Shooting a wedding photographer’s wedding is quite a challenge but luckily Clare, my second photographer was very laid back and of course I was thrilled to be part of her big day. I hadn’t realised that Clare was a secret glamour-puss and her fantastic dress from Blessings in Brighton was very sparkly and slinky. She seemed very calm but I think it all felt a bit surreal for her after helping so many other brides get ready. She looked truly beautiful and I was incredibly proud of her. She had three very sweet little flower girls and the morning seemed to whizz by. Suddenly Susanna, one of our other photographers was there to drive them to the Seattle in her very funky, very decorative soft top Beetle. The flowers by the talented Mr Casey from Pollen were gorgeous posies of old fashioned garden roses, wild orchids and fresh flowering herbs. They looked and smelled sensational. The Maid of Honour, Leanne’s dress was from Monsoon and looked fabulous. Clare had a theme of English Eccentric meets the Orient which was inspired by the ceremony venue, the Royal Pavilion and was great for the wedding photography. The reception was at Bartholomew’s Barn in the Sussex countryside and looked splendid. We had fish and chip canapes and fortune cookie favours. At dusk they released some fire lanterns which went off for miles. Such a very lovely day.
Archive for the ‘The Royal Pavilion’ Category
Brighton Wedding / Rachel & James at The Royal Pavilion
Monday, April 19th, 2010Rachel and James first got in touch through the enquiry form on my site but it turned out that they were my neighbours. So I had the easiest ever journey to work, I just had to stroll over the road! When Rachel opened the door she was looking great in full make-up and rollers but confessed that she had barely slept all week. She then showed us the dress and veil which had been stashed in the spare room away from James and their two cats. Rachel’s dress from Pronovias was very classic and elegant but the veil was amazing. It was the longest one I have ever seen and was covered in tiny polka dots and edged in lace. I immediately thought that it would make a great silhouette shot against the windows in the Pavilion Music Room. I caught a great shot of James just as Rachel walked in, looking very overawed.
Their theme was mint and chocolate. When they suggested to The Talented Mr Casey from Pollen that they needed brown and green flowers they thought he might be stumped but he came up with chocolate cosmos and flowering mint. Their flowers looked great and smelled yummy, the man is a genius which is why I rave about him. After the ceremony and family groups, I thought it would be a grand idea to take the bridal party to the front of the pavilion for some wedding photography in what I think of as my “Vanity Fair” style. After a short time lots of officials appeared telling us that we were not supposed to be there as the scaffolding was being taken down above our heads and it was dangerous. However the shots we did get look great so although I was in a little bit of trouble, it was worth it.
As the reception was at Due South we also took some portraits of the Bride and Groom on the beach, making the most of the glorious sunshine. We took some very cute pictures in the deck chairs and of Rachel throwing her bouquet. We left as they began eating what looked like a very delicious meal while the sun set over the West Pier.
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Jo & David’s Queensberry album
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009This week, Jo and David collected their gorgeous Queensberry album. They opted to have a 15×12 with a photo cover plus two parent albums.
Brighton Wedding / Jo & David’s Brighton Wedding
Monday, June 22nd, 2009We started the wedding photography at the gorgeous Hotel du Vin in Brighton, where the bride, Jo was getting ready. She seemed very calm and as there was quite a few of us in the room, it was good that it was the largest suite. The day was being filmed by Digital Magic www.digi-magic.co.uk who were great to work with. As she got ready, Jo told us the story of her wedding dress which she had seen over two years ago in Pronuptia but had hesitated to buy it so early. Later she set her heart on buying it and had quite a time trying to track it down. She then had a secret pocket sewn into it to hold family mementos and some crystals.
Transport for the day was tuk tuks which were lots of fun, if a bit bumpy especially for my pregnant second photographer, Clare! During their intimate ceremony in the Royal Pavilion, Jo and David recited vows that they had written themselves and their harpist, Fiona Hosford, played beautifully. As the weather was glorious, we all walked to the restaurant, The Coach House, for champagne and mini fish and chips. From there we got back in the tuk tuks with the film crew for some photos on the palace pier. Frank has posted some film on his blog http://dmweddingvideos.co.uk/blog/?p=109
Jo and David are a lovely couple who made aure that their wedding day was fun and a bit of an adventure for all those involved. We have a great set of photos that I am looking forward to showing them tomorrow.
