the back of the dress and the bridesmaid on the stairs reflecting the excitement on Rebecca's face.

Saturday's Wedding at Easthampstead Park

2011-09-13T12:01:00.000+01:00

The gorgeous Helen and Rogerio were married at the beautiful Easthampstead Park in Hampshire on a lovely warm Septembers day. This was a coming together of two cultures with Rogerio being Brazilian and Helen English. The wedding had a lovely atmosphere of excitement and fun and both English and Brazilian influences with all the decor and special touches.

For the preview shot I picked one of Helen getting ready. Her dress is hanging from the chandelier and appears to dwarf our bride who is putting her earrings in. I like this picture because it represents the feelings of a girl as the moment closes in and the scale of the day ahead can be felt.

Sunday's Wedding at Barnett Hill

2011-09-07T10:05:00.000+01:00

On Sunday I spent the day at one of my favourite venues, Barnett Hill, on the edge of Guildford. A beautiful place to hold the beautiful wedding of Georgina and Russell. Although it rained in the morning the skies had cleared after the ceremony and everyone was able to enjoy the surroundings. The interior of Barnett Hill also has some beautiful features so really the weather is never an issue anyway.

This was a wedding with a really relaxed atmosphere, some lovely personal touches and a couple very much in love. Perfect.

For their preview picture I chose one of the gorgeous Georgina in the hallway.

This weekend's wedding in Chipping Camden, Cotswolds

2011-08-22T11:04:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I found myself in the beautiful Cotswolds, photographing the equally beautiful Lucy and Matt's wedding celebration. They were married in St Catherines Church on Chipping Camden's high street and the reception was held in a friends beautiful house just down the road. A huge garden housed the marquee and the surrounding orchard gave all the guests ample room to explore and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Even the weather was kinder than anticipated with just the odd shower interupting a lovely wedding day celebration.

For the preview I picked one of the beautiful Lucy with some Cotswold stone, very appropriate I thought.

West Wittering

2011-08-16T09:18:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago on a grey, wet and miserable July summers day I spent a few hours on West Wittering beach with a really lovely family. If there is one thing working as a photographer in England you can always rely on it's the weather. And by that I mean you can rely on it being unreliable!

Some time ago you may remember I shot a series of engagement portraits of a couple at Virginia Waters in Surrey (she was the one with five different dresses and a waterfall). You can see their pictures here. Well it was lovely to hear from Mindy again and this time the brief was a little different. Her parents were over for a couple of weeks from Singapore and they wanted some pictures taken to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Well where better than a lovely English beach with beach huts, blue skies, sand dunes and great views. Cue the drizzle and grey skies.

But not ones to let the rain get in the way we braved the elements and had a fantastic time on the beach. This couple had so much energy they put me to shame and I hope I still have their joie de vivre as I get older too. Congratulations to you both on your anniversary!

This Weekend's wedding

2011-08-15T14:40:00.000+01:00

On Thursday I travelled up to Welshpool for the lovely wedding of Ceri and Martin. Their wedding took place in the Holy Trinity Church which is a local landmark and was also where Ceri's parents were married many years before. After the service everyone then made their way to the beautiful Rowton Castle for the reception. A fantastic venue that hosted a really wonderful wedding day celebration.

The guests, our gorgeous couple and of course the photographer made the most of the lovely building and grounds which made this a very memorable wedding celebration.

For the preview I chose a picture from the walk to the church as I am sure it will have meaning for both Ceri and her parents.

Pembroke Wedding

2011-08-15T14:31:00.000+01:00

This is fractionally delayed but the previous weekend I spent a lovely day photographing the gorgeous wedding of Claire and Atila at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond. Claire got ready at Twickenham stadium which considering England were playing Wales at Rugby there was quite something and made for some great pictures when she emerged to go to the wedding car.

Then the rest of the day was spent at Pembroke Lodge enjoying the warmth of hospitality, friendship and of course love.

I've picked a shot from the evening celebrations for the teaser. Claire had a butterfly theme right down to the confetti cannons for the first dance. I like the couple surrounded by butterflies as they begin the evening celebration.

Saturday's Wedding

2011-08-01T11:41:00.000+01:00

A little closer to home for me this weekend with the really lovely Jing and Kevin getting married at The Holy Ghost Church in Basingstoke and their reception held at the beautiful Elvetham Hotel in Fleet.

Jing got ready at the hotel with her bridesmaids and parents and then took a Rolls Royce to the church where Kevin awaited. Once married it was back off to The Elvetham in the sunshine where the happy couple and their guests could explore this really spectacular wedding venue to their hearts content. After the wedding breakfast and speeches, it was onto the evening celebrations which started with a very romantic first dance and went onto the fireworks and a late evening hog roast.

I picked this picture for their preview as I love the moment, the textures, the dress and the colours.

Full wedding story to follow.

Very Proud Parents

2011-07-26T13:12:00.000+01:00

Quite an emotional day today as our son finished his three years at his infant school and will be moving up to the junior school in September. Most parents will agree that time really flies during the school years and to quote a cliche it honestly feels like it was just yesterday that we were dropping him off for his first day.

Today was the leavers assembly, where we got to see picture progression of the classes through the three years (wife in tears) a play about the Pied Piper, some time for quick pictures in the school playground and then a final show with songs and music from the kids celebrating their time at school (wife in tears). To top it all off Dylan also won the Most Outstanding Achievement Award for the three years at the school (wife and me in tears). A very proud moment for us all, well done indeed Dylan.

Here's Dylan in his playground.

With his cousin Lily (happily they are both in the same class again at their new school).

And a quick grab in the aftermath of the presentation of Dylan and his award.

This weekends wedding in Sweden

2011-07-18T13:46:00.000+01:00

Another overseas wedding to report on. This one was just after my birthday and in Sweden. A beautiful small fishing village called Molle hosted the amazing wedding of Helena and Robert.

An Anglo/Swedish mix of guests and of course the lovely couple made this a very memorable wedding with picture opportunities galore. After the Friday night party it was onto the wedding on Saturday which was held in a lovely church which reminded me of a lego construction (blocky). Then it was off for some pictures at the beach and nearby meadow and onto the reception at The Grand Hotel overlooking the bay.

The Grand Hotel in the morning

The gorgeous Helena at the church

Our happy couple at the beach

Reception in full swing and bathed in sunshine

Sometimes you find a picture that is just perfect

As with any overseas wedding I must say a very big thank you to Helena and Robert for looking after us so well and all their family and friends for making us feel so welcome. I look forward to sharing their whole wedding story with you in due course.

Saturday's Wedding in Italy

2011-06-27T14:46:00.000+01:00

As I dropped the kids off at school today it was nice to be asked by one of the parents if I'd had a nice weekend. Well, where do I start!

On Friday we flew out to Naples and then experienced first hand the Italian driving whilst we were whisked down to the absolutely gorgeous Amalfi coast. A gathering of all the guests was planned that evening at which pictures were taken and food and hospitality shared.

The Amalfi coastline.
Then it was onto the big day. As expected it was hot...very hot! We started in the morning with shots of the venue being prepared and decorated and then it was off to the bride's getting ready after lunch. Once ready the beautiful Natasha and her sister made their way back up the winding coastal road to a truly unique venue.

The gorgeous Natasha before leaving for the ceremony.
Nestled in the mountainside with fabulous views of the surrounding coastline and ocean is Agriturismo S.Alfonso. An outdoor wedding venue that truly does take your breath away.

That is some backdrop to a wedding service

What followed was a very personal and beautiful service and a reception filled with laughter, love, fun and of course being in Italy, great food.

The view at night with every tree lit by candlelight.

I look forward to sharing the whole wedding with you in due course and my thanks must go out to Natasha & Will and all their family and friends for looking after us so well and making us feel so welcome.

IonSolent Interview

2011-06-21T11:56:00.000+01:00

Some time ago I did an interview with a University Journalism student and I've just stumbled upon her article online at the IonSolent website. If your interested in learning more about me and my photography then visit the site here.

Saturday's Wedding

2011-06-14T12:58:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the beautiful wedding of Lucy and Ben. Lucy got ready at the Petersham Hotel and then made the very short journey to St Peters Church in Petersham. After a really intimate and lovely ceremony everyone made their way to Hampton Court House for a wonderfully relaxed and fun reception.

For their preview image I chose this one we took in the amazing shell room hidden in the grounds of Hampton Court House.

As ever their full wedding story will follow.

Saturday's Wedding

2011-06-06T14:33:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the beautiful wedding of Hayley and David. I have been waiting to shoot a wedding at their chosen wedding venue ever since it opened. Not least for the fact that it is actually only a five minute walk from where I grew up in Yateley and spent many an hour walking/running/ fishing on the river Blackwater.

