Tears of joy ...

Weddings ...  a roller coaster of emotions

• excitement
• nervousness
• laughter
• tears of joy
• relief
• happiness
• admiration
• pride

Alex and Jade's wedding was no different.

The house was calm and full of giggles on arriving at the Bride, the two Bridesmaids were sat cross legged on the floor putting the finishing touches to favour boxes and the Bride was having her make up applied.

The hair dresser came and went and left all three ladies, looking beautiful with just the finishing touches of make up to be applied before getting dressed.

Jade came down stairs to put her dress on and the emotion kicked in, "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias was playing - "their song"  ... tears welled in her eyes and it was like a sign that everything was perfect.

The Groom mean while was nervously waiting at the church with his Best Man and Woman and his grooms people.

The service was full of smiles, laughter and tears, with Alex's Mum, finding it hard to hold back the tears as her baby boy said his vows.

Alex and Jade who were once full of nerves, finally looked relaxed and calm knowing they would be spending their rest of their lives together as man and wife.  They smiled freely as they signed the register and laughed and joked with the Pastor and family members.

The newlyweds posed for photographs with family and friends outside the church in the beautiful sunshine before venturing off to celebrate with a few glasses of bubbly and some very emotional and heart felt speeches.

All the speeches were great, and the nerves within some of the speakers were running high, especially with Jade's Dad and the Best Man.   Jade's Grandparents were so proud of their son when he stood up and spoke about Jade, and it was a really moving time for all.

However, the best line in the speech goes to Alex and it has stuck with me for the last week, during his speech he thank Jade's Mum and Dad as said that they never had to give him another birthday or Christmas present ever again, as by allowing him to marry Jade was the best present he could ever ask for ever.

For young people, they have wise hearts and very full hearts that are bursting with love and affection for one another and family and friends.  If there was ever a couple destined to be together, it's Jade and Alex.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Rawkins,  and

Ten un buen viaje y disfrutar de sus vidas juntos

xx

I love weddings ....

I'm sorry, I went quiet again !!

I've just been really busy with wedding related work.


So I ended March with a lovely, intimate wedding with a white and red theme.  The bride looked lovely in a toga style flowing dress.

The older bridesmaids looked stunning in a deep red strapless dresses and the flower girls wore white dresses with a sparkly bodice to match the theme of the sparkly shoes that they were all wearing.

The setting was a lovely Hotel in a tiny village just outside Romsey, where the Groom, the Best Man and the Page Boys waited patiently in the stunning, modern yet cosy bar.

A lovely day was had by all attended, and there were a lot of smiles, and even more laughs.

Mr and Mrs Barker

In my previous post, it mentioned a wedding that I was going to have the pleasure of photographing ... and yesterday that day arrived.

The wedding of the super-organised and wonderfully creative Dave and Shelley, the new Mr & Mrs Barker.

Idioms can be over used or used inappropriately, however this one seems to sum up Dave and Shelley .

"two sides of the same coin"

Two people that share the same passions, dreams and thoughts.  Who asked me the same questions when I entered the room after leaving the other.  Who got each other similar presents without realising.  Both different, just fused together through mutual love, admiration and respect for one another.  Shelley is bubbly and outgoing, where as Dave is quite shy, however they compliment each other beautifully and one doesn't overshadow the other.

Dave and Shelley chose to have a beautifully intimate wedding in a Black and Cadbury Purple theme, in which most of the guests also followed the theme.

The Civil Ceremony closed with the lighting of candles, where both Shelley and Dave lit named candles and then lit a larger candle simultaneously with their individual candles... twin flames joining together to burn eternally as one.

Every part of the day was filled with detail from the fleur de lis on the brides nails and grooms belt, to matching chalices, to the coat of arms by the tower of sumptuous cupcakes topped with a single tier cake delicately decorated in black damask.... perfection!

I can honestly say that I believe they rivalled the best wedding planner with their planning, attention to detail and execution.  They say that the build up and planning of a wedding is supposed to be as much fun as the day itself, and judging by the fun everyone was having yesterday, Dave and Shelley must have been in their element planning their wedding.

