I did the wedding photography at Leez Priory for Helen and Marcus on a crisp and bright January day. Helen made the most beautiful bride, wearing a gorgeous wedding dress that fitted her like a glove. There was so much emotion spilling out during the day that I was spoilt for choice with my captured moments.  For a ‘first look’ at the day’s pictures here, I have chosen the moment Helen and Marcus emerged from the ceremony as a married couple (for the sheer joy and colour) and a snatched shot of them returning back in for their reception with Helen still beaming with joy!

There are lot’s more wonderful moments from the day to see at http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=145576

January was busier than usual with weddings and some of my brides were luckier than others with how the weather behaved on their day. Nichole and Stuart’s day was not so bright but she made a beautiful bride and it was a very happy day.

Nichole was attended by her younger sisters and two good friends …… and their lovely mum was close at hand for any last minute panics.

Nichole chose the most fabulous earrings and the final effect was stunning!

A very proud father walked his daughter up the aisle and later he made a very moving speech reminiscing on the younger years of Nichole’s life.

The marriage was sealed with an ecstatic kiss as Nichole’s pretty sisters looked on and then everyone braved the icy wind as Nichole and Stuart emerged outside into a cascade of confetti.

Happy New Year to all visitor’s to my blog and thank you for reading my pages.

January has kept me busy with wedding photography and first off was Clare and Kester’s lovely country wedding at their local church. When Clare chose early January for her wedding date, I am sure that she could not have imagined how lucky she would be with the weather. It was  the most beautiful day and the country church setting was stunning.

I really enjoyed starting my day at the church for a change and it gave me lots of time to capture both the scene setting shots and details which give more depth to the coverage on a wedding day. I found Kester and his ushers fiercely concentrating on the tricky issue of pinning in their buttonholes and then in a more relaxed fashion, greeting the many guests.

The bridesmaids arrived and it was lovely to see a previous client, the very pretty Louise.  Quite a long while after….!  Clare arrived, looking stunning in a creamy silk dress with a beautiful neckline. The bridal party moved into the warmth of the church which was lovely but easily surpassed by the warmth of Kester’s gaze as Clare walked up the aisle towards him.

The reception was held nearby at Smeetham Hall which looked wonderful in the late afternoon sunshine. Clare and Kester were great to work with and appeared happy enough to pass by the lovely warming cocktails waiting on trays for the guests and wander outside with me to make the most of the light before it was too late.

The Barn at Smeetham Hall always looks fabulous and Clare’s choice of rich, colourful floral arrangements really looked fabulous. The table names confirmed the sporty nature of the bride and groom as each one appeared to be a mountain that they had skied down at some point!

I didn’t stay too late at this wedding but I made sure that I took my usual ‘leaving shot’ of the venue as night fell and the party continued on inside.

Friends and family can see all the pictures from the day here: http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=144856

I was really looking forward to doing the New Year’s Eve wedding photography at the historic venue of Layer Marney Tower for Chris and Sharon. This was the perfect location for the last wedding of the year and we were lucky to have one of those bright, crisp mornings you hope for in the middle of winter.

There was a flurry of activity during the bridal preparation, with four little bridesmaids and a page boy to attend to. Sharon calmly sorted out all the different dress and shoe combinations and the floral magic wands they were to carry before beginning to prepare for her own big day.

The children were very excited to see the big red bus arrive to take some of the guests to Layer Marney and Sharon followed on soon afterwards in a beautiful old classic car with her father. The lovely old church in the grounds of the Tower was lit with candles and decorated with the same rich red flowers as in the bridal bouquet.

As Sharon walked up the church path on her father’s arm, an Elizabethan minstrel was waiting at the door ready to play as she entered the church door. There were several carefully chosen readings during the service and as a really nice Christmas ‘touch’, there was hot mulled wine  served in the church at the end of the ceremony.

As everyone emerged out of the church, the winters sun was doing it’s very best for this lovely couple and Chris and Sharon took their time to wander across to the Tower surrounded by their family and friends.

A receiving line took place on the steps leading up to the impressive dining room at Layer Marney Tower, ensuring that Chris and Sharon were able to greet each and every guest. Once again, the Elizabethan minstrel appeared to ‘pipe’ the couple in to dinner. The whole atmosphere in the dining room was one of warmth and Christmas fun, with many thoughtful touches provided by Sharon to add to the enjoyment of the party. There were crackers, balloons, sweets galore and an amazing magician touring the tables. A Tudor quiz for the guests to complete was a clever idea and revealed a definite competitive edge to the guests.

There was absolutely no light left outside for any romantic couple shots so I had to once again make good use of my extra lighting to capture just a few atmospheric shots in and around the Tower.

As usual, some fantastic joyful shots were provided for me by the fun loving guests during the speeches and it was clear after these, what a very special couple Chris and Sharon are.

Being New Year’s Eve, the guests were ready to party on into the night but while the band was setting up and even more guests were arriving, they all thoroughly enjoyed our Fun Booth entertainment which was set up on the upstairs gallery. For all the images from the day,  please visit the Client Galleries section of my website: http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=144708

Another winter wedding, this time just between Christmas and New Year and actually on my birthday! It was a lovely bright day when I started the coverage at the bride’s house and I was looking forward to later in the day, re-visiting one of my favourite local venues, and capturing some beautiful winter wedding images at Hintlesham Hall.

Jan was very calm and relaxed when I arrived at her parent’s house and after recording her beautiful bridal accessories, she was very happy to pop outside (despite the wind …) to have a few photo’s taken in front of a very ‘authentic’ outbuilding for something a little bit different!

Jan and Shen’s actual wedding took place at a church right in the centre of Colchester and their strong links with the church community were evident in the very personal ceremony and the wonderful music accompanying the service.

The weather had taken a bit of a turn for the worse when we emerged outside but Jan was keen to have a lovely confetti shot and so we quickly organised some of the guests into a position where this could take place in front of some very atmospheric ruins in the background.The warmth of Hintlesham Hall was later very welcome and this lovely venue was looking it’s very best with two enormous Christmas trees at the front of it’s imposing entrance. Many of the guests took some time to arrive from Colchester and so we made good use of the delay with a great set of couple shots at different spots around the hotel. If you are planning your own winter wedding, with the right equipment, it is still possible to have some lovely natural and romantic shots at any time of year.

There were quite a large amount of groups to photograph for Jan and Shen and these were split into two halves with dinner in between. After some wonderful food and much laughter during the speeches, some more relaxed and fun groups were photographed in the stunning upstairs gallery with it’s black and white tiled floor.

Jan and Shen had booked my FunBooth service to entertain their guests after dinner and this proved a tremendous success and we were kept busy with both the younger and wonderful older guests right through the evening!

There will be lot’s more images to see as soon as Jan and Shen are home from honeymoon.

Also in December, I had the great pleasure to meet Will and Ruth and provide their Suffolk wedding photography. This lovely couple are now based in Australia for their work but they chose to come all the way home to Suffolk so they could share their wedding day with  family and friends.

Ruth was staying at the Bildeston Crown and when I arrived for the bridal preparation, the whole atmosphere was very warm with log fires and pretty Christmas decorations. The bridal suite provided a very glamorous backdrop to the preparations with it’s stylish black and pink colour scheme…. I love the beautiful period portrait in the background with the elegant lady watching over the proceedings.

The ceremony was held at the pretty Suffolk church at Rattlesden and I have selected a few images of the details here for those possibly viewing in balmy Australia!

Ruth arrived with her father in a classic car and literally ran into the church before she froze in her tracks! The service was full of warmth though, from the moment she and Will saw each other as she walked up the aisle towards him, and with lots of  emotion and laughter to capture.

Will and Ruth couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear as they emerged out of the church as a newly married couple. A little winter’s sun appeared for a while as they greeted their friends and family before once again, they literally ran through the confetti back to their car and the promise of warming mulled wine at their reception venue, Milden Hall.

I often take a bit of extra lighting in my kit for winter weddings, where the light levels are so low. This enables me to still capture  some beautiful couple portraits to mark the occasion – and often the favourite pictures to be framed after the wedding day. Will and Ruth were happy to slip outside and spend a few moments together and I made good use of the lovely backdrop of the Suffolk countryside.

The Milden Hall Barn was looking wonderful and Ruth had thought of many little touches  to add to the enjoyment of the evening. There were delicious treats, including cupcakes made by friends and a spectacular cheese tower. A quiz and great fun speeches entertained the guests and my favourite idea of the evening was the use of luggage tags as place names which were later used to write messages on and tied on to the christmas tree in exchange for a home made gingerbread bear.

For all the images from the day, please visit: http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=144071

I have had a high demand for winter wedding photography this year, right through the winter months with the usual assortment of English weather we have come to expect! The lovely thing about winter weddings is that no matter what the weather does, you can achieve a wonderful warmth in your wedding  images from the roaring log fires, pretty tree lights and gently glowing candlelight. High quality professional lenses are a must, to capture all the soft ambient warm light you remember on your wedding day.

In early December, I photographed the winter wedding of Eilir and Charles. Eilir got ready in the prettiest of Suffolk country cottages where her talents as a professional home designer had been used to great effect. She and her sisters got ready together, with various friends and family popping in to wish her well.

The ceremony was held at the local church which was lit with candlelight. It was already dark by the time Eilir and Charles came out of the church and after a few brief group photographs in the rather dark churchyard, they joined their guests back in the warmth of the church for mulled wine and canapes. It was so lovely to see this village church used for a little more than simply the ceremony and it provided the perfect place to start the wedding celebrations.

Further celebrations followed at the very popular Milsom’s restaurant nearby where Eilir and Charles were able to enjoy the rest of the day with their close family. For lot’s more pictures from the day, please visit:  http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=143065

Anna started with an idea for ‘just a small wedding’ but it was very soon after she chose seven bridesmaids that one began to realise that this part at least was not going to plan! Everything else though, appeared to go smoothly and Anna and Adam made one of my most glamorous couples of the year.

The dress was absolutely beautiful, an ivory satin gown entirely encased in intricate lacework. Anna cleverly added a matching hand stitched sash around her tiny waist during the day and a second chocolate velvet one for the evening.

Rosy and Rob held their wedding at Dove Barn in the Suffolk countryside. This wedding oozed gorgeous details from start to finish, all carefully chosen and indeed created by Rosy herself. The attention to detail was outstanding and if Rosy ever wishes a change of career …. a wedding planner would seem the perfect choice! Friends and family may view all the pictures from the day, here: http://www.everybodysmile.biz/cgi-bin/public.cgi?Id=140913

I started the day with Rosy and her bridesmaids at a nearby venue where I was spoilt with the choice of bridal details to capture – with the piece de resistance, the handmade stunning bouquet of vintage brooches. This is the most fabulous idea for an alternative to flowers and much longer lasting! Rosy was an exquisite bride, with her very pretty features reminding me of  a precious and beautiful porcelain Victorian doll.

Talia and Rhys chose the Lansdowne Club for their wedding day in October. This very special venue is situated in the heart of Mayfair and the weddings are expertly organised by Lucy Mannings who originally comes from my next door village in Suffolk! After the ceremony in the gracious drawing room, we slipped out into Berkeley Square for a few couple shots making the most of this central London setting.