Rivervale Barn did not disappoint and hosted a gorgeous wedding for a really wonderful couple. However as Hayley got ready in the amazing Aviator Hotel in Farnborough I could not resist using this picture as the preview from their wedding.

As ever their full wedding story will follow.

Frances & James at Warbrook House

2011-05-27T13:04:00.000+01:00

Frances and James were wed at the beautiful Warbrook House in Eversley, Hampshire. A really lovely venue with a gorgeous building and large grounds for everyone to explore and enjoy. Frances got ready in the conservatory in the morning and then made the short walk to a very personal and emotional ceremony.

After the couple became husband and wife, everyone showered them with confetti and enjoyed the sunshine, the talents of a character artist and some music via ipod. Then it was onto the wedding breakfast, speeches, cake and the party!

Warbrook awaits the days celebrations

Frances's beautiful dress

Getting ready begins

Many hands make light work

The dress goes on

The gorgeous bride

Lovely light streaming through the window

An emotional Father hugs his daughter after seeing her for the first time as a bride

Nervous time for a groom

But you can relax now

Confetti time

Followed by some time alone in the grounds

The guests make the most of the weather and the venue

Speeches get underway

Emotional ones too

Picture time

And now we dance

and dance....

Saturday's Wedding

2011-05-10T11:43:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the lovely wedding of the gorgeous Elizabeth and Andrew at All Saints Church in Windsor. After the service we made our way to the reception via a quick diversion to the Long Walk for some extra pictures. It was then time to join everyone else at The White Oak in Cookham. This was a wedding with a lovely relaxed atmosphere and even the weather was kind after the thunderstorms the night before.

For their preview I chose this image as I think it encapsulates a church wedding ceremony perfectly.

As always their full story will follow.

Christina & Felix in Germany

2011-04-26T13:53:00.000+01:00

Ok, this might be a bit of an epic post. Firstly this is a wedding I've been waiting to post for ages and I seriously need to continue catching up with my weddings on my blog but I hope you'll forgive me for the delay with this one.

So onto the wedding. Christina and Felix a gorgeous couple contacted me from Germany a couple of years ago and asked me to photograph their wedding in Munster the following year. This would be my first wedding in Germany and it turned out to be a fantastic experience. Their approach was a little different to ours and the format of the day started with the service at a church, followed by a lunch time reception, then a couple of hours break and then an evening reception. This meant along with the getting ready that we would be covering four venues during the day so there was an absolute wealth of new things to photograph at each one.

Upon our arrival on the Friday we were invited to their evening celebration party by the lake in Munster and then the following day was the big day and what a day it turned out to be. In the lead up to the Saturday, Munster had experienced an incredible amount of rain in the space of a few hours so there were a few nerves about what Saturday would hold. They needn't have worried as the sun shone when it was supposed to and when it did rain, it was only for a few minutes and when everyone was inside anyway. Christina and Felix were married in a traditional church service in Munster, then all of the guests were invited to Felix's parents home for the first of two receptions. A beautiful home filled with amazing artwork and with it's own lake gave so many photo opportunities. After the first reception there was a short break and then it was off to the castle in Nordkirchen for the late afternoon and evening. An amazing venue to photograph and perfect ending to a beautiful wedding. Finally on the Sunday we were treated to a brunch and barbecue before the short trip to the airport.

It's always a fabulous experience to photograph a wedding abroad but more important than any venue is always the love of the couple and their dedication to create a perfect celebration of their love for their friends and family to share in. Christina, Felix and their family created a genuinely beautiful and personal wedding that was a joy to photograph.

This year I am lucky enough to be shooting four weddings abroad including Italy, Sweden, The Austrian Alps and Germany again. Yes, I do know how lucky I am.

Christina's Dress

Some final touches

The garter

The beautiful bride

Father's first look

The church awaits

Striking glass cross

Felix arrives with his best man

The parents catch up before the service

Christina arrives

Best view in the house

Ceremony begins

Bridesmaids and Bride exchange glances

All the witnesses take the stage

Our happy couple

We're married!

Beautiful moment

Reception at the parents house

One of the guests enjoys the garden

Bubbles

Cute smile

and now we know the reason why

Groom's Father enjoys a cigar

Off to the castle now, here's the table design

View of the room

Pictures outside

Guests welcome them back

Love this picture

Speeches get underway

Lovely moment

Everyone got involved with these speeches

One of my favs

And now we dance (until 4am!)

Castle at night

Saturday's Wedding

2011-04-11T10:46:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I spent a beautiful day enjoying the wedding of Kate and Jonathan at Frimley Hall Hotel in Camberley. This venue is probably the closest wedding venue to my home and yet this was the first time I'd actually photographed a wedding there! Not only that but my sister had her wedding reception there many moons ago too. This day was also my son's birthday so after helping him open presents first thing in the morning I made the short journey into Frimley to capture Kate's getting ready.

A gorgeous day filled with sunshine, love and laughter and a lovely couple very much in love created a wealth of photo opportunities. For the preview shot I've picked this one as I just love the light and moment.

As ever their full wedding story will follow in due course and do not worry we turned my son's birthday celebrations into a weekend party so Sunday was a cracking day for him as well.

Saturday's Wedding

2011-04-04T13:15:00.001+01:00

I love the Springtime and it was a real pleasure to photograph the gorgeous wedding of Kelly and James on a lovely early spring Saturday. As nature comes out of it's wintry slumber it seems there are beautiful things to photograph everywhere and on this day none more beautiful than Kelly and James's declarations of love. Their wedding was held at The Reading Town Hall and Museum which is a great looking building inside and just a short walk from a lovely park for some outside pictures too.

For their preview picture I chose this striking picture of Kelly coming up the stairs to the ceremony room.

As ever their full wedding story will follow soon.

Nikki & Jonathan at Ravenswood Hotel

2011-03-31T14:53:00.000+01:00

Nikki and Jonathan were married at St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean, Brighton with a reception held at the Ravenswood Hotel in Sharpthorne. The weather was a little changeable so we had sunshine and showers throughout. Fortunately with such a lovely couple enjoying their day to it's fullest we managed to utilise the best and worst of the weather for some truly memorable pictures.

Nikki's very sparkly shoes

It's getting very exciting

For the flower girl above and Mum below

But a bit much for one of them

The dress goes on

Pretty flowergirl

Wonder what app he is using?

Jonathan and the boys

Love the feel of this shot

Nervously awaits his bride

Service underway

Candlelit in parts

Leaving the church

Freedom in the church grounds

Ian Nelson, a fantastic wedding film maker captures a lovely moment

The wedding breakfast

Postcards from the couple for the table names

Kiss in the grounds of Ravenswood

Like a birdcage, beautiful backdrop

Our very happy couple

And then it rained, cue my famous umbrella's

Lovely light inside though for this portrait of the stunning Nikki

I see you. This is actually the daughter of a couple whose wedding I photographed a few years ago. It's was just lovely to see them again and meet their beautiful little girl.

Now that's what these dresses are really for!

Yes, it's speech time.

Nikki produces a final surprise with a change of wedding dress to a beautiful red gown for the evening celebrations

So lets dance.

2011-03-21T15:18:00.000Z

I was recently asked by a previous wedding client to create some new portrait shots of him for use in his business profile online and in magazines. It was great to meet up again with Paul whose wedding I photographed a few years ago and even better to help create some new portraits and head shots with him too. No doubt these will be appearing on his linked in and business websites very soon.

A quick look at a couple of the set ups.

Jennifer and Des at Hotel Felix, Cambridge

2011-03-11T12:17:00.000Z

Hotel Felix in Cambridge hosted the beautiful wedding of Jennifer and Des. This was an outdoor wedding that made the most of the glorious sunshine and location with the couple getting married by the small summer house. After the service everyone had refreshments on the veranda followed by their wedding breakfast and dancing into the small hours. A lovely couple alongside their great guests and venue made this a special and memorable wedding celebration.

Jennifer's beautiful dress

I loved the flowers

Our gorgeous bride

Amazing silhouette and back of dress

Des awaits his bride

The outdoor ceremony

The bride arrives

The ring goes on in the summer house

We're married!

The guests reaction

Really like this portrait

Confetti shower

The cakes

Table setting

Jennifer on the stairs

A bit of fun with the couple

Comparing speeches

Her's was funnier

Time to dance

End of a lovely day

Exotic Butterflies at RHS Wisley

2011-02-25T10:34:00.000Z

Yesterday genuinely felt like the first day of Spring round here. Probably a little early to be counting the end of Winter yet but the sun shone, the air was warm and it seemed that nature is starting to bloom again. Where better to spend a day like this than with the family at the Butterfly Exhibit at RHS Wisley. Beautiful exotic butterflies to keep the kids entertained and lots of gardens to explore. It's on till the 6th of March so if you fancy a nice day out I'd really recommend it.

