Hayley and Ed took my breath away at their pre-wedding session…I shan’t go back over how much I loved it or how awesome they were to photograph (see here) but I will say that I was ridiculously excited to photograph them again.

We travelled down to Cornwall the day before to ensure there were no grim traffic delays or unforeseen circumstances on the morning…the weather forecast was looking good and with the promise of photographs on the beach I was in high spirits! After a glorious morning of prep involving the chaps catching up around a box of cereal, the girls spontaneously bursting into song and me smashing my phone (again!) we headed to St Just Church where Hayley and Ed exchanged vows and rings and exited the church, in glorious sunshine, as husband and wife.

The wedding party headed to a gorgeous new wedding venue, Chypraze Farm, where the staff were attentive to their every need. Whilst the guests relaxe and enjoyed drinks in the courtyard, we headed off to the beach with the Bridal Party. With everyone kitted out in flip flops or wellies and armed with champage, we marched on down to the beach and were rewarded with simply stunning views. This group of guys and girls really made the experience one of the most enjoyable wedding moments of the year…having a bridal party where eryone is up for everything makes photography a complete joy. So, from rock climbing to lunging (don’t ask!) they did it all and with gusto. Love them.

After the group shots, the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen headed back to Chypraze Farm whilst Hayley and Ed enjoyed a little quiet time on the seafront. Throughout our various chats together along the way, Hayley had mentioned how much she loved the idea of a few romantic images of them on the beach and loved the idea of her veil blowing in the wind…this was when I knew we were going to be the perfect fit. If you’re a follower of my work you’ll know that I do love a blowy veil shot!!

The walk back to the barn and a cool drink or two later and a delicious BBQ buffet was served alongside champagne and shots of Jagermeister…my kind of wedding party. The speeches were perfect, personal, touching and funny and were rounded up with ice creams in the courtyard and silly photo’s in the straw photobooth. Just perfect.

I get asked all the time what makes a wedding special, people assume that because I see a lot of them I will find them boring. This is astonishing to me as a) I’m a certified weddingoholic and b) no two weddings are ever the same! For me, there is almost something that makes that wedding special and with Hayley and Ed it was the chemistry between them, the stunning location and the nostalgic touches (Hayley had her mothers wedding dress re-styled into her perfect dress and affixed brooches to her bouquet in memory of loved ones). I’d go back and do it all again in a heartbeat!!

Enjoy the pictures.
xx

P.S. If you’re on the hunt for a slightly bonkers, happy, chatty wedding photographer with a love for heartfelt, romantic, documentary photography then I’d love to hear all about your plans and see if I might be the girl for you!

Dear Grooms – this is the reaction us girls are looking for….just saying!

I love the next couple…

When your husband trips and manages to rescue himself before falling off a rock/smashing a camera or landing in the sea. Love the bridal party reaction… Boom!

I’m not quite sure how Anika and Rob’s rural, Salisbury wedding would have panned out if the weather had not been on our side – in fact, it doesn’t really bear thinking about!  These guys chose to pitch a vintage style marquee on the village green at the back of their home, they sourced local produce for their wedding breakfast and spent endless amounts of time finding the perfect team of people to create their (very sophisticated and elegant) village fete wedding.  In all of this, they almost appeared to turn a blind eye to the possibility that it might be a wash out.  I loved that; I loved their optimism, their enthusiasm and their ‘it’s going to be a right village affair’ type attitude.

The morning of the big day was overcast which, considering the heavy downpour the day before, didn’t bode well. Time ran away with us as is so often the case on a Wedding morning but Anika remained unflustered as the hairdresser worked her magic.  I feel I should give a massive shout out here to Suzy Griffiths who worked like I’ve never seen a hairdresser work before – yes, she was under pressure and yes, we were a smidge (maybe quite a bit!!) behind schedule but she NAILED IT and Anika’s hair was gorgeous! 🙂  *Inserts a virtual high five*

The ceremony at Rob and Anika’s village church (just a one minute stroll from their house) was beautiful and heartfelt and was followed by a great deal of happiness and laughter when the guests spilled out of the church into glorious sunshine!  Whilst Pimms was served in the church grounds, we skipped on ahead of the guests (Ok, I skipped and Mr.C did a more manly sort of a stomp) to the field where we were able to capture the Marquee in all its splendour.

I was instantly wowed by an unearthly amount of bunting, strings of bulbs, floral decorations at every turn and candy hung from the Oak tree.  Guests arrived and took up the fete games and whilst the Hoopla, Coconut Shy and Limbo were in action, we captured a few laid back family group shots and captured a few, more romantic images, of the Bride and Groom.

Then the Tug of War started…well, several tugs of war, actually!  The children had a go, the adults had a go, then another team had a go… and later in the day I saw that another group were digging their heels in ready for another heave-ho.  I couldn’t decide if I was delighted by Anika’s attitude to get stuck in or just plain fearful that she’d end up on the ground with a very muddy dress….though she wasn’t in the least phased.

Right.  I’ve rambled on enough. This was a tremendous day, in part because of the gorgeous weather and stunning setting but really, what made this day incredible was the amazing couple and the people they chose to spend the day with – I didn’t really want to go home!!

Enjoy the pictures!

x

P.S If you’re on the hunt for a Wedding Photographer who giggles a lot, does up dresses and tucks in labels,  affixes button holes, sings during hymns, takes the mickey out of herself and loves people (as well as taking photographs – obviously!!) then I would love to hear all about your day.

With extra special thanks to:

Bird and Carter – Catering (Thanks Annie!)
Daphne Smith – Floristry
Tara Sanger – Make-Up
Suzy Griffiths – Hair Styling

The Bride wore a stunning lace dress called ‘Saina’ from St Patrick by Pronovias.  Her shoes were purchased from Dune.
The Groom wore a suit by Suit Supply in London, his shoes were by Jeffery West at Selfridges.

Anika had an effortless ‘look like a film star’ thing going on. What’s not to love!

I love three piece suits – I’m seeing more and more awesome waistcoat and tie combo’s and Rob and his chaps looked great!

Love seeing all the details?  Keep scrolling for heaps more gorgeousness and the tug of war pictures!

I’m still a bit in love with Kelly and Charlotte – when it comes to Bridesmaids, these girls could not have been more attentive, helpful or friendly…thank you so much. x

On a beautiful late Spring day at the end of May, Anna and Simon married at St Nicholas Church in Wickham, they chose to follow their ceremony with a fabulous wedding reception at Bartholomew Barn in Sussex.

Anna breezed through the house looking utterly stunning from the word go.  Surrounded by her gorgeous, enthusiastic and downright lovely Bridesmaids, she absolutely glowed in anticipation for the day ahead. Around the corner, Simon and his Groomsmen were getting ready at Florence House, a beautiful boutique hotel in Southsea.

It is well documented that Anna and Simon are a pretty organised couple and, like many couples, they had their day planned out on an Excel spreadsheet with military precision…which benefitted us tremendously when we left Southsea with room in hand to allow the gentlemen to head to the village pub and allowed the ladies to pitstop at Anna’s parents house for photographs in their back garden before heading to the church!

Anna and Simon really thought about what was important to them for their day.  They knew they wanted to have time to mingle and soak up the atmosphere and they were also keen to have a relaxed vibe for their friends and family to be able to sit back (in deckchairs!) and enjoy the yummy drinks bring serving from The Gin Emporium…which is genius, by the way.   To try and afford Anna and Simon the time they desired to relax, we spent a little time with them creating images as soon as we arrived at the barn (before their guests arrived on the coach) which then enabled them to have a drink and catch up with their friends and family whilst we captured more candid images and documented all the gorgeous little touches, the floral pieces and the barn looking utterly stunning.

One of the things that Mr.C and I loved at this wedding was really getting in the thick of it.  Although we’d been prepped about the ‘surprise’ Singing Waiters, they were so incredibly convincing as Waiters that we actually forgot!  Their performance was all the more fantastic and unexpected because of this.  Really, they were absolutely amazing, the atmosphere was incredible…I’ve never seen guests so enthused!

Ok, so the timescales ran adrift (they always do!) and the excel sheet did have to get flung to one side (excel schmexcel) but Anna and Simon took it all in their stride and on the plus side?  The delay on the first dance meant that we were able to steal Anna and Simon away at sunset for a few private minutes of golden lit gorgeousness.  I couldn’t have been any happier!

Enjoy the images….and if you’re on the hunt for a Photographer for your big day, I’d love to discuss my services with you.

Huge thanks to the following team of amazing suppliers:

Bartholomew Barn: Huge thanks to Ellie Bowers for all your help.
Bride and Zoom Films.  A pleasure to work with guys, thank you!
Midnight Masquerade Catering Oh Lucy! It was Yum!!! 🙂
Jenni Bloom Floristry….swoonsville!!!!!
Make Up by Lisa Virgo Anna looking stunning from word go until crazy evening
Hair Styling: Nicola Pate- Cabelo.  Sleek, sophisticated and elegant styling – perfection!
Stationary: E.Y.I love  Their work is GORGEOS!
Entertainment: Big Love Soul (band).
The Brides Attire: ‘Viola’ by Claire Pettibone, from Ellie Sanderson Bridal in Oxford.
The Grooms Attire: Suit by Kabiru Abu. Tailored in Savile Row, London

If you happen to be someone that reads my blog, then you’ll know that Katherine and Matt were the couple that stole my heart from the moment they crossed the threshold of my home.  You can read the blog here if you fancy!  It was the way Katherine asked ‘would you like a minute?’ as I realised that my home was in shambles and I was wearing strawberry picking attire rather than ‘meet a new couple’ attire.  I laughed and welcomed them in…you get what you get with me!!!

The journey, with these guys, from ‘photographer meets couple’ to ‘let’s be friends forever’ (yes, you are stuck with me forever now!!!!) was really quite unexpected but so very welcome!  From the first meeting to the hilarious pre-wedding session in Salisbury and through all the emails and phone calls along the way, I felt a genuine wish to be a part of this couples life. 🙂

Many things dictate the choosing of a Photographer…there is so much to think about (though that’s another blog altogether!) but from that original meeting, I gathered that Katherine and Matt were looking for someone to be present in the run up to their day, someone who could provide insight and guidance if needed and someone who would document the day as beautifully, honestly and unobtrusively as possible.  I’m so lucky that they chose me to be that someone.

Barford Park made an utterly stunning backdrop for their relaxed, country barn, wedding.  They were particularly keen on having a day that felt true to them and that didn’t feel too formal.  I particularly loved the generational wedding photograph display, the glorious floral decorations that festooned the venue and the stunning ‘naked’ cake. From the barrells to the bunting, this was my kind of wedding. *Sigh*.

When they returned to my home to view their images, with tea and cake and not a dinosaur in sight(!) we greeted each other as old friends and yes, I did get emotional!  Seeing their faces as they re-lived the emotions of their day really did have me welling up.

Enjoy.
x