Wedding at Abingdon & The Four Pillars, Oxford – A Sneak Peek

Nearing the end of the wedding season but some lovely Autumnal weddings still to go. We recently photographed the wedding of Vicky & Dominic. Kiti & I travelled to Abingdon where I dropped Kiti off with the Groom, Best Man & Ushers before travelling to The Four Pillars Hotel at Sandford near Oxford where the Bride was getting ready.Kiti got some shots of the boys getting ready & making their way to the church before taking some images of the guests arriving. I was with the Bride & bridal party capturing some shots of the Bridal preparations. Soon it was time to make our way to the church & a space was saved for me in the bridal car so I could spend the most time photographing & less time travelling! An expectant groom was awaiting his bride & so with no further ado Vicky made her way up the aisle on the arm of her very proud dad. It was a lovely service which was made so personal by a family friend who married them. They exited the church & mingled outside in the Autumn sunshine with their guests. It was soon time to make their way back to The Four Pillars for the reception. Once we returned back we took Vicky & Dominic to do some shots with the two of them & the lovely cars before we then did the group photos in the grounds of the hotel. After the group photos we borrowed the Bride & Groom for a little longer to do some more shots of the two of them in the grounds which stretch down to the banks of the Thames. Before too long we took Vicky & Dominic back to join their guests where they enjoyed a lovely wedding breakfast with emotional speeches followed by cutting the cake. It was then time for Vicky & Dominic to welcome their evening guests before hitting the dancefloor for their fantastically choreographed first dance. Then everyone joined them up on the dancefloor & it was time for us to wind our way home. Congratulations Vicky & Dominic, we hope you enjoy your sneak peek – lots more to come!

A Village Wedding – Katherine & Dave’s Sneak Peek

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Katherine & Dave in Ewelme & Britwell Salome. I have known Katherine & her family for a few years now & was really thrilled to be asked to photograph her wedding.
My assistants & I started the day with a quick meeting to run through the details & timings for the day. We synchronised clocks on our cameras & made our way to our separate starting points. Beder started his day in a pub in Watlington with the Groom, Best Man & Ushers before making his way to the church. Richard started at the reception venue to get some shots of the marquee, flowers, table centres & all the important details before he too made his way to capture the guests arriving.

Meanwhile, I spent the morning capturing some lovely shots of Katherine’s bridal preparations with the ladies having their hair done with gorgeous up-do’s for the bridesmaids. I love the shot of Katherine’s mum Carol helping her with her dress & Dad Chris making the final tweaks to his speech. They all looked wonderful as they left home to make the journey to the church in Ewelme for the wedding. Becky was waiting for me so I jumped in the car & we made a quick get away to make sure we got to the church as fast as we could. It was then time for the Bride’s arrival on the arm of her very proud Dad & she made her way into the church to see her expectant groom. It was a lovely service in a beautiful church, afterwards we made our way to the historical cloisters to do some photographs of the two of them with some shelter from the rain. We didn’t keep them for too long as it their guests were waiting to shower them in confetti as they walked up the church path to their car to take them to the reception venue. The reception was held in a marquee in the gardens of the family home & was a lovely light filled space even on a rainy day. As their guests mingled we took the Bride & Groom away to do some shots of the two of them. It looked like the rain & drizzle were set in for the day so we took our white umbrellas with us. Katherine & Dave embraced the rain & really helped me achieve some great shots despite the conditions. We returned them to their guests as soon as we could to take the group photos, most of which were small enough to do under the covered area of the marquee. We all hope for perfect weather on our wedding day but we are in the UK so this can’t be guaranteed! It’s a good idea to consider where your photographer will photograph your formal group photos if the weather is inclement. Katherine & Dave’s marquee had a raised area outside which was covered which fitted my needs perfectly. It was now time for everyone to take their seats for the wedding breakfast & some fantastic speeches by the Father of the Bride, Groom & his Best Man, his twin – you are not seeing double! As so often happens as the evening came the rain cleared away to a beautiful evening & we took the opportunity to take Katherine & Dave away for a few more photos of the two of them in the evening light. They then returned to the marquee for their first dance & were soon joined by their friends & family. They had an excellent band who were fantastic & great at getting everyone up & boogying the night away. Lovely to see some familiar faces having fun on the dance floor!

Wishing you both every happiness! We hope you love your sneak peek Katherine & Dave, there are a lot more fab images to come.