This one was called the Owl (for obvious reasons)

This fun loving one is called Dylan

And this beautiful one is known as Rheya.

Saturday's Wedding

2011-02-14T13:11:00.000Z

Any one who witnessed the weather in the South of England this weekend will realise how lucky the lovely Cathy and David were to be married on Saturday. A lovely day of sunshine graced a beautiful wedding held at Warbrook House in Eversley, Hampshire. As with all good valentines weekend weddings this one was filled to the brim with love, romance, fun and laughter.

I picked this shot as the preview picture as the getting ready room at Warbrook has such lovely natural light from the attached conservatory and big windows and the back of the mirror says it all. Taken just before the beautiful Cathy left to walk to the ceremony.

As usual, their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Carla & Tom at Loseley Park

2011-02-04T14:33:00.000Z

This latest update is from the gorgeous Carla and Tom's wedding held at Christ Church in Shamley Green followed by a reception at Loseley Park in Guildford. A gorgeous day which kind of gives away it is not a February wedding but a catch up one from last year. This wedding had everything, a great couple, kids everywhere, lovely venues and a real celebration atmosphere.

This picture says it all really.

Carla's lovely dress

And our gorgeous bride

Last minute repairs underway

Lovely flowers

The rings united

Help with the veil

One of my favourites of the day

Tom gets ready

The boys all wait

Carla arrives

A future wedding photographer?

Service gets underway

Emotional celebration

Just chilling out

Back at Loseley

The flower girls enjoy the sunshine

and explore the beautiful grounds

Groom, Bride and Groom's Father, a perfect moment

Hide and seek, but she spotted me

The walk to the barn for the reception

The three waiters get the party started

More fun outside

Speeches kick off in emotional style

Beautiful and porcelain like

One of my all time favourites

Now lets dance!

Fiona & Craig at Pembroke Lodge

2011-01-07T11:42:00.000Z

The lovely Fiona and Craig were married at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond. A beautiful venue in Richmond Park with great views and a really nice ceremony room which doubles up for the wedding breakfast and evening party. Fiona got ready at the nearby Petersham Hotel before making her way to the ceremony in a classic Rolls Royce. After their ceremony the wedding congregation all enjoyed the reception on the terrace followed by food, drinks, speeches and music late into the evening.

The two flower girls start to get excited as the time ticks by

Some help with the dress

Busy, busy

Now that's what I call a train

The beautiful Fiona

Usually it's the other way round

Fiona and her proud Father arrive

Then make the short walk to the ceremony

Craig awaits his bride

Our very happy couple

A great shot of Craig

Happiness is such a great thing!

Just a minor (feet are killing me) adjustment

Love the ethereal feel of this one

Love this shot of them with Pembroke Lodge behind

So happy and so much fun

Speeches kick off

The girls retire for a bit of a recharge

Then a lovely evening stroll in Pembroke's gardens

Let's dance

The party begins

Lisa & Gary at Tylney Hall

2011-01-05T10:52:00.001Z

Firstly a very Happy New Year to you. I feel there's no better way to start the first post of the year than with a review of a beautiful wedding. Lisa & Gary were married at Tylney Hall in Rotherwick, Hook which is a gorgeous venue with imposing building, large and beautiful grounds and great customer care. Lisa got ready in one of the lovely suites overlooking the gardens and then made the walk down the signature staircase with her Father to the ceremony. After a happy and emotional service, the couple and their guests enjoyed their reception in the grounds before moving to the wedding breakfast and finally the party.

Lisa's flowers with a painting of Tylney Hall in the background

Lisa's make up begins

A helping hand with the dress

I really liked the bridesmaids flowers tied to the wrist

Lisa in beautiful light in the bay window

A very happy wedding service

and a very happy groom

The guests start to explore

Our gorgeous bride

Fun on the steps

A bit of Hollywood

Such a lovely couple

Very much in love

Speeches

A couple of landscapes of Tylney

A very proud Mum

Seems everyone was in the loving mood at this wedding

Lisa looking stunning on the stairs

Their first dance

And now the party begins

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T22:59:00.000Z

Just a short note to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year ahead. It's been a wonderful year full of so many fantastic weddings, so I must give a very special thank you to all my previous wedding couples. Next year is looking like an amazing one too with weddings in Italy and Sweden to look forward to and of course all the wonderful home weddings too.

Enjoy the holiday season!

Anna & Rob at Beaumont Estate, Old Windsor

2010-12-16T12:18:00.001Z

After getting ready at home the beautiful Anna and her bridesmaids made their way to The Holy Trinity Church in Cookham where Rob awaited. A lovely service was followed by the bride and groom and guests making their way to The Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor. The guests were taken courtesy of a red London bus. After spending time exploring and enjoying the rooms on offer the wedding party made their way to the gorgeous chapel room for the evening celebrations.

From one of the readings

Anna's dress

The rings

Some fluffy bridal shoes

Getting ready

Don't look so worried, your next

The church was lit by lanterns

Hymn's were well sung to

It's official now

Anna & Rob outside the church

Confetti

The Cheese Cake

Pictures with the bus

I love this shot

The chapel room

Some help with the shoes

Walk around the grounds

Brilliant magician entertained everyone

I told you he was good, look everyone disappeared!

Emotional speeches

Lets dance

Party

Interesting neon lighting on the Estate

Nicola & David at Hedsor House

2010-12-10T16:13:00.000Z

Nicola and David were married at St James the Less church in Dorney Court with a reception at the gorgeous Hedsor House in Taplow. Nicola got ready at Hedsor before making her way to the church for the service and then it was all back to Hedsor House to enjoy the celebrations late in to the evening.

One of the bridesmaids gets ready in a room of mirrors

Nicola has some finishing touches to her make up

Bridesmaid ready

Ushers checking for any late comers

Nicola and her Dad arrive

Service underway

We're married

Kiss outside the church

Now the happy couple drive to Hedsor

A walk in the grounds

Love this picture of them

Cakes and wedding breakfast

I found a field of bluebells so could not resist the picture opportunity

Walk back to Hedsor

Some emotional speeches

An all time favourite of mine - Bride, Mum and sister share a very special moment

Songs for the couple

Some lovely light outside after the meal to enjoy the spectacular views

Lets get the party started

View of the box light dance floor, pretty cool so long as no one falls off

The gorgeous Nicola

Fireworks to end a perfect day

AGWPJA Winner

2010-12-01T10:09:00.000Z

I was really pleased to receive news today that one of my pictures was a winner in the quarterly competition run by the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalists Association. My picture placed 13th in the children's category and is the fourth time now I've got an award in one of their competitions. The picture that won this time was one of my favourites from the recent wedding of Sherri & Wesley at Buxted Park and it is a lovely moment between Sherri and her flower girl.

To see the other winning images and learn more about the AGWPJA click here.

Emma & Ben at Great Fosters

2010-11-26T11:24:00.000Z

Emma & Ben were married at St James Church in Weybridge followed by a reception held at the beautiful Great Fosters. Gorgeous couple, beautiful weather and a stunning venue all made for a wedding full of photographic opportunities. After a lovely ceremony and some time in the church grounds, Emma, Ben and their guests then made their way to Great Fosters and had time to explore the grounds before their wedding breakfast and party late into the night.

The Shoe line up

One of Emma's bridesmaids concentrates on her eyes

Emma's veil goes on

Arriving at the church

Side view as her proud father walks her down the ailse (as a note some churches do not allow any photographers at the front so you adapt and cover the service with as many other angles as you can)

Ben's ring goes on

Really like this one

Emma at Great Fosters

Some time together in the grounds

Went a bit wild with this one

The master of ceremonies organises the revellers

Emma's Mum made a pot of jam for every single one of the guests as name cards (she even made a personal one for me too, it was lovely, thank you! :o)

The gorgeous cake

Do you think he wants a turn?

A photo booth was set up for the evening celebration and guest book

Time to dance

Where is it?

Georgette & James at Gorse Hill, Woking

2010-11-18T10:32:00.001Z

This wedding review is from the gorgeous wedding of Georgette and James that took place at St Martins Church in East Horsley followed by a reception at Gorse Hill in Woking. A beautiful day with colours galore graced our couples wedding celebration which included releasing lanterns into the night sky.

