Wedding Photography in London & Beyond

Wedding at Great Fosters

2009-08-06T21:08:00.002+01:00

This wedding started with a ceremony in West London and then moved on to a reception in leafy Surrey.

Rachel and Mark were married at St Pauls church in Chiswick at 2.30pm. We were expecting the forecasted rain to be with us that point but, thankfully, it held off until later in the day. The wedding ceremomy was enlivened by the Elysian Choir who sang beautifully throughout but really sent shivers down the spine with a rendition of Handel's Zadock the Priest whilst the marriage register was being signed.

After the ceremony the Bride and Groom were whisked away in a Rolls Royce Phantom with the guests enjoying a glass of Champagne on there journey aboard a red Routemaster bus.

The wedding reception was held at the 16th century Great Fosters Hotel near Egham. As refreshements were served I managed to get some time to photograph the newley-weds around the grounds. Rachel was wearing a stunning dress designed by Caroline Castigliano and it was complimented by a beautiful bouquet from the very creative team at Euphoric Flowers.

Euphoric also supplied all the floristry inside the Tithe Barn which is where the wedding breakfast was served. The room looked amazing and no little credit should go to Kelly and her team at the Bespoke Wedding Company who coordinated the whole day.

Wedding at the St Stephens Club, London

2009-07-20T07:54:00.002+01:00

Kate and Guillaume held their wedding ceremony and the wedding reception at the St Stephens Club in London. Tucked away behind Bird Cage Walk and within a few hundred yards of Buckingham Palace this intimate venue was a perfect backdrop for the Bride and Grooms Anglo French celebrations.

The Bride arrived with her Father at 4pm wearing a beautiful dress made for her by designer Ritva Westenius. After the ceremony the Groom and his new wife went across the road to St James Park for a stroll to the delight of the amazed tourists.

The wedding Breakfast was held in the Club's dining room amongst some fabulous floral decorations created by Mark Walker and at the end of the meal the couple cut their cake which had been made by Pat-a-Cake Pat-a-Cake.

The whole day was organised by Wedding Planner Siobhan Craven-Robins. Siobhan and I have been trying to work together for a long time so it was nice to finally be available to photograph one of her weddings.

The newlyweds are now off on honeymoon to Greece with their daughter Alice.

Wedding in Essendon, Hertfordshire

2009-07-06T15:34:00.006+01:00

Music, fun and flowers seemed to sum up this wedding. Sian and John named their tables after various music festivals and had signs and invites to match.

The wedding ceremony was held at the Bride's local family church, St Mary the Virgin in Essendon and as well as the church choir the congregation were entertained by the Christian Meleke Choir who sang 'Amazing Grace' as the Bride arrived, 'Oh Happy Day' as the couple left the church and during the ceremony a number of songs one of which was 'River Deep Mountain High'.

The reception was held at Sian's parent's farm where one of the fields was set up as a camp site; fortunately we didnt get any of the traditional 'Glastonbury weather' and the day was sunny and dry.

As part of the evening entertainment there were two live bands one of which was a Samba band who played for an hour and had everybody dancing along.

The happy couple are now on honeymoon in Cornwall.

Wedding in Rome

2009-06-30T16:33:00.002+01:00

A June wedding in Rome sounds idyllic and this one pretty much was. We started the day with the Bride in her amazing suite at the Hotel Russie where her parents watched on as she prepared for her wedding day.

Rubia and Andreas held their wedding ceremony in the Basilica of Santa Sabina at the top of the Abentine Hill in Rome and, at 11am, the Bride made her entrance looking beautiful in a stunning dress designed for her by Bruce Oldfield.

Once the ceremony was over we were driven through the streets of the Italy's capital City to the Villa Aurelia for an afternoon reception for the Bride and Groom and their two hundred guests. The Villa is set within a private park and enjoys spectacular views of Rome and the Vatican City.
Champagne was served throughout and, as well as canapés, there was a 'Risotto' bar serving a variety of different interpretations of the dish including asparagus, porcini mushrooms and saffron. Before the guests departed for their hotels for a break there was a cake cutting ceremony and ice cream was served from a traditional Italian cart.

There was time for a shower and a change of clothes before we resumed the wedding celebrations at the Villa Miani. Built high up on the slopes of Monte Mario in the early 1900s, the Villa is an even better vantage point to see the city than the Villa Aurelia.
Despite a forecast of 'light showers' the sun had shone all day but only an hour before the newly weds were too arrive we could see a very large cloud and the thunder storm it contained heading towards us! Incredibly, however, the storm went to the east and west of Villa Miani and we stayed dry. It also meant that we enjoyed a spectacular view of Rome, illuminated by the evening sun with a dark brooding sky and flashes of lightning as a backdrop.

After an evening of open air dining there was dancing in the purpose built night club upstairs in the Villa which went on until 6am.

The wedding was organised and planned by Linda Cooper Weddings who, as always, made sure that the event was run with military precision. This included transporting my team from one venue to another at high speed through the Roman streets which was all great fun and very exciting!

Wedding in the South of France

2009-06-02T11:37:00.006+01:00

As you will know if you have read my previous post, I have just spent a few days in Nice photographing the wedding of Jasmine and Cedric. Being the South of France, the sun shone all day and there was even the comfort of a light breeze to take the edge off the heat.
Jasmine and Cedric were married in a ceremony at Mandelieu Town Hall which is just a few kilometres from the Grooms parent's home.

They married at 2pm with around 50 guests present in a simple but intimate ceremony. Although the Bride and Groom live in London, Jasmine's family are Chinese and Cedric's Swiss so the wedding guest list was quite a cultural mix and the speeches throughout the day were in three different languages.

After the ceremony the couple and their guests spent an hour at the nearby Chateau de La Napoule where we took some great photographs of the wedding party.

Then it was off to the beautiful Eze Village for the evening reception held in Château Eza Hotel's fantastic Michelin starred restaurant. The restaurant is set high up at the top of the village, has spectacular views over the Riviera and Mediterranean Sea and is a very romantic setting for a wedding reception.

Before the wedding breakfast commenced Jasmine changed into a stunning red evening dress with matching hair clips and earrings.

The happy couple have postponed their honeymoon until later in the year as they have a party in June for all their friends in London and then a second wedding ceremony in China in August.

Wedding in The Orangery Holland Park

2009-05-25T09:53:00.002+01:00

A great blend of Indian and British culture was the background to Nina and Finn's wedding day. I started my coverage on Saturday at the Bride's house to witness the Tying of Turbans before setting off to the Orangery in Holland Park for the ceremony.

The beautiful floral decorations in the Orangery, including the flowers hanging across the windows and the mirrored wall, were created by Pollen Nation.

After the ceremony the Bride and Groom and their guests enjoyed drinks and canapés in the sunshine, served by caterers Party Ingredients.

By early afternoon we were jumping aboard a London Bus and heading off to the reception at The Bombay Brasserie in South Kensington. On arrival at the the famous restaurant two short Indian ceremonies were performed for the couple after which everybody ate, beginning with a starter of Telicherry Pepper Fish Tikka followed by a fabulous buffet.

The newly weds were eventually waved off in a shower of rice but headed straight to the nearby Duke of Clarence pub to continue the celebrations.

Mr and Mrs Cornwall are now on Safari in South Africa before heading to Mauritius to finish their honeymoon.

Wedding in Devon

2009-05-25T09:50:00.003+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the wedding of Natasha and Iain in a very spring like Devon. The reception was held at Natasha's family home in the quiet hamlet of Furley and the ceremony was at the St John the Baptist church in nearby Membury.

As usual I arrived a little early to check out the locations and say 'hi' to everybody. I photographed the wedding of Natasha's sister, Coquita, last year so I was already familiar with some of the family. As the Bride prepared for her big day the two young bridesmaids played on the swing without a care in the world.

During the ceremony we had a reading from the 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupery and sang 'I Vow to Thee My Country' before the Bride and Groom came down the aisle to 'The Liberty Bell'!

Back at the house, instead of the usual canapés, afternoon tea was served including cucumber sandwiches and cream scones.

The wedding breakfast included a starter of crab meat salad and a main course with barbequed lamb. The Bride and Groom work in the film industry and named all of the tables after different film Directors including Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen. The catering was by the team at Gordon Sutherland and all of the fabulous flowers were created by Natasha's mother, Cathryn.

The newly weds are now on their way to Sicily for a weeks honeymoon.

Wedding Venues

2009-05-25T09:47:00.002+01:00

I've just been looking through the list of weddings that I'll be covering this year and, as in the past, I'm going to be visiting some great locations.

