Archive for civil ceremony
Nikki and Brett – Caephilly Castle Wedding Photographer
Posted by: | CommentsWhy is that I went to a wedding in Surrey at the end of March and there were more Welsh there than my wedding in Caephilly Castle…which, is actually IN Wales. Maybe I’m being too much of a stereotype and deciding that in order to be Welsh you have to have an accent. Which is wrong as one of my best mates is from Wales and has a Surrey accent. I digress.
So. It was time to shoot Nikki and Brett’s wedding. Loyal blog followers will now that I mentioned this wedding last week. Brett marries Nikki. Nikki is Mark’s sister. Mark marries Donna. Donna is Ben’s sister. Ben marries Helen. Helen is Laura’s Bridemaid. Laura marries Leigh. I was there for all of it. You need a full on forensic mapping to work this all out. Keep at it…it will all come to you.
So Wales. Yes, I do have familial connection being of Welsh blood myself. I do love it there. The hills, the sea, the M4. In the classic words of Gavin and Stacey….its ‘tidy’. Newport (location for the preparations at the luxurious Celtic Manor Hotel) is just across the bridge with Caephilly a few miles further on. This was easily the closest Welsh wedding I’ve shot. Let’s be honest, its a 5 iron from England. But enough dribble. This is all about Brett and Nikki. I first met Brett a few years ago when I did full on family shoot Nikki’s family in London. Somehow I was convinced his name was Greg. After screwing that up too many times I opted for ‘Gret’. It stuck. It was early enough in their relationship to never know if I’d see him again. So last March when I got the call from Nikki about booking me for the wedding I was delighted for them both. Nikki for finding Mr Right and ‘Gret’ for enduring the endless one liners dished out by me, Kieron (Nikki’s Dad) and Mark (Nikki’s brother). Who knew that the reason he could take the pressure was the fact that ‘Gret’s own Dad was the king of one liners, slapstick and just about every comedy paradigm going. It did take me half the day to realise that the Best Man was actually Brett’s father. That’s a compliment BTW.
My the sun did shine. The castle was just lovely. A real delight to work in and to be a part of.
Not exactly rugby boots
Family heirloom
Just like my curls…honest
Those damn PPI calls
Not a typical guest arrival!
Dad’s to the left of me, Dad’s to the right (Brett’s best man was his Dad)
The triangle of doom!
Photo by Darren
Photo by Darren
I just love those village hall venues
Bros and Sos
Photo by Darren
Photo by Darren
Eventually it all got a bit mushy!
If you want to see a few more go to my Facebook Business page to see more from Nikki and Brett’s Caephilly Castle wedding
Caroline and Adam – Barnet Hill Wedding Photography
Posted by: | CommentsSweet Caroline!!!! Dat dah duh (now I dare you to get that song out of your head .. bahahahahaha)
Gosh it seems so long ago. I mean, back then it was cold, damp and the threat of Spring was nowhere to be found. Wait a minute!
So it wasn’t that long ago I guess. This is Caroline (dat dah duh) and Adam (no clever song reference available) at Barnett Hill, a delightful venue on the edge of the Surrey Hills (which will mean quite a lot to mountain bikers in the South). This wedding will be famous for me as being one of only a handful of weddings where I had to do family groups inside. Yes, it was that cold. But as rooms go for indoor formals I’ll take it.
These guys are a delightful couple who are perfectly suited. Caroline and Adam’s vows, written by themselves, were truly inspiring. I can’t say I didn’t get a little bit humid in the eye line listening to them. It was refreshing to hear something unique. This coming after a Humanist ceremony the day before where the same thing happened. Its nice to see a bit of the couple in there and not just the legal bits.
They also had a first and you know I love firsts. Sadly the Best Man couldn’t be there. Living in Cyprus it became impossible for him to travel during the financial crisis affecting withdrawals and other day to day activities. But in this modern world he was able to record his speech (inclusive of balloon faces of Caroline and Adam) and have it shipped over via the interweb for viewing by the rest of the wedding. Genius!