Georgette gets ready

Button holes

Confetti's ready

Some final checks before the off

A little adjustment here and there

The first kiss

Sometimes everything just falls into place

Gorse Hill was a great place for kids to explore

And for the couple to enjoy some time alone together

Created this shot in the corridor upstairs, very classical

An emotional groom's speech

I love this picture

Almost an ethereal feel to the quality of the light across the beautiful dress

Lanterns are ready

Away we go

Time to dance

A very proud Father

Rachel & Stephen at Priston Mill

2010-11-08T11:34:00.002Z

On a typically cold wet November morning what could be better than a review of a bright sunny and very hot wedding day. The gorgeous Rachel and Stephen were married in Priston Mill in Bath. A unique location steeped in history and set in it's own beautiful grounds. After a lovely ceremony the couple and their guests were free to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful surrounds making for lots of photo opportunities.

Priston Mill

A lacing up chain but it's not often the bride is at the end

Rachel's turn now

Rachel arrives

Stephen see's his beautiful bride for the first time

Husband and wife

The flowers (feels very mediterranean to me)

So sweet

So sweet (take two - I'd imagine many guests did!)

Speeches underway

I'm surprised this does not happen more often actually as the candles burn down

A great moment

It was such a beautiful day we waited until early evening and softer light before shooting some portraits

Apparently he had lost his knife

Yes, Priston Mill even had an adventure playground

First Dance

Dusk arrives

Saturday's Wedding

2010-10-14T10:35:00.000+01:00

No not this up coming Saturday but the last one. Back in the weekend when summer was still hanging on and the warmth in the air was such a bonus for an October wedding. Although the sun struggled to enter the celebration, as a photographer I was pretty happy with the huge softbox of white clouds that hung low overhead. So the wedding was of the gorgeous Louise and Richard and took place at Tylney Hall in Hook. A beautiful venue to compliment a lovely wedding celebration. Surprises abounded with horse drawn carriages and fireworks being the obvious highlights.

For their preview shot I chose this one of the flower girl having her band adjusted before the ceremony.

As ever their full wedding story will follow.

Perfect Wedding November 2010

2010-10-08T14:45:00.000+01:00

The latest issue of Perfect Wedding is out and features the fabulous wedding of Helena & Hamish from last year. Their wedding was a beautiful French chateau wedding held in October so this a great anniversary surprise for them. I also manage to appear myself in the contributors page which is always a nice bonus. They really like the toned shot of Helena & Hamish and have used it to introduce the real life wedding section too.

If you want to see my review on Helena & Hamish's wedding which has more details and pictures just click here.

Lovely Feedback

2010-10-05T10:01:00.000+01:00

There is nothing better than receiving an email from one of my couples after they have received their pictures saying that they love them. So it was lovely to receive this one from Frances this morning.

"We cannot express how grateful we are to you for our amazing wedding photos ! We spent hrs looking at them yesterday evening, and really felt like we were reliving the whole day. You captured everything so beautifully that we were both quite emotional.
We were straight on the phone telling friends and family to see them, and have been inundated with messages from them saying how fantastic they all are.
I was wondering whether they would be as good as the ones on your website, but they most certainly match that standard".

What a great way to start my day.

Perfect Wedding October 2010

2010-09-28T11:50:00.000+01:00

I'm very happy to say that the October issue of Perfect Wedding magazine features the lovely wedding of the gorgeous Kat and Steven. They were married at Pembroke Lodge last year and with Kat being Swedish there were some lovely touches from both England (grooms side) and Sweden (brides side) entwined in this beautiful wedding. Kat has already had her wedding featured by the online wedding blog "Love my Dress" so this is a double celebration.

To see my review of their wedding just click here or to see the Love My Dress review click here.

Friday's Wedding

2010-09-27T11:06:00.000+01:00

I'm trying to post some complete wedding stories for you guys to have a look through but the weddings I'm shooting keep coming thick and fast. Hopefully I'll have some full wedding reviews up for you this week. Anyway back to the matter at hand which is the lovely wedding of Claire and Robert. They got married in The Winchester Hotel in (you've guessed it) Winchester. This was a really personal wedding with some beautiful touches and lovely feeling of happiness throughout the day. After the ceremony we took a little walk to an old ruined building and park for some pictures and then it was back to the hotel to continue the celebration.

The ceremony room had a lovely story embossed on the wall and I could not resist using it for the ring shot which I've chosen as their preview image.

As with all my wedding previews one is all you get but their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Last Friday's Wedding

2010-09-14T09:54:00.000+01:00

On Friday I travelled down to one of my favourite venues Buxted Park for the lovely wedding of the gorgeous Sherri and Wes. A lovely spot in the countryside with a beautiful building, spacious rooms for the guests to explore and grounds full of nice features. There was plenty to photograph at this wedding as the couple and their guests enjoyed the emotional service and fun reception to it's fulllest.

As a preview I chose this shot of the beautiful Sherri coming down the stairs to the ceremony. I'm a sucker for chandeliers too.

As usual their full wedding story will follow.

Friday & Saturday's Weddings

2010-09-05T14:17:00.000+01:00

On Friday I had the pleasure of photographing the gorgeous Frances and James's wedding at Warbrook House in Eversley. A beautiful venue for a wedding celebration and with weather to match. Frances got ready at the venue in the conservatory room overlooking the gardens. A great venue for guests to enjoy inside and out and with a very happily married couple leading the party this was a brilliant wedding to photograph.

As the preview image I chose this one of Frances just before the ceremony as you can almost see her thinking about the upcoming moment.

Then on Saturday I made the short journey to another beautiful venue - The Four Seasons Hotel in Hook for the equally gorgeous wedding of Victoria and Chris. A beautiful outside ceremony in the walled garden was a real highlight and the couple and their guests made sure there were plenty of great photo opportunities throughout their memorable wedding.

For their preview shot I chose this one of Chris getting ready as I love the moment between him as his Mum as she helps him with his tie. She said she had not done this since when he first went to school.

As usual both couples full wedding stories with follow when I catch up with all of them :o)

Long weekend Wedding in Munster, Germany

2010-08-31T10:15:00.000+01:00

This bank holiday weekend I spent an amazing three days in Munster, Germany. Regular readers may remember the shoot I did of Christina and Felix in London a few months back and now it was time for their wedding in Germany. Flying in on the Friday we were invited to a pre-wedding party celebration at the side of the lake in Munster.

The following day was the big day and what a day it turned out to be. In the lead up to the Saturday, Munster had experienced an incredible amount of rain in the space of a few hours so there were a few nerves about what Saturday would hold. They needn't have worried as the sun shone when it was supposed to and when it did rain, it was only for a few minutes and when everyone was inside anyway. Christina and Felix were married in a traditional church service in Munster, then all of the guests were invited to Felix's parents home for the first of two receptions. A beautiful home filled with amazing artwork and with it's own lake gave so many photo opportunities. After the first reception there was a short break and then it was off to the castle in Nordkirchen for the late afternoon and evening. An amazing venue to photograph and perfect ending to a beautiful wedding. Finally on the Sunday we were treated to a brunch and barbecue before the short trip to the airport.

Shooting weddings overseas is always a great experience but you become reliant on the people who have invited you over and are looking after you. So we have to thank immensely all the guests and especially the family of both Christina and Felix for their generous and wonderful hospitality and making our trip such a memorable experience. I look forward to sharing the full wedding story and more pictures with you all shortly but for now I have picked out a couple of images of the day.

Christina's walk to the church

A helping hand for the little one to have a bridal cuddle

The gorgeous couple complete with stunning castle backdrop

Saturday's Wedding

2010-08-23T12:33:00.000+01:00

This Saturday the lovely Nikki and Jon were married at St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean, Brighton followed by a reception at The Ravenswood Hotel in Sharpthorne. As the weatherman predicted it was not the August sunshine we were all hoping for but it was warm and although some shower dodging was required the wedding day was a really wonderful celebration to remember. Here's a preview shot of one of the smaller bridesmaids having some fun with her dress.

Their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Perfect Wedding September 2010

2010-08-20T13:14:00.001+01:00

It's around that time of year again when some of my weddings from last year start to get featured in the magazine. I'm happy to say that this month we have two weddings featured in Perfect Wedding. They are the beautiful weddings of Hannah & John and Victoria and Elliot. Hannah's wedding runs under the village vintage headline and Victoria's wedding is the Modern London Wedding (this is the second bit of coverage Victoria has had as her wedding has also been featured earlier by Rock my Wedding too).

You can find my versions of their wedding stories by clicking Hannah's Wedding or Victoria's Wedding.
A really lovely coverage of both weddings - congratulations to you both.