Amongst many others, I will be lucky enough to take photographs at St Stephens Club in London, the Chateau de la Napoule near Cannes, The Orangery in Holland Park, One Whitehall Place, the Villa Miani in Rome, Great Fosters in Surrey, Rowhill Grange in Kent and the Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield.

They are all very different and I will do my best to feature as many images from the weddings as possible over the coming months here on my blog.

This blog has now moved!

2008-09-29T14:16:00.007+01:00

All future postings are now being made at the new location for my blog. It has now become part of my main web site and you can either reach it by following the link on the front page of my website or by clicking the link below:
Click here to go to the new blog location!

Wedding at Ockendon Manor

2008-09-15T15:31:00.011+01:00

Clare and Chris were married at the Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield , West Sussex on what was probably the start of the, now, traditional Indian Summer. Clare got ready at her parents house nearby with her Bridesmaid, Issy, and had her hair styled by Nelson from the Sejour salon in Chelsea.

Around 65 guests joined them for the wedding ceremony during which we heard readings from Chris' Aunt, Brenda Tipper and Clare's brother Michael, the latter reciting 'The most Wonderful of All Things In Life' by Sir Hugh Walpole.

Then everybody walked through the village to Ockendon Manor for the wedding reception. The sun was really warm and the guests spilt out onto the terrace and the lawns to enjoy the weather.

After the wedding breakfast we had the speeches with an excellent one coming from Chris' Best Man, James.

Clare's dress was designed by Suzanne Neville and came with a detachable under skirt netting thingy...

As night fell the Bride & Groom and their guests danced away to their live band 'One Foot In The Groove'.

The couple are now off on honeymoon to Italy for two weeks... just as we get some nice weather here :-)

Show Time!

2008-09-15T12:23:00.012+01:00

On Friday I was at Ham Polo Club for the wedding of Lucy Moorby and Kim Gavin. The Polo Club is beside the River Thames between Richmond and Kingston and is quite a unique wedding venue.

Despite it's peaceful setting it is a working polo club and whilst the ceremony and reception were taking place in the Club House the ponies were dashing past outside as they are exercised and trained.

Lucy and her Bridesmaids prepared for the wedding at nearby Warren House, a short drive across Richmond Park from the ceremony venue.

Not for the first time this year the flowers were from my friends at Euphoric whilst the bride's dress was designed by Jenny Packham.

Kim is a choreographer and show producer and during the wedding ceremony there was plenty of music and singing. He has worked with many well known names and the guest list included members of Take That and, I was chuffed to realise, the legendary Kid Creole.

Not surprisingly, the bride and groom's first dance was something special, although it has to be said that the dance floor was definitely the place to be all evening!

Beautiful Inside My Head

2008-09-11T16:48:00.008+01:00

Yesterday I visited the Sotheby's auction house in New Bond Street to take a look at the items on sale next week in the Damian Hirst auction.

Some of the pieces are quite stunning and it really was a unique opportunity to see so many of the latest works of this artist in one place.

My particular favourite was a piece called 'After the Flood', a large tank of sea green tinted formaldehyde containing a white dove which has an olive branch in it's beak. The guide price for this item is between £1m and £1.5m. Unfortunately at over three metres high it's just too tall for my office, otherwise....

The sale is next week but if you're quick you can still get along and see the works live!

The Wedding of Mr & Mrs Einarsson

2008-09-08T13:18:00.005+01:00

On a showery day I headed down to Wiltshire to photograph the wedding of Nikki and Magnus.
The reception was held in the charming Manor House hotel in the village of Castle Combe and this is where the couple stayed along with family (Magnus' over from Sweden) and friends before heading off for the wedding ceremony at St Margarets church in nearby Yatton Keynell.

Nikki's hair was styled by hairdresser Acacio da Silva who had flown over from Berlin to be there and her gorgeous dress was designed by Suzanne Neville.

The ceremony was notable because as well as two readings there were also a couple of excellent musical performances.

First of all Nikki's cousin, Rebecca, played Elgar's 'Salut d'Amour' on the violin accompanied by the Bride's brother James on keyboard.

Then, James was again called into action, this time, to play for Magnus' cousin Lars as he sung Ted Gärdestad's 'För Kärlekens Skull'.

The wedding breakfast was an interesting mix of English and Swedish tradition and the newly weds surprised everybody later in the evening with their excellent first dance, which they had prepared for with some secret lessons.

Nikki and Magnus are now in Tanzania where they will be enjoying a weeks Safari followed by a relaxing week on the beach.

Wedding reception at Leighton House

2008-09-08T11:41:00.005+01:00

Simon and Coquita picked two of London's more interesting but lesser known buildings for their wedding.

They were married at Fulham Town Hall in the splendidly ornate Victorian council chamber. With it's wooden panelling and stained glass windows it makes a really unique setting.

Around eighty of the couples family and friends joined them for the marriage ceremony after which everybody climbed aboard two Routemaster buses for a tour of Westminster and the West End.

The eventual destination was Leighton House near Holland Park in Kensington. Instead of sitting down to a wedding breakfast, Simon and Coquita allowed their guests to enjoy the great artworks on display whilst being served Champagne and canapés by the brilliant Bovingdons.

At the end of the evening everybody braved the torrential rain to wave Mr and Mrs Mills off as they headed into the wet night in their eco-friendly pedi-cab.

The newly weds are currently honeymooning in Borneo before starting their married life together in Sierra Leone where Simon is currently working.

Country Wedding in Suffolk

2008-08-24T16:51:00.018+01:00

Tom and Melanie were married in the beautiful country Church of All Saints in the Groom's home village of Wickhambrook in Suffolk.

Melanie's dress came from Pronovias who also got a mention in my last posting. It looked fantastic with it's understated veil.

As Tom and his best men were getting ready at his parent's house a mile from the church, Mel and her five Bridesmaids were preparing in the Bedford Lodge Hotel about 10 miles away in Newmarket.

The enormous cake came from the Vanilla Patisserie who are based in Suffolk

The stationery for the wedding was designed by With Love... and the whole event was co-ordinated by Bernadette from Dream Occasions.

The reception was held back at the house where a marquee had been erected by Weatherill Brothers Marquee Hire and decorated with amazing flower arrangements by Beverley and the team from Jade's Flower Design.

This week, as this was a 'country' wedding I decided that the b&w photographs would look good with a 'rustic' tone to them. I hope you like it...

The Bride and Groom are now on their way to Mauritius for a two week break.

Wedding at the Caledonian Club

2008-08-11T09:16:00.023+01:00

On Saturday we were in a very wet Central London to photograph the wedding of Emily and James.

James and his Best Man, Nick, prepared for the day well by starting with a shave at Gentleman's Tonic in Mayfair followed by a hearty brunch with the Ushers at Automat in nearby Dover Street. The meal, which included Ham and Eggs and American pancakes, was enjoyed by all.

Meanwhile, in an apartment overlooking the Thames, Emily and her Bridesmaids were sipping on Champagne as they got ready to leave for the church.

Emily's dress, which was designed by Manuel Mota from Pronovias, was complimented by a very glamorous pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos. Her flowers were by Angela Bruce at New Covent Garden.

The Bride was chaperoned into St Saviours church in Pimlico by a barrage of brollie wielding Ushers. The same tactic was employed as the newly weds exited an hour later to head off to their reception at the Caledonian Club in Belgravia.

The couple are about to fly off on honeymoon to the West Coast of America and Hawaii.

Wedding Drama

2008-08-05T10:31:00.010+01:00

A Show Biz wedding, Hurrah!
Both the Bride and Groom work in the theatre; Tim as an Actor and Emily as a Stage Manager so even if we should 'Beware the Ides of March', we can certainly enjoy the 4th of August.

Unsurprisingly, when it came to the vows, the Groom was word perfect and needed no prompting. Emily was also spot on although I think some of the guests may have detected a slight tremble of the bottom lip as she read her lines.

If music be the food of love, play on
The wedding ceremony and reception were held at The Newbury Manor Hotel in Berkshire which is somewhere I have performed before. The grounds are gorgeous, are bisected by the River Kennet and include a jumbo sized chess set.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!
Many of the guests were of a theatrical bent and were given ample room to shine by the presence of a Message Room which reminded me a lot of the Big Brother's Diary Room (not that I watch such programmes you understand...). This was supplied by the Short Film Company; in ones, twos and sometimes threes the guests visited the room to leave messages for the Bride and Groom.

Is this a dagger which I see before me?
No, just a silver knife for the amazing looking cake from Choccywoccydoodah in Brighton.

That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet...
the Bride's bouquet and the other flower arrangements were created by local florist, Sumo.

Tim and Emily are honeymooning in Malaysia for 2 weeks... after all, All the World's a Stage...

