Monday, August 28, 2006

Zoe and Jon - Hampshire


My second wedding of the weekend was in a small Hampshire Village called Broughton. Zoe and Jon held their reception in a marquee in Zoe's parent's garden.





The ceremony was a couple of miles away in the tiny St James' church in a hamlet called Bossington.

The church is situated some 150 yards from the main road and is accessed via a winding path. It is worth the walk as the church, although small is really cute; a bit like Kylie Minogue, I guess.





The minister was a friendly chap and was more than happy for photographs to be taken inside and outside the church.

So, without apology, this posting centres on the two highlights of the day for me; the church, certainly the prettiest I have seen for a while, and Zoe, who was definitely one of the more 'easy going' Brides i have worked with.


Sunday, August 27, 2006

The Ashes seem a long time ago...


On Friday I travelled down to Sussex on a fabulous August day to cover the wedding of Victoria and Andrew. Although they both live in Australia, Victoria is originally from the UK and and it was here that they decided to marry.

The venue for the day was Ravenswood Hotel in Sharpthorne which has 20 acres of it's own lawns and woodlands and the guests included many from Australia who had made the trip which was surprising given the usual Aussie reluctance to travel...






The couple had a civil ceremony that included a moment when they combined two viles of sand; one contained sand from Andrew's home town of Hampton, Melbourne and the other, sand from Hornsea in Yorkshire which is Victoria's family home.

I think some of the English guests were a little worried at first, thinking that this might be some kind of Aussie attempt to steal back the Ashes!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Sally and Lewis - Shooters Hill


Yesterday, Sally and Lewis married in a full to capacity Victorian church in their own parish of Shooters Hill. After the ceremony they came out of the church to be greeted by all their guests including a Guard of Honour.
Sally admitted to being nervous before the ceremony but still managed to look fantastic in her Caroline Castigliano dress. Her bouquet was created by Manchesters Flowers in Greenwich.

Lewis, a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, looked suitably impressed as he greeted his Bride at the alter.


The reception was held just a mile away in the Officers Mess at Woolwich Barracks. The magnificent dining hall was lit by two massive chandeliers, suspended from the high ceiling, and candelabras along the tables which gave an intimate feel to the wedding breakfast.


After the couple had cut their cake with Lewis' ceremonial sword the guests enjoyed their meal folowed by the speeches during which they learned that Lewis had proposed to Sally after 'strolling' with her up Pen Y Fan (almost 3,000 feet high!) in the Brecon Beacons.

We were all very fortunate that, by special arrangement, Elvis was in the building (complete with a South London accent ???) and, in complete contrast to the tradition that had gone before, the newlyweds sped around the floor to "Burning Love"!

Monday, August 07, 2006

As seen on TV


Kirsty and Rob held their ceremony and reception at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham. The grade II listed mansion is a great backdrop for a wedding and, as the Bride and Groom work in the world of television and film, it was fitting that the tables for the wedding breakfast were given titles of favourite movies.

Unsurprisingly the top table was called 'Romeo and Juliet'.





In the evening the music was supplied by the big band sound of 'Gregg McCann & The Hands of Jazz'.




The happy couple are now set to enjoy a relaxing honeymoon in the Maldives.





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