I also got the pleasure of working with Oli (and Chris) from Storybook Films. A delightful duo who, for videographers, smell rather nice. I do recommend a gander at the website.
There will be more images on my Facebook Business Page. Have a gander down there and at the end you will find the link. Happy viewing!
Cup-a-soup…lunch for nervous Bride!
An interesting place for your first married barney
The consequences of playing Mambo Number 5 on the guest led iPod DJ!
And A Few From Darren
As promised there are more images on my Facebook Business Page….you can find it here
Jen and Anjohn – The Prequel and The Sequel
Posted by: | CommentsIt was the best of times. It was the..well..best of times. It was just two times on different days. To make it even more interesting, it ain’t done yet. Yes, this is the many weddings of Jen and Anjohn. So it is that if you want to get married on Good Friday then you’re a wee bit stuffed. Solution. Get married at the registry office on Thursday then have a humanist ceremony on Friday. And if your family is from Bangladesh why not have another ceremony in 6 weeks time. If you’re not following as close as you should then let me spell it out to you. That is exactly what we did and will do.
So last Thursday I made my way to the registry office just outside of Guildford town centre. Its actually a place that has some meaning to me. It was there that I shot my very first wedding back in 2004. Last week just like in 2004 it was a straight forward affair. This time 15 guests made their way into the small ceremony room to complete to legal bits before we all made our way to Cote in Guildford for a family meal. One potential pitfall of this plan is that you may find yourself having such a good time that you fail to notice your watch and discover you are an hour late for your Humanist ceremony rehearsal (which, I have to say is lovely, personal and wholesome but in my humble opinion not in need of a rehearsal). Its all something to tell the grandkids.
Waking up the day after the, well, afternoon before is all bit peculiar. Turning up and not only knowing the couple in your viewfinder but also knowing you just shot a wedding with them the day before is a unique prospect. It was great. Like old times I tell you. The good part is that this day would be a completely different set of parameters. A joint bridal and groom(al) prep at Jen and Anjohns in Guildford then off to Gate Street Barn. Being a) married and b) not one to have the world staring at you as you enter a room meant that the start of this ceremony would be very different. A bit of meet and greet before the ceremony was a delightful difference for me. I loved it. Of course the ceremony was unique (as in a Humanist ceremony its all about the couple – yay!) but also I saw something I hadn’t seen before. I’m not sure if its a tradition of the Humanist or Anjohn’s Bangladeshi heritage or simple somerhing they thought of themselves, but the weddings rings, which the day before were given to form the legal part of their marriage, were today taken off, bound together and at a point in the ceremony passed around to every guest to hold, see, rub and if so inclined pray. It was interesting to see how some simply passed it on, some were delighted by the shine and a few seemed to pass on good vibes in both secular and non secular ways.
The last surprise for everyone was the table layout. Two long tables split the barn bringing a village festival feel to an amazing day. I can’t wait until May for the last part of wedding trio!
Normally I post a link to even more images on my Facebook business page. An error in logistics (IOW I’m a bonehead) means that I won’t be able to upload that until Monday. So, enjoy this longer than usual blog post and I’ll will fill you in on the fuller Facebook upload next week!
First – Guildford Registry Wedding
Lookie here
“no seriously…I’ve met a real live Hobbit. It was THIS tall”
I’m sure I’ve seen that guy on The West Wing
On reflection this is a black and white shot. Love the Registrar.
Storytelling at 0.3 of a meter
I have no idea who that is…but she kept jumping over a parking post so I photographed it
Part 2 – Good Friday
It would later be revealed why the chair I used to photograph the shoes was so important
The A-Team’s Hannibal would have proud…and even more pleased as it all came together
Again…I didn’t know at the time but when the light shone almost exclusively on the necklace I was drawn. It turned out to be the last Christmas gift Jen’s mum gave her. You tell me there’s no such thing as karma or the universe
Apparently earrings are more difficult than first thought
This was just happenstance…
Jen in the chair her mother made
The benefit of getting ready together….actually I lied a bit. A big reveal comes later but I will do a whole blog post on that later.
