Amy and Ruth chose to have a Cusworth Hall engagement shoot on a gorgeously sunny Sunday afternoon. I always ask my couples if there are any places that mean a lot to them or if they have landmarks with any significance to their relationship. So Amy and Ruth took me to Cusworth Hall for their engagement shoot as this was initially the place where Amy was going to propose. We had a picnic in the grounds of the beautiful building and I heard all about why this place was so special to them.

FUN and RELAXED Cusworth Hall Engagement Shoot

Cusworth Hall is very close to where the couple live and they often take long walks here from their house. Amy said that she had originally planned to propose to Ruth at Cusworth Hall. On the day she had arranged a picnic – not unlike the one that we enjoyed together – and she was going to get down on one knee in the beautiful gardens. However, mother nature had other intentions. The rain started pouring and Amy knew that this would not be the right time to do it. Despite having carried the ring around with her for two weeks; Amy’s plan had been wrecked.  Later in the day the sun came out and the couple took a walk down the canal near their house. It was here along a walk they did so much that Amy got down on one knee and proposed to Ruth, who of course said YES!

It just shows that even if you plan a grand proposal, sometimes the simple and most emotional declarations are in places that are unexpected and completely natural. I have had the pleasure of knowing Ruth and Amy for nearly ten years and when they asked me to photograph their wedding I was over the moon. They are planning a DIY tipi wedding at the glorious Inkersall Grange Farm with their closet friends and family. On a personal level I am so ecstatic to photograph this wedding; because who does not want to take pictures of their best friends getting hitched? Take a look at their gorgeous engagement photographs and stay tuned for the wedding! (Since writing this blog I have gone on to photograph their Inkersall Grange Farm wedding).

If you would like me to photograph and engagement shoot for you and your partner please do get in touch!

Thank you so much for looking through Amy and Ruth’s gorgeous Cusworth Hall  Engagement Shoot

If you are interested in booking me for an engagement session or a couples shoot please do not hesitate to contact me alternately pop on over to Siobhan and Amy’s Southbank Engagement session. As an engagement photographer I also offer surprise marriage proposals – just like this Painshill Park proposal. 

Up on the blog today is Anna and Ross’s glorious Ashridge House wedding.  The last time I was here at this estate was when Anna, Ross and I came to photograph their sunrise engagement shoot.  We met at the crack of dawn, it was still dark and unfortunately the sun never came out from behind the clouds. However, Anna and Ross are such an optimistic couple, that they did not let the weather dampen their experience of having an engagement shoot together. Because of these attributes I had high expectations for their wedding day. You can see Anna and Ross’s engagement shoot here.

Anna and Ross chose to have their wedding at Ashridge House because it had great importance to them as a couple. They lived very close to the estate and frequently came on long walks and park runs around the area. Anna explained to me that they were both loved the out doors and felt that having a connection to somewhere they were getting married was important to them. They wanted their wedding to have a hygge feel and a sense of love. She described how she wanted the church to be filled with candles and blankets to enhance the Danish coined feeling of ‘hygge’.

The couple got married at the end of November on possibly one of the coldest Autumn days. This did not deter Anna from choosing the most beautiful sheer lace wedding dress from Berkhamstead Brides. Anna’s bridesmaids wore lovely matching plum floor length dresses which were in keeping with the winter wedding theme. Ross went for the traditional grey suit and tails from William Young in Hertfordshire – which all of his groomsmen wore as well. The morning was filled with love, happy tears and excitement – it was apparent from the first time that I met Anna and Ross that they were very emotionally connected. When Anna walked down the aisle to meet her husband to be, there was not a dry eye in sight and Ross could barely contain his joy to see Anna in her wedding dress for the first time.

