I arrived at Symondsbury to meet up with Deidre and her bridesmaids  Tamra, Sam, Jess, Emily and Raquel who were busy getting ready at the Manor House.  It was all go with hairdressing and make up and the finishing touches being made to the marquee – which looked amazing. The Manor has a lawn that is the perfect size for a big marquee and even a set of steps in the middle to walk down into it from the upper lawn. I loved the touches of green around the tables with my favourite detail being the sliced limes in tall glass vases. On the upper lawn there there was a second marquee decorated in black and white with an enticing looking cocktail bar!

Deidre’s bridesmaids helped her into her dress in the living room as her dress had such a long train she needed a bit of space around her and it looked stunning when she was buttoned into it and put her veil on – a really romantic gown that really suited her.

I headed down to the church (which was actually next door!) to meet up with Alex and his best men Tom, Andy, Adam, Tom and Oliver his brother. Guests were starting to arrive and there was a real buzz as we waited for Deidre to arrive.

Deidre’s brother Robert looked very proud as he walked her down the aisle and I had a great vantage point during the ceremony to capture Deidre and Alex who only had eyes for each other and both seemed to really enjoy the ceremony.

Afterwards, guests picked up flower petals to shower the couple with as they left to walk up the hill to the Manor House. While everyone else was making their way over, I took some photographs of Deidre and Alex in the grounds which have a real secret garden feel to them with little hidden areas and old stone walls.

Deidre and Alex then spent some time with their guests as I photographed the reception drinks before everyone sat down to dinner. With so many best men, the pressure was really on for speeches but may be a bit of competition did the trick as all the speeches were great fun and there was a lot of laughter!

Here are a few of my favourite images:

Here are a few of my favourite images:

I headed down to Maunsel House quite early to catch up with up with Angus and Anne who were greeting guests and trying to get their children Orla and Leilah to have a bit of a nap before the day got going.

Maunsel has a really nice atmosphere with beautiful decor yet with a really welcoming and homely feel and this was reflected in the lunch laid on for guests arriving and some very welcome cold drinks which were disappearing quickly!

Angus and his best man Bernard were getting ready right at the top of the house so I popped up to see them briefly before heading down to where Anne and her bridesmaids were getting ready.  With 7 bridesmaids there were quite a lot of dresses hanging up and some really pretty flower hoops for the little ones.

During the ceremony, Anne and Angus both looked really happy and there were readings from some of Angus and Anne’s friends and family including a very cute poem read by Anne’s little nieces Daisy and Summer.

After the ceremony everyone enjoyed Pimms and Lemonade on the lawn and for the children (and quite a few of the adults!) giant garden games.  A note to anyone organising a big wedding with lots of children – if you want to keep all your guests happy – garden games are a real winner!

Anne and Angus had decided to cut their cake and serve it with afternoon tea which was a great idea as everyone tucked in to sandwiches and cake in the shade of the pergola. Angus made a great speech with a few really nice touches including a birthday cake for Anne’s sister Catherine.

After tea, there was a break for parents to put their children to bed before I took a few shots of Anne and Angus in the grounds.  Maunsel has such a lot of nice areas for photographs so we did a little walk around the gardens to take in the best bits and the gorgeous early evening light.

It was soon time for dinner and the rest of the speeches which were extremely funny – particularly Bernard’s best man speech. I was laughing so much at one point I had to hold my camera steady!

Here are a few of my favourite images:

I had actually seen Simon earlier at the church on my way past but he had had a bit of time to suit up and was chatting to his best man James and his ushers Spencer, David, Alex and John when I caught up with them. Guests were arriving and despite a 5 minute interval of some very very light rain it stayed bright and warm – perfect English summer weather!

Lucy arrived to meet up with little flowergirls Poppy and Isabella who were clearly loving having such pretty dresses on and it was time to head inside for the ceremony. It is so nice when vicars are relaxed about taking photographs in church. I always take a very respectful attitude to taking pictures in church (I work really unobtrusivesly and don’t use flash for example) so it’s really nice to be able to just do what I do and get as many shots as I did from different places.  After the ceremony, guests showered Lucy and Simon with confetti before they headed back to Simon’s parents’ nearby farmhouse for the reception. 

When we arrived the jazz band were playing and it looked like such an idyllic setting for a wedding reception with a huge garden next to a little brook and the marquee in the background. We took the time while guests were making their way over from the church to do some shots of Lucy and Simon and they also were glad of a glass of lovely cold champagne!

I spent the next while capturing guests enjoying the reception while Lucy and Simon enjoyed themselves and then took some shots of their speeches as they sat down for dinner. 

