A little while back I had the privilege of travelling to Venice, with a bunch of lovely female photographers, for a weekend of shooting, chatting, eating, drinking wine and all that good stuff :) Various informal shoots were organised, and I decided it was a great opportunity to get some gorgeous bridal portraits in a stunning setting. So I asked the lovely ladies at The White Closet if I could whisk one of their gorgeous Claire Pettibone dresses off to Venice for the weekend, and they very kindly obliged :) I was also loaned a couple of beautiful headpieces for the shoot; an amazing glittering headband and veil from HF Couture and a delicately pretty floral circlet headband from Lila Accessories, both of which looked gorgeous with the dress. The lovely Vicki (Victoria Phipps photography) was our beautiful model, and did an amazing job in the cold (thank you!). Vicki looked stunning, her gorgeous red hair and tan brogues working perfectly with the dark cream lace of the dress.  We spent a lovely morning wandering the back streets, alleyways, canals and bridges of a rather flooded Venice, and this is what we created…

What a beautiful dress, and a beautiful city! I’d love to photograph a real wedding in Venice, so please do get in touch if you are thinking of having a destination wedding in Italy :)

Such a stylish and beautiful wedding, don’t you agree? I am absolutely thrilled that You & Your Wedding magazine will be publishing Kerrie & Danny’s wedding as a ‘real wedding’ feature in the next few months :) Of course the wedding wouldn’t have happened without Kerrie’s creative vision and handiwork, and the amazingly talented team of suppliers and experts listed below – it really does read like a dream team of Manchester wedding talent!

Kerrie & Danny, thank you a million times for having me as your wedding photographer, I have loved every minute of working with you and getting to know you, and your wedding was amazing and an honour to be a part of. Thank you too to your wonderful family and friends for being so welcoming, especially Kerrie’s Mum, who looked absolutely stunning and made me feel so welcome – and the ‘naughty table’ for the fun at dinner time! Kerrie & Danny, wishing you all the best in your marriage and every happiness for your future together. Keep in touch! xxx

Supplier Credits

Bride’s Dress: Dalia by Jenny Packham, from Aphrodite Bridal Wear, Knutsford
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Accessories: Acacia by Jenny Packham
Groom’s Suit: Next
Groom’s Shoes: Poste
Groomsmen Suits: Next
Bridesmaids Dresses: No. 1 Jenny Packham at Debenhams
Bridesmaids Shoes: No. 1 Jenny Packham at Debenhams
Hair: Rachael Bottomley
Make-up: Rachael Bottomley
Flowers: Laura Coleman Flowers
Cake: Cakes By Beth
Stationery: Handmade by the Bride and Groom
Table Settings, Table Plan & Favours: Handmade by bride, and cancer research pins
Venue/Caterers: Great John Street Hotel, Eclectic Hotels
Entertainment: Band – King Monday (Danny’s cousin Simon is the lead singer). DJ – Oscar from Move the Body

We have just returned from an incredible trip to Oman. The Middle East is a part of the world we had never been to, and had fairly limited knowledge of, so when our good friends moved out there a year ago and invited us to visit, we jumped at the chance. I was blown away – aside from the fact that the sun shines every single day *sigh*, Oman is a country of exceptional beauty. There are stunning beaches flanked with palm trees sitting in the shadow of rugged, rocky mountains; dramatic gorges with crystal clear rockpools and endless desert sand dunes. The perfect symmetry and beautiful patterns of Islamic architecture contrast with the wildness of the landscape, where goats and camels roam seemingly wild. Colourful fabrics, pashminas, exotic spices and lanterns jostle for the attention of tourists in the local souk. Needless to say, we will definitely be going back :) Here are a few of my favourite travel photographs from the trip. I hope you enjoy them.