The wedding table decoration reflected the winter hygge vibe of the wedding. Anna and Ross wanted a floral scheme that echoed the deep rich tones similar to the bridesmaids dresses of plum, grape, and blush. To emulate the feeling of hygge the mood that florists Myrtle and Bloom replicated was relaxed, natural and romantic with woodland elements to reflect the surroundings of the Ashridge House estate. They created low level table designs for the wedding breakfast tables with woodland elements, pine cones, natural moss, peppercorns and fairy lights to enhance the hygge brief.

Anna and Ross filled their wedding venue with plenty of personal touches. Their wedding cake was personally made for them by a family member and they fashioned a DIY Autumn themed photo frame with props for their Instax Polaroid photo booth. The favours that awaited their guests at the wedding breakfast were home made jars of jam which I thought was a really beautifully and unique touch.Throughout the reception Anna and Ross had chosen to have a magician entertain their guests and the last trick of the evening still has me scratching my head! A firework display rounded off a truly wonderful day. Ross and Anna hugged under the freezing night sky with their guests crowded all around them, which was exactly how they had described they wanted their Ashridge House wedding to feel. Relaxed and full of love; see for yourselves in the gallery below.

Thank you for looking through Anna and Ross’s Ashridge House wedding photographs

These are just some of the wedding suppliers that name Anna and Ross’s day so special to them.

Venue: Ashridge House

Invites: Three Paper Trees

Flowers: Myrtle and Bloom

Cake: Made by Family

Dress: Berkhamstead Brides

Shoes: Rainbow Shoes

Hair: Gorgeous Hair

MU: Gorgeous Beauty

Suit: William Young

Entertainment: The Luxury Magician

DJ: Smiles

Fireworks: Pains Fire Works

If you are at all interested in using my wedding photography services, please do email me and tell me all about your wedding. With all the wonderful candle lit images on this blog, check out my piece on three ways to have a more hygge home. 

Siobhan and Amy do not live in London so when they suggested a Southbank engagement shoot I was over the moon. I feel that the Southbank resonates with a lot of people; my mum was married at the Festival Hall and I have a lot of happy memories in this surrounding area. Shows at the Festival Hall, long meals over margaritas and sitting in the sunshine with friends and family by the river are just some of the reasons why I love it here.  Not only do I love this area of London but the Southbank certainly has a place in Siobhan and Amy’s heart too. They frequently come and visit London and choose the Southbank and Festival Hall to have a drink in the evening sunshine.

Relaxed LGBT Engagement Shoot

When they first enquired about wedding photography, they had found me through the venue they were having their wedding at – the gorgeous Dodmoor House. (Since writing this blog I have gone on to photograph their fabulous Dodmoor House Wedding – take a look here). When we arranged a meet up we even met to have a drink and a chat at one of their favourite restaurants Wahacca on the Southbank. We talked like old friends and I found out more about their wedding. As a couple it is clear that they really love the idea of their friends and family coming together and having a good time. This is exactly what they are going to provide – with jaeger-bombs on order at the wedding venue and food trucks providing the catering these two know how to put on a good party.

If you are interested in my photographing you as a couple please do contact me and we can have a chat.

Sunny LGBT Engagement Shoot On The Southbank

Like a lot of people they had both admitted that the idea of having their photograph taken was a little scary. This is exactly why engagement shoots are perfect to throw out those pre-conceived jitters about stuffy poses and awkward scenes. Take for example Amy and Ruth’s LGBT engagement shoot at Cusworth Hall where we spent the day together getting used to having portraits taken.

Although there is no right way to stand for a photograph – I approach photographing others how I would like to be photographed. We chat and find a natural rhythm which is right for the both of you, posing in ways that are comfortable. There is absolutely no pressure to look a certain way and if you are not big on PDA there is no way that I will enforce this upon you – I like my couples to be in the moment together and it is quite clear to see from the images that Siobhan and Amy did just that.

We parted ways after a couple of hours, excited for the next step in our journey together and for the wedding that we would meet again at in a couple of months time. So enjoy this lovely, relaxed Southbank engagement shoot and if you are interested in having a couples session drop me a line.

