Last Friday, a glorious day, was Naomi and Christian’s wedding day at the stunning Sussex venue of Buxted Park. The fabulous photographer Anna-Marie Stepney covered the boys getting ready, while I went to the bride’s room to cover Naomi getting ready with her lovely bridesmaids. When I saw her beautiful Pronovias lace gown, I thought it would look amazing with some light behind it rather than just hanging on the back of a door. The windows in the Elizabeth Browning suite are about 12ft high but the ever helpful Marc provided a very tall stepladder and even hung it for us. Naomi is a natural beauty and looked amazing considering she hadn’t managed to sleep the night before. For their portraits, we went back to the car park walls, which I am loving right now but also to a gorgeous country lane for a softer backdrop. The whole event was beautifully styled by Jennifer Sue Weddings with a vintage tea party theme and there were lots of gorgeous little touches everywhere. The flowers were by the very talented Nicola at Florian who hadn’t been at Buxted since her own wedding that I shot back in March.
Archive for the ‘Weddings’ Category
Pretty Sussex Vintage Wedding / Naomi & Christian
Thursday, September 9th, 2010
Vintage Sussex Country Wedding / Bec & Matt
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010Remember Lauri & Staurt’s gorgeous vintage wedding in Lewes? Well Matt is Stuart’s cousin and last weekend he married the very lovely Bec in the Assembly Rooms just around the corner from where they live in Chichester. The streets all around them are all Sussex flint walls and old buildings that look amazing as a backdrop for the photography. We had some fun doing some jumping shots, though Bec’s dress did break, eeekkkk! Luckily we were just around the corner from a bridal shop who happily helped out with a needle and thread, phew! After pints and scotch eggs in their local, we all headed up to Duncton Village hall for a blessing ceremony featuring some amazing African drummers. We popped up to nearby Petworth Park for some portraits of the Bride and Groom before their vintage picnic reception. The DIY details from this wedding day are absolutely gorgeous – Bec’s Nan did all the flowers, a friend made the ceiling decorations and the couple scoured car boot sales for the hampers and crockery. They even picked up Bec’s shoes for a bargain £2(!) but what made this day so special was Bec and Matt, who are incredibly laid back and seemed to just have the best day ever!
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Pub du Vin Wedding in Brighton / Kit & Carly
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010The very lovely bride, Kit is a friend so I was delighted when she asked me to do her wedding photography. Carly might have taken his time with the proposal (they have been together for thirteen years) but it was worth the wait. Kit was so beautiful, that I have cried more than once whilst doing the editing. Her look was full on vintage glamour and I loved the make up, so wanted to get some evocative beauty shots. The ceremony at the Pub du Vin in Brighton was just perfect with their handsome son, Fraser as the ring bearer. It was crazy windy down on the beach so we didn’t spend much time there. I had spotted a bright pink door that matched their colours and made a great background, we also found a fabulous little pool of light in the nearby alley. I think Kit looks just breathtaking and I adore the contrast with the urban setting. The husband and I went back to the hotel in the evening as guests and had so much fun with all their fantastic family and friends. Would love to do it all again.
That stunning dress is from the O Zone in Brighton and Carly’s gorgeous suit was tailored by Hugo Morris, also in Brighton
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Buxted Park Wedding / Christa & Ross
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Christa and Ross had their wedding at the glorious venue of Buxted park in Sussex last Saturday and at last the sun decided to shine. Christa looked incredibly beautiful and was quite comfortable being photographed. She was also ready really early which meant we had time to think about her pre-wedding portraits and have some fun with her two girlfriends, Nicky and Emily. Christa put quite a lot of input into where the images were taken all day and I love being able to find something new in a venue that I have been to quite often. I love the portraits in the field of sheep as they are so rural but my favourites are by the brick wall which I have never used before as it is in the car park. This was a very elegant wedding but still lots of fun.
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Country Vintage Wedding / Nina & Patrick
Sunday, August 8th, 2010Want a vintage style, shabby chic wedding in the English Countryside? Then you need a lovely Aunt and Uncle like Nina’s who own a beautiful sprawling manor house with plenty of room for a marquee and some quirky ramshackle outbuildings. As Nina and Patrick live in Germany, they left most of their wedding planning to the fabulous Savoir Weddings who also did an amazing job decorating the venue. Our approach to Bramble Park was slightly hairy as we encountered a vintage motorbike rally in a country lane. Once there, things were looking pretty magical as the Marquee was filled with country flowers in old bottles, floral lampshades and vintage lace tablecloths. The ceremony was over at the Archbishop’s palace in Maidstone and we stopped off on the way back in a stunning poppy field with a great view of the Kent countryside. We also had fun in the grounds, which provided an amazing backdrop for the photography. Afternoon tea was followed by an acoustic set by the Groom’s Dad who had fronted sixties band The Flowerpot Men. It was a great wedding and Nina and Patrick who are childhood sweethearts, made us very welcome.
