Unlike most of the weddings I photograph, Jess and Ben were actually already married by the time the day of their celebration came round. They had decided to shoot off, just the two of them a week before their celebrations to officially tie the knot Vegas style!

Ben and Jess had a whirlwind few days in Vegas, getting married in the Chapel of Love, trying out the casinos and going up in a helicopter, literally ticking things off their bucket list and getting the whole experience. At the point when most couples would then be relaxing on their honeymoon, this lovely pair were back in the UK writing speeches, arranging tables, collecting the cake and all the other more traditional wedding preparations…except this would be far from a traditional wedding celebration. Labelled as Wedstock, this mega party was half wedding half festival.

Jess had taken a qwerky Vegas inspired handmade bouquet with her to Vegas and also had a second beautiful fresh one made by Jill at Back to the Fuchsia flowers in Stony Stratford. Jess explained to me that she needed 2 bouquets because she needed one to throw and one to keep… although I have a feeling she kept both in the end 🙂

Driving through the beautiful green fields in Shutlanger on a sunny August afternoon, I reached the top of hill and was met with the view of a large teepee in the distance. As I drove closer to park up, the full beauty of the scenery and all the effort this couple had gone to became apparent. The perfectly still lake, hay bales dotted around the field, a bouncy castle, face painting, an outdoor bar and even flip-flops for guest’s tired feet made this wedding a spectacular experience.

The environment inside the teepee was warm and cosy, with each table made up with a collection of pretty jars with a selection of fabrics and furs on benches to sit on.  There were Vegas themed cupcakes and jugs of flowers.  This whole scene being lit from tea lights, fairy lights and the sun beaming in from vents at the top of the tepee.

Ben met Jess 5 years ago while she was working in a shop not far from Ben’s house. He knew it was love when he found himself popping in to buy a load of stuff he didn’t need on a regular basis, just so he could see her again. It took him a year to build up the courage to ask Jess out but it seems to have been worth the risk as here they are, a few years later, just a smitten with each other now as they were then.

Jess and Ben’s guests were treated to proper fish and chips from a van on site and later an icecream van arrived to cool everybody down before the speeches and first dance. This couple chose Bob’s Marley’s Stir it Up as their first dance because it was the first song they ever danced to. Ben wasn’t sure it this was an unusual choice for a first dance but liked it for its sentimental reasons. As someone who had Bob Marley songs feature in my own wedding day, I can say it felt like the perfect choice!

As I took Ben and Jess for some pictures together the Peartree Bridge Family  set up to play the first set. This warmed every body up and by the time The Defekters arrived the whole teepee was vibrating. Smoke machines puffing, disco lights whirling and illuminating the sky above.

Talking to guests throughout the day, many remarked how they hadn’t seen each other for years, with people commenting on what a small world it was as they bumped into people who they had no idea shared Ben and Jess as mutual friends. “It just feels like a massive reunion” I heard mentioned more than once.

This was such a lovely wedding to capture, not just because of the weather, not just because of the fun guests or the beautiful environment, but more because I don’t think with Ben and Jess, having already gotten married a few days earlier, expected the after party to feel quite so moving and wonderful as it did.

So many glorious images to chose from, so here is a selection to share with you. Thank you for a lovely day Ben & Jess xx

I’m not long back from completing Mandy and Matt’s beautiful summer wedding images and, with their permission, I’d like to share some with you and tell you a bit about their day.

This lovely couple tied the knot at the Holiday Inn in Newport Pagnell on a glorious Summers day.  I arrived at the venue nice and early to greet Mandy as she was having her hair and make up done. Its quite exciting having your wedding in a venue like this because you know that while the bride is getting ready upstairs, the guests will be beginning to gather downstairs with there being just a few meters space between you and them.

Mandy’s wedding gown was hanging in the window light looking elegant and I was able to get some little detail shots of this and her sparkling accessories right away. Many of Mandy’s jewellery pieces had little sparkling stars on them which carried a special significance to Mandy and complimented the delicate diamante detail on her dress.