Saturday's Wedding

2010-08-16T15:41:00.000+01:00

This weekend I spent in the company of my family enjoying the wedding of my cousin Darrell and Sam. It was also my pleasure to be officially photographing their special day for them at The Sandbanks Hotel in Poole. A great venue right on the beach and although it rained in the morning it seemed that every time the schedule allowed for outside time, the rain cleared just for them. Great for me too as I could then get some shots of them and the guests on the beach. After the wedding we stayed the night at the hotel and then spent most of yesterday on the beach ourselves. Perfect.

As a preview here is the beautiful Sam taking a beach stroll in her lovely dress.

Congratulations to you both and their full wedding story will follow shortly.

The glorious 12th

2010-08-12T11:25:00.000+01:00

Today is a very special day for us as this is our wedding anniversary and being a millennium wedding couple we are celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary today. I am more than happy to roll out the cliches of how quickly the time has flown as it still seems just a moment ago that I waited at the front of the ballroom in Frensham Heights for my beautiful future wife. It is a day I will never forget and alongside the birth of our two gorgeous kids the best of my life.

Now I am lucky enough to spend my working life in the presence of couples having the day of their lives and photographing the events that they will remember forever. It is something that I never take for granted and enjoy to the fullest.

This weekend see's the wedding of one of my cousin's and I have been asked to photograph their day for them, it's brilliant shooting your family's wedding but what will be really lovely is that we'll get to see the same people who were at our wedding all those years ago too. A great way to spend an anniversary celebration I think.

Ten wonderful years and counting...

Saturday's Wedding

2010-08-11T11:56:00.000+01:00

A little later than usual here is my update on last weekends wedding. Jennifer and Des were married in Cambridge at the lovely Felix Hotel. The weather was so kind to us all that we were able to enjoy an outdoor ceremony and when the showers did come everyone was already tucking into their wedding breakfast. This wedding was a very personal and intimate occasion that was just a pleasure to photograph. As the preview shot I chose this one of the beautiful Jennifer and the gorgeous dress.

As usual their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Lauren & Tom at The Aboretum

2010-08-05T16:34:00.000+01:00

You may be wondering if this is a new wedding venue and I guess in a way it sort of is. Lauren and Tom had looked around on where to hold their reception for ages and then had the inspired idea of holding it within Lightwater Arboretum. A secret haunt for the dog walkers this a beautiful hidden treasure complete with lakes and fake ruins (but good fake ruins I must add). So Lauren and Tom got permission, got a marquee and had the makings of a wonderfully unique wedding reception. Styling the reception along the lines of an English country picnic guests were greeted with scones, cake and tea and then an evening hog roast.

The sweet table for the kids and no doubt the odd adult too

Napkin details

Excited bridesmaids love their dresses

I'm ready, a wink and a skipping rope in action, now there's something you wont see everyday

Tom awaits his bride

The long pretty walk up to the church

Our beautiful bride arrives

The service underway

One of the readings in the church

Couldn't resist posting this one again

The grandparents start the long walk back

And our couple are not too far behind

A lovely idea this one. Write your message to the couple and hang on the tree, building up a tree full of leafy messages to keep forever

Impromptu speeches get an interesting reaction

The sweet shop pulls in another one

Our lovely couple spend some time together in the arboretum

Back to the marquee, follow the path you cant go wrong

A great moment between friends

Absolutely love this shot

Throw it to me

And the band played on

Hayley & Russell at Bodelwyddan Castle, Denbighshire

2010-07-31T17:05:00.000+01:00

I'm actually catching up rapidly on my wedding reviews. I'm up to April which does not sound too bad to me. This wedding was on Easter Sunday itself and had some very nice touches including an Easter egg hunt for all the guests. Hayley and Russell's wedding took place at the amazing Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales. A truly special venue for a wedding celebration and perfect for our lovely couple. After the service you get the run of the grounds for a couple of hours and then head off to your reception.

All the shoes of the day

The very proud Father has a little help

and then captures the getting ready on film

Shot from outside looking through the window with the sun reflecting. On paper it shouldn't really work but this picture just has something special about the feel of it. It's great when the experiments pay off.

Our beautiful bride is ready

well one more thing to go on actually

The bridal party arrives at the castle

A special moment as Russell see's his future wife

The kiss that seals the deal

Our bride awaits her guests for some pictures, I love this one of her

and this one

The castle has so many great places to explore

and they let you shoot indoors too. Very classical but definitely appropriate

Cup cakes seem to be way to go these days

A nice Easter Sunday touch with the favours

The line up

The flowers on the table were beautiful, tulips are my favourite flower

The beautiful flower girl during the speeches

Russell enjoys the best mans speech

And now we dance

Friday's Wedding

2010-07-31T16:03:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the beautiful wedding of Carla and Tom who were married at Christ Church in Shamley Green followed by a reception at Loseley Park. Gorgeous couple, great weather, lovely venue, kids everywhere and fun guests made this a wedding filled with great photo opportunities. I went with the ring shot as the preview just cause it took me ages to balance them on the globe and I think it looks really cool.

Their full wedding story will follow on soon.

Saturday's Wedding

2010-07-19T23:03:00.000+01:00

This Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the gorgeous wedding of Caroline and Craig at The Grove hotel. A beautiful venue to host a very special day for a lovely couple. There was a great atmosphere at this wedding with loads of kids running around and the adults too! It was a tough call on what to post as a preview image but with the kids asking to see the pictures straight away, I ended up with two. The reason being that as part of the evening entertainment the couples had organised some very special guests to entertain everyone. First up was the fun with Britain's got Talent finalists Stavros Flatley.

You'll probably never see a picture like that on this blog again. They were followed by the lovely Lucie Jones from X Factor fame who is now starring in Les Miserables who then sang beautifully for everyone.

A great way to end the evening and of course their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Donna & Chris at Taplow House Hotel

2010-07-12T12:38:00.017+01:00

The lovely Taplow House hotel hosted the equally beautiful wedding of Donna and Chris (aka Des) on a cold day in February (yes I am slowly catching up with my wedding posts). Our beautiful bride got ready at the venue and after a lovely service the weather was kind enough to allow us some time outside in the hotel grounds. Singers entertained the guests during the wedding breakfast as well as party games and then it was on into the party for the rest of the night.

Here is a shot of the decorated fireplace in the ceremony room

In an attempt to make my blog load a little faster and to make it easier to follow my posts and if you desire add any comments I'm testing out the Read More after Jump feature for my new posts. This way you can just read the introduction and then click to read more about the featured wedding on it's own page.

Jewellery being prepared

The bride's Mum adjusts her dress

Donna relaxs and reads some of her wedding cards

Her bridesmaid's between two dresses

Perfume and rings

A little help with the dress and garter

Down she comes

Her Father gives Donna an emotional hug

During the ceremony

We're married!!

Get the matching wedding jacket on for the outside

Some time together

Our lovely bride

The room all set up for the wedding breakfast

Personalised chocolate cup cakes

Nooooo!

Now that's funny

What did she say?

An early dance with the bridesmaids

A friend managed this pretty cool present for the couple

Party

Climbing Mountains

2010-07-08T09:45:00.002+01:00

I was delighted to receive this picture in my email box today as it signified the amazing success of one of my good friends in climbing to the highest point in Africa (the things guys do to get a good view of the world cup games!) Mike managed the climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and along with his 25 friends and colleagues raised over £100,000 for charity. Incredible. Well done mate and rumours are he is heading for Everest base camp next!

Yesterday's Wedding

2010-07-05T10:32:00.002+01:00

Pembroke Lodge hosted the wedding yesterday of the gorgeous Fiona and Craig. A great venue right in Richmond Park with fabulous views and a very intimate yet relaxed feel. This was a wedding full of fun and laughter so what better teaser picture than this one of Fiona outside the entrance of Pembroke Lodge.

Their full story will follow shortly.

Joanna & David at Great Fosters

2010-07-01T12:43:00.002+01:00

Joanna and David were married on a wet, windy and cold January day but with their wedding held at the beautiful Great Fosters their family and friends were in for a real winter's treat. A lovely couple very much in love made sure that everyone's first wedding of the year was one to be remembered.

Everyone checks out the dress

Joanna's shoes

Her hair comes together

Great Fosters barn ready for the service

David gets ready

Some help with the button hole

The rings and entrance music

The bridesmaids await our beautiful bride in the rain

A keen guest

A very proud Father

The ring goes on

The couple leave and go to the Painted Hall

The famous bridge with ice on the water, yes it was that cold

But that didn't stop our gorgeous couple

Such a sweetie

I like the feel of the veil decoration around the table plan, very bridal

The room looked lovely with the candle light and fairy light decorations

Speeches get going

Joanna, a dark wood corridor (very common at Great Fosters) and some textural post production

The bridal suite

The party begins

One of the benefits of a winter wedding is the light goes early allowing for some interesting and beautiful night shots

Jennifer & Andrew at Berystede Hotel

2010-06-25T12:21:00.002+01:00

Two wedding updates in as many days, I'm on a roll. This one was the very last wedding of 2009 for me, yes 2009 you read right. A cold, wet and windy late December day greeted our lovely couple, but with umbrellas to hand and high in spirits this turned out to be a fantastic wedding celebration. After getting married in the All Saints Church in Wokingham, their reception was held in the Berystede Hotel in Ascot.

