Now and again, on a wedding day, I am overwhelmed by just how much love is shared, love between the couple, but more than that, love that radiates from every guest there. I can think of no other way to describe Kate and Jonathan’s day than to say that it was full, overflowing, with love. Kate said in her speech that she felt like she’d been carried along by their friends’ and family’s love all day, and I truly believe that, not only was this the case on their wedding day, but will continue to be the case throughout their lives. Kate and Jonathan are so, so perfect for each other, and their love, their joy at being with each other, their sense of fun, are qualities that draw people to them.

Kate, Jonathan, your wedding day was exactly why I do this job – it was such a huge honour to share your day with you, and I wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Venue – The Prince Albert Pub, Camden

Ceremony – Islington Town Hall, London

Videographers – Reel Love Films

Photographer – Eliza Claire with thanks to Hannah, the Robin to my Batman

Oh I loved this wedding! Not only did I get to photograph in one of the most gorgeous counties in the entire country, but I got to photograph in my favourite place in all of Cornwall, The Eden Project! And I got to photograph a fab couple, Emma and Graeme, who had an amazing band (a Green Day tribute act!), fantastic family and friends around them, amazing Cornish baked goodies for tea and pasties for supper! Life really doesn’t get much better!

You can see this feature on the You and Your Wedding website, or the full wedding is on the blog.

I shot this session with Marie almost 2 years ago now (where does the time go?!) but I noticed while looking for one particular image that it must have got lost and removed from my blog around the time that I changed over to the new site.
It’s a pre-wedding shoot that has stayed with me – simple, pared down, but so, so full of happiness and love, that I needed to share it with you again. Ksenia is a girl after my own heart – not afraid to over-use exclamation marks (we have this in common) and full of smiles and laughter. Marie and I had so much fun shooting this session, and Ksenia and Bruno apparently had a great time viewing the images for the first time – at the time Bruno was living in London, and Ksenia was still in New York, where they met. Ksenia sent me this email when she got her gallery link:

“Ahhh!!! You made our night!!! Jaw dropping, beautiful photos!!! I noticed your email in my inbox while I was on Skype with Bruno. We automatically rushed to our client gallery and went through the photos, one by one, together, thousands of miles apart. It was pretty funny, too, since his Internet was a bit faster than mine so the photos loaded first for him. I could totally tell the mood of each based on his expression (cuddly cute pose = coy smile, funny face pose = laughter, etc.)  even before I saw the photo myself. We must have spent a good half hour going through them and reacting. They are all just about wonderful!!! I seriously cannot choose a favorite.”

The Grove Hotel is a stunning venue, not only perfect for an intimate celebration, such as Tom and Matt’s ceremony and reception dinner, but it also has the most amazing space for a larger celebration, and for a secret-garden style after-party. As such, it was perfect for Tom and Matt who decided that one day wasn’t enough, and so it was the next day when we returned for Tom and Matt’s Wedding: Part Two. Starting with a drinks reception, and then a meal and reception party in The Amber Room, and culminating with an after-party in The Potting Shed – which had been transformed to look like a New York-Style nightclub, complete with beds to lounge on, fire dancers, and podium dancers.
Well, when the grooms are both West End dancers, and the majority of the guests are in Show Biz, you just have to go all out with the partying!

A disk of images is great, of course; you get to keep all of the photos, to look through from time to time, and to print your favourites, frame them and have them around your house, or give prints to family for Christmas. But nothing beats a wedding book, in my opinion. Your wedding day is the start of your life together, the start of your story; and every story deserves to be told in a way that evokes memories, that brings back the feelings you had on your day. When designing a wedding album, the key thing is to think about not just the key moments, but the in-between moments, the moments you didn’t notice, or you didn’t think anyone else would notice – that’s what makes the story come alive.
I completely love my wedding albums; it’s taken me a fair amount of time to find the perfect album suppliers, but now that I’ve found them, and they suit my work, and my couples, so well, I’m overjoyed with how they look. Here’s an example of a recent album, from Liz and Chris’ wedding in 2011 (they’ve had a busy few years, proof that the best things are worth waiting for!)

I love a Cornish wedding – I’ve mentioned my connections to Cornwall before, it will always have a very special place in my heart, not least for the amazing people that I met in my time living there. I’ve known Becky for about 8 years now, and I’ve been friends with her sister for over 12 years, so I was thrilled when her sister asked me to photograph her wedding to Ian. Becky and Ian have been together for as long as I’ve known her, and they live in the same tiny village that we used to live in. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding next month!

Hollie and Nick are a fab couple – they’re laid-back, they’re easy to chat to, and they laugh together. A lot! I met them at their house near Manchester, and we went to nearby Dunham Massey for their pre-wedding shoot. They go to Dunham Massey quite a bit, usually with their puppy, but we decided to leave the puppy behind for their shoot – this had the added bonus of us being able to enjoy lunch at a nearby pub afterwards
Hollie and Nick are getting married next month in Yorkshire, at Hollie’s parents’ house. I love Yorkshire weddings, and I’m really excited about this one!

The Grove Hotel is stunning – we arrived to find the England football team warming up in the ballroom, and that set the scene for a luxury, and at times, slightly surreal weekend that made Tom and Matt’s wedding celebrations. On day one, Tom and Matt got ready separately, and met on the stairs before walking into their ceremony room, to be married by a good friend, and a Vicar that Tom has known for a long time. From there, they had drinks on the lawn before settling down to the very best of luxury dining experiences with their very closest of friends.
Day two was all about the party, but day one was all about the love. Day two coming up next…comprising professional dancers, a band that played for Paul McCartney, fire-jugglers and an after-party in a secret walled garden, you won’t want to miss it!

When Rebecca and Frazier told me that they were flying to Scotland from their home in Wisconsin for their wedding day, I knew that I wanted to be a part of their very intimate wedding day. When they then told me that they were going to Paris for their honeymoon, and they wanted to do a day-after shoot there, I was thrilled. I was already photographing a destination wedding in France the weekend after their wedding, so the timing could not have been better! My husband second shot with me and we had a fantastic few hours wandering the streets of Paris with this gorgeous couple!

Maunsel House is one hell of a venue, for one hell of a special couple. The first time I met Liz and Tim, I knew that I wanted to photograph their wedding – luckily for me, they felt the same way, and as I got to know them more and more, I looked forward to their day more and more. Their wedding was grand, but cosy, intimate and full of laughter – Liz has an infectious laugh, and Tim makes her laugh often.
During their ceremony, they had their band play “All You Need is Love”, and every guest joined in the singing – I have hand-on-heart never felt such a rush of love and emotion before in a civil ceremony; I was overcome for them, and had to take a few deep breaths to stop my eyes welling up with tears of joy and love.

Their friends and family were so welcoming to me, I felt by the end of the day like I’d met a room full of new friends, and I loved documenting their wedding. Liz and Tim, I can’t wait to meet up for a glass (or two ) of Sauv Blanc and go through your album options soon x