It was a joy and an honour to capture their day and I wish them both a long, happy and healthy marriage.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Barker, I hope your twin flames provide you with light when you see dark and warmth when you feel cold.

First wedding of the year...

With love in the air, I am very lucky to have my first wedding of 2013 on Saturday, to a very special couple.

I thought I was organised when I planned my wedding, but I have been out-classed by this couple, they have intricate detail planned, designed and organised down to the last leaf on the floral arrangements.

The time, detail and effort which has gone in to planning their wedding will certainly make it  a wedding to remember for them and their guests.  The personalisation of everything to represent a piece of them and their lives into the day is amazing, and I am honoured to be capturing their wedding.

Congratulations Dave and Shelley and look forward to seeing you both on Saturday.

A wedding with a difference

So about three weeks ago, I was asked to photograph a very intimate wedding by someone very dear to my heart - MY DAUGHTER !!

My daughter is 5 and asked if she paid me £1 would I photograph her teddy, Princess, getting married.  Of course, what photographer and mother would refuse the opportunity to capture a special moment like this.

She planned the date, the staging and even used her own money to buy her teddy some new shoes for the big day.

God help the man who decides to marry my daughter, he will need BIG, DEEP pockets to keep her happy.

I hope you enjoy an in sight into Mr & Mrs Bears special day.

xx

Apologies for being quiet

So I must apologise for being quiet, however it's been quite a hectic week or so for me...

I had the pleasure of photographing another pregnant lady last week and I'm sure bumps are getting smaller, either that or I was so massive everyone looks tiny compared to when I was pregnant!

I also had a lovely meeting with an engaged couple about capturing their wedding in February 2013 and I found it really hard in containing my excitement about wanting to capture their wedding.  It's going to be intimate, different and truly amazing as the amount of work the couple  have put in is phenomenal to make it unique and extremely personal to them.

February can't come soon enough ... and I will apologise in advance as the couple would like snow, so if you can pray for a little dusting of snow that weekend that would be great !

Here's a sneak peak of the "bump" shoot ...

I have twin girls to capture on Thursday .... can't wait !!  

Last minute wedding

I have been invited to photograph the most exciting wedding of the year (for me) in two weeks time.

The details are beautiful and am honoured to be able to capture this couples special day.  I wish I could share more, however when you see the photos you will realise why this wedding is under wraps and I'm sworn to secrecy.

Can't wait to share the photos ... it's going to be amazing

Weddings

So tonight I showed the Bride and Groom the images of their wedding, and I could say loads about the wedding, but for a change I want to talk about the venue and the company that did the flowers and staging for the church and reception, as they are both amazing.

The venue was the beautiful Lains Barn, a very picturesque barn in idyllic surroundings, giving you complete privacy and exclusivity for your day. The rooms were laid out perfectly with beautiful little trimmings and the staff were very attentive.

not only is the venue delightful, check out the Hog Roast they supplied, you could hear the crackling crunch as they carved in to it and the meat fell off the bone.

A great venue for a ceremony and reception or just the reception, highly recommended.

Now a venue can be decorated lovely, however it's the individual, unique items that make a venue unique to each couple, and this wedding had a lovely lady, Karen, who has such a unique and personalised touch to everything she does.  The Allium Design Company not only created beautiful bouquets and table displays, she decorated the church with candles and delicate little signs to point guests in the right direction.

and then at the venue there was an old fashioned leather suitcase with a beautiful made written note on a chalkboard to enable guests to place any cards or gifts. The table centre pieces, were beautiful flowers in Tea pots

A really fantastic, hardworking and accommodating lady, highly recommended

Friday's wedding ... full of style

Fridays wedding was full of style and sparkle ... from vintage two tone shoes to 50's music and dresses, from kilts and pipers to starry socks ... definitely a day of surprises 

The rain did not dampen anyone's spirit and in face the gorgeous venue of Lains Barn was positively glistening and glowing with the twinkling of hundreds of tea lights.

However, I am so glad the Bride did not throw the bouquet ...  it was full of beads that shimmered and shone and sparkled in the lights of the flashes of the family and friends camera flashes... and was very heavy.

It was a great day for me as photographer and family and friends definitely had a fabulous day.