How cool are these shoes

Queue for the mirror

Father helps his son out

The dress is zipped up

I like the reflection in this one

A beautiful bride and dress

One of the glamorous guests

Bridesmaids arrive

Jennifer's veil caught beautifully in the wind

A lovely church

The happy couple listen to a reading

An arty capture as they head for the blessing

The Berystede fortunately had one part undercover outside

Romance on the stairs

A nice shot of them coming down the stairs to greet their guests

A bit of texture work on this portrait of the lovely Jennifer

Put your feet up it's been a long day

Well it made me laugh

Speeches are underway

And now we dance

and spin!!

Caroline & Andy at Pembroke Lodge

2010-06-24T12:45:00.002+01:00

I'm not sure I'm ever going to catch up on my wedding updates (maybe I'll have to rethink my posting style) but in the continuing attempt to report back here is the lovely wedding of Caroline and Andy which was hosted by the beautiful Pembroke Lodge in Richmond. Caroline got ready at the venue with the help of Sally Riceman make up artist, a beautiful service followed and the very much in love couple and their family and friends enjoyed the great scenery and company to make for a wonderful wedding celebration.

Detail on Caroline's dress

Caroline gets ready

Andy gets some help too

Make up in progress

I think her Mum was more nervous than the bride

A good best man is always ready to make the groom laugh to break the tension

Andy awaits his bride

The service in full swing

A nice grabbed portrait of one of the bridesmaids looking out at the view over Richmond

They had an artist in for the reception who created paper portraits of all the guests which went down really well.

Detail from the wedding breakfast

Some time together

I know I don't look that good when I take my pictures

The speeches are underway

And now the party begins

An added bonus for guests was a photo booth with fancy dress so everyone could take a picture and paste it in the guest book. Was very popular after a few drinks for sure.

Saturday's Wedding

2010-06-21T10:48:00.002+01:00

It was a lovely warm June day for Lisa and Gary's wedding at Tylney Hall this weekend. The beautiful bride spent the morning getting ready in one of the lovely rooms upstairs with her bridesmaids before making her way down the staircase for their wedding ceremony. Afterwards the couple and their guests enjoyed the amazing landscaped gardens before heading for the wedding breakfast and party.

As a preview here is a picture captured down by the lake as the couple spent some time together during the reception.

Their full wedding story will follow.

The Last Week

2010-06-06T14:26:00.003+01:00

Firstly I'll apologise for the lack of posts last week but I was on holiday. It's not often a half term coincides with one weekend when I do not have a wedding so the family all jumped into the car and we spent the week down at the Witterings. To say we were lucky with the weather would be an understatement with the kids making a break for the beach virtually every day.

The weekend before I went was a busy one though, firstly I photographed the beautiful wedding of Anna & Rob who were married in Cookham with a reception held at a lovely venue in Old Windsor called the White House, part of the Beaumont Estate. We had to dodge a few Spring showers but the sun finally shined and the couple and their guests had a great celebration.

Here's one of my favourites from the day. Taken just before the service as Anna and her Father stood outside under the church arch way sheltering from the rain. Sometimes you do not need to see faces to feel emotion.

Then on Sunday I travelled into London to meet up with a lovely German couple, Christina & Felix who have booked me for their wedding in Munster, Germany in August. It was a great opportunity to get to know them and learn all about the up coming celebration in Germany and we took some pre-wedding pictures along the embankment too.

I now cannot wait to go out to Germany and photograph their wedding, it sounds like it will be an amazing experience.

Saturday's Wedding at Hampton Court House

2010-05-24T10:10:00.002+01:00

It sure was hot at this wedding on Saturday. The first really roasting day for the weddings I've covered so far this year and I really felt for the groomsmen in their formal suits. But as ever nothing a glass of fizz and a fantastic wedding celebration could not make better. Claire and David were married at the Holy Trinity Church in Claygate with a reception five minutes away at the beautiful Hampton Court House.

I thought for a change I'd focus on the groom in the preview shot and here is our groom David listening to the emotional speeches.

Their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Friday & Saturday's Weddings

2010-05-18T12:10:00.002+01:00

On Friday I had the pleasure of photographing Emma & Ben's lovely wedding at St James Church in Weybridge followed by a reception held at Great Fosters in Egham. A beautiful venue, gorgeous couple and pretty good weather (cloudy but no rain) helped make this a wedding to remember.

Here is a great shot of Emma and her Dad waiting in the wedding car before turning the corner to the church for their arrival.

Then on Saturday I went to Hedsor House to photograph the getting ready of Nicola, then a short drive to St James the Less Church in Dorney for the marriage ceremony and then back to the amazing Hedsor House for the reception. Nicola & David had picked a beautiful and famous venue to host their celebration and the gorgeous couple and their guests had a fantastic day to remember.

For their preview shot I chose this wonderful image taken during the reception entertainment of Nicola, her twin sister and their Mother.

Their full stories will follow in due course.

Helena & Hamish at Chateau des Conde, Vallery, France

2010-05-13T14:54:00.003+01:00

I've been waiting some time to catch up and post this wonderful wedding from France. Destination weddings always offer something new and inspiring and this one was no different. An amazing location to hold your wedding in, the Chateau des Conde was made up of not only the Chateau itself but three other buildings to house your guests and get ready in, as well as a swimming pool and special feature rooms. There is even a beautiful church literally just up the road so you can walk to your service if you wish. It is down near(ish) Paris so we made a trip of it by staying in Rheims overnight on the way down. Hopefully you'll forgive me the few extra pictures from this one and I must thank the gorgeous couple and their families for looking after us so well.

View across to the couples own private building

Staying at the florists overnight gave the unusual advantage of seeing the flowers all together in one go

Helena starts to get ready

Hamish is ready

An unusual ring bearer

The boys make their way to the church

Helena moves rooms for the final stage of getting ready

Perfume (now remember to walk into it)

A lovely moment between brother and sister as dad watches on

Let's go

Hamish awaits

The beautiful Helena arrives

I love this shot just before going down the ailse

A nice view of the guests

Service underway

We're married

This shot won me an award in the recent AGWPJA competition.

You've got to love that car

Another beautiful moment

A great series, what do you think she has said?

The grounds have so many options for pictures

As do the feature rooms

One of my all time favourites

A spiral staircase, a beautiful bride - who could resist

These weddings are long days!!

How cool is this, your very own swing

The speeches kick off

Did he just say that?

Time to dance and a great dance it was

Late at night, a gazebo, a glass of bubbly and a beautiful bride - perfect

Ending the day with stories round the rather large camp fire

Kate & Ivor in Bath

2010-05-10T12:35:00.002+01:00

Kate & Ivor were married in a beautiful church in Combe Down, Bath and then held their reception firstly at the Assembly Rooms in the heart of Bath and then moved the short distance to the famous Roman Baths & Pump Rooms. How great it is to gain access to these beautiful venues with all their history for your wedding day and what a great place to photograph in too.

Kate's fabulous bouquet

The dress goes on

I love the tiny details at weddings

A beautiful church and memorable way to be greeted

The beautiful Kate arrives

Service gets underway

We've done it

Bubbles to celebrate but not the drinking kind

Cool hat

Kate & Ivor leave for the assembly rooms

The assembly rooms all ready and waiting

Ivor gave a moving speech

The walk across town to the Pump Rooms

Some portraits in the famous Roman Baths

Sometimes everything just lines up perfectly. The location, the light, the bride moves through the shot and because I was shooting at a slow shutter speed for the ambient light I tracked with her movement and this was the result.

Amazing location to shoot, especially in the evening

Onto the dancing

Everyone danced at this wedding.

Redbook Feedback

2010-05-07T14:15:00.003+01:00

Your probably wondering what that title means but recently I started shooting Bridal Boudoir for some of my clients under the branding of The Little Red Book. I'm pleased to say I've had some lovely feedback from one of the clients:

"I have just received my little red book and all I can say is wow and a very big thank you. I was quite nervous about having a look as I still cant believe I was brave enough, however while looking through the photo's I cannot believe how well they have turned out. I have always hated my photo being taken and tend to be the one that takes them but from these photo's there maybe a chance you may not get me out of the pictures. You have really shown real women femininity and beauty and the one thing that it reminds me of is when the old lady in the film titanic is showing the picture of her posing with such beauty for Leonardo, which makes me think what a wonderful memory to have when you are showing your pictures to your grandchildren or when me and my friends get together when we are eighty and look through them with a giggle and a little proudness.

