When I first met Danielle and Peter they told me of their plans to wed in Bristol registry office and have their reception at the M-shed. They wanted to have a 1950's inspired wedding theme with custom made dress and a red and white colour scheme. I knew right then that this wedding was going to be special.
My day started at Danielle's home where she was getting ready with her maid of honour Tanya. Both girls were excited, sipping on prosecco as they talked about the day ahead.
Danielle's hair was already finished when I got there. It looked fabulous and I really couldn't wait to see the dress. In true 1950's style she had chosen a short dress that flowed outwards with her bridesmaid dress a similar style only with red and white polka dots.
The girls claimed not to be nervous when I arrived however they were ready way ahead of time which I think changed that claim slightly. Danielle also spoke with her father who jokingly asked her if she was sure she still wanted to go ahead with the wedding but ultimately his phone call was to wish her luck.
A white mustang then arrived to pick up the girls to take them to the ceremony at Bristol registry office. Danielle who self claimed she hates being late for anything did say she felt this was the one day when she should probably be fashionably late, even if it was just by a few minutes. I left the girls at this point so I could meet them at the venue and grab a shot of them arriving in the car.
I had just enough time to say hello to Peter and take a few photo's of the guests as they eagerly awaited the brides arrival. I then headed back outside Bristol registry office to capture an exchange of hugs from the father of the bride as he waited to walk her down the aisle.
After the ceremony, a few group formals were taken on the steps outside the Bristol registry office. Peter then handed out directions for his non local guests so they could make the short walk over to the reception venue at the M-shed on Bristol's harbour side.
The M-shed is a museum but has a space on the top floor for hosting events such as weddings and business conferences. The building itself has a modern design with a spectacular staircase which we used to get a lovely couple shot. The buildings surrounding the M-shed also have lots of different colours and textures which made great backdrops when we did the portraits.
After the meal, the speeches were started with Danielle's dad where he told a few stories of her childhood and explained how this Yorkshire lass had made her first connections with Bristol which is now her home. Peter's best man went on to say how his love of music had brought him and Peter together and shared some stories of their uni days. Peter finished by thanking everyone for being part of his day and of course thanking his new beautiful wife.
Later cake cutting started the evening. The couple had their first dance rocking out to Best Coast - When I'm with You. It didn't take long for the rest of the dance floor to start filling up after that!
Please get in contact if you are getting married or having your reception at the M-shed.
The glass boat is a Bristol icon, located near Bristol bridge the restaurant is famous for its great food. In fact it was when Jo & Paul were visiting Bristol for a weekend they stopped for a bite to eat and found out that they could have their wedding ceremony right there on the boat.
The couple are from Swansea so bringing their wedding party to Bristol was going to be a big deal and to make their friends and family make the journey it had to be somewhere special. I think they chose well.
Staying in the mercie hotel which is opposite, literally a stone throw away from the boat, I met Jo in the penthouse suite where she was getting ready with her two daughters. Hair and makeup had started and the girls were chatting and eating pizza.
Jo unlike most brides was actually ready well ahead of time which gave her a little time to think about the event and her nerves began to set in slightly as she anxiously waited sipping on champagne. With the boat almost in view of her balcony it was a good job the trees blocked her from seeing her guests arriving. Her friend Marc then arrived as he was going to walk her down the aisle.
I left Jo at this point to meet Paul on the boat where I grabbed a quick photo with him and his two sons as well as other guests arriving. The boat had been transformed with seats either Side of the deck creating a lovely long aisle for the bride to elegantly walk down.
The ceremony passed by as the couple exchanged their vows and the groom led his new bride back down the aisle towards the bar at the other end stopping to shake hands with guests as they passed to be congratulated.
After drinks I took the couple off for a walk into castle park where they had photos and led them back through Saint Nick's market before returning to the boat to have just a few formal group shots with the rest of the family.
Speeches were made before the wedding breakfast, Nick the best man had been particularly nervous about his role for the day but his speech went down a treat with all and he didn't stitch Paul up too badly. Jo thanked her guests and her new husband before the groom got on the mic. Paul hadn't prepared an actual speech but he went round the dinner tables pointing out how he knew certain people and thanked them for their support and being part of the couples day.
Having organised the wedding fairly last minute the couple had no entertainment booked when I met them only a month before. However impressively on the day they had managed to arrange 3 different bands which kept the entertainment going throughout the day/night which got everyone up dancing.
If you are thinking of having your wedding on the Glass boat then please get in touch!