New Wedding Venue

2008-08-03T08:00:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I photographed the wedding of Ben and Kate at a new wedding venue in Berkshire called Wasing Park. This wedding was only the fifth one to be held on the 18th century estate and everywhere certainly had a 'new' feel to it.

The Bride and Groom spent their first night in the Honeymoon suite which is also where Kate, along with her Bridesmaids and Mum, Sally, prepared for the wedding ceremony. The room was massive and had one of the widest beds I've ever seen!

Kate's gorgeous dress was designed by Suzanne Neville and the bridesmaids dresses were all made by Ben's mother, Wendy.

Although the weather in the morning was really showery by the time the wedding started there was a clear blue sky overhead and the afternoon was pleasently warm.

Kate and Ben are now off to Australia for a 4 week honeymoon.

No such thing as a free lunch...

2008-07-30T09:18:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I went to lunch with the owners of Euphoric Flowers, Victoria Taberer-Bond and Simon Nickell.

As you will see from their web site they create floral designs for all sorts of occassions but I first came across them at a wedding we all worked on last Christmas, near Banbury.

I went along to see their new workshop just off the Wandsworth Bridge Road which they are already talking off expanding. They then took me to their local brasserie where, over Ceasar Salads and a glass or two of Pinot Grigiot we discussed amongst other things, weddings, DAB radios, and blogging.

The last subject came up because Victoria and Simon have recently started their own blog and, like me, are really enjoying posting about their work.

Syon House - Wedding venue

2008-07-28T14:00:00.005+01:00

This weekend I went on a site visit to Syon House to meet up with Tessa and Jason whose wedding I will be photographing in September.
The weather in London is fabulous at the moment and Sunday was no exception.

I took a few reference shots as we walked around which you can see here. They were taken on my mobile phone so the quality isn't 'tip-top' but you get some idea of how gorgeouse Syon House is.

We strolled around the house where the ceremony will take place and then over to the magnificent Orangery where the wedding reception will be held. I have photographed a wedding here once before and the light in the Orangery makes taking photographs a joy not just during the wedding breakfast but also later on when the evening celebrations are in full swing.

I can't wait for the wedding and hopefully, the weather will be as nice... although to be fair to my Bride and Groom perhaps it would be a little more pleasent if it were a degree or two cooler.

A second slide show

2008-07-18T06:50:00.003+01:00

As promised, I have created a second slide show of my work. In this one I have used a song from the 1950's which has the distinct sound of 'vinyl'... all crackle and pop! It's a track named A Smile and a Ribbon by an act called Patience & Prudence. Because of this I have deliberately used a 'distressed' effect for the photographs; I have processed the images to make them look a litte faded or aged. I think it is quite effective and suits the music perfectly. I hope you enjoy...

Wedding at home

2008-07-14T11:29:00.006+01:00

My Bride and Groom on Saturday were Lisa Potterton and Mike Simpson. The 'ropey' Summer weather didn't interfere too much and we had a fair amount of sunshine.
Lisa prepared at Mike's parent's house in Merstham which was also where they held the wedding reception later in the day; in a large marquee set on one of the terraced lawns.

The wedding ceremony was held a few hundred yards away at St Katherine's church where over 120 guests congregated.

Although a lot of the flower arrangements were created by Mike's Mother, Valerie, Lisa's bridal bouquet was made by Nelly Maiklem who is based at nearby Fanny's Farm Shop.

The Bride's dress was also sourced locally, from Amante in Reigate and was finished off with a pair of Champagne coloured Jimmy Choos.

Excellent food was assured as the catering was provided by Bovingdons. The menu included slow roasted fillet of beef and home made Sicilian cheese cake!

After a first dance to Rod Stewart's version of 'Have I told You Lately', the guests danced the night away to the music of the live band.

Lisa and Mike have now gone on a two week honeymoon to the USA.

Wedding slide show

2008-07-11T20:00:00.006+01:00

I've been playing with a slide show software recently and have got to the point where I'm willing to share some of the results.
If all goes well it may be something I can offer to my clients at some point in the future.
I'll post another one next week but in the mean time I hope you enjoy my first attempt. All comments welcome.

Wedding at Claridge's

2008-07-07T08:57:00.011+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the wedding of Sharon Foo and Steve Morris at Claridge's.They had an intimate ceremony on the 6th floor with around 30 guests followed by a dinner downstairs in the Gordon Ramsay restaurant.

Sharon is originally from Malaysia and Steve from New Zealand and many of the guests had travelled from across the globe to be at their wedding.

During the wedding ceremony, the couple's two daughters, Lily and Rosa, both gave a reading to the the Bride and Groom and all the guests.

There was music throughout performed by a 3 piece jazz group and some impromptu dancing broke out led by Lily and Rosa.

At 7.30pm the wedding party moved downstairs to the Amaryllis room, a private dining area within the Gordon Ramsay restaurant where they celebrated until 2am!

The flower arrangements for the Bride and the tables were created by Phillo in West London.

The couple are going to be honeymooning in the South of France along with many of their family and friends.

Farmyard Wedding

2008-06-16T09:54:00.009+01:00

Lindsay and Ian held their wedding reception on a farmyard near their home in the Kent countryside.

The Bride prepared for the big day at the Eastwell Manor Hotel near Ashford then travelled with her Father, George, a few miles up the road to the St Laurence Church in Leaveland for the wedding ceremony.

St Laurence's is a small chapel and there was standing room early during the marriage celebration.

After the ceremony, as the guests looked for the Rolls Royce or Daimler that would be whisking the Bride and Groom away, a very large tractor pulled up outside the gate of the church. It was pulling a trailer with two bales of hay on which was placed an ice bucket containing a bottle of Champagne.

The newly weds jumped aboard for the journey through narrow country lanes and on to the farm for their reception.

One of the barns on the farm had been cleaned up and decked out fabulously by the catering team from Venture 2001. As you can see, they created an intimate atmosphere for the 120 guests using hundreds of lanterns suspended from the rafters using chicken wire and hooks!

The evening entertainment consisted of two local bands and a DJ. The Bride and Groom's first dance was to an unusual but really romantic 'In Spite of Ourselves' by John Prine and Iris DeMent. Later in the evening there was a spectacular firework display that lit up the farm and the surrounding fields.

Lindsay and Ian are now enjoying a honeymoon in Seville with their daughter, Theone.

Wedding in the Lowlands of Kent

2008-05-19T06:55:00.012+01:00

There was just a hint of the Scottish about this wedding. Both Eilidh and Andrew's families, the Beatons and the MacLeods, are originally from the Isle of Skye and, although they married in an Anglican church, St Mary the Virgin in Elham, there was definlitely an influence from north of the border.

The bridal bouquet included antique roses and, one of the symbols of Scotland, the thistle. All the floral arrangements were created by Helen Gomez.

As the Bride and Groom signed the register, Eilidh's friend Victoria sang the Robbie Burns' song, 'My Love is Like a Red Red Rose' and, when they left the church the organist played 'Scotland the Brave'.

The couple were whisked away by pony & trap and the wedding breakfast and reception was held in a marquee at Eilidh's parent's house.

After a meal that included smoked duck, salmon and bangers & mash, the Bride & Groom and their guests danced the night away to, what else, a Céilidh.

Mr & Mrs MacLeod are now honeymooning in the Highlands of Thailand.

Wedding at RIBA

2008-05-12T11:41:00.007+01:00

Saturday was a nice warm day in London and the wedding we photographed was right in the centre of town.

Catriona and Alex were married in the St Maylebone Parish Church opposite Regents Park and then walked with their guests to the Royal Institute of British Architects in Portland Place where the reception was to be held.

The Bride and Bridesmaids flowers were all supplied by Elizabeth Marsh who also created the fabulous floral displays for the tables.

John Swannell Lecture

2008-04-09T11:58:00.011+01:00

Last night fellow photographer Rebecca Pourtsmouth and myself went along to the Royal Geographical Society to see a lecture by the legendary photographer John Swannell.

A packed audience were entertained for around an hour and a half as Swannell showed us examples of his photography taken over the last 30 years or so. His body of work varies from portraits of the Queen and other royals to fashion shoots for Vogue, nudes, landscapes and nudes within landscapes!

He talked about his 4 years working as David Bailey's assistant and how he developed his own career with the help of a lucky break or two.

I've always been a big fan of Swannell's work and was delighted when he insisted on having his photograph taken with me after the lecture :-)

photo by Rebecca Portsmouth

Guest Appearance

2008-03-23T10:53:00.009Z

As I wasn't booked for a wedding this weekend I decided to accept a long standing invitation from my friend and fellow wedding photographer, Klarke Caplin, to tag along on one of her weddings.

I was fortunate because this week Klarke was booked to photograph a large Sikh wedding in West London and I had never covered this kind of ceremony before.