Thank you for looking through these photographs of Siobhan and Amy’s Southbank Engagement shoot and if you want to see any more of my engagement shoots check out Frankie and Ollie’s Surrey Countryside Engagement.

When Charlotte and Anthony asked me to photograph their wedding at Park House Barn in the Lake District I was so excited. I love the North of England having studied at University there so travelling back up for a wedding in the Lakes was such a fantastic opportunity. When speaking to Charlotte before hand, her wedding sounded so wonderful. They both wanted a relaxed day surrounded by the people they loved most. The couple wanted their wedding to be fun, vibrant in colour and a little bit bohemian! They had chosen Park House Barn because of the potential. The large barn would be adorned with hundreds of fairy lights and little other decorations as the couple wanted to keep it relaxed and simple.

Charlotte and Anthony chose to get married in September because there was a good possibility that the weather would be sunny. However, get your brollies ready because if there was ever a couple to show you how to embrace rain on your wedding day – it was these two! Their wedding was sandwiched between two stunningly beautiful sunny days, however the rain did not stop on the day they said ‘I Do’. Charlotte had even prepared for the rain by sourcing cute rainbow umbrellas!

Charlotte’s bridesmaids wore beautiful dresses from Needle and Thread which were all picked out by them individually. Charlotte said that she didn’t mind what dresses they chose as long as they were in keeping with the relaxed bohemian vibe of the wedding. Charlotte’s was a bohemian lace detailed Anna Campbell dress from Jean Jackson Couture in Manchester. She said that she had seen it online and fell in love with it instantly before she had even tried it on. I personally love that Anthony paired his suit with a grandad shirt – which all his groomsmen wore as well. I am biased as I love a grandad shirt, but it is a bold and original choice, that fitted right in with the couples relaxed barn wedding theme.

The wedding table decoration reflected the rustic interior of the barn. The tables were presented with an assortment of gin bottles that were collected by the couple. These were then filled with natural floral arrangements of herbs and white flowers provided by local Kendal florist Floristry By Carmen. These were placed on top of wooden block centre pieces with little white chocolate mice as wedding favours as they reminded the couple of holidays they had both had up in the South Lakes.

Charlotte and Anthony made sure that Park House Barn was filled with lots of personal touches. They designed the invitations and made the place-names for the table settings. They knew that the weather had the potential to be wet so they made fun games for their guests to play inside, including corn-hole and beer pong. The couple have two cats (who couldn’t make the wedding unfortunately) but they cleverly made little cardboard cut outs of them and put them around the venue. The seating plan was even inspired by Charlotte’s Grandfather’s love of drawing intricate maps and the couple made the giant map arrangement.

The cake for the wedding was a huge wheel of cheese provided by Birkdale Cheese and was a really individual touch. It also went down a treat in the evening with the guests! The evening entertainment was kick started by a ceilidh band which were so lively and fun. Everyone was up on the dance floor having a go and it was a lot of fun to photograph.

The couples wanted to have a relaxed and fun wedding at their venue Park House Barn and I think that they achieved their mission. As my mum would say “It does not matter if it is raining, because we have sunshine in our hearts” and I feel that Charlotte and Anthony’s wedding embodies this. The rain did not stop for one minute during their wedding but that did not deter them from dancing in it! Charlotte said that the day overall was quite overwhelming but it was so special to have everyone that you care about in one room, at the same time and that you got the chance to celebrate together. Charlotte and Anthony’s wedding is a testament to the fact that all you need for a wedding is the people that you love surrounding you (and a few umbrellas)!

Charlotte and Anthony were lucky enough to be featured on Brides Up North Wedding Blog

Take a look here to see the wedding.

