Chrissie & Dave's Tipi Wedding in Sunny Yorkshire

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Chrissie & Dave

8.07.17

Innisfree Tipi Wedding, Yorkshire Wedding Photographer

When I was told about about Chrissie's parents' plans to convert their house into a wedding venue for Chrissie and Dave to get married in the garden, I couldn't wait for the day to come and see all their hard work pay off.

I arrived at Innisfree to high spirits, perfect blue skies & dogs everywhere (heaven!) As the guests started arriving it was time to leave Chrissie with the registrars and head outside to see Dave. Chrissie looked incredible as she walked through her parents garden and down the the aisle, arm in arm with her Dad. After the ceremony came to an end it was time for everyone to kick off their shoes & enjoy the sunshine with a glass of Pimms!

It was so so sunny that we decided to wait till after the wedding breakfast to shoot the newly wed's portraits, leaving them with bags of time to relax with their guests and make the most of the beautiful weather. There was such a relaxed & homely atmosphere to the day, it was an absolute dream to photograph!

I'd had my fingers crossed all day that the sun would stay out late enough to give us a gorgeous golden light & it didn't disappoint. After Chrissie & Dave shared their first dance as Man & Wife, we headed out to the garden once more, leaving their guests partying away. It only took a few minutes to make the most of the dreamy light so the couple were back on the dance floor before anyone noticed they were gone!

A big thanks to my second shooter, Helen <3

 

Abi & Nick's Quaker Wedding at Tower Hill Barns

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I first met Abi when she was a bridesmaid at a wedding I photographed back in 2015. We then crossed paths again when Abi, Nick & her parents attended an open house day at a Tower Hill Barns where they booked me for their big day! I'd had had such a great time at Steph & Andy's wedding, I knew Abi & Nick's would be amazing too and they definitely didn't let me down!

I started the day with the girls in the bridal suite above the New Barn. Everyone was in great spirits and the girls were way ahead of schedule which left us with enough time to relax and enjoy the pampering session, (a rare occurrence!) When Abi & her entourage were dolled up ready to go, she headed outside arm in arm with her Dad for her ceremony under the bridge.

Abi & Nick had a Quaker Service which is carried out in silence, so after Abi & her dad walked down the aisle to an eagerly awaiting Nick, I put down my camera until the Meeting was over. Once the ceremony had come to an end, all the guests, no matter how young or how old, were invited up to sign as a witness to their marriage & congratulate the newly-wed's!

Abi & Nick were absolute troupers & agreed to head out for their photographs in the rain. They had huge big smiles plastered across their faces & seemed totally unaware of the elements. As we headed out of the field back to the venue, a huge rainbow appeared stretching over the entire barn... a much deserved reward for Abi & Nick's positivity!

 

Natasha & James's Brook Hall Hotel Wedding on the wirral

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brook hall hotel wedding on the wirral

Natasha & James got married on The Wirral at the beautifully newly renovated Brook Hall Hotel, formerly known as Brook Meadow Hotel.

It was a perfect day with the sun shining & Natasha & James had the biggest smiles on their faces throughout!

 

Leanne & Andrew's Lakeside Wedding on The Wirral

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Leanne & Andrew tied the knot in the beautiful St. Andrew's church just at the bottom of their road. It was a rainy start to the day but we all had our fingers crossed that the sun would come out later on. After the ceremony it was still chucking it down so the newly wed's made a fittingly grand exit through a shower of confetti!

Next stop was the Lakeside Marquee at Thornton Manor on the Wirral, by the time everyone arrived the rain was coming down thick and fast so everyone piled into a Pinterest worthy marquee to start off the celebrations. We decided to start shooting the groups inside as it was too wet to drag everyone out in their wedding finery - but after 10 minutes the skies magically cleared so Leanne, Andy & I raced out to shoot their portraits!

The Lakeside has the perfect photo worthy locations all within a few metres of the Marquee! The flowers were in full bloom and the grey skies didn't dampen how beautiful the surroundings were. The weather continued to get better and better throughout the day & the sun even made a evening appearance!

 

Alex & Owen's Chic & Stylish 1920's Wedding at Trevor Hall in North Wales

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After a whole wedding-free month I couldn't wait to kick start the official wedding season with Alex & Owen's 20's glam wedding at Trevor Hall in North Wales. When I met with Alex & Owen before the wedding, it was so lovely to hear how much work the pair had put into planning their perfect day. They had thought through every tiny detail - hot air balloon lanterns, a 20's style dressing up corner, swing dance performances & hiring a vintage car to park up outside the hall all day!

Trevor Hall isn't your typical "wedding venue." You hire the hall for a set amount of days (through Air B&B) and do whatever you like whilst you're there. So Alex, Owen & a few special guests moved into the hall a few days before the wedding to start the celebrations early. It was great how at home everyone seemed the morning of the wedding. The guests each had their own allocated bedrooms, decorated in a unique, eccentric style... naturally Alex and her bridesmaids had opted to get ready in the Four Poster room!

After everyone was ready it was time to head down the short woodland path to Trevor Hall's very own on site church. The doorway had been decorated in a beautiful floral archway and there was views of the welsh countryside between the tree's. After an intimate ceremony in the little stone church, it was back up to the hall to start the celebrations.

After a glass of bubbly or two (for the newlyweds, not me!) Alex, Owen & I headed out to shoot their portraits. It was still raining but Alex was an absolute trooper & insisted we started as planned anyway! We made the most of the Wisteria being in full bloom & popped into the Orangery too whilst the guests were happily admiring their handiwork over in the marquee.

