Wedding Photographer of the Year

I've just found out I've been short listed for Wedding Photographer of the Year in the Perfect Wedding Awards 2010. Extract from email below:

"The new wedding looks and trends available promise to make next year one of the most exciting ever for the bride-to-be. We've been studying all the wedding photographers in the market looking for those that really stand out above and beyond the rest and I'm delighted to be able to tell you that you have made the prestigious Perfect Wedding Awards 2010 shortlist".

I'm absolutely delighted to have made the short list and have a chance at winning such a great award. The next stage is the magazine will list all the nominees in the January issue (on sale 2nd December) and also online at the Perfect Wedding website. The really great thing about this competition is that it is the brides and brides to be who will choose the winner by voting for their favourite.

Once the competition is live I may just remind you again and hope you have a look and vote for me.

Some lovely feedback

Being the typical Englishman I've never been that comfortable with singing my own praises but when I got this email today I had to post it here. Feedback like this is what makes my job so rewarding and so enjoyable.

This is from Kat Elton, now Kat Brown (hence the note about being related below, just a wild coincidence that we share the unusual Elton name)

Hi Elton

I just thought I'd send you some snippets of emails I received after sending out the photos, I know how important testimonials are when you have your own business, so here you go...enjoy:

“Wow Kat, absolutely stunning photos, you must be completely thrilled with them!! Good luck with selecting your favourite hundred or so, there are so so many gorgeous ones to chose from! Is the company a family connection? If so, what a talented photographer you are related to. There are some beautiful ones of you, and I love the ones of you and Steven with the fabulous Richmond/London backdrop behind you... so lovely. So many fabulous natural friends and family shots too, wonderful!” Lucy

“WOW, how fab are those pics” Mel Kinsman (make-up artist)

“Wow, those photos are amazing! You look so stunning and the whole wedding looked so romantic! Just beautiful!” Bree

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. They’re just so overwhelmingly beautiful!” Amy

Lots of “wows!” And two of my friends said they were the best wedding photos they had ever seen (and they are married!!)

This weekends wedding was hosted by Chateau des Conde in France

I've just got back from photographing a fabulous wedding in Vallery, France. Vallery is a small village about an hour and a half from Paris in the champagne region. Katie came on this wedding with me and with all the kit you want to take for a destination wedding, if you can drive, you drive. We left on Friday and stopped off for a night in Reims to break the travel up. Reims is very pretty although I warn you that it is currently being dug up and has roadworks pretty much everywhere. They are installing a tram system to be ready for 2011 so do not expect clear roads for a while yet.

After our stay we had a leisurely drive onto Vallery and met up with Hamish and Helena the day before the wedding. We joined a tour of the venue, the beautiful Chateau des Conde and stayed to shoot the evenings wine tasting in the cellars.

The Sunday was the big day and the couple were a dream to photograph and the venue was magnificent. A beautiful chateau that was exclusively the wedding parties for the weekend. Grand rooms, lovely gardens and their own church made this a truly special and memorable wedding. After a day of endless photo opportunities a bonfire was lit and we all warmed up with a glass of port. Very civilised.

So you can get an idea of the venue I have broken my one shot rule and put a few more images in.

Here's the chateau.

One of the rooms

A montage of the gardens (the bride and grooms room is the circular building), the bridal suit complete with glass star gazing ceiling and a side view of the chateau.

And then of course there has to be a detail shot from the wedding, so to complete the set, I went for another room, this one hosted the wedding breakfast.

As ever, the full story and pictures from the wedding will follow shortly.

Thursday & Saturday's Weddings

On Thursday I photographed the lovely wedding of Amaleena & Chris at Loseley Park near Guildford. They first had a civil service followed by a blessing in the Great Hall of Loseley House and then after a quick stop for pictures in the garden we went to celebrate a Hindu service in a marquee by the Tithe barn. A gorgeous sunny day, some lovely guests and a great couple helped create a very special day.

Here's Amaleena's shoes


Then after a day off (if only) I travelled up to Bath to photograph the amazing wedding of Kate and Ivor. They were married in a local church in Combe Down on the edge of Bath and then it was on to the beautiful Assembly Rooms in the heart of Bath for the first stage of the reception. After food the couple and their guests walked down through Bath high street to the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms for the evening reception. Some amazing photo opportunities in a venue that just takes your breath away.

Here's a night shot of the baths which were the couple and their guests exclusively for the night.

As usual their full wedding stories with lots more picture will follow soon.

Saturday's Wedding

A little later than normal on the update, but on Saturday I shot the beautiful wedding of Angie and Dominic at St Andrews Church in Sonning on Thames followed by a reception held at the Berkshire College of Agriculture in Burchetts Green. A very hazy warm late summers day helped create a lovely atmosphere and lots of photo opportunities.

The day's details were themed around the beach and as a surprise Dominic had shipped in two deckchairs for the couple to relax in later on in the day, here's the chairs and when their full story is blogged you'll no doubt see some shots of the lovely couple chilling out in them.

Perfect Wedding October 2009

The latest issue of Perfect Wedding features another of my weddings, this time it's the lovely Rachel and Fergus who were married aboard the HMS Warrior in Portsmouth with their reception held just up the road at the Royal Naval Officers Ward Room. Their wedding story runs to four pages.



You can read Rachel & Fergus's full wedding story through the side bar links to previous featured weddings. Congratulations to you both.