I felt very privileged to shoot the wedding day of some lovely friends of mine, Matt & Laura.  I was so excited to photograph this wedding because I knew it was going to be just beautiful…I wasn’t wrong!  Our boy Matthew has been guest to, I believe, HUNDREDS of weddings so we were really proud that it was his turn this time.  What a wonderful couple they make too!

On the 9th of June, my day started with Gloucester Girl Laura, and Gloucester is where we lay our scene.  I met with the bridal party at Brockworth Court, where they were getting ready and also holding the reception.  This was not actually an official wedding venue.  Laura was very cunning when it came to choosing the location.  She has passed by this gorgeous place many a time to visit her grandparents nearby and always loved the look of it.  So, she went to the house, knocked on the door and hey-presto!  <– A good tip for brides who want a unique wedding venue where you can possibly strike a great deal!

The gardens were bounteous in locations for the couples shots.  I had so many photos to choose between that I love of Matt & Laura.  They were so easy to photograph and I couldn’t pick out of the selection, so I’ve put them all up!  I wanted to give a big thank you to all the groomsmen and the bridal party as well.  You were great fun and the photos are a success because you were up for a laugh and had some fab ideas.  Well done to you all!

The evening party took flight with a beautiful rendition of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ sung by Pete Boddington and it soared higher into the night with an amazing band that Matt himself performed in.  Buzzing with high energy, some awesome covers were delivered with the gorgeous lead singer, Maddie Holland, having to contend with some over enthusiastic guests dancing and singing/possibly screaming along (One of them being my husband…Oh Dan)!

This was a rather perfect day, all the way through to the very end.  Laura, you looked so stunning and I am so happy for you both, that you have found your missing pieces in one another.  I really believe you two make a fantastic fit together and of course, I wish you all the greatest happiness in your future together.

The lovely Jess & Paul became ‘Mr & Mrs’ on the 2nd of June.  I was so excited for this wedding as it was packed full with the vintage theme- Right up my street!  She and her family worked so hard to put all these beautiful details together.  Along with many other things, they made the cupcakes which were divine, put together the bounteous sweetie bar and Jess MADE her bouquet!

I met the Bridal Party at the reception venue where they were staying in Elan Valley Hotel just past Rhayader town in Powys.  These girls were so relaxed and laid back, it was great to hang out with them through the ‘getting ready’.

For the ceremony we headed to the quaint little church over looking the Elan Valley reservoir.  This ancient church remains untouched from modernization. It was so stunning but this posed quite the challenge by not having any lighting and not being allowed to use flash for the majority of the time.   The antique oil burners made a lovely atmospheric lighting though.

At the reception, we had great fun with the props and games around the hotel.  There was croquet on the lawn, giant naughts & crosses, a huge american car cut out and, my favourite, the ‘photo booth’!  This was an amazing wedding and all those who worked to put it together should be greatly commended!

The evening reception was absolutely buzzing (in the good way!).  The swing band were on fire and really got the party going and on into the night.  Apologies to anyone who has now got some rather incriminating shots.  I will leave them in Paul & Jessica’s possession!

I hope you guys have had an amazing honeymoon and feel recouped after putting together such a gorgeous wedding!  I wish you all the best for your future.

I had a wonderful time shooting the wedding of our darling Nikita (aka ‘Boo’ to some!) and the lovely Phil Smith!  They married on the 12th of May in Evesham but this wedding celebration for me started the day previously.  I had the privilege of staying with the Bridal party the night before at Nikita’s aunt & uncles house (although all males were kicked out for the night).  I just wanted to express great thanks for all the kindness and amazing hospitality shown to me- you ladies were GREAT fun.

Anyways, on to the the wedding day!  The weather was stunning and as you will see throughout the photos, I had some lovely opportunities to play with the light.  The venue was held at ‘The Vale- Golf & Country Club’ in Pershore and the Bride & Groom were supplied with their own wedding Golf Buggy!  Unfortunately we didn’t get time to do any doughnuts in the car park but we did enjoy a good old race of groom vs. ushers- of course Phil got the buggy.

I really enjoyed the time when I got to take Phil & Nikita off around the lake for some personal photos.  They were so relaxed and up for a laugh.  Nikita, thank you for letting us lower you down and hoist you up on and off that picnic rug, especially in such a restrictive corset, you were a star!  You looked absolutely stunning and all the little details throughout the wedding really made for a beautiful day.

I adored their peacock feather theme for Nikitas head piece and the bridesmaids pillbox hats.  Even the groom got a feather in his corsage, along with a green chilli…just to man it up at bit!  Another great feature of the day was their tier of cheeses as an alternative to cake, also offering favours of jared chutney and a green apple for the guests- a lovely idea.

Before this blog turns into a full blown Biography, I will wrap it up and offer Phil & Nikita all my love and best wishes.

You guys are a magnificent couple!

(I think that’s all my adjectives used up for one day!)

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