Here are some amazing suppliers who made their wedding day possible:

Venue: Park House Barn

Dress: Anna Campbell, Jean Jackson Couture

Shoes: Miss KG

Celebrant: Inspirational Ceremonies

Bridesmaid Dresses: Needle and Thread

Flowers: Floristry By Carmen

Cake: Birkdale Cheese

Catering: Truffle Hunters

Evening Catering: Woodland Rovers

If you are having a wedding up North or are looking for Yorkshire wedding photography and are interested in having me photograph your wedding please contact me

Take a look at some more Yorkshire wedding photography inspiration with Ellie and Jason’s DIY Deepdale Farm Wedding.

Now, as I usually reside in Surrey it was a wonderful change to become a London wedding photographer. Richard and Yue-Zhen got married on the 30th of December, a day before New Years Eve at Chelsea Old Town Hall.  It was possibly one of the mildest Winter afternoons of the year. I met the couple at the Adria Boutique Hotel and we took a taxi to a beautiful private London garden. The couple were lucky enough to be graced with good weather. Plus a gorgeous green open space in the middle of London for couples portraits. After taking some relaxed couples photographs we travelled together to Chelsea. The couple were to be married in the gorgeous Chelsea Old Town Hall amongst their closest friends and family. After the ceremony the wedding party walked down the road to the couples reception venue.

London Wedding Photographer – Chelsea Old Town Hall Wedding

It was magical with all the Christmas decorations on display. The reception was held at Beaufort House and was decorated beautifully. With winter touches and candles all over the tables the venue felt very personalised. The couple had a homemade wedding cake. It was designed and decorated with sugar flowers and petals by their friend. After delicious canapés were served the couple cut their cake and then sat down for their wedding breakfast. They were not doing speeches or having a first dance. Instead they opted for a karaoke night after their dinner, which I thought was an excellent and original idea! Being in the city as a London wedding photographer was a welcome change and I am so happy that Richard and Yue-Zhen got in touch.   I hope that enjoy looking through the images of their wedding.

If like Richard and Yue-Zhen are planning a small wedding, check out my micro wedding guide. 

Thank you so much for stopping by to look through Richard and Yue-Zhen’s London wedding

If you are at all interested in booking my services as your London wedding photographer please do contact me or perhaps you would be interested in five reasons why you should work with me.

For some more examples of weddings that I have been a London wedding photographer for check out Sam and Anna’s Marylebone Town Hall Wedding. If however, you are looking for something further afield have a look at Becky and Andy’s costal Cornwall wedding.

When Sophie contacted me about a Brighton family photography session I jumped at the chance! Not only do I love the beach but her story sounded so wonderful. She now lived in England with her partner but her family were based in Australia. They had all gathered for a holiday together in the UK and she thought that it was the perfect opportunity to get some pictures of them all together in the same place – and I couldn’t have agreed more. So often photography is focussed on capturing new life bought into the world, and rarely do we stop and capture your kids together – even if they have grown into very well functioning adults. Taking the time to appreciate and document your family is a wonderful thing.

Although I LOVE photography families with children, however it was really refreshing to shoot a family with no kids present. We walked around the arcade with no tantrums, no body had to have a chat about throwing stones in the sea instead of at people’s heads and as a BONUS we got to stop and have a coffee [because Australian’s understand the need for a GOOD FLAT WHITE] and we had a fantastic chat without being interrupted to watch any little people do anything. It was so lovely that Sophie and her family had travelled from different sides of the globe and that they all wanted to document their time together. They wanted to celebrate the fact that they were all in the same place for the first time in a long time and I was very glad to be the one there capturing it for them. I really hope that you enjoy looking through the photographs of Sophie and her family and who knows you may get inspired to do something similar!

Thank you for stopping by and looking through these photographs

If you are at all interested in having a family photography shoot with me please do drop me an email and if you would like to take a look at some more family Day In The Life photography shoots I have done why not take a look at a family shoot in Surrey that I photographed last year, or a little further afield in Essex where I photographed Bobby’s naming day.

