Casting my mind back to September I find myself at the morning of Kerri & Paul’s wedding. Right from day one, Kerri and Paul had been honest about not loving having their photos taken. Kerri had seen some lovely photo ideas that she had shared and described to me when we had a consultation earlier in the year, and although I can never guarantee I will get a shot that looks exactly the same, I felt there was a lot of overlap between the work she liked and my natural photography style. I like tho do some scheduled shots at a few key times during a couples wedding day but a lot of what I like to capture are moments that happen naturally so I felt there was great scope to get some lovely natural shots for Kerri and Paul during their wedding day.

We began the day at The Mecure Hotel in Abbey Hill. Kerri’s 6 year old daughter Leah gave me the grand tour of the bedrooms and pointed out where all the glitzy glamorous items were so I could get some photos of them. We shot Kerri’s dress, veil & shoes in various spots and Leah helped make sure everything stayed safely together. I could tell that she was really excited and Kerri had arranged for her to have her hair and a tiny bit of make up done like the rest of the bridal party so she could get the whole experience too.

Paul and Kerri had chosen the beautiful Church of All Saints at Calverton for their wedding ceremony and the service was held by a brilliant vicar who kept the guests relaxed and laughing while they awaited Kerri’s entrance. I photographed Paul with his groomsmen first and as 2pm approached, I went outside to wait by the metal gates of the church ground with Kerri & Paul’s son, Alfie who was keeping an eager eye out for the wedding cars. I really think he was as keen to see his mum arrive as Paul probably was waiting inside the church.

Kerri stepped out of the immaculate white Rolls Royce with her granddad in hand. With butterflies in her tummy, a little wave of nerves hit Kerri before we entered the church and thankfully the Vicar cracked a few silly jokes before she had a chance to smudge any of her make up and she was back on form to make her entrance.

The service was very sweet and tender as Kerri & Pauls love for each other was finally recognised in marriage. They were both totally focused on each other and sometimes a little squeeze of the hand or a discreet smile with their eyes was enough to show how deep their care for each other goes.

After the group shots, we headed to The Kingfisher Golf & Country Club in Deanshanger where Alan Hodge, the toastmaster kept Paul & Kerri’s reception running to schedule and ensured they didn’t miss a moment of their day. We got a huge group photo of all the guests shot from the balcony at the top of the country club before losing the kids to the bouncy castle and entertainment laid out on the field. This gave me a few minutes to capture all the lovely personal details the couple had included such as the string-wrapped lottery tickets, the sweetie cart and the 5 tier wedding cake with their sparkly initials in place of the traditional cake topper.

Kerri’s granddad who had walked her down the aisle earlier, delivered a heart-warming and tear jerking speech about how proud he was watching Kerry grow from a feisty teenager into the beautiful woman he saw before him that day. He then went on to crack some very good gags allowing guests to put down their hankies for a minute too.

For a couple that were unsure about having any special bride and groom shots, I was so pleased when they decided to go for it as I knew they would not have any regrets. Kerri and Paul’s shots came out beautifully with the gorgeous red sunset behind them and the trees and lake as a back drop. Stunning!

After the first dance, we set up the Prop Corner and got some fun shots of the guests. My particular favourite was the little boy in the Michael Jackson hat with the glittery microphone. Pop star in the making! Walking through the bar at the end of the evening, I stopped to take a shot of a group of guests hanging out and chatting. “Lets get the photo first and we’ll introduce ourselves to each other after”. Classic example of how some guests just hit it off and skip the formalities.

Such a lovely day, thank you so much for sharing your day with me xx

Church: Church of All Saints, Calverton

Reception: Brampton Kingfisher Golf & Country Club https://www.facebook.com/Kingfisher-Hotel-Golf-Country-Club-519693428081867/?fref=ts

Reception Organiser: Tony Pearson from Kingfisher Country Club

Toast Master: Alan Hodge https://www.facebook.com/alanmhodge.toastmaster?hc_location=ufi

Photography: Anna Packard Photography https://www.facebook.com/annapackardphotography