It has always been a dream of mine to photograph a bride and groom in a lavender field. One day I hope it will be in the lavender meadows of Provence, but until then I’m happy to have found this little piece of France in Cheshire :) For the final part of Yasmin & Andalib’s summer post-wedding shoot they braved the bee-filled lavender; we had fun playing with the light on Yasmin’s beautiful lace mantilla; and set up a romantic & pretty vintage-style picnic. It was one of those perfect summer days, and as the sun went down it bathed the lavender field in a dreamy golden haze… you could certainly imagine you were in the south of France ;)

With thanks to the Swettenham Arms for allowing us to shoot in their gorgeous lavender field!

(Did you see part 1, the gardens of Arley Hall and part 2, a vintage chaise in a cornfield…)

A summer’s day, dreamy light, a beautiful bride, a handsome groom, a gorgeous lace-tiered vintage dress, a pink chaise, a lace parasol and a cornfield. Pure wedding photography heaven :)

This is part 2 of Yasmin & Andalib’s gorgeous summer post-wedding shoot. Pop over here to see part 1 in the gardens of Arley Hall, and visit again soon for part 3, a vintage picnic in a lavender meadow.

Yasmin and Andalib had a gorgeous winter wedding at Arley Hall last year, and lovely as that was (and it really was) Yasmin was a tiny bit sad not to have had a summer wedding. So on one of the hottest days of the year, they got dressed back up in their wedding clothes and we spent a fab afternoon taking summery wedding photos in the beautiful gardens of Arley Hall and beyond. Yasmin looked completely gorgeous in her tiered lace vintage dress and Andalib was a very handsome groom indeed in his tweed suit. There were so many lovely pictures I am going to blog the shoot in 3 parts. So here is part 1, in the gardens of Arley Hall…

Pop

Pop back soon for part 2, where we took a pink chaise-long into a wheatfield… :)

To all my gorgeous couples and fabulous suppliers, have a wonderful Valentine’s filled with love and romance :) And if you are lucky enough to get engaged today, I’d love to hear from you!

Wendy and Damion are two of the loveliest people you could hope to meet. Last January we spent a wonderful weekend in Venice getting to know each other and shooting their engagement session; a weekend we will remember fondly for a long time. Wendy & Damion are actually aspiring wedding photographers themselves, so it was an enormous honour to be their wedding photographer – and I was extra happy (relieved!) that they loved their photos!

The wedding took place on a windy hill in Lancashire, at the Alma Inn – a cosy country pub/hotel with great food, roaring fires, spectacular views, and walls painted just the right colour to compliment the muted tones of the pretty vintage scheme :) Wendy styled the wedding to perfection, sourcing pretty things and hand-making details, with a little help from some of the best suppliers in the industry. The florally fabulous team at Flower Design created a breathtaking display – from the decorated beam in the ceremony/reception room, to the gorgeous birdcages, not to mention the buttonhole/corsage provided for every single guest! Stationery was by the super-talented Lucy Ledger Designs, definitely some of the prettiest I have seen this year. The lovely Catherine from Ivy Clara worked her magic twisting and curling Wendy’s hair to perfection, and I just adored the soft, pretty style she created.

Wendy looked absolutely stunning in her Sottero & Midgley lace gown, cathedral veil and adorable vintage-inspired Emmy shoes and Damion was quite the dapper groom in Ted Baker… especially when they both donned wellies and headed into the fields for their fine art couple portraits ;) This was definitely one of those weddings where we felt like (hard-working!) honoured guests… there were tears in the ceremony and laughter in the speeches – especially when Damion handed Wendy her certificate for attending the training course he was leading where they met… with the added line: ‘warning – attendance on this course may result in you marrying the trainer’. I love hearing the stories of how people met and fell in love – and these two were definitely made for each other :) We smiled all the way home, and for a good few days afterwards. Here are the photos:

A truly wonderful day for a truly wonderful couple :) Wendy, & Damion, thanks so much for having us, (and feeding us, mmmm!) we loved your wedding! Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness together!