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Vintage Wedding Sussex / Lauri & Stuart
Thursday, July 29th, 2010I love it if a bride shows me her dress before the wedding as it gives me a sense of what the day will be like and their style. Most will have it on their phone or in a wedding file but Lauri’s amazingly pretty vintage dress was in a shoe box in the boot of their car! She had picked it up in a retro shop in Brighton not long after they had first got together but it took Stuart a few years to get around to the proposal. This was a DIY wedding done with lots of style but not a big budget, though they did stretch on the photographer as they realised how important it is to have a great record of your day. After the Town Hall ceremony, they had a champagne picnic in Southover Gardens in Lewes where we had been for their cherry blossom e-shoot. The meal was in the super funky Needlemakers cafe in the middle of a vintage market. There was a Morris Minor, balloons, floral mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses, Victoria sponges, vintage crockery and meadow flowers. Just my cup of tea and I had been really looking forward to this one, not least because I knew that Lauri and Stuart would look gorgeous. The best man finished up his speech by leading everyone in a rendition of ‘All You Need is Love’ complete with gazoos. When I left, Stuart and Lauri were taking turns to DJ and dance. This couple are seriously cool and seriously in love.
Oh and before anyone asks me where they got the beautiful bunting from, Lauri’s Nan made it.
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Wedding Photography in The Cotswolds / Olivia & Mark
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010Last week we traveled to The Cotswolds for Olivia and Mark’s wedding at the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Barnsley House. We woke to the sound of rain, really really heavy rain and thought that would be the end of the outdoor ceremony but when we got to the venue, Mark was positive that it was going to happy. We were thinking ‘Crazy Americans!’ but it did clear up and the sun appeared in time for Olivia sweeping across the lawn in her amazing Winnie Couture dress. The ceremony in front of the Gothic Summerhouse was one of the most beautiful I have seen. I just loved everything about this day, especially the flowers which are all grown by the florist the Real Cut Flower Garden. They had a vintage typewriter for a guest book, Mark & Olivia badges, kilner jars and milk bottles, I could rave on and on but I am going to let the pictures do the talking. Oh but there will be a second post featuring our photo booth pictures with all the very fabulous friends and family. Thanks to Amy who did a great job as second photographer and Josh, the best bridesmaid I have met in a long time!
Wedding at Upwaltham Barns / Naomi & Hanif
Sunday, July 11th, 2010Naomi got in touch last week after a last minute decision to find a wedding photographer. Despite having 170 guests, she didn’t want the wedding to feel like a big production and they are not very comfortable being photographed. They just wanted to make sure that they got some good portraits of themselves and a flavour of the party as it happened. I love Upwaltham Barns, there is a homely friendly atmosphere and the owners are usually around helping out. The courtyard looked very pretty in the sunshine with a lovely old fountain trickling away and the fantastic Les Musettes playing. Naomi’s Dad gave a very charming speech followed by the welcoming ceremonies performed by Hanif’s Mother. It was another wedding where friends and family all helped. The bridal party did the pretty flowers and Naomi’s vintage inspired dress was designed and made by her friend Liz Manso.
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Vintage Wedding / New Products
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010So we have been trying to think of ways of using all these lovely engagement images. My wonderful clients Olivia and Mark who are getting married in the Cotswolds in a few weeks mentioned that they were thinking of getting postcards for guests to sign instead of a book as they have a big passion for travel. Lovely, vintagey looking postcards, I LOVE that idea, so this is what we have come up with. Each design needs a minimum of 10 copies but I think they will be a gorgeous keepsake, wrapped up in some lovely ribbon. Get in touch if you want to know more about these for your Vintage Wedding.
Stanmer Park Sussex Wedding / Sian & Richard
Monday, June 21st, 2010What a treat! I am forever thinking that it must be so lovely to be a guest at a wedding so for only the second time ever, on Saturday I was. So me and the husband donned our bestest outfits (a new maxi dress for me and his wedding suit for him) and set off for the glory that is Brighton’s Stanmer park. My gorgeous sister-in-law Sian and her intended Richard are lucky enough to live in the old farm house and the ceremony was in the orchard behind it. Theirs truly was a backyard, bring a dish wedding that was joyous and magical. A natural aisle had been created through the apple trees that were decorated with white bunting and little ceramic hearts. Sian looked so beautiful, it took my breath away as she walked in with Uncle Hugh V and her bridesmaids carrying pretty posies of wildflowers. The ceremony was all about friends, love, life and family in whatever form that takes. It was so heartfelt and beautiful that even the husband shed a tear. We then had a wedding parade through the park led by fantastic musicians and the kids just loved it. I did, of course bring a camera but without the pressure of work I just took a few shots as memories of a truly amazing day. It reminded me that wedding days are about filling a place with the people you love and celebrating the best that life brings us. We laughed, we cried, we ate a very delicious dinner, we caught up with family old and new, we danced, we drank far too much and we loved it all. Thanks to my magnificent sister and her soul mate Richard. x
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