Having worked with Leo for many years professionally when she asked me to cover her English Country Garden wedding at her grandmother's last home in Somerset I was thrilled! Pretty and summery with a touch of Scotland with a ceilidh as a nod to Doug's heritage.
After 2 years in Glasgow and frequent trips up there since I was 18, Scotland holds a special place in my heart and I jump at every opportunity to work up there. This was a castle wedding near Edinburgh in late summer - absolutely freezing but clear and crisp.
A grand ceremony at the impressive Warwick Church followed by a rather blustery departure to Olivia's family home where her sister was married only a couple of years ago. A fusion of English, South American and a few drinking games thrown in and a rather impressive first dance. Oh, and Olivia MADE her own dress!
Langley Park has only recently opened up as a wedding venue with Michael and Fliss being one of the first couples to get married on the gorgeous estate in the Cotswolds. The estate has it's own cute little church so just a short walk from the main house for the ceremony although they chose to race off for a quick spin after the ceremony to ensure a proper arrival to their reception.
A Tuscany garden wedding surrounded by vineyards for two absolutely special people. Even a brief spell of rain couldn't dampen the spirits. An outdoor ceremony followed by drinks reception on the lawn and then a traditional Tuscan menu served around the pool.
The picture perfect setting for this ceremony was a private beach club, part of Finca Cortesin near Estepona in Spain. Clear skies, palm trees, bridesmaids in pink and Spanish canapés round the pool. Perfection.
Charlie and Chloe met when they were just 13 years old. Growing up together meant there was a strong bond between all friends and family and the atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic. I do love a Papakata wedding too - the marquee florals were divine and Chloe's bouquet was made up of flowers from her father's garden.
A colourful central London Nigerian wedding at the very grand St Bartholemew the Great church followed by a music and dance filled reception at Plaisterers Hall
A beautiful and natural forest summer wedding in Sopot, Poland for London based Kaya and Simon. A scorching hot day and a ceremony under the shade of the woodlands.
A very English wedding at the grand Danesfield House Hotel in Buckinghamshire with an intimate ceremony in the great hall followed by afternoon reception on the lawn.
The wedding celebrations of Marie-Isabel and Nicolas at Chateau Bourdaisiere near Nimes, France. Beautiful from start to finish with every detail so well thought out with nods to Marie-Isabel's parent's wedding. The day started with a traditional ceremony and went through to the amazing Earth Lights Boogie Band til the early hours.
This year has been amazing - full of travel, connections to amazing people, the publication of a book and some personal exploration. Here are some of the highlights.
I was very blessed to have been present and captured a very special and intimate ceremony between Nadia and Antony last year when they had their civil ceremony in Clissold Park and so I was hugely excited to have the opportunity to photograph their full wedding a year later in Stratford Upon Avon. With family connections to The Royal Shakespeare Company it seemed appropriate to hold the ceremony at The Swann Theatre. Definitely the most unusual wedding venue I have attended and all the more special for it - with a wonderful mixture of religious influences. It felt both theatrical and spiritual, solemn and entertaining.
Marie-Isabel and Nicolas had a fabulous pre-wedding party in an even more fabulous venue - Chateau Chenonceau near Nimes to kick start their wedding weekend in France in September. The theme for the night was Russian Glamour.
A small and intimate ceremony and celebration with Canadian Elyse and Polish Sebastian who met and fell in love in London and were engaged in Mexico. They told me they were non-traditional from the start. He was there to pick out the dress and they started the day with close family and friends at their favourite coffee haunt, Bar Italia, in Soho before the ceremony. They told me 'we truly are best friends', and I think this comes out in the pictures.
A few months before Christmas I had the pleasure of joining a number of fantastic photographers for a workshop with the very inspiring destination wedding photography guys, Nordica Photography. They led us through a shoot in gorgeous autumnal sunshine with a real couple and spent two days sharing a wealth of knowledge and experience about the wedding photography industry. Two days of talking about wedding photography - what's not to love?!
This has to rate as one of my favourite weddings recently - for the people, the locations, the weather, the sheer magicalness of Yorkshire which is a county close to my heart as I went to university there many years ago. Despite the rain Joelle's sheer good natured loveliness shone through the entire day and Tom is definitely a very lucky man. We managed to squeeze in a shoot at Brimham Rocks the evening before and from there we could see the teepee illuminated in a ray of sunshine in a distant field on Braisty Estate. It was definitely a good omen - as was the stunning double rainbow that appeared out of the showers the evening of the wedding. The teepee was opened to the elements and the stunning views of the hills and guests moved easily between indoor and outdoor.