Flowers:  http://www.youngblooms.co.uk/

Cake:  http://www.annatylercakes.co.uk/

The Post House B +B:  http://www.theposthousebandb.co.uk/

Dress: http://www.carolinecastigliano.co.uk/

Music:  http://www.paragonjazz.com/

Here are some of my favourite images:

On Friday I headed into town to meet up with Bhavani and James whose wedding is in a few weeks’ time. They had rushed over from London to meet up with me for a couple of hours before heading back to Bhavani’s parents’ house for a slap up meal for her birthday – so it was a real priviledge to spend a bit of Bhavani’s special day with them.

It was a pretty hot afternoon so we had a drink inside the Arnolfini Gallery (a favourite haunt of mine!) and then had a wander around the waterfront area to do their pre-wedding shoot. Bristol is such a vibrant place to shoot – particularly the old dock area along from the SS Great Britain with all the old buildings and preserved railway lines (unlike Bhavani, James didn’t know the city so I had to reassure him there wouldn’t be any trains coming along!).  

We stopped at several places around the floating harbour and took some really lovely photographs of them. I think, like most people, they had had a few reservations about having their photographs taken, but then really relaxed into it and enjoyed themselves!

Here are a few of my favourite images:

From there I headed over to the church (which was blissfully cool!) to meet up with James, his best man and ushers. Guests arrived by bus and there was a general air of excitement in the churchyard with lots of well wishers waiting to see the bride arrive.  I photographed Laura’s cousin Jo’s wedding last summer so it was lovely to see some of the family again!

Photographs were not permitted in church so I sat back and enjoyed the service and when Laura and James came out of church caught some lovely images of guests congratulating them.  We then headed back to Laura’s parents’ house and I took some shots of them in the grounds before their guests arrived for drinks and canapes.  

Here are some of my favourite images from their day:

Andy and Chris had decided to arrive in real style so there were a few guests keeping their eyes peeled outside for them despite the cold weather.  Chris arrived first in a Rolls Royce shortly followed by Andy in a Bentley – both having enjoyed champagne en route and looking forward to the day ahead.

Chris’ little niece Georgia looked a delight in her flower girl dress as did Andy and Chris’ sisters Rachel and Siobhan, Emma and Kate who were all wearing gorgeous prom style blue dresses.  We also had probably the youngest wedding guest I have ever seen – little 2 day old Mason with mum Emma.  She must have been the envy of a lot of the female guests looking so good 2 days after giving birth!  

Kate and Emma both read during the ceremony and there weren’t a lot of dry eyes as Andy and Chris said their vows. Looking quite emotional themselves during the ceremony, I think Andy and Chris were pleased to be handed a drink as soon as the ceremony ended and they headed out to the garden with their guests as the sun put in an appearance.

Andy and Chris had arranged for Luisa, a fantastic caricaturist to wander around and sketch guests during the drinks reception, so there were some amusing moments as guests were given their cartoon selves!  It was soon time for the meal and guests made their way inside for the wedding breakfast and speeches.  

After the meal, there was plenty of time for fun in the playground behind the mill which seemed to appeal to some of the older guests as well as the children!

Suppliers:

Wedding planning:  http://sites.google.com/site/individualitybyjane

Videography:   www.videorecording.co.uk

Flowers:  The Gallery Wrington (01934 863564)

Caricaturist: www.wickedcaricatures.com

Toast Master: www.davidreadtoastmaster.co.uk

Stationary: www.exclusively-for-you.com

Here are some of my favourite images:  

Before I left I had the lovely experience of photographing Emma with her 8 month bump and her husband Ian. With only a few weeks to go it is a very exciting time for them and so nice to share a bit of that excitement with them and capture some lovely images.  Here are a few of my favourites:

 

Kingscote is such an idyllic spot in the Spring with the new lambs frolicking around in the field and lots of Springtime flowers. Sven and his little brothers Jonathan and Freddie and his best men Dan and Geoff looked very smart in their navy suits and spent a bit of time with Sven’s Dad Michael and his wife Kirsten who had flown over for the wedding.   

After the ceremony, Sarah, Sven and their guests headed out on to the lawn for champagne while a string quartet played some favourite tunes.  

I took some lovely images of Sarah and Sven in the grounds using the gorgeous scenery and the old farm buildings before they were called back in to the barn for the wedding breakfast.  Sven’s Dad proposed a toast with some traditional Danish schnaps  (which I am told is extremely strong!) and then everyone tucked in.  Here are some favourite images from their day:

We enjoyed a cup of tea and a catch up and then headed off to Simon’s parents’ house where the reception is being held for their pre-wedding shoot.  They are pretty lucky really as the garden was landscaped several years ago for Simon’s sister’s wedding and you couldn’t ask for a nicer garden to have a wedding reception in.  I am really looking forward to the wedding and in the meantime, here are a few images from their session: