Mairead and Matt - 3rd November 2012 - St Gerards Majella Church, Knowle and The Grange, Winterbourne

Mairead and Matthew chose Mairead's family church for their traditional wedding ceremony, that had great meaning, the priest had known Mairead's father for nearly thirty years. The ceremony was followed by a 'sword' arch made with cricket stumps as the happy couple headed toward their stretched limo that had been ordered as a surprise for Mairead by Matt. The Grange was a lovely choice of venue for the reception with plenty of space for the couple's 85 guests to keep warm and enjoy their reception drinks. I always say that the ultimate bridal accessory in Autumn is the welly boot, and in Mairead's case this was no exception. After the recent downpours the grounds of the Hotel resembled a muddy bog, but the very practical Mairead had thought ahead and popped on some wellies, enabling us to make use of a fantastic tree that shows off the gorgeous autumn colours perfectly. Some very inventive speeches involving games, wigs and as much humiliation as Matt could handle, followed a traditional roast dinner. A brilliant day was had by all, Congratulations Mr and Mrs (O') Dyer!

Hannah and Stuart - 27th September 2012 - Clearwell Castle, Gloucestershire

I was working with the lovely Jen on Thursday at Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire. A beautiful fairytale venue that I have photographed  a number of times over the last few years. Stu and Hannah booked me exactly two years before their Big Day and had their engagement shoot exactly one year after that. The last two years seem to have flown by! It was good to work with Gil Gilroy again from Wedding Day Movie who did lots of fun movie style scenes that were great to photograph. Hannah's beautiful burgundy colour scheme matched the decadence of the venue perfectly and looked great with vibrant flowers and Stu's cravat. There was a subtle Beatles thenme running throughout Hannah and Stu's wedding with music playing and song lyrics dotted about the venue. Stu was flanked by four bestmen that included 3 brothers and a bestfriend who did some brilliant speeches that involved a Mrs Doubtfire impression and some school awards. After a delcious meal and some time realxing with their guests the the Happy Couple's evening party was kicked off with some amazing fireworks. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Williamson!

Louise and Ashley - 22nd September 2012 - Holy Trinity Church, Norton Malreward and Rookery Cottage

Louise and Ashley chose a wonderfully personal setting for their wedding. They were married in Louise's parents local church, in Norton Malreward, the Parish where the bride grew up. Their reception was then held in a marquee about 100 yards down the road in a field adjacent to Louise's parents beautiful home. The sun shone on the day of this Happy Couple's nuptials and most of the village came out to wish the newlyweds well. After throwing coins to the local children who had tied the church gates together as a village tradition, they left the church in a gorgeous vintage open topped car and were cheered on their way by their guests and well wishers who threw confetti. A lovely willow tree and stunning open fields with endless blue skies were the perfect backdrop for some photos of the Bride and Groom and I used every opportunity that I could to snap some pictures of Olly their two year old son who wasn't the most willing model I've ever worked with! I hope Louise, Ashley and all of their guests had an incredible day! Congratulations Mr and Mrs Pope.

Jemma and Simon - 15th August 2012 - Folly Farm Centre, Pensford

Jemma and Simon chose Folly Farm Centre near Pensford for their three day wedding celebration. Folly Farm is a lovely eco-friendly venue in the middle of nowhere and yet still close to Bristol and Bath. I've had the pleasure of photographing a number of weddings here over the last few years. I joined the couple on the second day of their festivities for the wedding ceremony and reception. Although the weather had been lovely the day before their ceremony, the heavens opened quite dramatically for most of the morning before Jemma and Simon said their 'I do's'. Everyone was quite relived when 10 minutes after the cermony not only did the rain go away but the sun came out so the guests didn't have to dash through the rain to their drinks reception. Jemma went for a vintage themed day with lots of bunting and handtied bouquets and gorgeous flower filled birdcages as centre pieces. Images and website links that Jemma sent to me before the wedding very much relected the vintage look so all of their images have been given a soft golden glow to tie in with the Big Day theme.

Sarah and Bradley - 4th August 2012 - The Gables Hotel, Falfield and Henage Court

Sarah and Bradley's wedding was really enjoyable. I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Sarah's brother three years ago so there were lots of familiar faces and Tara and I were made to feel so welcome. We were even given a bouquet of flowers each and a Thank-You card which was a lovely touch and is the first time I have received a thank you gift before the clients have seen their pictures! Sarah got ready at her parents home in Thornbury and Tara and I were greeted by ten bridesmaids, two parents, various brothers, a hairdresser and two videographers (Mr and Mrs Productions)....the chaos made for some great pictures! Sarah was then whisked away in a beautiful horse and carriage to The Gables Hotel in Falfield while we dashed off ahead of her to capture some photos of Brad and his boys. The newlyweds took some time away from their guests after their ceremony to enjoy one anothers company in the horse and carriage and have a couples photo session at the gorgeous priavtely owned Henage Court tucked away just around the corner from their reception. We then headed back to The Gables for confetti and pictures before the wedding breakfast. Toastmaster Barbara opened the Top Table champagne with a sword which definitely added the wow factor to the speeches. The couple had their reception after their meal and relaxed with their guests before partying the evening away with DJ and a fabulous chocolate fountain that Sarah's mum Lorraine insisted that I try... What a tough job I have!

Sara and Andrew - 7th July 2012 - Goldney Hall, Bristol

The stunning Goldney Hall in Clifton was the setting for the wedding of Sara and Andrew on Saturday. It was my first time photographing this beautiful location and I very much hope that I get to return here in the near future. Normally a Halls of Residence for students of Bristol University the old building and gorgeous Orangery are tucked away behind a wall in the heart of Clifton and open for weddings during the summer season. The couple were married in the Mahogany Parlour then headed over to the Orangery for their drinks reception that was followed by a vintage tea party. Sara and Andrew had travelled from Australia for their wedding and I'm sure a number of their Aussie guests had already been warned not to expect great things of the British weather, however it seems the weatherman was certainly smiling on their Big Day. We had a good hour of dry time after the ceremony to capture the group photos, along with some lovely pictures with the Happy Couple and their adorable daughter Bethany. Sara and Andrew will be heading back to Australia next weekend so are combining their honeymoon with seeing family and friends in the UK. I think this is such a lovely way to start their new lives as Mr and Mrs Caldwell.

Elaine and Pete - 2nd June 2012 - Bristol Registry Office and Totos Wine Bar

Elaine and Pete chose a wonderfully chilled reception at Totos Wine Bar in the centre of Bristol following their intimate ceremony with 50 family and friends on Saturday afternoon. Neither the Bride of Groom felt particularly comfortable with the thought of having to pose for the camera so I put together a series of natural portrait ideas for them at the bombed out Temple Church  (also known as the leaning church) and the lovely gardens adjacent so by the time I needed them to look at the camera they felt quite relaxed. I loved the choice of Postbox Red (or Liverpool Red...as Pete pointed out to me when we first met!) it looked great with the urban backdrop by the riverfront, Elaine was also driven to the ceremony in a red and cream VW Campervan that matched the scheme brilliantly.