As you can see, bridal outfits were very colourful with both the Bride and Groom wearing costumes with the traditional scarlet theme.

As with many religions, men and women must cover their heads once in the temple of worship. Sikh men use a triangle of material which is tied at the back of the head rather like a bandana. On some this can look quite cool, on others....

Thanks to Klarke for capturing this photograph of me looking like a stalker.
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Wedding at Hotel du Vin - Winchester

2008-03-17T07:12:00.010Z

Sara and Alex decided to host their marriage ceremony and wedding reception at Hotel du Vin in Winchester.
As Sara prepared in the Tattinger Suite, Alex was welcoming their guests in the Champagne Bar downstairs.
Alex had sent his Bride to be several gifts including a pot of Champagne Marmite!

Sara's stylish dress was made by Ellis Bridals and was beautifully trimmed with Champagne coloured ribbon and bows.

There were just 25 guests invited to the wedding and it helped to create an intimate atmosphere in the Abbey Well suite where the ceremony, and later that evening, the Wedding Breakfast were held.

The bridal bouquet and the flower arrangents were created by local florist Flowers by Caroline and the delicious looking cakes, which comprised of a large Lemon Chiffon Cake complimented by a collection of little Magic Cakes, came from the London patisserie, Konditor & Cook.

The happy couple are now off to honeymoon in California for 3 weeks.

WeddingPath.co.uk

2008-03-05T06:12:00.008Z

A wedding I photographed last summer is currently being featured in the wedding planning section of WeddingPath.co.uk.

Regular readers of the blog will remember the wedding of Patricia and Andreas who, along with their guests came all the way from Madrid to get married in London.

The article features six of my photographs from the wedding and there is also another image from the day on the home page of Wedding Path.

A London Wedding with a touch of Spain about it...
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Wedding Bouquets

2008-02-28T10:21:00.009Z

The variety of colours, styles and types of flowers used in bridal bouquets never ceases to amaze me.

There are some amazing florists supplying the flowers for weddings and I'm lucky enough to come across some of them on a weekly basis.

Amongst my favourites are McQueens, Jane Packer, Matthew Dickinson, Jades Flower Designs, Paula Pryke, L K Lily, Ashleigh Hopkins and Aurora.

I would be interested to hear about any florist you feel is creating innovative flower designs for weddings whether it be bouquets, table arrangements or what ever. If you would like to suggest anybody please click on 'comments' below and leave a link to their website if you have it.

Through the looking glass...

2008-02-10T20:37:00.001Z

I love using mirrors in photographs. They can give me angles otherwise unobtainable and I find that when people are interacting with a mirror they really don't notice me at all.
The following images were all captured during 2007 and, in most cases, although I am only feet away, the subjects pay no attention to the camera:

This image is from the wedding of Julie and Peter. Here, Julie is in her room at The Landmark Hotel making the finishing touches before heading downstairs for her wedding ceremony.

Gail and Jon were married in Luxembourg. The Bride is getting ready at her parents house a few miles from the church.

Debbie and Paul got married in the beautiful St Peters Italian Church in Farringdon. This shot was taken in her room at the Four Seasons Hotel, Canary Wharf

Sannah and Dermott married at the gorgeous Braxted Park, a fabulous wedding venue in Essex. This photograph shows Dermott and his Father-in-Law of a couple of hours having a look at the table plan which was written up on this mirror.

Katie checks herself out in the mirror at the Brockencote Hall Hotel where her reception was held after a lovely church ceremony.

This photograph was taken in August on one of the few 'summer' days we got last year. Genevieve and Jason married at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Regents Park, London.

Finally, a shot where there is a prize for the first person to spot the photographer... Sarah and Chris were married and held their wedding reception at the The Hop Farm in Kent. As you would expect, the Bride and her Bridesmaid are more concerned with the dress than they are with me.

You can never have too many photographers at a wedding!

2008-01-25T16:36:00.000Z

Weddings are a great chance for guests to try out their photographic skills and catch some nice photographs of the Bride and Groom.

Maybe it's part of being a photographer, I don't know, but I'm always fascinated watching other people take photographs at weddings.

I'm not complaining, it's all part of the fun and the wedding guests rarely get in my way....

.. well, most of the time, anyway!

Of course, it can create an opportunity for me to grab a slightly different angle of the Bride and Groom.

And 'everybody' likes to try their hand!

~~~~

Press coverage in The London Paper

2008-01-12T14:27:00.000Z

I was really pleased to see that the wedding I covered just before Christmas was featured in The London Paper yesterday.

The London Paper is a newspaper that is given out all around town and so, hopefully, a lot of people who wouldn't normally do so, will have had the chance to see some of my wedding photography.

Groom wears Brides clothes!

2007-12-24T08:22:00.000Z

The wedding we covered on Saturday was near Banbury in a village called Bodicote.

Claire and Andy were married in church of St John the Baptist and while Claire prepared at her parents home in the village Andy and his team got ready at the Whately Hall Hotel in Banbury. Andy and his Groomsmen were all sporting morning suits made by Claire's tailoring company, Ad Hominem.

Although the weather was bright and cold earlier in the day, by the time we came out of the church the heavens had opened. However this didn't deter the Bride and Groom from making the short journey from the church to the reception at Claire's parents house in their white Austin Healey Sprite. They even kept the roof down although an umbrella was used to keep the worst of the rain off.

Back at the house a large, three room marquee had been erected in the grounds and, under the watchful eye of wedding planners The Bespoke Wedding Company, florists Euphoric Flowers created some beautiful table arrangements whilst Indulgence Catering prepared the wedding breakfast.

Later in the evening as the guests danced to music supplied by a DJ and live band, those with a sweet tooth could help themselves to a cake stand full of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and, for those more health concious, there was fruit for dipping into the Chocolate Fountain...

Wedding in Luxembourg

2007-12-17T10:29:00.000Z

On Friday evening I flew to the city of Luxembourg in the heart of, er, well, Luxembourg to photograph the wedding of Gayle Ashley and Jon Tait.

Gayle prepared at her parent's house and then headed of to the picteresque village of Bourglinster.

The wedding ceremony was held in the village church; one of the Readings was the really funny 'Valentine' by John Fuller and the ceremony was finished off with a very festive Hark the Herald Angels.

The Bride and Groom then led their guests on a walk up the hill to the Chateau de Bourglinster where the wedding breakfast was to be held.

As night fell and the temperature dropped to below freezing outside the guests enjoyed good food, plenty of Champagne and some frantic dancing.

There was even time for Jon and his ushers to demonstrate a very intense 'Blue Steel'....

The couple are now heading off to Australia and New Zealand for their honeymoon, returning in the New Year.

Cain Manor

2007-12-17T09:49:00.000Z

On Friday we attended the wedding of Wendy Plummer and Alan Armitage at Cain Manor in Hampshire.

It was a chilly day and the guests were glad to be in the warmth of the Manor House's rooms. The ceremony room itself was decorated with flowers supplied by Alan's Mother who, quite handily, is a florist.

The couples lovely daughter, Amelia was one of two Bridesmaids, the other being Wendy's sister, Lisa.

Mr and Mrs Armitage are spending this week at Skibo Castle in Scotland relaxing after a their Christmas Wedding.

Light and Day

2007-12-09T20:00:00.000Z

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The weather on Saturday really wasn't what you would hope for on the day of a wedding. Cold winds and driving rain welcomed me to Canterbury and continued throughout the day.
However, nobody seemed to have told the Bride and Groom, Hannah and Nick. At no point did I hear them mention the atrocious conditions; they both seemed blisfully unaware, caught up in what was, for all of us there, a fun day.

The wedding ceremony was held in the church at Hannah's old school, St Edmund's in Canterbury, where the Bride (wearing a gorgeous dress by Jenny Packham) and her father entered to the sound of 'Ice Dance' from the film 'Edward Scissorhands'.

The ceremony was kept very festive by the presence of a large Chrismas tree near the altar and also the singing of Christmas Carols (The First Noel and Silent Night) instead of the traditional wedding hymns.

The wedding reception was some 15 minutes away at Swarling Manor. Once again, despite the conditions outside everybody enjoyed themselves, having a party with great food provided by the caterers Daisy Daisy Events in the warmth of the marquee.

The tables were all named after movies and it was a song from a movie soundtrack that provided Mr and Mrs Liddle with their 'unorthodox' first dance; 'Light and Day' by the Polyphonic Spree which featured in the film 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.
Well, after spending the day with these two I think I realised we weren't in for 'We've Only Just Begun....'

~~

Christmas Party

2007-12-09T15:35:00.000Z

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On Friday evening I was at Somerset House at the end of the Strand to photograph a Christmas party organised by Linda Cooper and Company.

The party was set in a very stylishly decorated marquee on the terrace of Somerset House overlooking the Thames at Waterloo Bridge. As you can see from the photographs, the custom built lounge furniture was complimented superbly by the great lighting, all supplied by Dream Events.

There were several individual bars set up around the marquee, some serving Champagne others providing a variety of delicious food including risotto and sushi, all prepared by the team from Rhubarb Events Catering.

The guests danced on a 'brilliant white' dance floor to music from The Allstars; I've seen this group at a couple of weddings already this year and they are exceptionally good!

