Jamie & Steven's Pre Wedding Shoot

Jamie & Steven will be married in Chelsea in October. Both being big on travel & not having visited Newcastle before, they decided to travel up from London for their pre shoot & then have a week in the Lake District.

I'm really excited about this wedding as this will be my first traditional Chinese wedding I have photographed & there are a lot of rituals they carry out that are very different to an English wedding, like the hair combing ceremony & the tea ceremony.

There will be an early Chinese lunch for everyone at a restaurant in Chelsea & then off to the Town Hall for the wedding.

Chelsea Town Hall is a beautiful piece of late Victorian architecture situated on London's famous Kings Road, with marble columns & vaulted ceilings to name just a few of its splendid features.

They have timed for 3 hours photography around London after the ceremony so I'm rather thrilled about that, fingers crossed the weather is good!!! :-)

Jamie & Steven are both great fun to be around & I look forward to meeting them again for their wedding! :-)

Amy & Andrew's Pre Wed shoot

Amy & Andrew will be married in October this year at Matfen Hall. Our location for their pre wedding shoot was Saltwell Park. I hadn't been to this park in years & had remembered it to be a really nice park back then. There are just so many different areas to this park that make it really stand out from others.

It was a red hot day & so the park was quite busy with kids playing & families out for the day. Thankfully being photographed amongst it all didn't seem to bother Amy & Andrew after a while. They photographed so well & I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them both, once one starts to get the giggles the other does too & it made it so much more fun & refreshing to see two people so happy together!

Here are some of the images from their photo shoot.

Hazel & Pete's Wedding - Chillingham Castle

I first met Hazel & Pete last year & found them to be a great couple to get along with. I have been quite excited about this wedding all year as Chillingham castle is such a fabulous place & of course said to be the UK's most haunted castle. Hazel showed me some of her images taken of inside the apartment she would be staying at, the pics where full of orbs which are said to be spirits. This really intrigued me & I couldnt wait to capture some uninvited guests on camera!!

This castle really is superb & you can really feel what it must have been like back in its day.

Hazel, Pete & their guests stayed at the castle the evening before & were all part of the ghost tour (I certainly would have liked to have joined them for that). I arrived early the next day ready to photograph the bridal preparations. Hazel was very calm & just went with the flow while the make up artists & hair stylists fussed with the bridesmaids. When I went over to see Pete he was slightly hungover sat over a fried breakfast.

More guests arrived just before the ceremony & after some final touches, Hazel was ready. The ceremony was in the main hall which looks out onto the front lawned gardens. Hazel looked beautiful & I deliberately looked to Pete when she turned & walked down the aisle to see his smile. That smile melted my heart.

After the ceremony everyone gathered on the lawn for drinks & to congratulate the happy couple. Some gathered over by the summer house & played croquet while others just sat & relaxed in the red hot sun. The usual group shots were done then it was time for the wedding breakfast. After shooting the speeches I decided to go into the Italian gardens & shoot some details.

We later headed up to the lake a short walk from the castle & well worth it for its beauty. After half an hour with the bride & groom we headed back to the castle ready for the evening guests & the band to arrive (the drummer being Brett the Bestman).

After shooting the first dance & some shots of the band it was time for me to go. All day (while it was light) I had forgotten all about the fact that this castle is said to be haunted but my God, how different you feel when it's dark. I stood at the front of the castle with the woods behind me taking a picture at night with a long exposure & felt quite worried & scared as it was pitch black & some of the noises coming from them woods were rather strange. When I got my shot I dont think I've ever ran so fast with all my kit slumped over my shoulders & continuously pressing the key for my car lights to flash so I could see where I'd parked it! I've never seen it so dark.

I'm looking forward to taking Hazel & Pete over to the lake district at the end of the month for their post shoot!

Heidi & Naoya's Pre Wedding shoot - Alnwick

I first met Heidi & Naoya last year when they came to see me with regards to photographing their wedding which will be held at Alnwick castle later this year. I instantly got along with them both & just loved Heidi's name, so much so that I called my 3rd daughter Heidi a couple of months later when she was born.

We met up again for the pre shoot a week ago & decided to head up to Alnwick for some of the shots. I'm quite excited about this wedding as I have been told that Naoya's family will be in full traditional Japanese kimonos, I'm visualizing the images already & can't wait!!!!

It was a red hot day & so we headed over to the beach at Alnmouth. Heidi & Naoya looked so natural while walking up & down the beach & sitting in the dunes being photographed.

Below are some of my favourites from their shoot.