Well what can I say? Nicky and Joe know how to throw a Wedding!
They were married yesterday at Elmers Court Country Club - a special venue for a special day.
Nicky got ready with her girls in the hotel and I have to say, it was one of the calmest and most laid back Bridal Rooms I’ve ever been in.
Joe was downstairs getting ready with his Dad.
As the ceremony approached, Nicky got into her dress and all of her girls were waiting to see her all ready to roll. It’s fair to say they were suitably impressed!
Before we really knew it, all of their guests were seated outside and it was show time!
Nicky was escorted down the aisle by her very proud Nan, and the moment Joe saw her, he got a little emotional. Exactly as it should be.
The ceremony itself was short, sweet and all sealed with a big smooch! Nicky and Joe’s guests cheered and whooped and just like that - we had a newly married couple.
After the ceremony, the happy couple and I (plus bridesmaid and top dress floofer Elle) went for a little walk around the Elmers Court gardens for some photos. How great are these two legends?
With thanks to Chelsea at Elmers Court, I was able to sneak access to an upper floor balcony for a full group shot. There are some great expressions in this picture! My personal favourite is the little guy behind the bridesmaids on the right. What a dude!
Now, there were a good few surprises at the wedding (more than I can even fit in this blog) but there was one that even Joe didn’t know about.
Nicky had hired the insanely talented Kieran Sutcliffe to perform as a singing waiter. It was awesome! Kieran fell over in the middle of the room dropping a tray of cutlery and making a big old racket. Every single guest looked on in horror, but then he jumped up, mic in hand, the music started playing and Kieran begun signing. What a voice! Joe even got involved and reluctantly (but excellently) sang My Girl with him. It went down a storm!
After dinner the guests mingled and had drinks and the kids had a little fun - Elmers Court has a playground at the bottom of the gardens.
And then, time for the first dance. But not just any first dance - they had arranged with Toby the DJ to coordinate indoor pyro and dry ice with their first dance and it was soooo cool!
And then - PARTY TIME!
Now usually, that would be that, but Nicky and Joe don’t mess around when it comes to entertaining their guests. They had arranged for one more completely epic surprise. Erin from Fireflow rocked up and, well…. I mean, just look!
All of that, and we still had to time to squeeze in 5 more minutes of photos.
That’s all for this little preview, folks.
I’ll add one or two more pictures from this day to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there.
Huge thanks to all at Elmers Court for taking such good care of us. Especially to Chelsea and her team for making sure the day went so smoothly. That woman runs a tight ship and I love it!
Thanks too to all of Nicky and Joe’s lovely guests for making us so welcome.
Awesome Suppliers:
Florist - Jo Hicks johicksflowers.co.uk
Styling - House of Styling thehouseofstyling.co.uk
Hair and Makeup - Nipona Khan niponakhan.co.uk
DJ/Master of Ceremonies - Toby Oakley book@yourdj.co.uk
Fire Dancer - Erin at Fireflow fireflow.uk
Singing Waiter - Kieran Sutcliffe kieransutcliffe.com
It was another scorcher on Saturday and yes, I had to break the factor 50 out again to keep my baldy from burning!
It was all worth it, of course, and it was a pleasure to capture Sarah and Shawn’s big day at the lovely Norton Park Hotel.
Sarah got ready with her girls in the Manor House and she had a lovely morning laughing and joking with all of her besties.
She was helped into her dress by her very proud Mum.
And then we had two big reveals. The first was with the Bridesmaids, who were suitably blown away!
And the second was with her Dad - a really special moment which brought both of them to tears.
Meanwhile, Shawn was looking awfully sharp indeed, as he patiently waited for his Bride over at the barn (which, mercifully, was a good 10c cooler than it was outside).
He didn’t have to wait too long though, because before we knew it, Dora, the very special and very excited flower girl appeared.
And Sarah, escorted by her very proud Dad, followed soon after.
The Ceremony itself was really lovely. There were a few tears, lots of laughter and smiles and then before long, there was a big ol’ smooch and we had a married couple in front of us.
I love this confetti shot so much. Their guests were so keen to pelt them and it was just glorious!
Now it was very sunny and very warm but Norton Park Hotel has loads of lovely little shady areas that worked great for couple pictures and as a resting spot for Dora.