The hotel was filling up nicely as I popped down to meet Matt with his dad Ian, who would also be Matt’s best man for the day. Matt and Mandy had opted to keep the first part of their day very family focused with most of the guests and wedding party being family members. Their smiley daughters Lucy & Emily did a great job leading the procession down the aisle, with Mandy following behind on her dad’s arm.

I mentioned in my blog post featuring Matt & Mandy’s pre-wedding shoot that they had been together for a long time before deciding to tie the knot, but it was during the speeches that I found out that Matt and Mandy’s journey actually began when they were just 18. Awwww. :-). It makes me feel happy when I think about how special the love is between a couple that have known and grown together over such time.

As the evening arrived with the sun still shining, the sweetie table was opened. Delights such as lollipop bouquets and the hugest shiny glass bowl bursting with M&Ms awaited the guests. Mandy and Matt had put out some amusing photo props which put an alternative spin on some of the group shots. The disco warmed up in no time and the dance floor came to life for the night. As I left there was the most incredible sunset. Perfect ending to a perfect day. I hope there wasn’t too many sunburned faces come the morning.

Enjoy the next chapter in your lives you two.  xx

Zoey had planned to spend the morning of her Summer wedding at home getting ready with her 5 bridesmaids, plus 2 parents and a handful of friends for helpers. When I approached the front door, I was expecting a scene of hustle and bustle with lots of busy people moving around inside. However, what I actually found at this time was just Zoey and her daughter who had everything beautifully under control. Their home was warm and inviting and as the team began to arrive, Zoey was able to drop what she was doing to open the door and make time to welcome them in. I liked this super calm bride approach as it set the tone for a lovely relaxed day that the bridal party and all the guests enjoyed. The excitement was definitely there and it was infectious, but with so many people under one roof they managed to get everything done with a cool head. Someone once told me that wedding guests only want for the bride and groom to have a brilliant day so they take their lead from the couple. If the couple seem to be enjoying themselves then the guests can take that as their cue to relax too and everyone has a fun day.

It always amazes me how in the space of a couple of hours, a house full of people in casual wear will gradually evolve into a home full of glamour, as one by one, everyone’s look is completed and it all comes together. Zoey wore a stunning strapless fishtail gown which had some sparkle detail to complement the tiara and earrings she was wearing. This was finished off with a very special beautiful necklace that had belonged to Zoey’s grandmother. As I set off for the church, I left behind the 3 younger bridesmaids who were upstairs, giggling and chatting as they created their own handmade confetti and planned who they would be coming down the aisle with. It was such a big day for them too; I was so pleased to see them enjoying every second of it.

With David’s busy work schedule, I’d not managed to meet him face to face before today, so he decided to play a little prank on me which could easily have worked! “Ah so you must be David, lovely to meet you, I’ve heard lots about you” I say. David then tells me that I’ve made a bit of a mistake and he’s actually the Best Man and he hurries off to fetch the real groom! I will admit I had a slight moment of panic as the chap he presented before me didn’t look anything like the person I’d just seen in the family photos in Zoey’s home. To my relief the real Best Man took pity on the poor photographer and put me out of my misery. This must be a running theme amongst the gents in this family as the ushers also joked about which ones were (and more importantly were not) Zoey’s brothers. I was going to have to keep my wits about me with this lot!

Zoey and David are a big part of their community at The All Nations Church in Brickhill, Bedford so the church was absolutely packed full of faces, people there to support this couple in making their commitment to each other. I love my job as every wedding is totally different and you get to experience many micro snippets of the couple’s personalities that they express through the details of their day. In this case, Zoey and David had their hymns accompanied by a band made up of musicians from members of their church. This really brought the words to life and even David himself played the drums for one of the songs, with his dad on keyboard and vocals. Such a talented family, it was the first time I’ve seen a groom contribute to the service in this personal way before.