Supplier Credits
Bride’s Dress: Sottero & Midgley, from Lulu Browns in Clitheroe
Bride’s Shoes: Leila shoe by Emmy, London
Accessories (Veil, head-piece, jewellery): Veil – Sottero & Midgley, Head Piece from Alan Hannah
Groom’s Suit: Ted Baker
Groom’s Shoes: Ted Baker
Groomsmen Suits: Greenwoods
Bridesmaids Dresses: Coast
Bridesmaids Shoes: M&S
Hair: Catherine Hughes from Ivy Clara
Make-up: Catherine Hughes from Ivy Clara
Flowers: Flower Design, Blackpool 
Cake: Mrs Spendlove’s Truly Scrumptious Deliciously Different Handmade Cakes, Waddintgon
Stationery: Lucy Ledger Designs
Table Settings & Favours: Handmade by bride
Chair Covers: Creative Cover Hire
Cars/Transport: Rolls Royce, Elegance Wedding Care Hire, Wigan
Venue/Caterers: The Alma Inn, Laneshawbridge

Harriet & Mike’s wedding was a really special one for us to photograph, not just because of the absolutely stunning location, but because they are friends of ours and know that they are a match made in heaven :) The location was a very special one for Harriet and her family, as the wedding reception was held in a marquee in the garden of her Grandparents’ house, where she spent many of her childhood holidays, in the tiny village of Nether Wasdale. I have been to the southern Lakes many times, places like Coniston, Ambleside and Windermere, but this seemed a world away from there; rugged, remote, and utterly breathtaking. We drove up the night before, navigating one of the Britain’s scariest roads, the Hard Knock pass, at dusk, in the rain, wondering if we were going to make it to the pub before they stopped serving food, or to the wedding at all for that matter. At one point little Sophie, in her rear-facing car-seat, cried out ‘Mummy, where has the road gone?’! A good question, and we weren’t entirely sure ourselves! I have never been so relieved to arrive at a wedding, and we arrived at The Strands, the pub and brewery providing the catering and specially brewed beer for the wedding, just in time to order dinner, and a large glass of red!

We had arrived in the dark, and the next morning it was misty and damp, so we really had no idea just how beautiful the place was. After a lovely ceremony in the tiny village chapel, we walked in our wellies in the rain to the marquee, where a delicious (and beautifully presented!) spread awaited us. After lunch and some very moving speeches, we came out to find the the sun had broken through the mist, revealing the most stunning scenery. Mike & Harriet had arranged for us to drive down to the lake, Wastwater, in their fab vintage Austin wedding car for some photos, while guests had time to relax or take a walk in the beautiful surroundings. It was one of those ‘pinch-me-is-this-really-my-job?’ moments, riding to the lake in this very special open-top car, in the sunshine, with a gorgeous couple to photograph in a breathtakingly beautiful location :)

The evening party was a relaxed festival-style affair, with live music from friends, a barbeque, haybales, bunting, more wedding beer and lots of dancing. Whew! What a wedding. And I haven’t even mentioned yet how gorgeous Harriet looked in her lace dress, which she had cleverly had created and customised from two Oxfam dresses… or the amazing home-made caramel shortbread cakes on the tree-stump cake-stand that Mike had made himself… or all the pretty bunting and cute details and luggage-tag-table-plan and stationery that had been handmade by friends and family… or ‘Hoppy Ever After’, the wedding beer brewed especially for the occasion… But you’ll see all that and more in the photos that follow, so grab a cuppa and enjoy :)

Beautiful isn’t she :)

There’s always one. And It is usually Sam Ward ;)

Harriet and Mike are spending the first year of their marriage traveling around the country (and maybe beyond) working on organic farms and in eco-communities. How cool is that?! You guys are such an inspiration :)

Thank you so much for letting us share your special day with you, and be both your photographers and friends, it was such an honour to be a part of. Wishing you all the best in your married life together.

Credits

Venue: Nether Wasdale, Cumbria
Bride’s Dress: Oxfam Brides, customised by Spellbinder Designs
Bridesmaids Dresses: Own, with sashes
Hair: Alex Rose
Car: Family friend
Flowers: Perfectly Planted, Gosforth
Cake: Made by Bride’s Aunt, stand made by groom
Stationery: Handmade by Bride & Groom
Table Settings & Favours: Bride & Groom
Marquee: Lockhart Leisure
Caterers & Brewery: The Strands Inn, Nether Wasdale

The third and final part of Ladan & Marvin’s epic and exceedingly beautiful wedding day was the Iranian ceremony and evening party. (Don’t miss part 1, the colourful Vietnamese Tea Ceremony and Part 2, the beautiful civil ceremony and wedding breakfast).

