Anyone for golf? We’re back again at one of my favourite venues – The Oxfordshire Golf Club in all its glory.

This wedding was always destined to brilliant fun and we’ve been looking forward to it ever since we did the pre-wedding session with them. We don’t often get a chance to be completely removed from the crowd but I knew that both Matt and Rachel wanted to get some photos down on the course (and who wouldn’t?) which we thought would be cool and, as an added bonus, there was to be a fireworks display. Cool.

Matt is one of the managers at The Oxfordshire so, with the assistance of one of the best-men as my driver, we shot off across one of the finest golf-courses in the UK in a pair of golf-buggies. Thankfully Jo (the best man) knew how to swing the windscreen down on the cart so I could get some really unusual shots of the bride and groom hurtling along through the greenery. Ah, the romance.

So a great day, lovely company (the bridesmaids in particular were very sociable!), an Olympic vicar (I kid you not), amazing performances from various friends (the solo guitar/vocal in particular stood out – she was awesome), singing waiters, ice sculptures, stunning fireworks and a fantastic venue. Oh, and let’s not forget two easy-going and chilled clients!

One very happy photographer.

Apologies for our blog slowing down quite so much – we are now just beginning to clear the backlog (slowly but surely).

We do try to post a blog about nearly all of our sessions – the only sessions that are not included sessions where someone is uneasy about it or it has commercial sensitivity. We do a lot of work with designers and marketing departments where, clearly, it would be inappropriate to publish our blog before the work is released in its final form.

Anyway, we shot this beautiful wedding nearly two weeks ago now and I’m only just managing to sit down and write the blog entry – even though this was one of my favourite weddings both photographically (gorgeous venue) and a fabulous day (lovely clients/lovely crowd!)

It does have to be said that the weather did not make things as straightforward as they possibly could have been. There is nothing quite like the challenge of 100+ people having to dodge in and out of some really squally weather. I am not exaggerating, we have some excellent images of horizontal rain! However, when it wasn’t raining it was gloriously sunny – and, funnily enough, these are the pictures we’ve used on the blog!

We’ve had a real laugh with Rebecca and Liam since they booked with us earlier in the year and their wedding lived up to everything we had hoped for. For a start the venue – Latimer Place was simply stunning. Add onto that Rebecca and Liam’s particularly chilled approach, a crowd who just seemed to be having a lovely time, loads of interesting images (such as the cake!), beautiful bridesmaids, a very young dancer doing a wicked impression of Elivs and we had everything we could wish for.

In fact, ignoring the weather, the only fly in the ointment was one of the camera’s failing catastrophically right at the very beginning of the day which was a tad unfortunate. However, the only reason I mention it at all is to underline how crucial it is to have several spare units (all the same pro spec of course) so after a little bit of a switch around, it was absolutely business as normal – exactly as it should be.

So, as you may have guessed, I thoroughly enjoyed this wedding. I hope that comes across in the images!

Thank you to everyone for being so welcoming!

This was a small and very exclusive wedding at Ilmer church (a spectacularly beautiful but tiny place of worship in the Buckinghamshire countryside) and then at Anna-Maria’s brother’s house – a gorgeous converted barn just round the corner.

I really love all our weddings but this was certainly one of the most intimate we’ve done – and possibly the one I’ll remember for the uninhibited hospitality of all concerned. We’re always made to feel hugely welcome by our clients but, with only thirteen people in attendance, everyone was unbelievably friendly and, bar the obvious exception of carrying a huge camera through the day, I was made to feel as much a guest as a photographer!

The weather played up (ho hum, it is August after all…) but that didn’t stop Anna-Maria arriving in style on the back of a formidable John Deere tractor in its familiar green and yellow splendour supplied by an absolute gent of a farmer. Brilliant. Mind you, this did involve me running through wet grass to get a good shot – I spent the rest of the day with that slightly damp feeling you get.

The photos are beautifully intimate as we couldn’t do too much photography in the great outdoors (even the group shots had to be done inside – good job this was a very spacious barn conversion and Anna-Maria’s brothers didn’t mind shifting furniture around on their sister’s wedding day!) However, I reckon that this simply adds to that close feeling in the images as that is exactly what the event was: intimate. Both the church and the house made great backdrops for that close-work photography and the pictures give a real sense of a family having a very emotional celebration of Anna-Maria and Neville (who both looked utterly amazing which always helps!)

Let us know what you think.

Cheers
P.

Heaven is a happy client. What more can I say? I don’t think Jane stopped smiling all day!

This was a gorgeous wedding to photograph as everyone was, just like Jane & Matt, up for having a brilliant time!

As is fast becoming a tradition with our Blog, the weather does warrant a comment or two.

It started out wet.

No, let me re-phrase that. It started out belting it down. Not your common-or-garden drizzle, oh no, this was genuine stair-rod stuff. However – somewhat surprisingly it has to be said – by the time we’d travelled from Jane and Matt’s house in High Wycombe and arrived at the church in Monks Risborough, the clouds had blown through and we were shooting in the most glorious post-rain sunshine. Weird.

Anyway, I hadn’t shot at either of the two venues – the church in Monks Risborough and Phyllis Court Club in Henley – prior to this wedding which is a shame as they were both utterly gorgeous!

The church is an amazing little place and had the most stunning grounds around it. A quintessentially medieval (if I’ve got my dates right anyway) church with everything you could wish for, both photographically and atmospherically. Beautiful.

Phyllis Court was everything you’d expect from an exclusive venue in Henley – and then some. It’s right on the banks of the river and there is that wonderful atmosphere you get, particularly during a wedding such as this. And, with a fantastic crowd, beautiful light and loads of space, well you can imagine.

Jane and Matt were the perfect clients and we have shot after shot of them having what looked like an amazing day. I have to admit I’m really looking forward to the reveal!

With a quick follow-up session the next morning at Hartwell House near Aylesbury (a slightly more subdued crowd than the previous day it has to be said!) we have a huge variety of gorgeous images that will make an absolutely fabulous album (at least, I think so!)

Let us know what you think.

Cheers
P.