~~~

Paul & Debbie Conti

2007-11-25T14:20:00.000Z

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Yesterday I photographed the wedding of Debbie and Paul in Central London.

We started at the Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf which was not only the venue for the reception but also where the couple prepared for their day. As Paul, his Ushers and Best Men left for the church Debbie and the Bridesmaids were getting ready in their 6th floor suite which surely has some of the best views of any hotel in London!

Debbie's dress was designed by Maggie Sottero.

The ceremony was held at the beautifully lit St Peters Italian church in Clerkenwell and led by the very amusing Father Carmello. After the ceremony a fleet of London Buses and limousines ferried everybody back to the Four Seasons where the party began.

The tables were decorated with flowers the florist Neil Birks who also supplied the Bridal bouquet.

During the meal the excellent Three Waiters performed there unique show and after the wedding breakfast the DJ from Sliding Vinyl entertained the guests as they danced on the fab under lit dance floor.

Mr & Mrs Conti are off to Dubai tomorrow for a weeks honeymoon.

~~~

Newick Wedding

2007-11-11T10:26:00.000Z

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Although it was chilly this weekend the sun shone and it was perfect weather for an autumnal English wedding.

Liz Alexander and Simon Cook were married at St Mary's church in Newick, East Sussex. It is where the Bride grew up and her and the bridesmaids prepared for the ceremony at her parents house a stones throw from the church.

For me there was very much a feeling of 'deja vu' as Liz was herself the bridesmaid at her bridesmaid Nicky's wedding last year which I was lucky enough to photograph. In fact, one of Simon's two Best Men, Neill, was the Groom at Nicky's wedding... er, which makes him Nicky's husband.

The Bride's car deserves special mention; it was a navy blue 1930's Aston Martin Lagonda.

The reception was held on the family farm, just outside the village, in a large marquee which was,along with the excellent food, supplied by Super Event from nearby Heathfield. The beautiful displays of gypsophila on the tables were the responsibility of the Bride's Mother, Jane, and the Brighton based florist Scent Floral Arts.

Simon revealed in his Groom's speech that the suit he was wearing was the very same one that his father had worn at his wedding some 35 years earlier!.

~~~~~

Welcome to the Crypt

2007-10-22T11:18:00.000+01:00

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Liza and Jeremy married at St Etheldreda's church which is tucked away in a small gated street near Holborn Viaduct called Ely Place.

They both got ready for their big day in nearby hotels; Jeremy in Malmaison and Liza in The Rookery.

Liza's dress which had a very subtle pink tone to it came from Mirror Mirror Couture in Islington.

Unusually the reception was held underneath the church in the appropriately named 'Crypt', the food was prepared by the chefs from the nearby Bleeding Heart restaurant although Savoir Design were responsible for the tower of cakes!.

The candlelit tables complimented the autumnal atmosphere and the room was decorated with flower arrangements created by Jades Flower Design who also supplied Liza's striking bouquet of red roses and pink.. er, pretty flowers...

Mr & Mrs Salisbury have now left to start a 3 week honeymoon in Rajasthan.

Weekend in Cornwall

2007-10-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

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This weekend I was lucky enough to be photographing a wedding in Cornwall.

Jo and Ray live in Surrey but Jo's family are dairy farmers based in Delabole near Camelford and it was in that area that the couple decided to marry.

Jo and her bridesmaids got ready at the family home whilst outside the Bradley Dairy carried on as usual.

The marriage ceremony was held at the parish church in St Teath which, according to the road sign, won Radio Cornwall's 'Most Caring Village' award in 2006. And, as if to emphasise the point, many of the villagers turned out to see the arrival of the bride.

After the ceremony we had a half hour drive to the reception venue, the beautiful Bedruthen Steps hotel near Newquay. Before we got there however I had the opportunity to get some shots of the of Ray and Jo on the nearby beach.

The wedding breakfast including a sweet served with a generous scoop of Clotted Cream from the Bradley Dairy.

The newlyweds will shortly be departing on an extended honeymoon, taking in the Maldives, China and Australia, not returning until Christmas!

Katy and Kevin

2007-09-03T11:56:00.000+01:00

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Oaks Farm in Surrey was the venue for the wedding on Saturday.

This venue has really nice grounds and a permanent marquee where the wedding breakfast was served.

Katy and Kevin and around 80 of their guests enjoyed great food and wine supplied by the Galloping Gourmet caterers from nearby Coulsden.

The newlyweds are off to Mexico for a fortnights honeymoon.

~~~~~

Sheri and Stephen

2007-09-03T10:50:00.000+01:00

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Sheri and Stephen's wedding was in two parts.

On Friday they were married in a ceremony held in the Reception Room at the Westminster Register Office in the Marylebone Road just a stones throw from their home.

They followed this up with a wedding breakfast at the Potting Shed Restaurant in Dorset Square.

Then on Saturday they held a celebration party at Sheri's father's house in North West London (photgraphed by my colleague John Martin).

The guests were served Sushi in the gardens and then enjoyed themselves dancing to live music in a beautifully designed and lit marquee.

The marriage that started with a row...

2007-08-26T10:26:00.000+01:00

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On Saturday my wedding was in London. Chris and Jen held their ceremony and wedding breakfast at the London Rowing Club on the banks of the Thames at Putney. The club is full of history and character and made a suitable backdrop at the start of a sunny August Bank Holiday weekend.

The tables were all named after characters from 'The Wombles' and each persons place setting name card was attached to a gingerbread man.

The food was beautifully presented and included a starter of Parma ham with figs.

At the end of the afternoon an Routemaster bus supplied by Timebus arrived to take us all to the venue for the evening celebrations at The Old Bank of England Pub in Fleet Street where more of the couple's friends arrived to join the party.

Mr & Mrs Attfield will be honeymooning on the romantic Burgh Island Hotel in Devon.

~~~~~~

Cool Camping

2007-08-23T14:29:00.000+01:00

Although it may seem like it, it's not 'all' wedding photography for me.

Last month I spent 2 days at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire working for a client of mine, Nobull PR. They had set up a Tipi Village for their client, Peugeot, to house 140 journalists who had come to see the launch of the new 4007

Nobull have a new web site set up, www.coolcampingevents.com, featuring the photographs I took. It illustrates how the village looked and also shows the 5 star luxury inside the tipis.

And as I'm sure you all know, a tipi is 'not' a wigwam! A wigwam is a domed shaped structure used by completely different tribes and is not an a pachee on the tipi....

Also in the news this week...

the latest edition of Wedding Magazine features 2 pages of the photographs I took at the wedding of Sam and James last Christmas at Claridges.

A sweet wedding

2007-08-12T19:30:00.000+01:00

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Becky and Tim held their ceremony and reception at Ye Olde Bell Inn in Hurley.

After the couple were married in the Tithe Barn they held a drinks reception for their guests in the gardens behind the Hotel before returning to the barn for the wedding breakfast and evening celebrations.

All of the tables were named after a particular kind of sweet and each of the tables had a jar of those sweets on it.

This is a photograph of me with two of the guests from Becky and Tim's wedding.
The reason for this photo is that the guy on my right is also called 'Lloyd' and the guy on my left is called 'Bobbie'. So we have a photo of Lloyd and Bobby with Lloyd Dobbie...!

There has to be a limerick in there somewhere :-)

~~~~~~

A Mickey Mouse Wedding

2007-08-12T18:55:00.000+01:00

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Hannah and Phil were married in the small town of Keynsham which lies on the A4 between Bath and Bristol.

Their ceremony was held at St John the Baptist Church after which they had their reception at the nearby Saltford Golf Club.

Hannah is a big fan of Walt Disney and the tables were all named after Disney characters; the top table, unsurprisingly featured Mickey and Minnie!

The couple are now heading off on honeymoon to, you guessed it, Disney World in Florida and I'm reliably informed that this will be Hannah's 11th visit!

Hi Ho!

My Asian, African, Jewish, Christian Wedding...

2007-08-06T08:22:00.000+01:00

A Sunday wedding this week; it was a sweltering 30c in London and although it's nice to have the sunny weather I couldn't help thinking that perhaps we could do with a bit of rain to ease the drought...

Anyway, Genevieve and Jason were married in the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists on the edge of Regents Park. We were lucky enough to enjoy two ceremonies; a civil ceremony, including the official register signing, preceded by a very unusual inter faith celebration. The couples Christian and Jewish backgrounds were both represented in the hour long service in which ministers from both faiths took part.

The cosmopolitan nature of the wedding was also emphasised by the different origins of the families; Genivieve and her family are from Hong Kong whilst Jason's roots are in South Africa.

The guests were fortunate enough to see the bride in three different dresses throughout the day (apparently there was a fourth as well!) whilst the Groom, rather conservatively, wore the same morning suit from start to finish.

More guests arrived in the evening to join in the dancing and enjoy a buffet that included a massive bowl of Haribo sweeties!

Did somebody say 'hosepipe ban'..?