The wedding day was a wonderful mixture of different cultures and I loved having the opportunity to photograph these different traditions. One of my favourites was the Persian tradition of grinding two sugar cones above the bride and groom’s heads to shower them in sugar, symbolising sweetness and happiness. Then immediately after they are married then each dip their little fingers into a cup of honey and feed it to the other. Mmmm! The couple had a special cake for this part of the day, a delicious white-chocolate covered creation that I instantly recognised as a Choccywoccydoodah cake, which they cut and fed to each other (I’m noticing a theme here…!)

The trees outside the New England-style barn were strung with festoon lights and candles were glowing on every surface as Ladan & Marvin took to the dance-floor for their first dance. As dusk became night-time, a beautiful clear sky was revealed, complete with full moon, and guests danced the night away under the stars. A fabulous bouquet-toss, a delicious Persian buffet and a lot of dancing later, Ladan & Marvin waved goodbye to their guests under an archway of sparklers. It was really rather magical :)

A huge thank you to Ladan & Marvin for trusting me to capture your very special day. It was an immense honour to be a part of your wedding, and we wish you every sweetness and happiness in your married life together.

To see more of this beautiful wedding and gorgeous couple, check out the following:

Ladan & Marvin’s Wedding Part 1: Vietnamese Tea Ceremony
Ladan & Marvin’s Wedding Part 2: A Pale & Interesting Wedding
Ladan & Marvin’s Stylish London Engagement shoot

Credits

Venue: Foster House (Pale & Interesting)
Bride’s Dress: Ellis Bridal 
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Accessories: Veil was handmade by Mazelino. Headpiece was bought online and Jewellery was Thomas Sabo (Selfridges)
Groom and Groomsmen’s Suits: Next
Bridesmaids Dresses: Mazelino
Bridesmaids Shoes: Warehouse
Bridesmaids Accessories:  Debenhams
Hair: Alexandra Hill
Make-up: Lara Crudgington
Flowers: The Flower Stand, Hove
Cake: Katiecakes and Choccywoccydoodah
Stationery: Handmade by Bride & Groom
Table Settings & Favours: Second hand shop and bride & groom’s own for table settings. Favours were personalised USB Sticks bought online and Lavender bathbombs bought online. All the laser cut decorations and stencils used for signs which were used for the centrepieces, cake topper, table plan etc were by Kadeza from K.De.Vision Ltd. Bunting for sweet table was by Frankie from JoeBella
Marquee: Kent Marquees
Caterers: Catering 4 Kent
Entertainment: Kenji Fenton (saxophone) DJ Scooby

Ladan & Marvin’s wedding was one of the prettiest I have ever laid eyes on. For a photographer obsessed with light, and in love with those sun-drenched barn weddings you see all over the likes of Style Me Pretty, this was a little slice of wedding heaven! The venue – Foster House, (Pale & Interesting: the venue) is a New-England style weather-boarded house and barn in the Kent countryside, and an absolute dream to photograph. And not surprisingly. The home of Dave Coote and Atlanta Bartlett , a very talented designer/stylist couple, it is primarily hired out as a film/photography shoot location and you may recognise it from the pages of brochures of companies such as The White Company and Boden. The bride and groom have an eye for beautiful styling too, and this was evident in the pretty reception details, combining amnesia roses, hessian, carved wood and lavender for a pared-back rustic look. Add to the mix a gorgeous couple, sparkly Jimmy Choos, sunshine and a cornfield, and you have one over-excited wedding photographer :) Oh, and did I mention the airstream trailer?!