As for my man, I think it was a mix of emotions a. you look stunning, (he actually said this is what you look like to me all the time and I never believe him) and b. the quality of the photo's are amazing in the setting.

I particularly love the photo of my back, I cant even find the words to describe how much I love what you have done with it. Thank you so so much."

If you want to find out more about the Redbook experience and see some sample pictures just visit my website and follow the redbook link.

Saturday's Wedding

2010-05-02T15:56:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I enjoyed a great day at Georgette and James's wedding at St Martins Church in East Horsley followed by their reception at Gorse Hill in Woking. We were lucky enough to dodge all the showers and the lovely couple and their guests enjoyed a beautiful wedding day full of emotion and happiness.

Until their full story follows, here is a shot from late yesterday of the start of the lantern celebration.

Feedback

2010-04-26T09:11:00.003+01:00

It's always a great start to the week when you receive some lovely feedback from your most recent completed wedding:

Hi Elton

We just wanted to say a big thankyou - our photographs are absolutely beautiful. Everytime we look at them we love them more and more. Friends and family who have seen them so far are amazed with them. We loved your photographs from the first time we saw them in a magazine and are so happy you came all the way to Wales to photograph our day. It truly was the best day of our lives and we didn't stop smiling and laughing all day long. You captured all the details and helped keep the day stress free for us!
We will be recommending you to everyone.

Thank you again and best wishes for the future.
Hayley and Russ

You'll be able to see more pictures from Hayley and Russell's wedding in Bodelwyddan Castle very soon.

Amaleena and Chris at Loseley Park

2010-04-21T11:04:00.002+01:00

Continuing my seemingly never ending catch up on late last years weddings here we have the little gem of a two ceremony wedding held at Loseley Park. Amaleena and Chris were married in the Great Hall in a civil service which was then followed by a Hindu blessing in a large marquee set up in Loseley's lovely grounds. As you can imagine this was a very colourful celebration and made for some great pictures throughout the day.

One of the bridesmaid dresses

Our gorgeous bride

A great viewpoint

Chris and his ushers await

A little help

Is that the time?

First look

A cute ring bearer

The great hall is a beautiful venue for a service

Nice detail on the brides dress

Some pictures in Loseley's gardens

Part two gets underway

There was some lovely light on this day

One of my favourites from the day, what a suit!

Gifts and emotions during the speeches

Everyone dance

Weekend's Weddings

2010-04-20T16:19:00.002+01:00

On Friday I photographed a lovely wedding at St John the Baptist Church in Bisley followed by a marquee reception in a little hidden gem in Lightwater. The Arboretum in Lightwater is a popular favourite for walkers and hidden away with vast grounds it made for a fantastic reception venue for the equally fantastic Lauren and Tom. Here's a sneak preview from their wedding, this was caught during the service and is an instant favourite for me.

Then on Saturday I travelled to Bath to shoot the gorgeous wedding of Rachel and Steven at Priston Mill. A beautiful venue with lovely grounds and with a cloudless sky and very hot day the couple and their guests enjoyed the fantastic scenery and celebration bathed in sunshine all day long. This shot is taken from the getting ready as the dress went on.

Both full wedding stories will follow on shortly.

A lake, a waterfall, five dresses and one couple in Autumn

2010-04-13T12:02:00.004+01:00

As Spring has finally arrived it's a great opportunity for me to remind you of Autumn. Yes I know, a bit strange but Mindy and Nicholas contacted me last Autumn to create a shoot for them that made use of the beautiful British autumnal seasonal colours. They are due to be married in a month or so's time but they are getting hitched in Singapore which I'm reliably informed has very little in the way of seasonal changes. Their idea was to bring a little bit of England to their wedding by displaying the pictures throughout their reception. A great idea and a really inspiring brief to get hold of and I'm reviewing it now as their wedding is just weeks away.

This shoot also gave me the opportunity to play about with a few post production textures too.

Yes I found a waterfall in Hampshire

A really beautiful one at that

Here's Mindy showing off one of the five dresses she brought with her!

Nature, sculpture and bridal, interesting mix

I really like the emotive feel of this one with the textural overlay

We found a beautiful mermaid on the shores of the lake

A glamorous couple, a fallen log and some lovely helpful passers by equals one great picture.

Some real Autumn colours and beautiful light

You've got to love those shoes

And finally the formal attire. A perfect combination of amazing dress and beautiful bridge creates an oriental feel in leafy Hampshire.

The motely crew get in on the act.

A great big thank you must go to Mindy and Nicholas for braving the cold winds (and they were really cold) to help create some amazing pictures that I hope will have a great impact in Singapore at their wedding. Also a huge thank you to Sally Riceman who looked after Mindy's hair and make up throughout the shoot and made the couple look amazing and laugh all the time. Finally I must not forget Kerry who was my assistant on the day and happily ran around after me helping with lighting and everything else camera wise.

Rock My Wedding

2010-04-08T14:26:00.002+01:00

For those of you that have yet to discover it, Rock my Wedding started life as a bride to be's blog about all her wedding planning. After her wedding the blog had gathered such a following that it just continued on and has now become a real go to destination for all that is great in the wedding world. It was also recently voted as one of the 100 top wedding blogs to follow in 2010. So why am I promoting it? Well for one it's a great place for inspiration beyond the photography I cover here but mostly it's because they are featuring one of my weddings from last year!

Victoria & Elliott's to be precise, which was a gorgeous wedding held at Dulwich College in London last year. Part one of their coverage is posted today with a second part following tomorrow. Definitely worth checking out for all Victoria's ideas and inspiration. Victoria & Elliott on Rock my Wedding.

North Wales Wedding Weekend

2010-04-07T11:30:00.002+01:00

I have just been lucky enough to spend the Easter weekend in the company of some wonderful people celebrating the wedding of Hayley and Russell. Their wedding was held in the magnificent Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire and we were graced with lovely weather throughout. The castle is a photographers dream both inside and out and a mention should go out to Vicky the event organiser there who was absolutely fantastic throughout.

I was told it would be an emotional affair and the groom didn't let me down when he saw his bride for the first time.

As always their full wedding story will follow shortly.

Angie & Dominic at the Berkshire College of Agriculture

2010-03-30T16:17:00.003+01:00

Continuing my drive to catch up with all my past weddings, here is the lovely wedding of Angie and Dominic who were married at St Andrews Church in Sonning from where it was a short drive to their reception at the BCA - Berkshire College of Agriculture in Maidenhead. A beautiful day, lovely venue and a very much in love couple made for a perfect wedding celebration.

The bridal bouquet

Save the date

The bridal party's shoes

Cameras rolling

Angie gets ready

Some final touches for Dominic

Here she comes

During the service

Confetti corridor

A short walk from the church was this bridge which made a great backdrop

A lovely reception room at the BCA

Here's a new one - a cheesecake! What a great idea for a wedding cake.

Some music for the reception drinks

I think that's tight enough

It's a tiring day for the bride and groom

I just love this picture of Angie

Great view of the dress

I do like my chandeliers

Some time together after the food

And now we dance

Or grab the nearest girl!

Followers

2010-03-25T11:50:00.002Z

Regular readers will notice I now have a followers widget on this blog (at the top of the side bar on the right). This is an easy way for you to keep up to date with me and let me know you like what you find here. I only have one follower at the moment (thanks to Maryland Weddings for that) but it is day one so it'd be great to see a few more of you connecting and showing yourselves.

Love My Dress

2010-03-22T12:32:00.002Z

Looking for inspiration in everything wedding then a visit to Love My Dress might be in order. In their own words "A style diary and Wedding Blog of Fabulous Finds to inspire you...Passionate about all things glamorous and extremely sexy gorgeous".

With that in mind I am delighted to have one of my weddings featured by them. Kat and Steven's wedding at Pembroke Lodge last year is currently sitting on their home page with a great interview with Kat about all her inspiration for her big day. Lots more of my pictures too so please do go and check it out. Love My Dress - Kat's Wedding Feature

Ange & Paul at Alexander House Hotel

2010-03-17T10:43:00.002Z

Continuing my catch ups, today we have the lovely wedding of Ange and Paul who were married at St Margarets Church in West Hoathly with a reception held at the beautiful Alexander House Hotel in Turners Hill. Glorious weather, great couple and guests and a perfect venue.