~~~~~~~

Church Wedding

2007-07-29T10:20:00.000+01:00

On Friday I was in a small Hamlet near Kidderminster called Chaddesley Corbett for the wedding of Katie and Beetle.

They had an intimate ceremony in St Cassian's church followed by a reception at the nearby hotel, Brockencote Hall.

The whole wedding was lovely and the sun shone throughout but I especially enjoyed the photographing the ceremony so that's what I've decided to feature today.

As there were only 36 guests and the church is fairly large, the congregation were all seated in the choir stalls giving the atmosphere of a small chapel.

Nether Winchendon House, Buckinghamshire

2007-07-22T10:32:00.000+01:00

Louise and Damon married at St Mary's church in Louise's home village of Oakley in Buckinghamshire. The previous day the road to the church had been knee deep in water but thankfully on Saturday, apart from a little mud, the roads were clear.
Around 75 people gathered at the church as rain clouds threatened but, for the time being, didn't produce.

The couple were driven to the reception at Nether Winchendon House in a 1960's Triumph Herald convertible and bravely travelled with the roof down!

Mr & Mrs Cater are not going away immediately but in late August will head off for 2 months of travel in the Far East and Australia where hopefully they will find some sun :-)

~~~~~~~~

Clarification

2007-07-22T09:25:00.000+01:00

Re: Lainey & John's wedding

After speaking recently to a few people who follow the blog there's is something I would like to clear up to avoid any misunderstanding.

Lainey is a friend of my wife Lema who was a Bridesmaid at Lainey and John's wedding. In fact, Lema is the Bridesmaid I referred to in the text.

So, just in case some of you may have been concerned that I regularly 'cop off' with a Bridesmaid when I am covering a wedding, this was the ONLY occassion I have 'gone home with' one :-)

And just to illustrate the point here is a cheesy holiday snap of me and the wife...

The Orangery, Holland Park

2007-07-03T09:28:00.000+01:00

This is one of my favourite venues and even though we had some summer showers the light inside The Orangery was always bright.

I was there on Sunday to photograph a celebration of the marriage of Pat Burtis and Jennifer Thomas who were were joined by around 80 of their friends and relatives.

The music throughout was provided by the excellent Blue Topaz String Quartet; do follow the link to see the amazingly eclectic repetoire they have. Pat is a musician and obviously chose these ladies carefully!

The ceremony featured readings by friends and also a reading by the couple to each other of a Walt Whitman poem 'Song of the Open Road'.

The Champagne reception and wedding breakfast was very efficiently organised by the team from Bovingdons who were also responsible for the layout of the room.

Although Jennifer did look very chic in a dress from Alberta Ferretti and a pretty pair of Guccis, she was almost upstaged by the gorgeous Mimi, who was listed in the order of service as 'Pug of Honour'.

Normally a description that might offend some wedding guests, Mimi didn't seem to mind at all and, as you can see, came dressed for the occassion...

~~~~~~~~~

Lainey & John

2007-06-18T06:58:00.000+01:00

On Saturday Elaine and John were married at the Church of St Mary the Virgin near Worcester Park in South London. Despite the grim forecast the weather was really nice with only a few drops of rain falling on us. This meant that the Paparazzi were out in force!

Lainey spent the morning getting ready at her parent's house with the help of her 6 bridesmaids. All of them were gorgeous and I was really pleased that at the end of the evening I managed to take one home (a first for me!). I should add that this particular Bridesmaid married me nearly 6 years ago so I guess that makes it ok?

The reception was held at one of Surrey's best looking Golf Clubs, The Burhill at Walton-on-Thames.

The happy couple (that's Elaine and John, not me and the Bridesmaid) are not going on honeymoon immediately but will be off to Mexico in the Autumn.
~

Andreas & Patricia

2007-06-04T10:55:00.000+01:00

Patricia and Andreas live in Madrid but love coming to London and decided that this was the city for them to marry in.

Around sixty guests from Spain and Germany were in London to join the celebration.

The couple asked The Bespoke Wedding Company to organise the day for them and to arrange to transport everybody to and from the venue.

The Groom and his guests sailed from Westminster Pier down to Greenwich to meet the Bride at The National Maritime Museum where the ceremony and reception were to be held in Queen Anne's House.

Queen Annes House is an excellent venue for a wedding with many beautiful features.

The evening finished off with dancing in the cellars of the building.

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Lottie & George

2007-06-04T09:05:00.000+01:00

On Friday, Lottie and George had a special day out; they went to Chilston Park in Kent to watch their Mummy and Daddy get married.

The sun shone all day and they got to dress up in very special clothes. Mummy did too, in a beautiful Spanish dress from Pronovias.

The flowers for Lottie and George to carry and the bouquet for their Mummy came from Creative Flowers.

Confetti Connections dressed the ceremony room, the dining room and also a smaller room for them and their friends. It was like the grown ups room but much better because it had balloons!

However the grown up's room did have a very big cake which was decorated with pictures of Lottie and George and also some smaller cakes for their friends, all with their names on. Mummy and Daddy had bought these from Creative Cakes by Maria.

Lottie and George are now going on holiday to Spain to recover from a very tiring day....

Life Sentence

2007-05-29T09:03:00.000+01:00

The Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells was the backdrop for the wedding of Sarah Goom and Nic Wayne on Saturday.

Sarah wore a beautiful white dress from Blue Bridalwear and custom made shoes from Emmy Scarterfield.

The outfit was finished off with a tiara from Basia Zarzycka. Basia’s web site is well worth a visit and if you find yourself at the Sloane Square end of the Kings Road with half an hour to spare you should really visit her shop which is a fabulously eccentric bazaar!

Quite fittingly, as the couple are both barristers, the tables were all named after prisons! Each table had a display of peonies which echoed the bride’s bouquet.

They are now off to California for 3 weeks to visit Alcatraz and San Quentin (just kidding!).

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Liz & Kris

2007-05-20T17:02:00.000+01:00

Liz and Kris chose to marry in the grand surroundings of St Mary and All Saints Church in Beaconsfield which, according to it's web site "is one of the finest Churches in the Chilterns".
As you can see from the photographs we captured, the sun shone for most of the day.

The couple chose to hold their reception just a couple of miles away at the Beaconsfield Golf Club where Liz's Father Phil is a member and Liz herself played when she was young.

The old clubhouse was a perfect backdrop when, after the wedding breakfast, the couple and their guests wandered outside in the early evening light.

Mr & Mrs Taylor are off to Mexico on Tuesday for a two week honeymoon.

Blowing your own trumpet

2007-05-07T14:24:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I was at the wedding of Chris Taggart and Sarah Cousins. Although we were expecting the first rain for a couple of weeks the weather held and towards the end of the afternoon we were pleasantly surprised to see some sunshine.

The wedding took place at The Hop Farm in Kent and as Sarah and her father entered the room and walked up the aisle we enjoyed a live rendition of the “Trumpet Voluntary”.

Nothing particularly unusual in that, you might say, except that the trumpet was being played by Chris who obviously felt that he didn’t have enough to worry about!

The musical theme continued during the signing of the register as the Best Man, Anirban, and his wife Annalise sang Mozart’s “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe Fuhlen” from the Magic Flute supported by a string quartet.

Sarah and Chris’ first dance was to the Richard Rogers classic “I Could Write a Book”.

Sannah and Dermott

2007-05-07T14:02:00.000+01:00

Last Friday Sannah and Dermott married at the very pretty Church of Our Lady & St Joseph in Stock,Essex.
Over 100 guests squeezed into the small church to witness the ceremony.

During the Holy Communion Tenor David Newman sang Panis Angelicus accompanied by Angela Moore on the Harp. The pair also performed Ave Maria whilst the Bride and Groom signed the register.

The couple left the church in a vintage cream coloured Rolls Royce.

The wedding reception was held at Braxted Park, a Georgian Mansion with beautiful grounds and a walled garden.