And of course, alongside the pretty was a whole lot of love, the joining of two families and two cultures, a moving ceremony and heartfelt speeches… Two people in love, committing to loving each other for the rest of their lives, and celebrating that love with their friends and families. And as ever, it was an honour to be a part of this special day.

This is the 2nd part of Ladan & Marvin’s wedding, the 1st part featured their Vietnamese Tea Ceremony, and part 3; the Iranian wedding ceremony, the evening party and dancing under the stars will follow shortly…

Big thanks to my amazing assistant and husband Dev Lunsford for some beautiful shots :)

Credits

Venue: Foster House
Bride’s Dress: Ellis Bridal 
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Accessories: Veil was handmade by Mazelino. Headpiece was bought online and Jewellery was Thomas Sabo (Selfridges)
Groom and Groomsmen’s Suits: Next
Bridesmaids Dresses: Mazelino
Bridesmaids Shoes: Warehouse
Bridesmaids Accessories:  Debenhams
Hair: Alexandra Hill
Make-up: Lara Crudgington
Flowers: The Flower Stand, Hove
Cake: Katiecakes
Stationery: Handmade by Bride & Groom
Table Settings & Favours: Second hand shop and bride & groom’s own for table settings. Favours were personalised USB Sticks bought online and Lavender bathbombs bought online. All the laser cut decorations and stencils used for signs which were used for the centrepieces, cake topper, table plan etc were by Kadeza from K.De.Vision Ltd. Bunting for sweet table was by Frankie from JoeBella
Marquee: Kent Marquees
Caterers: Catering 4 Kent
Entertainment: Kenji Fenton (saxophone) DJ Scooby

Well, 2012 was quite a year! I can’t quite believe it’s over already, as usual I feel like I am not quite ready for the next year. But it really has been the dream year in a lot of ways, with many goals ticked off my list and amazing experiences along the way. I have been lucky enough to travel all over the UK and Europe photographing beautiful weddings and gorgeous couples, having a lot of fun, meeting some wonderful people and seeing some amazing places. There were quirky weddings in tipis, quintessentially English country garden weddings and luxurious and elegant weddings in hotels where the Queen was having lunch. Brides looked gorgeous in birdcage veils, family-heirloom tiaras, lace-edged cathedral veils and lace juliet caps, pink shoes, blue shoes, sky-high Louboutins, Hunter wellies and barefoot. I swooned over fairytale Phillipa Lepley dresses, glittering Jenny Packham numbers, exquisite lace Claire Pettibone creations and floaty bohemian gowns… *sigh*.  I have photographed couples kissing in cornfields, lavender meadows, bright yellow rape fields, sun-drenched vineyards and olive groves; on the beach, on carousels, in gondolas, camper vans and air-stream trailers; in front of mountains and lakes, snowstorms and sunsets; in Edinburgh, Northumberland, the Lake District, Cheshire, London, Venice and Madrid. Whew – no wonder I’m tired! It has been amazing and a real privilege to be a part of so many couples’ special days, and I have loved every minute.

2012 also saw my work published in a number of top wedding titles, including You and Your Wedding and Wedding magazines, along with the front cover of Your London Wedding and Your Manchester Wedding, with features on lots of the lovely UK wedding blogs, in particular Love My Dress and London Bride. Huge thanks to these publications for publishing my photography and supporting me :)

Alongside my wedding work the commercial side of the business has been growing, venturing into interiors, editorial, community and food photography. A highlight of this work was photographing lovely actress Alexander Roach for the cover and feature article of Spectator Life magazine. That, alongside photographing two incredible weddings in Madrid, and attending some glittering industry parties, were real ‘pinch-me-am-I-dreaming?’ moments… a million miles away from being a creatively-stifled stressed-out teacher, and a reminder to be grateful and appreciate how lucky I am to have my dream job :) Not that it’s all glitz, glamour and travelling to exciting places, and it has its fair share of stress, but I am making a living doing the thing I love, and that I don’t take for granted.