That was just the coolest thing…
She loves that jacket…honest
Passing around the rings
I mean REALLY loves that jacket!
Don’t deny Jen…it worked didn’t it! :)
Wow!….and more wow!
I couldn’t seem to get ‘Cab’ to smile despite he’d spent the last two days laughing away!
Big appetite
Checking the job dossier from Jen
Alleged product found in Anjohn’s medicine cabinet
As I mentioned…a link to more Facebook images on Monday.
Sarah and Steven – A Big Freeze at Gate Street Barn
Posted by: | CommentsHoly cow…its Spring. Thing is someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. Quite honestly, I happily did family groups outside in February. No one complained. It was fresh not cold. Now that its the end of March you would think we would optimistic for warmer weather. Apparently on the same day last year it was 21 degrees (that’s Celsius). So quite how a year passes and the high was around 2. Seriously. I guess on the plus side it was dry even if it was too cold for anyone to really enjoy the outside. On the plus side I still the family groups outside and it took about 30% less time than normal. Amazing what freezing your dewberries off will do to inspire folks to get a move on.
Yes, this was Saturday’s wedding of Steven and Sarah at the glorious, beautiful and internally warm Gate Street Barn (quite frankly one of Surrey’s finest wedding venues). Despite working at Gate Street many many times it was still a first in staying with the Bride (aka Sarah) in the Bride’s room. Small yet functional. But it meant no traveling and no getting cold outside. Sarah and Steven are a delightfully sweet couple. Calm yet spirited, thoughtful yet spontaneous. A delightful combination of charm, personality and wit that makes for such an enjoyable day for me (and Darren). We really do enjoy being part of something so sincere and honest. It makes you feel like a part of something real not fabricated. Thank you to Sarah and Steven for having us along.
Below is a selection of images. Afterwards I’ll be posting a link to more images which you can view on my Facebook business page. So gander, read, enjoy and at the end is a link for more.
Seriously…how gorgeous is that
The main perk of getting ready in the barn
CurlyWurly
Mum’s broach
Small mirror, big image
Here comes the … Dad
Glasses on my head…cool don’t you think
Today’s doppleganger is the Best Man and Brother of Steven…I give you Mark Wahlberg (or Dirk as I called him)
…in a veiled way of carrying on the Dirk reference
Marky Mark is enjoying it as well!
7pts
That kid is adorable!
Its true…country roads really do take you home!
Gravity is no match!
A big warm bun and huge hunk of meat (although this isn’t a Cheeseburger in Paradise)
Chris from Chess has some new LED lights. Me like.
I have no idea
I love the couple in the middle…I’m don’t read minds but I’m guessing it went something like this “W….T….F”
Time for me to stick to my word and give you that link to the book of Faces and my business page where you can find about 100 images from Steven and Sarah’s Gate Street Barn wedding on Facebook.
Hyun and Pete at The Elvetham – A Winter Wedding
Posted by: | CommentsAfter the hubbub known as Christmas and the New Year its often a time of catching up for a wedding photographer. You start to think about the downtime and eventually it gets to you. Can you simply drop back into the groove you had a few weeks ago? There’s no question you hope for something unique for your first of a new season. Something that will tickle your insides and make you feel right at ease. I feel rather lucky that this is exactly what I found when I arrived at The Elvetham last Friday. I knew when I met Hyun and Pete a while back that this would be a relaxed affair. Any wedding where the groom picks out the wedding dress is going to be special. I wasn’t left wanting. Hyun’s smile, Pete’s smile. The warmth of the room cancelled out all the cold outside. Simply put. I was in heaven. I’ve become a little of a seasoned veteran at ceremonies. I don’t really get emotional or nostalgic. But on Friday I did. I was sitting in the front row after shooting the signing of the register as the guests took theirs. I was watching Hyun and Pete and their guests crowded around with their cameras. I looked back to Hyun and Pete and I noticed her staring at Pete from all of 6 inches away. I was stuck by just how much she adored him. At that moment, nothing else mattered to her. The people, the cameras, the Registrars. Nothing. She was totally encapsulated in him. At that moment I was taken with emotion. It took me a minute or so to compose myself. Pete is a very lucky man. You will see the image I took just as it dawned on me later on. Also, there will be a link to more images on my Facebook Business Page. This will appear at the end of this post.
Cuppa
Weeds (no…not really…Pete’s mum did an amazing job with the flowers)
Pete scores major brownie points
Honorary Hen!
Oh yeah…that’s what I’m talking about!
I see where she gets it from!
Facetime Korea!
It seemed an odd time to do the Macarena
Never leave anything to chance!
Just before Dr Who arrived
Are you sensing a theme here?
Doppleganger 2013 begins with … Bradley Cooper!
2 seconds later and I’m a blubbing mess!
High fives are not just reserved for injury time winners!
Dress him up…but really…should you have let him out?
Horton hears a hoo and a blue tree!
Nice guns
I’m dead…
I promised you more…and here you go. Pete and Hyun’s Elvetham Wedding Photography on my Facebook Business Page.
Sophie and David – A Kew Gardens Fall Wedding
Posted by: | CommentsSophie and David are the kind of clients you love to get. Recently engaged as they attended the fantastic wedding of a Natalie and Alex in 2011 they were suddenly more aware of the finer details of organising a wedding. As Sophie was a Bridesmaid it was even more ‘real’ being on the inside. As Robert De Niro’s character in ‘Meet the Parents’ would say…inside the ‘Circle of Trust’. Well, I know you can’t milk anything with a nipple (unlike Ben Stiller) but I did know that I had a great opportunity to not impress Nat and Alex but also these guys. I’m guessing it worked as it was only a couple of months or so until the phone rang and I was over the moon.
I had photographer two different weddings at Kew Gardens before. Both times in Cambridge Cottage. So this was going to be new ground for me. The Princess of Wales Conservatory remains the common bond but being able to shoot both in the Orangery and The Nash Conservatory was just magnificent. As London venues go, Kew Gardens has so much to offer. I really love working there. Their day was filled with unique features perfectly suited for them. Its nice to get something unique for me too. For that I got to photograph the Bride and Groom exit. Pitch black on a cool September night its the kind of photography I don’t often do. Revert to old school. Direct flash. But even direct flash, when seen the right way can be evocative.
What a wonderful day…and if you want to see more after viewing the images below the find the link at the end to a good walloping on Facebook.
David schools one of the Grooms(wo)men.
“Nessun DOOOOORRRRRMMMMMAAAA’
Pin sharp dresser
Proof that there is never a wrong time for a fruit smoothie
One of my favourite shoe photos — EVER
Proof that this job does deserve danger pay
I was rather pleased with this one…mind you Mum did try on the same two pair earrings about 9 times :0)
The gorgeous…and slightly pregnant…Natalie!
The Men In Black visit David one last time just to be sure
Driving Ms Sophie
Quite honestly…this was the toughest lightening scenario I faced in all of 2012 — I’m rather pleased in hindsight with how it turned out.
David never missed an opportunity to practice his imaginary juggling
looks like chocolate cake…feels like chocolate cake…I wonder if it tastes like chocolate cake
The best gag ever…just walk up to a group and shout “Blue Steel”
Geometry baffled me in school
Just what ever is he measuring…the mind boggles
As Dave Grohl would say “its times like these you wish you had your 17-35″….but I love the look on the cake holder
At least she got the Foo Fighters joke
Honestly…I have no idea!
Everyone knows that red ties are better for air guitar
Some people just can’t take a break from their Davina McCall exercise DVD
..see what I mean
Direct flash never looked so … well … interesting
As mentioned above….here is a link to more images from the Kew Gardens wedding of Sophie and David on Facebook