The couple contacted me through a mutual friend for Surrey wedding photography and we met for a coffee last year. Sam and Steve first saw each other when Sam attended one of Steve’s exercise classes in Surrey. The rest you could say is history. They were married at the Barnett Hill Hotel on possibly one of the rainiest days in July. The clouds thankfully parted after the ceremony long enough for us to dash out and capture some group photographs. Together with the couple we ventured into the covered bamboo forest area. This is at the front of the establishment to get some couples photographs alone, before again the rain set it. Don’t the British people love to talk about the weather?

But they did not let the weather ruin their day and I have never seen more smiley faces. The tables were decorated beautifully with gorgeous shades of purple flowers by Wild Thyme. After the reception fantastic speeches were given by the father of the bride, groom and best man which had everyone in stitches. We managed to nip out [in the rain] to the venue’s green house and sneak some couples portraits before they cut their fabulous cake made by Alexander Taylor Cakes and then had their first dance. The night kicked off with music from the Barcoda Party Band and a Photo Booth which even the grandparents got involved with! If you are at all interested in my Surrey wedding photography services please do contact me and enjoy looking through Sam and Steve’s wonderful day.

If you enjoyed looking through this wedding – check out Hana and Alex’s gorgeous Surrey barn wedding

Here are some of the fantastic suppliers that made Sam and Steve’s wedding so wonderful:

• Venue: Barnett Hill Hotel
• Flowers: Wild and Thyme
• Dress: Farnham Boutique
• Hair: James E. Blaquiere
• Band: Barcoda Party Band
• Cake: Alexander Taylor Cakes

Up on the blog today – Essex wedding photography at the beautiful Gaynes Park. Jenny and Chris’s gorgeous barn wedding was a Spring delight. The couple got married on a crisp Spring day surrounded by their friends and family. The morning was spent with Jenny and her bridesmaids in the cottage on site. Jenny is a make up artist so had her friends help her get ready. Champagne was popped and the girls got into their dresses.  Jenny had little gifts for every one of her bridesmaids which they opened before leaving for the ceremony.

Jenny’s gorgeous miss-matched bridesmaid dresses complimented each other perfectly. Each dress was a different shade of blush pink and silvery purple. From, ASOS, Quiz, & Davids Bridal. Wax flowers completed Jenny’s look which were both in her hair and the bridesmaids bouquets. 

Jenny had both her father and her step-father walk her down the garden aisle through the garden to the conservatory where the ceremony as held. The room was decorated with jars and bottles filled with wax flowers and sea holly. Jenny and Chris had their nephew deliver the rings for their vows and had personalised readings from their friends.

Inside the barn at Gaynes Park, the venue was decorated with boho vibes whilst retaining a slightly rustic to feel to fit in with the countryside. Jenny decorated jam jars, wooden log centre pieces and infused raspberry and citrus vodka into individual shot bottles for wedding favours. They had pizza ovens in the evening after their first dance which was to Bob Marley. 

If you are interested in Essex wedding photography captured by me please do get in touch, and place enjoy looking through these wonderful images of Jenny and Chris’s beautiful day.

Jenny and Chris’s wedding was lucky enough to be published on the wedding blog So You’re Getting Married

If you want to see the full wedding feature click here!

Here are a few of the suppliers who made their day so special:

• Dress: Alice Temperley
• Suit: Hugo Boss Navy Suit
• MUA: Catriona Johnstone
• Shoes: Rachel Simpson
• Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS
• Cake: Sarah Fitzgerald – @bbfitzie –instagram account
• Flowers: India Lawlor, Islington Flowers
• Venue: Gaynes Park – Epping
• Stationary: Natasha Kirby Designs – www.natashakirby.co.uk
• DJ: Mitch Fisk Dream Machine
• Live Musician during ceremony & drinks reception – Fraser Churchill

If you would like to see more Essex photography take a look at A Day In The Life Of Lily

Feast your eyes on this gorgeous Spixworth Hall wedding. Now it is not every day that I get to photograph a Norfolk barn wedding. It is quite a far cry from my neck of the woods in Surrey. Never the less, I am always ecstatic when couples book me for an out of county wedding. I adore to travel and photographing this Norfolk barn wedding was right up my street.