Personally it’s been a great year too, although I perhaps took on a little more work than I should have done, as I do want to spend time with my gorgeous little girl while she’s little! So 2013 will hopefully have a more sensible work-life balance… and I am going to try not to work until silly-o-clock! Back in June we had a lovely family holiday, just the three of us, in my favourite place in the world in the south of France, and one day I will get round to editing those photos! We also welcomed a new nephew into the world, visited family, spent time with friends, drank really pale rosé in the sunshine as often as possible and were guests at a very special family wedding. My personal project for the year was a ‘photo-a-day’ or 365(6!) project, which was great, and hard work, and I will blog about another time…

So, here are some of the highlights of my photography year…

Thanks for looking through to the end… I know there were a lot ;)

Looking forward, 2013 is shaping up to be a rather exciting year, with my first official destination weddings coming up this summer in the South of France and Majorca, plus lots of other beautiful and creative weddings :) I am excited about getting to know another set of lovely couples, and seeing what surprises the new year brings. Once again, thank you to all who support, encourage and inspire me; clients, friends, family, fellow photographers and industry friends. Most of all, thank you to my little girl Sophie for helping me see the world with wonder and bringing me so much joy, and to my ever-patient husband for being my rock – I couldn’t do this without you :)

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, inspiration and friendship – I couldn’t do what I do without you :)

xxx

Pop back soon for part 2, the beautiful English civil ceremony and wedding breakfast…

Becky and Jason got married on a beautiful sunny day in early September. The ceremony took place at St Phillip’s Church in Kelsall, Becky’s family church, followed by a reception at The Mere Golf Resort and Spa in Cheshire. Becky looked stunning in her Alan Hannah fishtail gown and full-length veil and Jason made a handsome groom in his Phillip Alexander suit. I had visited the Mere the day before and and spotted a rather exciting alternative location for the couple’s fine art portraits, and the resulting images are probably some of my favourite couple photos ever. The perfect golden field with a lone tree, beautiful blue skies and a gorgeous couple :) Yes, I did jump up and down a little bit. (My lovely assistant James can verify that.) I do love it when couples trust my sometimes seemingly crazy ideas… ‘just jump in my car, we’re going for a little drive and I have spare wellies for you in the boot…’ Thank you Becky & Jason – it was so worth it! We then headed back to the Mere for a delicious meal and some touching and funny speeches. A live band ensured the evening party went with a swing and saw all the guests dancing til late. Here are some favourite photos from the day…

Becky & Jason, it was an honour to photograph your special day, and I wish you every happiness in your married life. Thanks for trusting me enough to follow my crazy ideas!

Credits

Bride’s Dress: Alan Hannah from The Wedding Shop , Alderley Edge
Bride’s Shoes: The Wedding Shop Alderley Edge
Accessories: Side tiara- Amanda Wyatt
Groom’s Suit: Phillip Alexander, Wilmslow
Groomsmen Suits: Moss Bros
Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Sung, Bellissima Brides
Hair: Jamie Lee, Christopher Boynton
Make-up: Michelle Cannon
Flowers: by Heather, Living Colour Floral Design
Cake: Made by Brides Mother and Iced by Pipe Dreams West Kirby
Favours: British Heart Foundation
Cars/Transport:  Ray Brown- Country Wedding Cars
Venue/Marquee/Caterers: The Mere Golf Resort and Spa
Entertainment: Superbevents (band and DJ)
Wedding Invitations: Cheryl Wignall- Pink Sherbet Designs
Wedding Post box: Sherbert Box
Photography Assistant: James Delacloche