After the service we got some great group shots outside the church. With such a huge amount of people attending, I had to take the shots from some height to get everyone in, which at 6 months pregnant was impossible to do with much grace! I had some impromptu helpers from the congregation there, helping me up and down stools who seemed ready to catch me should I miss my footing, for which I was very grateful! When I meet with couples before their wedding, I usually ask for an idea of the group shots they would like and the name of someone who I can call upon to try and help round up the relevant people. It’s generally quite an informal task but I feel I should pay credit to David’s best man Gaetano, who executed the smoothest operation of ushering people to and from the camera that I’ve experienced. Definitely missed his calling in life I think 😉 With some assistance from Zoey’s brothers also, we wrapped up the group shots and I was able to sneak away with Zoey and David for a little excursion.

David and Zoey were first introduced in Bedford Park, so we decided to take a detour there in order to get some time with the couple to take some shots of them together. If you haven’t been, Bedford park is a beautiful old Victorian park with lots of tall trees, traditional bandstand, a full size cricket pitch and a huge lake which served as a stunning backdrop to some of the images. Zoey is a school teacher so it stands to reason that if you hang out in a park on a Saturday afternoon, especially if you are wearing a stunning white gown, you are more than likely going to bump into a few of your pupils. It was sweet to see the children’s faces when they saw Zoey out of the classroom and sparkling with her new husband.

We rejoined the rest of the wedding party for their reception at Bellinis Restaurant in Clapham, Beds. Surrounded by Zoey and David’s black and red decorations, the room setting was very romantic. The speeches were excellent and I still think with a bit of practice, there’s time for David to make it into the Backstreet Boys yet! The evening played out with much fun and laughter, with the DJ managing to coax pretty much the entire party to the dance floor for The Macarena, which is no mean feat. He played some fantastic tunes throughout the night and kept the party moving for hours.

This wedding was lovely to capture. It is clear that both Zoey and David are integral members of their family and their community, with so many friends who had wanted to chip in to help from creating hair dos to making that amazing cake. I wish you both an amazing future together. xx

I hadn’t seen Rachel for many years when I caught up with her for her pre-wedding shoot with fiancé Adam.  I remembered her from our many years of dancing clubs on a Saturday morning as children.  Tall, confident, graceful and with a big smile, Rachel and her twin sister made perfect ballerinas.  Im sure we all thought we were amazing but actually it was just a lot of fun, and I look back on that period of my childhood with a warm fuzzy feeling.  Life moves on and now its me taking my children to their ever changing list of hobbies, years may go by without me bumping into anyone from our old dance classes but I still love to hear updates on what everyone is up to.

As a lover of weddings, I was absolutely thrilled for Rachel and Adam when I heard they had got engaged and were planning their special day already…. and even more excited when Rachel got in touch for her wedding photography!

During a windy start to the season, Rachel and Adam had their pre-wedding shoot in Stony Stratford.  Rachel hadn’t changed a bit and it was great to meet Adam and hear their funny story of how they met.

Rachel got ready for her wedding at home with her mum and bridesmaids by her side.  The house was busy with hairdressers and Krista Pressland the make up artist, but with everything in hand, the atmosphere was actually calm and happy with the ipod playing some great tunes in the background through out.  Rachel’s dad arrived along with the pretty flower girls, little faces, hoping to sneak a peek at Rachel before they headed off to meet Adam at the venue.

Rachel’s dress suited her perfectly, beautiful detail all around the full skirt made the dress eye-catching from all angles.

I caught up with Adam at Chicheley Hall as guests were arriving and taking their seats.  There was quite a buzz of excitement for what turned out to be a touching entrance down a grand staircase and a lovely ceremony.

The room was finished with lovely details from Style Your Day Event Services which brought the room alive and set the scene for a great day.  Some of the tender words from the speech that Rachel’s dad gave were truly from the heart and have stuck with me since.  Clearly a very strong father-daughter bond and for a moment there I was struggling to see through my lens.  Ahem, must have been my hay fever 😉

When you get married in the Spring, you can never bank on the weather doing as you hope but for Rachel and Adam we couldn’t have been more lucky.  Chicheley Hall has some wonderful gardens and we were able to get out and capture some beautiful shots of them together.  We wrapped up their shoot as the sun came down and Rachel and Adam shared their first dance with their guests as a live band played an adapted version of Starships by Nicki Minaj.

A lovely Spring wedding that was, as usual, a pleasure to capture.