My new, improved, Organic and Fair Trade web site!

2007-04-16T11:59:00.000+01:00

For those of you who haven’t already seen it, my new web site is now ‘live’ and online.

It’s the same domain name, LloydDobbie.com but with a radically different look to it and many new images.
I am especially pleased with the Portfolio show which is designed using the latest Flash animation.

Thanks to everybody who has already commented; any thoughts are most welcome as are reports of bugs or problems you may have running the site on your particular set up.

I would love to take all the credit for the new site but I can only lay claim to the photographs. The hard graft and inspirational design has come from Vicki at Rubber Design and I would like to thank her for all her creativity and patience (which she has needed in abundance!).

Julie and Peter

2007-04-16T10:59:00.000+01:00

What a great day for a wedding Saturday was! Blue skies and warm, spring weather.

Julie and Peter are from New York but decided that the place for them to marry was here in London. Julie has family living in the UK so the guests were a mixture of locals and visitors.

The wedding ceremony took place at the amazing St James’ Catholic church in Spanish Place.

The reception was then held at one of London’s best looking Hotels, The London Landmark which is situated right next to Marylebone Station.

The couple are now spending the next ten days exploring London and the UK before heading back home where Peter will return to his job as a detective with NYPD.

Venues

2007-03-18T17:26:00.000Z

I am frequently asked about the various venues I have visited and which ones are my favourites. Well I’m not about to upset dozens of friendly hotel managers by singling out any in particular so below I have listed and linked to (where possible) the various locations I’ll be going to in the coming 9 months or so.

I hope you find it useful or even just interesting:

The Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire (above),

The Hotel Du Vin in Tunbridge Wells, Kelmarsh Hall in Northampton, The Beaconsfield Golf Club, Braxted Park in Essex, Brockencote Hall in Worcestershire,

Newick Park in Sussex (above),
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Regents Park, Nether Winchendon House near Ayelsbury, The London Rowing Club in Putney, The London Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, The Burhill Golf Club in Walton-on-Thames, The Bedruthan Steps Hotel in Cornwall,

Hampton Court House (above),
The Hop Farm near Maidstone in Kent, Oaks Farm in Surrey, Ye Olde Bell in Berkshire, The Queens House which is part of The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, Chilston Park in Kent and The Crypt near Holborn Circus.

And you will be able to see the results from all these venues by tuning into my blog throughout the year.

More media coverage

2007-03-05T10:52:00.000Z

One of the things that has pleased me most about the last 12 months has been the continued coverage of my work in the major wedding magazines. This is due, in no small part, to the fact that I am lucky enough to be asked to photograph some really interesting and fun weddings. And it helps, of course, that ALL my Brides are gorgeous… just ask the Grooms!

Two recent spreads appeared in Your Surrey Wedding and Beautiful Weddings

The Your Surrey Wedding article had a spread of 4 full pages using 14 images too illustrate the article about Julie and James’ wedding in the picturesque village of Shere.

The Beautiful Weddings article carried 3 pages of my photographs and, in addition, the editor used other images from the wedding to illustrate articles throughout the magazine. The wedding featured took place at Hartham Park in Wiltshire, a venue I have worked at on several occasions.

My next blog entry will feature venues. A lot of people have asked me about the different places I have covered weddings and so I will list some I have been to and the ones I will be visiting this year.

Anne and Paul - Calcot Manor

2007-02-04T15:37:00.000Z

Anne and Paul chose Calcot Manor to host their wedding. It was a beautiful day and, apart from a great wedding, their guests were treated to a magician and a team of comedy waiters that had everybody fooled until very late on!

In the evening there was a DJ and also a Ceilidh which, as always, got vitually everyone on the dance floor.

The couple are now off to South Africa for two weeks honeymoon.

During the Ceremony

After the vows

Mr & Mrs Docherty

Paul prepares his speech

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Claridges, London.

2006-12-24T11:08:00.000Z

With the fog cleared my last wedding of the year was at the beautiful Claridges. To walk through the doors of this very English hotel is like stepping back in time to 1920's. No doubt this is what persuaded Sam and James to host their wedding reception there.

After a very festive candle lit ceremony at the Grovesnor Chapel the couple and their guests spent the evening at Claridges where they enjoyed entertainment from the excellent The 3 Waiters and danced the night away on a Saturday Night Fever style dance floor.

The whole day was organised by Amanda Sherlock from Kathryn Lloyd Wedding Design who made sure that all the guests had an unforgettable start to Christmas.

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Fogbound Wedding

2006-12-24T10:32:00.000Z

If we are to believe the tabloids, the country had ground to a stand still but nobody had told Carolyn and Chris or their guests, most of whom had managed to get through the fog and complete the long journey to Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire.

Weather that was depressing for some was the complete opposite for us. If you are going to marry in the English winter then this is the perfect scenario; chilly, misty (all right, foggy!) but still bright enough to capture some lovely photographs.

The Bride and her Bridesmaids walked from their room at the castle down to the church just outside the grounds.

The newlyweds have left us all to a grey Christmas as they head off on honeymoon to Dubai and the Maldives.

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Prince marries in Windsor

2006-12-17T14:12:00.000Z

This Saturday I was in Windsor with my colleague John to Photograph the wedding of Emma Prince and Kevin Wrigley.

Following the ceremony at the Guildhall I went with the Bride and Groom to one of there favourite spots, the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park, so we could take a few photographs of them in the twilight.

Afterwards we grabbed a couple of shots at Henry VIII's gate with the cooperation of a very nice (although heavily armed) policeman.

We then rejoined the guests for the reception at the Christopher Wren Hotel down by the river.
The informal flavour of the day was underlined by the wedding breakfast which featured bangers & mash and an evening buffet of egg 'n bacon butties and hotdogs. Yum yum!

the bridesmaids prepare

Emma and Kevin at the Guildhall

outside the Castle

Fatima and Ni

2006-12-04T16:39:00.000Z

Friday saw the wedding of one of my best friends, Nigel, to his girlfriend, Fatima.

Despite torrential rain and a stretched limo that lasted half a mile the 'exclusive' guest list of a couple of dozen close family and friends all had a great day.

The ceremony was at Leatherhead register office which, as those of you who are regulars to my blog will know, is a venue I have already covered this year.

The reception was held at Nutfield Priory, a gorgeous hotel on the North Downs where Nigel had booked a private dining room away from the riff raff!

There were several friends who had made the journey from Switzerland (where the couple met) and Fatima's home country of Portugal.

They are now enjoying a 4 week honeymoon, taking in Bora Bora, Auckland and Hong Kong. Have a great time guys and don't forget to bring me back a souvenir tie from Bora Bora!

Corsets

2006-11-21T13:22:00.000Z

On Sunday i spent the day photographing some beautiful corsets made by Twin Cheeks in Ascot.

The shoot took place in a old large Victorian family house which is awaiting renovation by Trimount Properties and we like to thank Jeanette and Rae for allowing us to use the building.

Our models, Robyn and Katherine were subjected to the damp and low temperatures but still managed to look fantastic in the corsets which, although stunningly designed, didn't offer much protection from the cold. I was fine as I was wearing a nice thick hoody.

All the shoes were kindly loaned to us by the Jimmy Choo Couture collection and the stockings were supplied by Wolford.

We managed to shoot more than we hoped for due to a great team which included Art Director Becky Yong, hairdresser Des from Tony & Guy and make up artist Emilie Yong.

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Tower Bridge

2006-11-21T12:57:00.000Z

Cold but bright! Another lovely autumn day; this time the veue was in London rather than the countryside of Surrey.

Larissa and Andrew held their ceremony and reception in the Bridgemasters Dining Room at Tower Bridge. With just 10 guets attending the venue was perfect and it was hard to believe that beneath our feet was the traffic and the tourists who, themselves were oblivious to the ceremony being held above their heads.

After the ceremony, presumably to work up an appetite, the wedding party went for a flight on the London Eye.

Cold day warm tart!

2006-11-06T12:16:00.000Z

Outdoors is the place to be on a beautiful day like this!

Lisa and Andy were married in their local church (200 yards away!) in Coldharbour set in the Surrey Hills.

The ceremony was attended by just close friends and family and, as you can see, the weather was fantastic, a sunny autumnal day.

From the church we all set off to nearby Shere where the reception was held at Kinghams restaurant. Kinghams is based in a 17th century cottage and it's intimate atmosphere really suited the wedding. The food was fantastic and I would like to thank Lisa and Andy for inviting me to eat with them.

Below is my choice of sweet: warm chocolate tart served with a white chocolate and Grand Marnier ice cream!

Pennyhill Park

2006-09-27T08:05:00.000+01:00

Gail and Chris had an intimate wedding in the beautiful suroundings of Pennyhill Park in Surrey.

