We waited all summer for…well…summer…and it chose to arrive just as we started Autumn.  Oh the irony.  It was sun like you almost never see and light that never stopped being there.  Welcome to September in England.

Rachel and Tom came to me through Jess and Bob (who you will see later).  A lovely referral from another wonderful day.  Instead of the country setting in Cambridgeshire for Jess and Bob it was the little bit rural and a lot of town of ‘near’ Croydon and Bromley.  Its one of those weird places that are in one county yet called London.  I won’t pretend to understand.

For me it all began at the hall.  No bridal prep means I get to see the whole build up before the ceremony.  I got to learn a bit more about Tom’s side of the family.  Not a bad thing as Tom’s father presented the ceremony.  This was the second Jehovah’s Witness (Jess and Bob being the first) wedding I had photographed.   Both experiences were so warm…warm in a cuddly way (albeit both day were actually quite sunny and warm).  Its very personal, very passionate but at the same time thoughtful and well meaning.  I’m fascinated by religious culture and the similarities and differences between them.  I’ve been lucky to see Catholic weddings in Italy, Jewish weddings in Tel Aviv and Sikh and Hindu weddings in…well…London.  Maybe its the not knowing exactly where you stand at any given moment.  I’ve seen enough (and be in) Church of England weddings to know the game plan pretty well.  I’m rambling.

There will be a link to a few more images on my Facebook Business gallery…that link will appear at the end of the images below.  So scroll, look and click.

I was the first person there.  Call it insurance when dealing with the M25

Wonderful light…with a fill light to boot

This little archway was just spectacular for light shaping.  PLUS……

…the other side bounced light back to those walking towards it.  Life is a studio as they say.

Movember came early

I don’t know

Throwing a brick at the couple isn’t exactly what I had in mind

Babe-o-rama

Never trust a man you find in an alley — or a tennis court

Its like Close Encounters in there

Table diamontes should come with a health warning (bottom two images)

First day with his new hook!  You had to be there

I leave those kids for 5 minutes and I come back to a line dance

OK…well…this was a test.  Only a test.  I had seen this idea before but hadn’t ever tried it.  With winter on the way it seemed a good time to find something for those dark nights.  Not knowing if this would work or just be a waste of time I borrowed Jess and Bob figuring if it didn’t work then I hadn’t wasted any of the Bride and Groom’s time (not that Jess and Bob’s time is any less valuable but it wasn’t their wedding day…you know what I mean).  Well…it did work.  Thanks to Jess and Bob!

As promised, you can find a few more images from Rachel and Tom’s day on my Facebook Business Page