A Colourful Tipi Wedding at Rushy Meadows, George & Kerrie – A Sneak Peek

A beautiful late Spring morning saw Kiti & I heading off to the wedding of George & Kerrie in sunny Garsington & Eynsham.I dropped Kiti in Garsington where she was to capture some images of the groom getting ready with a difference – we’ll come back to that later. I headed off to the little village of Thrupp just north of Oxford where Kerrie, the bride, was getting ready. Kerrie’s family are from North Yorkshire so had hired a lovely coach house to stay in which was the perfect place for Kerrie to get ready in. I captured some lovely images of Kerrie & her family getting ready but before long & I had to hop back into the car to get to the church before the bride. Kerrie was travelling by vintage VW camper van so I knew we wouldn’t be travelling at the same speed but the driver made excellent time & Kerrie arrived at the church on time.Meanwhile in George & Kerrie’s lovely cottage in Garsington where there was a houseful & the party had already started! George is originally from Cyprus & there are some important traditions to be celebrated before the service. The Best Man shaves the Groom in the presence of his family & friends. He then dresses the Groom in his shirt, waistcoat, tie & suit while music plays. His friends & family then take turn to wrap a red scarf around the Grooms waist as a symbol of his fertility. The images Kiti captured really show the emotions & celebrations of this part of the day. By now an expectant groom was waiting at the altar for his bride. The Best Man & Ushers were waiting outside as we arrived & they accompanied the bridesmaids up the aisle followed into the church by the Bride & her father. Unusually, at the last minute we found out we would be unable to take any images in the church due to the rules of a visiting vicar. After the service everyone poured out of the church followed by the Bride & Groom who exited to a flurry of confetti! The Bride & Groom, their friends & family mingled in the churchyard with champagne before setting off the venue. The reception was held in a tipi at City Farm, Eynsham. City Farm is a beautiful location & is also know as Rushy Meadows. At Rushy Meadows there are 3 separate huts for glamping which you kind find on Canopy & Stars but they also hold weddings there. It’s a beautiful area with big mowed parts perfect for pitching a tipi in front of the lake & of course, the Bride & Groom can stay in one of the beautifully appointed huts right next door!George & Kerrie arranged a beautiful, relaxed, colourful festival wedding & the sun really shone for them! During the drinks reception Kiti & I took them away for some shots of the two of them with the fab campervan & lake offering perfect backdrops.
George & Kerrie were announced into the tipi with a round of applause & it was time for the speeches.

I love the emotions, the fun & the laughter in the images & just what was the Best Man telling Kerrie for the Groom to react like this!

It was a lovely relaxed wedding & the large tipi was fantastic with firepits where guests could toast marshmallows. The whole day was a lovely celebration but before too long it was time for the Bride & Groom to cut the cake & then hit the dancefloor for their first dance.

As always we left everyone dancing the night away under the stars……

We hope you enjoy your sneak peek George & Kerrie, there are lots more to come!

A Wedding at The Tythe Barn, Tegwen & Tim A Sneak Peek

So pleased as a wedding photographer when the summer finally arrives & the sun comes out. Kiti & I wound our way to the The Tythe Barn with sunglasses as well as smiles on our faces.We were there to photograph the wedding of Tegwen & Tim. Kiti started at the barn capturing the flowers, the outside space where the ceremony was to be held & the guests arriving. I made my way to The Nook where Tegwen, her family & bridesmaids were getting ready. The Nook is a wonderful secluded spot where the bridal party can get ready together in comfort & close proximity to the barn. The Nook is divided in to two main rooms – one side caters solely for the bride whilst the other room has been created to offer a large space for the bridesmaids, mother of the bride, flower girl, page boy and so on. Both rooms have been carefully thought out and the needs of the bride and her attendants have been considered at every stage.

Emotions on a wedding day run high & I love the moment when the Father of the Bride sees his daughter for the first time. It’s a really touching moment & I love the images I captured of Tegwen & her Dad. By now the guests had gathered in front of the large oak doors in the sunshine & the expectant groom stood with his best man awaiting the arrival of his bride.Preceded by her bridesmaids Tegwen & Her Dad made their way through the wisteria arbour to meet her groom.
An outside ceremony is lovely, when the weather allows & added to the celebratory, relaxed feel of Tegwen & Tim’s wedding. After the lovely service the Bride & Groom made their way back through the arbour to a flurry of lavender & then joined their guests for a drinks reception in the garden. We did the group shots there with the barn as a backdrop before taking Tim & Tegwen away to do some shots of the two of them. There are some great places around the barn for shots, the folly, shepherds hut & tree lined driveway to name but a few. They even have this new vintage landcover that can be used as a drink station but is also a fab backdrop for your photos!We then made our way back to the barn to join their guests for the wedding breakfast in the wonderful vaulted space. After the speeches & cake cutting the guests spilled out onto the lawns with tea & coffee before they made their way inside to the dance floor. After Tegwen & Tim had their dance everyone joined them on the dance floor & they boogied the night away…… Wishing you all the best Tegwen & Tim, we hope you enjoy your sneak peek!