I really don’t know how I’m going to narrow it down for Andrew & Claire’s blog post as I took soooo many pictures at their wedding (nothing new there!)  I’ve had lots of time to think about which ones to include as I had to hold off showing any of them on my blog for a couple of months as they were so pleased with them they wanted to hold a post wedding BBQ party to show friends and family a slideshow first!  But even with that extra time, I can’t whittle it down.  I fail again!! 

I had an amazing time photographing their wedding, it was such a wonderful day.  St Hubert’s Church at Idsworth is so pretty – Claire and Andrew spotted it from the train one day and fell in love with the place and idyllic setting, they said when they got married they’d like to have their service there so one afternoon they went for a drive in the countryside to find it.  It’s like the little church on the Prairie and dating back to Norman times it is steeped in history, I can see why they chose it…  After the ceremony they headed back to Old Thorns Golf Club for a fabulous party & delicious meal with friends and family – some of whom I just happened to know already!  My brother in law was one of Andrew’s best men (he had 2, and why not if you can’t decide!) and my sister was there too which was lovely as my family have never seen me “at work” before!  Andrew & Claire’s love and happiness is infectious – that’s the only way to describe it.  I came away from their big day feeling so happy & with such a huge grin on my face, ah… hold on… perhaps that was because the last thing I did was the SNAPstick booth and you can’t help but fall about laughing at that!! 

Claire wore a stunning dress by Ian Stuart Bride…

With such amazing detail.

I left the girls in their towels (!!) getting ready and went to the church early to get some shots of the lads getting their button holes on and generally just looking rather dapper!

Then I carried on snapping away as the guests made their way up the hill to mill about!

Then I dashed back down the hill for Claire’s arrival…

The ceremony was beautiful.

 Thanks to the two best men we managed to get through 20 or so group shots fairly quickly and we had such a giggle so it wasn’t too painful for the guests!!

Then a couple of the happy couple on our way back down the hill…

Back at Old Thorns Claire & Andrew chose to have the speeches before the meal – great idea, then the groom / father of the bride / best man can sit and relax and enjoy their food!

Then we did a few fun portrait shots – the evening light is always best for this!

After they cut the fantastic cheese cake… there was the first dance

and whilst the band continued to play and guests carried on dancing I snuck off to a groovy corner of the venue to set up the SNAPstick booth – the results were hilarious! 

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a wedding!

If you like what you see and would like to get in touch to see my full price list and check my availability for your big day then my number is 01243 587517 or email enquiries@nfelthamphotography.co.uk

Rachel & Kevin tied the knot this Saturday and had a fabulous wedding in mine & their home town of Bognor Regis – living here there was no question we had to at least have a go at some pictures on the beach but the weather was just too windy and wild so we settled for a few lovely snaps after their meal in Marine Park Gardens.  Here’s a sneak peek of them looking totally gorgeous and then one of their first dance which I’ll tell you all about soon in their main blog post!

More to follow soon! 🙂

I’ll let you into a secret (and Viv and Dan don’t even know this…. yet!)… when Viv booked me over the phone on a recomendation from another photographer (thanks Emma xx) she did so without meeting me and when she said the location was Epping, in my mind I was thinking Epsom which is about an hour from me.  Then I went away and looked the venue up online and realised it was 2 1/2 hrs away!  Doh!  (Should have paid more attention in Geography…)  Anyway, that didn’t put me off in the least bit – have wheels, will travel!  Also Gaynes Park looked amazing and didn’t disappoint.  Such a gorgeous location – perfect for such a gorgeous couple.  Viv and Dan are lovely – you may remember them from their pre wedding shoot a few months ago – I warmed to them imediately and was so excited about their big day.  Viv had had quite a few set backs prior to their wedding, one of the worst being that George (one of their dogs who was supposed to be there) was very poorly and on a drip at the vets.  As a fellow dog owner my heart went out to her, such a worry and impossible to think about anything else, let alone get married. Viv coped amazingly though and thankfully little George pulled through and is going to be fine, it’s a shame there’s only one gorgeous pooch in the pics but the main thing is he’s OK.  Viv spent a very long time planning, organising and making things for their wedding – the bouquets, the button holes, the name places, the table displays – she pretty much did it all.  She’s so creative, so clever and the results looked amazing.  Viv even put a survival kit in the ladies and flipflops in a basket on the dance floor and of course she makes the wonderful cake toppers that she sells on etsy.  I can’t narrow the photos down for my blog so I won’t even try 😉  Here are my favourites from their day – all 80 or so….  thank you so much for having me along for the fun Viv & Dan, many congratulations and all the best for the future. xx