Just eleven guests were present as they made their vows and afterwards Champagne was served on the terrace as we all enjoyed the Indian Summer that is making September bearable.

The newlyweds are now off to Mauritius for 2 weeks to relax and play golf

One Whitehall Place

2006-09-25T09:02:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I photographed the Civil Partnership of Hendrik and Paul at One Whitehall Place in London.
The theme for the day was 'FUN' and the lead was taken by the guys when they walked up the aisle, along with their flower girl, to a string quartet playing Wagner's 'The Wedding March' (Here Comes The Bride).

After the ceremony in the Whitehall Suite the wedding party climbed the opulent staircase to enjoy a wedding breakfast in the spacious Gladstone Room.

Entertainment was supplied by the London Gay Men's Choir who performed for half an hour followed by one of the best bands I've seen this year, Frank the Cat.
The whole day was arranged at coordinated by Henrietta at Place Events and I bumped into an old friend of mine, Toastmaster Richard Birtchnell, who I used to work with many moons ago when he was head of marketing and events at The Burton Group.

The happy couple are now off to Tahiti and Bora Bora for 3 weeks to honeymoon and relax.

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Arranged Marriage

2006-09-17T09:40:00.000+01:00

According to the Bride's Father, Andy, this wedding was 'arranged' by the couple's parents. Nicky and Neill seemed blisfully unaware if this but, when informed, didn't seem to care anyway.

For the second week running i found myself in Sussex, this time near Eastbourne.
The ceremony was held at St Mary the Virgin church in Willingdon followed by a reception at Broyle Place, an Elizabethan Manor near Lewes. The weather was perfect for a wedding; dry, bright and not too hot.

The two Best Men gave a joint speech during which, to Neill's delight, they produced photographs of the Groom as a child looking very smart in various guises including a cowboy outfit and a dapper raincoat.

Nicky shares Neill's appreciation of fine Ale and there was plenty of their particular favourite, Harveys (a local brew, I believe) on offer.
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There's no business....

2006-09-04T09:42:00.000+01:00

The most famous Register office in the country has to be the Kensington and Chelsea Register office in the Kings Road and it was here, on Saturday, that actress Olivia Caffrey married Casting Director Carl Proctor.

Around 40 of their friends filled the ceremony room and as the bride made her entrance she was greeted with applause and loud cheers!

There were three Bridesmaids and two Best ‘Women’, and the readers included Theatre Director Sir Trevor Nunn and actress Imogen Stubbs.

Among the guests were actors Jane Horrocks and Julie-Kate Olivier.

The wedding party spent around 30 minutes on the familiar steps of the Old Town Hall chatting and posing for photographs before being whisked off in a fleet of people carriers to Soho House for an afternoon reception.

Later that evening the wedding breakfast was held in the Private Room at The Ivy.

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Zoe and Jon - Hampshire

2006-08-28T11:09:00.000+01:00

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.

The Ashes seem a long time ago...

2006-08-27T12:24:00.000+01:00

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!

Sally and Lewis - Shooters Hill

2006-08-13T10:46:00.000+01:00

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"!

As seen on TV

2006-08-07T08:41:00.000+01:00

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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The Fennes - Bocking, Essex.

2006-07-30T08:52:00.000+01:00

After a ceremony at St Mary's Church, Bocking, Tracey and Andy headed up to the Fennes in a cream coloured carriage drawn by two grey horses with lots of hands!

The Fennes is a great location for a reception; it is a Georgian Mansion set in acres of beautiful gardens and the wedding party enjoyed exclusive use for the day.

The air conditioned marquee was decorated with flowers supplied and arranged by LK Lily.

Tracey wore a dress made for her in Spain and, somehow, managed to keep the impressive train clean all day.

The day ran smoothly thanks, in no small part, to Helen of Milestone Weddings who made sure that over 200 guests and suppliers were in the right place at the right time.

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Irina and Simon - Nutfield Priory

2006-07-17T07:21:00.000+01:00

After a ceremony at Leatherhead Register office (one of the prettier around) Irina and Simon held their reception in the gothic splendour of Nutfield Priory.

I have photographed many weddings there (it's practically my home venue!) and each time it seems to be bright and sunny. This blog is rapidly turning into a record of the hot Saturdays we are enjoying and this one was no exception.

Irina is Russian and some of the guests had flown in for the occassion ably assisted by friend, Stas, who did a great job of translating Irina's brother's speech in 'real time'.

Irina created the design for the day with the peach signature colour of the bridesmaid's dress echoed in the trim of the men's suits and the stylish bows on the chairs.

Lucy and Doug - Stoke Park Club

2006-07-09T08:02:00.000+01:00

A nice day out on Saturday: locations included a cottage in the country, a Saxon church and a very stylish Country Club.

The highlight for me was the speeches:

Father of the Bride - succinct and amusing.

Groom - heartfelt and (even to someone who has heard a few) genuinely touching.

Best man - well, think Eddie Izzard in a morning suit and you're getting near.
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The hottest wedding of the year!

2006-07-04T23:12:00.000+01:00

Michelle and Reza's wedding took place in very high temperatures in the middle of the afternoon. But unlike Sven's heroes they didn't use that fact as an excuse for a lacklustre performance.

The reception was held at Hampton Court House which backs on to Bushey Park and there were regular sightings of deer and plenty of rabbits sunning themselves on the lawns of the house.

The catering and superb table layouts were courtesy of Bovingdons who made sure that there was plenty of liquid refreshment to keep the guests going not just through 90 minutes but on into extra time.

The Punters Wedding

2006-06-25T09:30:00.000+01:00

After a blessing in Great Saint Mary's church Cambridge Christa and Martin walked, with their guests through the City to Scudamore's boat yard. From here we took a 90 minute punt ride up the River Cam to Grantchester where everybody a enjoyed a picnic in a field beside the river.

At the end of the afternoon, following a balloon release, we all returned to Cambridge where the evening celebrations were held at the University Arms Hotel.

The whole day was arranged and coordinated by the team from the Bespoke Wedding Company who insured that nobody got lost along the way!

Summer in the City

2006-06-19T22:16:00.000+01:00

A late morning ceremony at Wesminster Register Office was followed in the afternoon with a reception at the Ognisko Polish Club in Kensington.

Sarah and Richard picked a fine English summer's day for their low key but very stylish wedding. Just family and close friends for the ceremony in Marylebone Road and then Champagne on the terrace, followed by dinner, at an establishment that does it's best to hide it's presence on Exhibition Road. The perfect venue for such a wedding.

More magazine coverage

2006-05-29T14:37:00.000+01:00

One of my weddings from last summer is featured in the latest edition of Wedding Venues and Services magazine. I am particularly pleased with the spread because it is over two whole pages and my credit appears 3 times (sometimes the editors 'forget' altogether).

It is a wedding I remember well as the bride is 'in the business' herself; Caroline owns the Cakes 4 Fun shop in Putney.

The venue was Warren House near Kingston upon Thames and all the flowers were created by LK Lily.

Hartham Park

2006-05-23T10:41:00.000+01:00

Friday's wedding was at Hartham Park in Wiltshire. This is the third time I have covered a wedding at this venue and the only downside is that the local Registrars allow NO photography during the ceremony. I think this is a real shame because the room we used has such a lot of natural light even on a gloomy day (which it certainly was). No matter, we still captured some lovely images.

The table flowers were supplied by Passion Floral Design and in the evening Katie and Nic catered for (almost) everybody by providing a chocolate fountain.
Wedding dress and belgian chocolate? Brave lady!

The highlight of the day for me, was the entertainment provided during the breakfast by The 3 Waiters: an act who start by attending the tables then eventually provide a comedy routine that includes some fine opera singing. They had all the guests fooled at first until it became obvious that these guys knew their stuff.

It rained... so what?

2006-05-08T09:44:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I was in South East London to photograph the wedding of Hannah and Kevin. We managed to get into the church just before, as predicted, the heavens opened!

The ceremony was held at the wonderfully named Christ's Chapel of Alleyn's College of God's Gift in Dulwich (if you know the area it adjoins the Dulwich Picture Gallery).

Then it was onto the reception at Eltham Palace, a really unique venue and a 'must see' for anybody into Art Deco. The rain hammered down but the guests were happy enough inside, enjoying the decor and the Champagne.

Once everybody had been seated for the Wedding Breakfast I managed to 'borrow' the Bride and Groom for a couple of photos while they relaxed in the Palace's beautiful reception area.

The catering was handled with military precision by Jalapeno under the command of Charles Howard. Their multi-national team of Chefs and 'Butlers' made sure that everybody (including Photographers!) wanted for nothing.