Before taking on the responsibility of photographing a baby I have done lots of research into how they develop over the first year period and what are the best ways to handle and photograph them. I have invested in lots of props including a suitable baby bean bag for support, wraps, outfits and various other props.
Pictured below is five month old baby Frankie, his mum wanted to stick to a classic style shoot using neutral colours. At this age they are very alert and have lots of energy so wiggle about quite a bit however they are not quite sitting up by themselves yet so I made sure that mum was on hand to offer him support. One of his big sisters came along and it was nice to take a couple of shots with the two of them together.
If you would like pictures of your little one prices start from £75 for new born and £50 for children over 2 months. Please get in contact
Afterwards there were just a few formal pictures taken outside as the couple, particularly the groom were eager to move on to their reception venue where cold beer would be readily available. As with all my clients we had already discussed before hand how the day was to pan out and they had already decided that the majority of the group shots were to be taken at the reception venue. The reception was held at Mangotsfield golf club and with keen golfers in the family and many of the guests members it was the ideal reception for them. The private function room had been decorated with the bridal colours of white and purple and small finishing touches had been added such as a sweet table for all to enjoy. The weather was particularly hot on this August day so after the wedding breakfast buffet all were outside enjoying the sunshine in the garden. The kids played as adults chatted, we did a group shot of everyone and then the smaller combinations with family and friends.
Kerrie's brother Llewllyn walked her down the aisle of Christ Church in Hengrove and gave her hand to the vicar when the ceremony started. A church wedding is always slightly longer than a registry office, with several readings and hymns being sang including 'all things bright and beautiful'. I had already met with the vicar and luckily he had given me permission to stand behind the alter and was fairly relaxed allowing me to take pictures as long as it didn't interfere with his service.
Being a July wedding you wouldn't generally expect rain however the weather was particularly awful and decided to hammer it down all day with no break at all. This meant that all the group pictures were going to have to be done inside which isn't ideal especially when I couldn't use flash however the couple were in good spirits and they even decided to battle the rain for a quick picture themselves outside with the wedding car.
The guests were all waiting back at their reception venue and cheered as the couple entered. The speeches were very short and sweet and no stitch up's made which was much to Kerrie & Ian's relieve. After food the couple led the way with their first dance and the kids were soon up on the dance floor enjoying the evening.
My day started with Amy getting ready with hair and makeup in a nearby hotel. Her mum and two bridesmaids were on hand to offer support and help her polish off the bucks fizz. Her brother then arrived shortly before it was time to leave, he travelled with her in the vintage car and proudly walked her down the aisle. A nervous Greg watched as his bride make the journey across the garden to join him underneath the wooden pagoda where their ceremony was to take place. Guests sat directly outside basking in the glorious afternoon sun, looking on as the couple shared their vows which got quite emotional at times.
After the ceremony drinks were served on the lawn, the couple had decided beforehand that they didn't want many group shots taken so this allowed them more time to spend with their guests. The children and adults alike relaxed and enjoyed some games provided, they had croquet, giant jenga, a huge frisby and stilts to try to balance on.
As the guests started to go inside for the wedding breakfast, I managed to grab a few minutes to photograph the couple alone and these were definitely some of my favourite shots of the day. The wedding breakfast was held on the top floor of the watermill, it has a lovely light airy feel and Amy's sunflower theme gave a lovely contrast to the room. After food the speeches were delivered by Amy's brother, Greg and Greg's best man all of them were extremely funny as well as being fairly emotional at times. Cake cutting followed and first dance later started of the evening's entertainment.
Not all my brides choose to have bridal prep so I was delighted when Seren invited me in to have a sneak preview of her dress and spend some time with her and her bridesmaids before the ceremony. Getting ready in the master suite of the hotel her room over looked the gardens below where guests had already started to gather only adding to her excitement.
With a grand entrance full of energy the bridesmaids led the way bouncing down the aisle followed by a beaming Seren & her father. The ceremony quickly passed by with three readings from both sides of their family. Once over everyone gathered outside to take in the beautiful sunshine and sip on champagne followed by confetti being thrown. The couple opted not to have too many formal pictures so we took just one of the whole party and then a few with the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Outside in the marquee they stuck with their summer theme decorating it tastefully with sunflowers and bunting. Speeches left everyone laughing before the food was served. The evening entertainment kicked off with their first dance was to Dream Lover. The couple pulled off some great moves which made you wonder if they had previously practiced their dance routine but regardless it went down a storm with the crowd.