Brighton Wedding / Philippa & Matthew’s Wedding at the Pavilion and Drakes
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009Philippa and Matthew’s wedding was on the shortest day of the year at 4pm in the Royal Pavilion. We started coverage by photographing the room at Drakes, including the most amazing cake I’ve seen in a long time. One of the bridesmaids had created a chocolate Pavilion as a surprise for the couple. It had curly wurly walls and domes made of chocolate oranges, yummy.
Philippa was getting ready in the suite at Drakes Hotel which is very glamorous and has an enormous bed. Her dress was a very cute Ian Stuart calf length gown and she added a gorgeous fluffy wrap for a chic winter look. After the ceremony we made use of the empty music room for portraits, using some of the areas that can get overlooked when there is daylight. As the guests enjoyed drinks and the fabulous canapés in the hotel lounge, Clare and I rushed upstairs to set up lights for portraits in the suite. We took some very cool photos of the couple who still had plenty of time to mingle with their friends before dinner. As Philippa and Matt came into the restaurant, everyone lit their little heart shaped sparklers which set off the fire alarm. We made a swift exit in case the sprinklers started!
Brighton Wedding/ Weddings at The Royal Pavilion
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008We were very excited to see some of the new literature for weddings at the Royal Pavilion. For 2009 they are using photography from weddings that we have done, including our very own Clare with her husband Gary on the posters and flyers which will be distributed in Brighton. When we do the wedding fair on the 22nd of February there will even be a life-size image of Clare in the entrance, I think she will be wearing a disguise that day! They are also using images from Rachel and James’ wedding and Lisa and Lisa’s civil partnership at the Pavilion in the summer. It is a big honour to have been chosen and we are looking forward to being the photographers at more weddings in the opulent surroundings of Brighton Pavilion in 2009.
Winter Weddings
Thursday, December 18th, 2008As we are coming to the end of 2008, it is time to look back on a very busy year. This was my 18th year of being a photographer and the 8th that I have been a wedding photographer in Sussex. This was one of my busiest years and I am very glad to have Clare as second photographer and now our two newbies, Susanna and Julie. We all had a lot of fun (and a fair few cocktails!) this week at The Ginger Pig in Hove for our Christmas do. We are looking forward to doing a two day shoot for the Gingerman restaurants and January which will include shooting the food, yummy!
This is our busiest winter for weddings and I am thinking that couples are getting a lot better value at this time of year, although it can be a challenge with the weather and the lack of light. We have still got one more wedding to do at the Pavilion before Christmas and have just taken a booking for a civil partnership on the 30th. We will then be shooting more weddings in January than we have ever done and in February we will be at wedding fairs in Buxted Park and The Royal pavilion.
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Brighton Wedding / Jackie & Sarah’s Civil Partnership at the Pavilion and Drakes
Monday, November 10th, 2008Jackie and Sarah didn’t want to see each other until the ceremony so when we got to Drakes to start their wedding photography, Julie covered Jackie getting ready while I was in with Sarah. Their outfits had been made by Renaissance in Brighton so as they matched without the girls knowing exactly what the other was wearing. Both featured dramatic high collars and sparkly details that looked very glamorous as did the hair and make-up.
With the unexpected sunshine it was quite a fun journey to the Pavilion with all the guests on a vintage open top bus. After the ceremony we photographed the girls in the grounds, taking advantage of the scaffolding being removed to do some shots with the whole building in the background. I think the last time I was able to do that was about seven years ago! Back at Drakes, we couldn’t resist the delicious canapes but then persuaded Jackie and Sarah to go over to the beach for some photos with the winter sun setting behind the Palace Pier.
Brighton Wedding / Lisa & Lisa’s Civil Partnership at Brighton Pavilion
Friday, September 12th, 2008This was my first civil partnership with two girls and I was looking forward to it as they had were both wearing Amanda Wyatt gowns. That meant two dresses hanging up, two pairs of shoes, two bouquets, two girls getting laced into dresses, I loved it! Although they had use of an Aston Martin Vanquish for the weekend, they couldn’t get in it with the dresses on so they travelled to the Pavilion in a VW camper van. Clare and I got in the front so we could take some photos on the way and they caused quite a stir driving through town.
Both Lisas were easy to photograph and as usual at the Pavilion I always find some new spot or angle that looks divine. We sat them down on a bench with some space between them and they looked extremely elegant. They were very game and skipped across some mud so we could get to the main building and we took some shots of one Lisa leaning on the wall with the other one beside her. Clare is getting married in the Pavilion in a couple of weeks and wants this shot on her day as it looked very cool.