Alex & Owen, you should be so proud of what an incredible day you planned <3

 

Kira & Rock's Pre-Wedding Shoot around the French Concession in Shanghai

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Four weeks ago, I packed up my camera & laptop and set off to spend a month in China. Whilst I couldn't wait for a bit of a break before a busy summer, I also couldn't resist planning a shoot or two for whilst I was away!

Based mainly in Shanghai I had so much time to explore the city and fall a little bit in love with it. The French Concession is such a beautiful area & definitely one of my favourite places to spend time, each street is shaded with tree's, there's more coffee shops than you could ever imagine & it's got a quiet sleepy atmosphere that's hard to find in an Asian city - it was the perfect location for Kira & Rock's pre-shoot as well as being the first place they lived together. 

Kira first moved to Shanghai as a student on a placement year and soon fell in love with the city. After finishing her degree back home she moved back to Shanghai, met Rock two months later & the rest is history! They get married in Austria in a couple of weeks (and again in Beijing a few weeks after that,) so the shoot was a perfect way for them to celebrate their engagement.

 

Camille & Thomas's Rainy Shanghai Shoot in Yuyuan Gardens

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We narrowed down the dates we were all available to shoot on and realised we only had one possible day, the day before Camille flew back to France after four and a half months in Shanghai - which felt like a great way to mark her &  Thomas's time in the city together!

The morning of the 4th came around and it was chucking it down so we decided to postpone the shoot until that afternoon to see if the rain would ease off.. It didn't! Left with no other date to rearrange to, we decided to embrace the rain and go ahead anyway.

And I'm so glad we did! 

 

Emily & Rich's Colourful Farm Wedding in Derbyshire

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Well, what can I say? Emily & Rich's day was full to bursting with colour, creativity & the most beautiful views of Derbyshire. I set off super early to drive over to the farm, I was aware my Sat Nav probably wouldn't work out in the countryside & of course, I arrived at my "destination" to find a gated dead end! Luckily I'd done a quick run though of my journey on google maps and found the farm with time to spare!

St. Bartholomew's Church in Blore is probably one of the most beautiful churches I've ever had the chance to photograph. Surrounded by views of the Peak District & framed by blue skies, I was quite taken a back when I pulled up. Rich had decorated the archway with wild flowers ready for Emily's arrival.

And what an entrance she made! Her father drove her over to the chuch in a bottle green Land Rover - the very same Land Rover Emily's parents had driven to the church in on their own wedding day. Emily walked down the aisle to a church full of her closest family & friends singing away - slightly unplanned as the church organ had broken but it just made it all the more special.

After the service ended it was back over to the farm where every last detail had been thought of. Emily's brother had cooked a feast for the guests, her Mum had hand embroidered each individual napkin & their friend had decorated the trees with lights. It seems like everyone had played their part in making their day as incredible as it was. I still can't quite believe how many talented friends the pair have!

Much to everyone's delight, there were animals everywhere, sheep, ducks, chickens, dogs & a horse who spent the day trotting around looking very excited at the days events! Emily & Rich had provided bags of feed for the whole menagerie so there was hours of fun to be had wandering round feeding them all.

 

Lauren & Mat's Easter Wedding at Tower Hill Barns, North Wales

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Mat & Laurens Tower Hill Barns Wedding

I first met Lauren & Mat all those years ago in high school... fast forward 15 years & I had the honour of photographing their wedding day & watching them become husband and wife after 11 years together.

I headed over to Tower Hill Barns in Wrexham and met Lauren & the girls getting ready in the new cottages, which by the way, are gorgeous! It was so exciting for me to walk into bridal prep and be greeted by a room full of school friends. As the girls finished up getting ready, I headed into the barn to see how Mat was doing before the ceremony. It was such a great moment to see him stood there with "the boys from school" a.k.a the groomsmen, lined up next to him wedding ready in their suits.

Lauren looked beautiful walking down the aisle in her beaded dress, bouquet made by her mum & a big smile on her face. After the ceremony it was back to the bar to celebrate the occasion as me Lauren & Mat headed out into the sunshine for their portraits. We were shortly joined by the son Louis who loved the suggestion of Mum & Dad swinging him round the field!

I know I'm probably a bit biased but I had SO much fun. Photographing a friends wedding really doesn't feel like work in the slightest, being able to witness their day was an absolute pleasure & a day I'll always remember.

Thanks so much for inviting me to share your day with you :)

 

Lauren & Ian's blue skies & blossom tree wedding at Combermere Abbey

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Lauren & Ian could not have picked a better day for their wedding at Combermere Abbey in Whitchurch. It was the hottest day of the year and there wasn't a cloud in the sky which was so so lucky for April, however what was more lucky was that the sunshine and blue skies were perfectly complimented by the apple tree's being absolutely covered in blossom!

I started the day down in the Stone Lodge with Lauren and her bridesmaids, then popped over the see Ian and the groomsmen in the Courtyard Cottages. Everyone was busy getting ready and there was a great atmosphere all round. After everyone was wedding-ready I headed back to the Glasshouse to find a very teary eyed Groom, caught up in the emotions of it all (much to the amusement of his best men!)

Having never been to Combermere Abbey before, walking into the grounds and seeing them at their fullest potential was quite breathtaking and I wasn't the only one to think so. I could hear the guests gasping as they turned the corner and headed through the tree's to the Glasshouse.

Lauren looked absolutely beautiful as she walked down the aisle in a Ronald Joyce wedding dress & Jimmy Choo's. After a touching and emotional ceremony the guests headed out of the Glasshouse to the centre of the Maze to shower the newly wed's in confetti and start the celebrations off as they mean to carry on!