Flowers provided by: www.brambleandwild.com
The ceremony started at 1 o'clock, the guests stood up to admire Cerys as she walked down the aisle looking stunning, arm in arm with her father. During the ceremony they had one of the bridesmaids give a short reading before the couple exchanged their wedding vows. Then champagne in the lobby before all guests moved outside to have group photos within the grounds.
Once the group photo's were over I went off with the couple so they could have some pictures alone next to the Clifton suspension bridge. This time gave them a chance to relax and I managed to capture some lovely natural moments including them taking a cheeky selfie together with the bridge in the background and sharing an ice-cream on the way back.
The wedding breakfast was followed by speeches from first Cery's father, Adam and his best man. Confetti was then thrown and Cery's gathered all the singles ladies ready for her bouquet of flowers.
As evening guest started to arrive the band sang for the couples first dance and later in the night Adam serenaded his new wife as he got up with the band to sing.
I met the couple at the Mercure Brigstow hotel where they were staying. The plan was to take a slow walk up to the Bristol registry office which is only a short distance away so they could stop off and have their portraits taken on the way. The hotel is situated on the waterfront so we didn't have to go too far for our first location. We then headed into Castle park for a few more photo's before getting to the registry office in time for their ceremony.
Bristol registry office has several rooms however their wedding was downstairs in the Mayoral room. With friends and family seated it wasn't long before the bride was walking down the aisle with her father by her side. Even though the bride and groom had only been separated for just a few minutes unlike a lot of traditional weddings where the bride and groom spend the night before apart; this didn't make Rob any less excited to see Eszter.
After the ceremony group shots were taken on the registry office steps with all different combinations of friends and family. A coach then picked up the wedding party to take them to their reception at the Avon Gorge hotel where I had been just two weeks before. (Please see my other wedding blog Avon gorge hotel wedding.)
Once at the Avon Gorge Hotel the party was met with welcome drinks to toast the bride and groom on the terrace. This hotel is set in beautiful surroundings and the Bride and Groom wanted to relax and enjoy their time with their guests having already had their wedding portraits done earlier in the day. I am so glad the weather stayed glorious for this couple I know that was something they had feared coming all the way from France but honestly we couldn't have had better weather.
If you are getting married at the Bristol registry office and are looking for a Bristol wedding photographer then please get in touch!
Emma & Andy's day was perfect. The weather was kind and it only drizzled early on, drying up after the ceremony in time for the main formal wedding images.
The ceremony took place upstairs in the hotel’s Brunel room. This room has plenty of beautiful natural soft light with the many windows that overlook the sun terrance below. The room lit up as Emma walked down the aisle to her nervous awaiting groom. She looked stunning walking arm in arm with her father down the aisle.
Followed was champagne on the private terrace. The party then moved back upstairs for the wedding breakfast and speeches. Family and group photo's were later in the day and the couple took some time out to have bridal portraits before the evening do got underway.
If you have a wedding in Bristol or you are getting married at the Avon Gorge Hotel then please get in touch here!
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I had the pleasure of second shooting this wedding for Eliza Claire. Second shooting is a very different experience as your job is to be in a different place to the main photographer which means you have to think and work harder to get those all important shots but at different angles.
A & N ceremony was at Trinity House in London, the venue is simply beautiful. With its high ceilings and traditional old paintings on the wall its easy to see why they picked it. The guest looked at home sipping their Champagne in the lounge which over looks a small park opposite. It was here that A & N chose to have their first portraits as husband and wife.
With a short journey for the guests travelling on an Old fashioned London Style bus the final stop was the Amadeus Centre. A blank canvas which allowed the couple to decorate it their own way. Their tables were decorated individually with a lego theme where their guests all had the opportunity to make their own creations.
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Photographing for Peckish Catering again today. This funky sandwich shop in the heart of Bristol City Centre is always busy and popular with shoppers. They have some new offers on so needed some photographs for their window and to update the website. The owner is always welcoming and I always enjoy my visit to this shop so its a pleasure to actually photograph for them. Check out their Bacon sandwich and coffee deal for just £3.00 served all day.
]]>Lou & Kev wanted to enjoy their special day and create as much fun as possible especially for their guests to join in. As soon as they heard about the photo booth they knew it would go down a treat with everyone.
It didn't take long and the guests were cueing up, trying on multiple props and laughing at the extremities of their outfits.
The venue was great. Located at Huntstile organic farm. It was quirky and unique, well decorated and tasteful. With only the guests from the wedding filling the place it had a fantastic atmosphere and everyone enjoyed the day.
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