The most excellent Bossard Quartet were entertaining everyone in the garden (and even played a little Beatles for me). They helped make a wonderful day even more special.
And once again I found myself leaning out of a top floor window to get a group shot. If you look carefully, there are some amazing expressions in this photo. My personal favourites are the three Groomsmen in the middle - top effort, lads!
Speaking of group shots, how about these for some family photos!
Oh and Sarah and Shawn weren’t the only ones having the best day ever. Dora was having the time of her life, making friends and getting loved on all day.
Time kind of flew by and before we really knew it, it was time for the first dance.
And then, PARTY TIME!
Right before it was time to leave, I quickly grabbed the happy couple and took them outside for just a few night time shots which I just love!
And with that, I once again headed home to take a cold shower and drink a gallon of ice water.
What a day though. And what a wonderful couple.
That’s all for this little preview, folks.
I’ll add one or two more pictures from this day to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there.
Huge thanks to all at Norton Park Hotel for taking such good care of us.
Especially to the two Jess’s. Jess the coordinator for running such a smooth day and for keeping us updated all day long, and Jess over at the bar for making sure we were well hydrated and well fed all day.
Thanks too to all of Sarah and Shawn’s lovely guests for making us so welcome. Special thanks to Sabina who made the mistake of helping me out once and then basically becoming my assistant, haha!
On the hottest day of the year so far, Katy and Mike were married at the lovely Channels Estate in Chelmsford.
It’s always nice to be back at Channels - My wife and I had our Wedding there back in 2019 so it’s a special place for me to shoot at.
Katy and her girls got ready at the retreat and they had an absolute blast!
There was laughing, singing… dancing on the tables! And it’s fair to say that Katy’s girls were blown away when she was finished with her hair and makeup!
Although, if they looked impressed when she showed them her hair, they were stunned when she strolled out of her room in her dress!
My sincere apologies to Katy’s Mum for her being a bit distorted by the glass ceiling light in that last picture 😬
While all of this was going on, Mike was waiting for his Bride like a good Groom should.
Now, I’m told Mike was quite nervous but honestly, look at this dude. Does he look nervous to you?
I mean, it’s 30c at this point, he’s in a suit and tie, just minutes until he gets married - and he still looks like he’s just chilling with the lads - What a guy!
Katy didn’t make him wait too long in the heat though and before long, it was showtime!
How cool is the outdoor ceremony space at Channels, by the way? Especially on a day like Saturday was - blue sky, greenery and a big ‘LOVE’ sign in the background. And of course, bright and brilliant sunshine.
I was glad I remembered my sunscreen to protect my big bald head from burning or I would have been in trouble!
The ceremony itself was really lovely. Short and sweet and sealed with a kiss while all of the guests whooped and cheered!
One of Katy’s Bridesmaids said to her that her dress actually sparkled in the sunshine and I mean, she wasn’t wrong!
While the guests all hid in the shade and kept nice and hydrated, I took the happy couple (and an excellent dress floofer, Kate) off for some pictures. And what a great set of shots we got too.
By this point it was almost dinner time, but we still managed to squeeze in a group shot and a confetti shot. I know, I work fast, right?
During the meal, Katy and Mike’s guests were entertained by the excellent Charlotte Day who was so good that she managed to get hungry people to take a break from their meal to have a little boogie - especially this guy!
Before we knew it, it was time for Katy and Mike’s first dance. Look how happy Mike looks here.
And then, party time!
I suspected when Katy’s girls had been dancing on the table 10 hours earlier, that it may well be quite the party come the evening, and I wasn’t wrong. There were some serious moves!
Just as it was time for me to leave them to it, I grabbed Katy and Mike for just 5 minutes to squeeze in some quick evening shots.
And with that, I headed home to take a cold shower and drink a gallon of ice cold water.
What a day though. What a couple. And what a bunch of absolutely crazy guests!
That’s all for this little preview, folks.
I’ll add one or two more pictures from this day to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there.
Huge thanks to all at Channels for taking such good care of us. Especially to Katie and her team for making sure the day went so smoothly. That woman runs a tight ship and I love it!
Thanks too to all of Katy and Mike’s lovely guests for making us so welcome.