Where do I start with this adorably pretty shabby chic wedding and super-lovely and rather gorgeous couple?! Helen & Rich’s wedding was just about perfect. The ceremony took place in a beautiful black-and-white timber church in the Cheshire countryside, with music provided by a string quartet. Helen looked stunning in her fairytale Ian Stuart gown and full-length veil, and Rich every bit the dapper groom in his bespoke tailored suit. Guests sipped raspberry bellinis in the sunshine overlooking the lake at Sandhole Oak Barn to the mellow sounds of a live jazz from Olly Hamilton, pianist extraordinaire. The reception room decor was gorgeous, filled with oh-so-pretty details, beautiful letter-press menus and table plan, the prettiest candy buffet and cake table, and overflowing with beautiful blooms. A wedding photographer’s paradise :) The wedding breakfast was utterly delicious; smoked salmon and asparagus to start, buttery soft fillet of beef for the main and a trio of delectable treats for dessert (aside from photographer’s paradise, I was in foodie heaven!) The meal was followed by some of the most touching and funny speeches I have heard – I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. After dinner we took a stroll through the fields of long grass in the delicious golden light just before the sun went down, to take some beautiful fine art portraits of the couple, which I know they will treasure forever. The night ended with fabulous live music and dancing, and I went home a very happy photographer, struck once again by the awesomeness and honour of capturing this special moment in people’s lives. I really do have the best job in the world :)

Helen & Rich, thank you for a wonderful day, being so much fun to photograph, making me feel so welcome and looking after me so well. You two are perfect for each other and I know you are going be an amazing husband-and-wife team. Wishing you much love and happiness in your life together!

Credits

Bride’s Dress: Ian Stuart from Fairytale Brides & Occasions
Bride’s Shoes: Rachel Simpson Shoes
Bride’s Hair Comb: Rosie Willett
Groom & Groomsmen’s suits: Lesley Powell Bespoke
Groom’s Shoes: Ted Baker
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Fairytale Brides & Occasions
Flowers: Laura Coleman Flowers
Hair & Make-up: Vicky Adamson MUA
Venue: Sandhole Oak Barn
Caterers: Top table
Wedding Cars: Horgans Limousines (special mention for driver Barry!)
Styling, candy buffet, cakes and table settings: Tamaryn’s Treasures
Stationery: Cardlab (the name does not do this company justice!! Beautiful letterpress stationery)
String Quartet: Serenade
Pianist: Olly Hamilton
Band: James Franklyn & Souled Out

I drove away from Emma & Martin’s wedding with the biggest smile on my face. These two are some of the most genuinely lovely people you could hope to meet, loads of fun and clearly made for each other, and their wedding was a reflection this. They have a zest for life that is infectious and a compassion for others that is inspirational. I caught a glimpse of this at their engagement shoot, and knew their wedding would be a lot of fun. They based their wedding styling on their travels round the world, and I love the apple place-names (with hand-made wire hearts!). Sadly, the tuc-tuc they had hired to transport Emma to the church never turned up (and when Emma eventually got through on the phone the response was outrageous. To make a bride cry on her wedding day has to be an unforgiveable sin – I had to hold back from grabbing the phone and giving him a piece of my mind!) Some kindly neighbours offered to take Emma and her Dad to the church and I took the bridesmaids. Good thing I’d had the car cleaned! Aside from this slight hiccup, the day was thoroughly wonderful and they were blessed with gorgeous sunshine all day. Emma looked completely stunning in her Justin Alexander gown and I loved her simply pretty up-do surrounded by gypsophylia. Their wedding photography was a high priority for Emma & Martin, which was both humbling and amazing, allowing plenty of time and being brilliant fun to shoot. The result? Gorgeous images of the two of them which I know they will treasure forever.

A huge thank you to Emma & Martin and your friends and families for a super-fun day and making me feel so welcome! Emma & Martin, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together xxx

Credits:

Venue: Broadfield Park Hotel
Bride’s Dress: Justin Alexander
Bride’s Shoes: Debenhams
Bridesmaids Dresses: BHS
Veil: Joyce Jackson
Groom’s Suit: Novaks, Rawtenstall
Hair: Jo
Make-up: Amy Haider MUA
Flowers: Buddies Florist
Cake: Brown’s Cakes
Stationery: Bride & Groom
Favours & Table settings: DIY – family & friends
Photography Assistant: Aziza