Ange's lovely dress

The bridal bouquet

Probably not the image you expect to see at a getting ready, don't worry the dress was safe they just couldn't find any scissors

Getting ready for the lace up

Paul arrives at the church

Ange arrives with her Father

Some pictures from the service

Confetti congratulations

Welcome to the family

One of the lovely guests

Beautiful bride and bridesmaids

The cake(s)

Some time together

Introducing the newlyweds

Present time

A bit of creative lighting on the staircase

Woohoo

Melanie & Paul at Cley Windmill

2010-03-12T10:01:00.002Z

This was my second trip up to Norfolk and the great venue of Cley Windmill in Cley next the Sea. As unusual and memorable venues go this is right up there. Perfect for a small wedding with just your close family and friends. This is exactly what Mel and Paul had in mind when they held their beautiful wedding here. One of those lovely photographic days with sunshine but nice fluffy clouds made shooting in and around the windmill a real pleasure. When your shooting a small wedding you really feel like you get to know everyone there which is not really possible at most weddings and with such a great couple and group of people this was a really special wedding to capture.

Detail on Mel's dress

Present time

A different ring shot

Mel helps her son get ready

I love this picture of them together

You get all sorts of angles at a windmill

The boys enjoy the early morning sunshine

And then disappear to the pub

One of the views of Cley Windmill

Back to the beautiful bride

I've shot in dark venues before but this beats them all (especially as no flash or lighting is allowed during the ceremony), fortunately technology has come a long long way

A tender moment between Mother and Son

It's just great to see two boys sitting down reading at a wedding instead of playing on a DS or PlayStation

The windmill balcony

Also useful for the occasional unusual angle

The youngest guest of the day

A real landscape favourite of mine

Mel looking gorgeous

Some time alone together

One of my favourites from the day

No caption required

No band or disco but still a lovely first dance

And to end, a night portrait under the sails

Gabrielle & James at Loseley Park

2010-03-11T15:56:00.002Z

Continuing my seemingly never ending wedding catch ups from last year today we have the beautiful wedding of Gabrielle and James who were married on a gorgeous day at Loseley Park. Gabrielle chose a very striking and memorable dress for her special day which photographed beautifully. Loseley as ever was the perfect host.

The lovely bouquet

Gabrielle's made up

A line of help

The boys await

Now the bridesmaids wait

Hurry Up

First look

A very proud father

The beautiful bride

A nice look at the delicate hair design

Everyone likes the reservoir dogs thing

Some time alone in the beautiful Loseley gardens

Inside the the Tithe Barn

The quintessential Loseley picture

This is the new layout of the back room of the barn, a really nice space to relax in

Congratulations you two

Jenga - you lose

Lets dance

Victoria & Elliot at Dulwich College

2010-03-02T16:22:00.003Z

Continuing my series of catch up weddings from late last year, today we have the beautiful wedding of Victoria & Elliot that was held at Dulwich College in London with a reception at the Cinnamon Club in Westminster. After the service at The Old Library in the College the bride and groom and their guests took a red bus tour through the city of London to arrive at the reception.

Victoria's tiara

The make up process in full swing

One of my all time favourite getting ready pictures

Just where do all those hands come from?

It's not often your gifted a backdrop like this when shooting a bride at home

It's this way

A little help please

Victoria arrives

Elliot awaits his bride

The service has some real fun moments

The grounds round the College are beautiful and can make for some great pictures

The bus awaits

Arriving at the Cinnamon Club

One of the lovely bridesmaids

A very relaxed reception but with a spontaneous first dance thrown in

Speeches

Sian & Mark at Bradfield College

2010-03-02T14:18:00.003Z

My regular readers will know I'm playing catch up with the end of last years weddings for the blog updates but I'm going to have a concerted effort to post a bunch of them over the next few days. Starting with...

Sian and Mark's lovely wedding which was held in St Mark's church in Englefield followed by a reception at Bradfield College in Reading. Beautiful sunshine graced this wedding celebration and with a guest list of real age diversity both young and old enjoyed the wedding to the fullest.

Sian's bridesmaids help each other get ready

I love the light and colour on this one

Sian's Dad's first look

Sian's Mum arrives at the church

One of the bridesmaids awaits

Sian sang a song to Mark during the service which went down a storm

Fun outside

The lovely church grounds

Now that's a bunch of flowers

The reception room at Bradfield College

A nice atmospheric shot

Sian's pretty boquet

Some time together

Her Mum helps her with the dress

One of the guests enjoys the speeches

Run for it

I suspect everyone's Nan has done this to them once or twice in their life

Now we can dance the night away

Saturday's Wedding at Taplow House Hotel

2010-02-24T11:13:00.003Z

On Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting a lovely wedding at Taplow House Hotel. Donna & Chris (known as Des to pretty much everyone) spent the day enjoying the surroundings of this lovely hotel on the edge of Maidenhead. After getting ready upstairs Donna and Des were married and then we were all lucky enough to enjoy some dry weather outside, followed by sprinkles of snow.

As usual their full wedding story will follow but for now here's one of my favourite shots from the day. It's not often you see a bride hanging on for dear life as the dress gets tighter and tighter.

F2 Freelance Photographer Magazine

2010-02-11T13:04:00.002Z

I am currently being featured in the February/March issue of F2 Freelance Photographer Magazine. The article comes under the banner of Website Focus and is all about my work and how my website and blog fit into my business plan. It is really fantastic to have my work and website recognised and featured by such a great industry magazine.

The magazine is available at The Photographers Gallery Book Shop, Harrods London and other specialist photographic outlets but is also sold in 130 WH Smith Outlets too.
You can visit F2's website here if you want to learn more F2

Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalists Winner

2010-02-05T10:21:00.002Z

I was very happy to discover this morning that one of my images won 12th place in the recent quarterly Artistic Guild competition. The shot of the hat filled with confetti had some nice judges commments and was shot at a wedding in France from last year.

The [AG]WPJA have redesigned their website too which looks just great and is well worth a visit.

Kat & Steven at Pembroke Lodge

2010-01-22T09:59:00.002Z

It's cold and raining outside so what better day to update you with a wedding from last year that was full of sunshine and brightness. Kat and Steven were married at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park on a lovely Summer's day. Kat is from Sweden so the wedding was full of a mixture of Swedish and English traditions making for some great photographic moments.

Kat's dress awaits

A lovely moment with her bridesmaid (Kat on the right)

And now the Mum's get in on the act

The groom and the boys make their way over the river to Pembroke

The ceremony room at Pembroke Lodge

Kat's final touches

The bridesmaid watches and waits

Time to get married

Steven see's his bride for the first time

The ceremony under way

Glasses left for every guest to toast the couple and keep as a reminder

A sweet shot of one of the children

The stunning bride

In case we were not sure by now whose wedding this was :o)

I love the sunlight in this shot caught just before the wedding breakfast

The best man finds some solitude to practice his speech

A great tradition for the groom, the bride leaves the room and all the female guests get a kiss. Not to be outdone the reverse applies too.

Speeches get underway

There's not much better than getting some time with the bride and groom during magic hour for some extra pictures

A walk in the park

Some portraits of the beautiful bride

A sunset kiss

Back to start the party

Husband and wife

Saturday's Wedding at Great Fosters

2010-01-19T13:22:00.002Z

On Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful wedding of Joanna and David at Great Fosters in Egham. A lovely couple, great guests and wonderful venue made this a really memorable wedding celebration.

As a preview I've picked a really emotive shot from the service just after they were pronounced husband and wife.

Sam & Scott at The Four Seasons

2010-01-18T17:29:00.002Z

Our very good friends got married at the Four Seasons in Hook last year. An absolutely blazing hot day graced their wedding in this beautiful venue. It is always something special to be asked to photograph a close friends wedding as you are granted an insiders view on their day that you would never experience as their guest. We have known Sam and Scott for many years now and I'll take the opportunity to once again wish them a very happy marriage and long life together.

The Four Seasons

Detail on Sam's dress

Inside the hotel

Scott gets ready

The flower girl relaxes before the off

Sam's gorgeous dress goes on

The beautiful bride

Where is she?

Sam's Dad unveils his lovely daughter

Congratulations...and I didn't lose the rings.

I'm married!

Some time together

Back to the reception and their friends

And now some magic

Best man's speech

A confetti filled first dance

The party really begins now

Perfect Wedding - December 2009

2010-01-18T13:06:00.002Z

It appears that in the Christmas rush I missed a copy of Perfect Wedding magazine that featured one of my weddings. The December issue ran a feature on Claire and Ian's wedding at Great Fosters that ran to 5 pages. Fortunately the online version of the magazine is now featuring their wedding story too so I can show you that instead.

Click here for the link to the Perfect Wedding article or you can see the couples full story via my previously featured weddings by clicking here.