Let’s start with Viv’s beautiful Pronovias of Barcelona wedding dress…

and her cute little flats from Office, so she didn’t tower over Dan – so thoughtful!

I loved all the details – big and small…

The pretty gardens…

 and a help yourself to sweets table!  Yum yum!

Viv got ready in the Apple Loft Honeymoon Cottage – what a cute & cosy little place for a romantic night!

Dad checking they weren’t going to be late!

Meanwhile Dan was greeting guests and the lads were putting their button holes on.

Then the long awaited but short walk from the Apple Loft to the Orangery…

And the intense look on Dan’s face as he watched the love of his life walk towards him looking so beautiful!

Just gorgeous…

They do!

Although this next shot is all about the petals you can see in the background it was all too much for Duke who took a nap mid ceremony!

The first *kiss* 🙂

Quick cuddle with Viv’s little man of the day who looked soooo cute in his little bow tie!

Then time to be congratulated by everyone!  How happy do they look! 🙂 🙂

 After a few group shots and candids which you can see in the gallery below we did a few natural portraits…

Then the wedding breakfast took place in the Gather Barn (I’ve never really known why it’s called a wedding breakfast, anyone?!)… and I have to say this particular breakfast was delicious!!

The speeches that followed were suitably heartfelt, hilarious and humiliating all at the same time!!

I spent a lot of time trying to avoid this van “spoiling” the backdrop of my candid photos , then Dan requested a photo by it!!  So a big shout out to Multi Movers!

 After a few more candids I persuaded Viv & Dan to take 10 minutes out together for some more portraits as the light was beautiful – although it didn’t take much persuading, they couldn’t wait to be together so I provided a great excuse!!

Finally the first dance before my long drive home but what a wonderful day and I feel so honoured they booked me to be the one to capture it!

If you like what you see and you’d like to check my prices and availability for your special day then please give me a shout on 01243 587517 or email enquiries@nfelthamphotography.co.uk

A few weeks ago my dear friend and fellow photographer Kelly of Lola Rose Photography asked me if I could second shoot with her at a wedding she had coming up, she helped me last year when I was heavily pregnant and again just after I had my baby for 4 different weddings and we worked so well together I couldn’t wait to be able to return the favour!!  Actually I think she did me a favour, the wedding was so amazing, I enjoyed every second of the day.  Reena is beautiful, seriously stunning!  She took everybody’s breath away and reduced poor Jon to tears as she walked down the aisle.  It was such an emotional day, full of big surprises – one being the helicopter that Reena and Jon arrived at their reception in!  I cannot count the amount of times I said WOW throughout the day.  I loved 2nd shooting too, I must have taken 100s of candid shots!  (Sorry Kelly, you’ve got a lot to sort through, but please have me back again :))

Here are some of my favourite images from my take on the day…

and the lovely Kelly at work 🙂

and someone trying to avoid the camera!

The grand entrance!!

and time for a few shots of the happy couple… so gorgeous together…

Meanwhile back with the guests… there was plenty of laughter!

and chatting…

and catching people unaware…

Then time to cut the cake.

THEN… bollywood dancers!

Then finally a beautiful first dance from Reena & Jon…

Phew! There was so much more to their day but I think that’s more than enough from me, have a look at Kelly’s blog post for more…

Kelly & I love shooting weddings and if you happen to be planning a particularly big one and we’re both available we love to work together, so please give each of us a shout!