It has been a completely crazy summer and as such, I am rather behind on blogging! Sandra & Dave got married back in May, and had an epic 2-day celebration. The first, an elegant English wedding at stunning National Trust property Tatton Park, Cheshire, complete with afternoon tea on the terrace, and the second, a colourful Chinese Tea Ceremony at the Cedar Court Hotel. This gave Sandra the excuse to buy not one but three gorgeous dresses and two fabulous pairs of shoes ;) *Sigh* A girl after my own heart! Sandra & Dave’s Tatton Park wedding was beautiful, and they were even blessed with some surprise sunshine just in time for afternoon tea. Photography was high on the priority list (yay!) so Sandra & Dave had planned plenty of time, a whole 2 hours (woop!) for their portraits, while guests took a stroll round the beautiful gardens at Tatton and settled themselves into the hotel for the evening celebrations. With two hours and so many pretty locations to shoot, I was like a child at Christmas :) We took in the gardens, the hall, the vintage carousel, the parkland (complete with deer), a phone box in Knutsford and a rather stunning rape field full of yellow flowers (my favourite!)… The evening party took place at the Cottons Hotel in Knutsford where we dined on some rather delicious beef (thank you for feeding us!) and were entertained by a live jazz band. And that was the end of day one…whew! Here are the photos :)

How amazing is the yellow field! I just love working with couples who are up for having some fun with their portraits, and willing to invest time on their wedding day to get beautiful photos. It definitely pays off. these are some of my favourite couple portraits ever :)

What an amazing day! Pop back soon for day 2, the Chinese Tea Ceremony, where our intrepid bride climbs a tree in her wedding dress…

Credits:

Venue: Tatton Park, Cheshire (ceremony and afternoon tea) Cottons Hotel and Spa (wedding breakfast and evening party)
Photography Assistant: Stephanie Oakes
Bride’s Dress: Enzoani, from The Wedding Shop, Alderley Edge
Bride’s Shoes: Crown by Jimmy Choo
Headpiece: Emma Roy, Edinburgh
Veil: Joyce Jackson, from The Wedding Shop, Alderley Edge
Groom’s Suit: Walker Slater, Edinburgh
Hair: Pepita J, Cheadle
Make-up: Mehaks’ Glamour Lounge, Cheadle
Flowers: Pure Flowers at Simply Flowers, Cheadle
Cake: Peter Senior (friend of the couple)
Stationery:Jumpfox invites
Entertainment: PB Big Band (Silverdogmusic.co.uk)

It was an ordinary day. We were in the car, on our way to take Sophie strawberry picking one Saturday afternoon in June, and I was absent-mindedly flicking between email, twitter, facebook on my phone, as you do, to see if anything interesting was happening. So I was just a little bit excited to discover in my inbox an email from the editor of Spectator Life magazine, (who I had met previously when she was bridesmaid at this rather lovely wedding), asking if I would consider popping down to London to photograph a really fabulous actress, probably in a super-glamorous location and wearing lots of very nice clothes, for the cover of the next magazine. I really had to think about that one for a minute! I love how in this job you just never know when you’re going to get an email like that. (I had another one recently, from a lovely bride asking if I’d consider popping over to the south of France to shoot her wedding. Another toughie ;) That is just about my dream wedding!) There are a lot of mundane and ordinary days too, it’s not all glamour and exotic travel, but this particular day was one of the extraordinary ones. The shoot took place in the exceedingly glamorous ‘Writers’ penthouse suite at the Corinthia Hotel, which was amazing to shoot in (I spotted it on X-Factor the other week!), and the actress was the very lovely Alexandra Roach, who you may recognise as the young Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Or in fact you may not recognise her, she looks rather different and a bit more glam when being herself. Alex recently starred alongside Jude Law and Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina, and is currently filming One Chance; a film documenting the story of Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts, where she is the female opposite James Corden. There are big things ahead for this lovely down-to-earth Welsh girl. I was starstruck just knowing she had breathed the same air as Meryl Streep ;) Alex was brilliant fun to photograph – even climbing up onto the roof of the hotel in some killer heels for a shot against the London skyline. I’ll blog the shoot itself soon too, but for now here is the magazine feature. Seeing these pictures in print was definitely one of my proudest moments in business so far :)

If you’d like to read the full article, and the rest of the rather fab magazine, just pop over here.