Aimee met Don when she started work for a very prestigious company in Philadelphia. The rest you could say is history. When bringing together two families from different continents, the couple felt that they wanted their focus of the day to be with the people that they loved most. They chose to get married in a church close to the reception venue. It had gorgeous silver birch trees in the aisles and was beautifully light.

Aimee got ready in their family home surrounded by her bridesmaids and parents. The morning was relaxed and full of laughter.  Accompanying her beautiful dress was a custom made flower crown by Lena Rom bridal accessories with gorgeous flowers by Flowers At The Forge and her bridesmaids wore dresses that Aimee had personally designed the print for.

GORGEOUS AND ELEGANT SPIXWORTH HALL WEDDING

After the wonderful ceremony guests boarded the double decker red London bus and arrived with the bride and groom at the fantastic Norfolk wedding venue Spixworth Hall. The reception venue was filled with personal touches; from the personalised English Mustard pots to the home made corn hole games in the garden. Draped around the rustic interior of the barn were hundreds of hand made pom-poms. All of these were created lovingly by Aimee’s mother. There was no detail spared in the decor of this wedding.

The day was gorgeously sunny, with both American and British people appreciating the weather and enjoying the ice cream stand that Aimee and Don had hired.  With a receiving line to greet all of their guests from near and far it was time to sit down for dinner. After hilarious speeches the dance floor was a wash with smiles, laughter and some funky dance moves.

The air was still warm and people spilled out into the courtyard to soak in the warm September evening after the couple cut their glorious cake made by Buns of Fun. I hope you enjoy looking through the photographs of Aimee and Don’s Spixworth Hall wedding. It really was a privilege and a complete pleasure to be part of their day.

Thank you for stopping by to see Aimee and Don’s gorgeous day.

Their wedding was also featured on the wedding blog Love My Dress if you would like to see the full post here.

Venue: Spixworth Hall Barn 

Catering: The Flying Cockerel

Flowers: Flowers at The Forge

Cake: Buns of Fun

Dress: Jay West Bridal

Flower Crown Headpiece: Lena Rom Bridal Accessories 

Shoes: Carvela

MUA: Amanda Steed Make Up

Suit: Calvin Klein

If you are interested in having me photograph your wedding please contact me or if you would like to see more barn weddings that I have photographed for inspiration please do click through to see Hana and Alex’s wedding at Gate Street Barn. Or perhaps for more barn wedding inspiration take a look at Jason and Ellie’s Yorkshire barn extravaganza!

When Christi contacted me for some newborn baby photography it was such a lovely enquiry. Her baby was so tiny having been born prematurely months before. I arrived in London to a very warm welcome of smiles and a cup of tea! We sat and chatted for a while before taking some photographs of little Amelia who was asleep in her moses basket. She was so incredibly tiny and beautiful. Whilst she was still sleeping we took the opportunity to take some family portraits of all three of them together. These family portraits happen in a natural way, with lots of cuddles and smiles at your cute baby.

Natural Light Newborn London Family Photography

As a family photographer I know how important it is to capture natural moments as well as guided. This is why we spent some time capturing Amelia feeding and sleeping. Amelia was very sleepy and stayed that way for most of our session together. A sleeping baby is not the worst thing as this gives the opportunity to have lots of loving family photographs all together. It was such a wonderful experience to capture Amelia and her family in the early stages of her life.  I hope that you enjoy looking through the images as much as I loved spending time with this gorgeous little family.

Thank you so much for having a look through these photographs. Being present in the first few weeks and months to photography your newborn is a wonderful gift. These moments travel by so fast so it is important to document them as a memory you can cherish forever.  If you are at all interested in having a newborn baby photography session with myself please do get in contact with me. Alternatively, take a look at this newborn babies first bath time or perhaps this relaxed photoshoot at home in the garden.