Something new for me this weekend – I absolutely loved capturing this Indian pre wedding ceremony for Jenita and her family at Starborough Manor in Kent.

My knowledge of Indian wedding traditions leaves a lot to be desired, but I did my best to learn about what was happening and why whilst I captured all the fun, beauty and colour of it all (all of Jenita’s family were so great at explaining all of the different things to me, which was so helpful!)

That being said, there’s still a pretty good possibility that I may have got some things wrong in this write up and I apologise if that’s the case.

We got started when Jenita’s family arrived at Starborough Manor for lunch before the ceremony. 

The very proud parents of the bride had a nice little cuddle as they watched everyone arrive.

Before long the bride herself arrived and a few final additions were made. I absolutely
loved how colourful and vibrant everything was – so beautiful.

After lunch, proceedings began with plenty of prayers and plenty of singing from the
watching family members.

I guess the full belly and the singing made this little guy feel sleepy!

One of the things that struck me was how joyful and emotional everyone was. It was
a genuinely beautiful experience and there was so much love in the room.

The part I really loved photographing came next – I believe it is called a Haldi ceremony and it is where a mixture of Turmeric, oil and water are mixed together to form a yellow paste which is then applied to the bride – and not always carefully!

And sometimes she retaliates! 

I was told this is traditionally done to give the skin a beautiful glow come the wedding day. It’s also a lot of fun and a big crew of mischief makers (my kind of people!) took great pleasure in telling Jenita how they were going to make sure she looked Marge Simpson before they were done!

I can’t tell you how fun and joyous this whole event was and even though I left there with a little more knowledge about Indian wedding traditions than I had when I arrived, there is still so much I don’t know and need to discover.

What I do know though, is that they are fun and colourful and proper celebrations – I loved it!

That’s all for this little sneak peek, 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. 

Big thanks to everyone who made me feel so welcome, took the time to explain the traditions to me and made sure I got to eat lots of delicious food!

Yesterday I returned to the beautiful venue that is Friern Manor for the first time since 2019 (thanks Covid!) for the wedding of Dawn and Steven.

What a day. What a couple.

It rained on and off all day, just like it has pretty much for the past two weeks, but like all the best couples, Dawn and Steven shrugged it off and just got on with enjoying their big day.

Dawn got ready at Friern Manor and around 30 minutes before show time, her Dad came up to her room to prepare to escort her down the aisle. 

One of the many great things about getting married at Friern Manor is that the best way to get the bride to the ceremony, is to exit the main manor house via the front door - which gives me a brief opportunity to grab a shot of the bridal party while they await their big entrance.

And they weren’t the only ones awaiting the big entrance. A very nervous Steven was keen to see his beautiful bride.

He didn’t need to wait too long though. Before he knew it, Dawn appeared to ooohs and awwes from their guests and was escorted by her very proud Dad.

Look at that smile!

The ceremony was lovely, lots of smiles and laughter and then it was sealed with a kiss…. And a shot!

Now, anyone that reads this section of my website will know by now that I love a good confetti shot and these two were totally up for that!

We dodged the rain for a brief 10 minute walk around the beautiful gardens, sticking to the paths because the grass was too soggy for heels!

You’d be forgiven for reading this and thinking ‘he keeps going on about the rain, but it looks okay to me!’ 
That is the power of good timing, keeping a constant look out and the Accu Weather app, but if you wanted evidence of how showery it was, check out these little guys! 

And while on the subject of these two little legends, have you ever heard the phrase ‘living your best life’? 
I’ve never really understood what that meant until I met these two dudes. One moment they are splashing in the puddles and the next, well, take a look for yourselves! 

If those little guys aren’t living their best lives, then no-one is!
The first dance was greeted by whoops and cheers from Dawn and Steven’s guests and then the party got going nicely.

But before I knew it, it was time for me to leave these two and their guests to it, but not before I stole them away for 10 more minutes for one of those nigh time shots that I always love to do. And hey, if the trees at the venue offer up a natural (almost-if-you-look-hard-enough) heart shaped frame, you’d be a fool not to use it!

That’s all for this little sneak peek, folks. I’ll add one or two more pictures from this wedding to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there. 

Big thanks as always to all at Friern Manor for being amazing and making sure everything ran smoothly.

Thanks too to all of Dawn and Steven’s  guests for being amazing and extremely photogenic. 

Lastly, a thousand thanks to Dawn and Steven for choosing me to capture your special day. You guys are wonderful. Massive congratulations to the both of you!

This wedding was a particularly special one for me, because how often do you get to photograph one of your very best friend’s weddings?

Alex and I have been the best of pals for years and it has been wonderful seeing him and Emma fall in love and build a life together. 

It was an absolute privilege to photograph their wedding at Langtons House in Hornchurch.

Emma got ready in a nice little Air BnB just along the road from Langtons House and she’d arranged for Danielle from Final Checks to take care of hair and make-up.

After a nice relaxing morning before we knew, it was almost showtime!

There was just enough time for a little pep-talk with their daughter and beautiful flower girl Florence.

And then it was time.

Emma’s niece Olivia and Florence were first down the aisle…

Followed by Emma, who was proudly escorted by her Brother Lloyd.

The moment Alex first saw his beautiful bride appear.

It was a beautiful ceremony full of smiles and laughter… and sealed with a kiss!

The weather was just starting to look a little dicey after the ceremony, but luckily I had these two on weather watch to keep me updated…

And as soon as they gave me the thumbs up, we headed outside for some photos. How’s this for a family shot?

While their guests mingled and chatted, I took the two newlyweds on a walk around the gorgeous gardens at Langtons House.

Aaaaannnd it seems that they were keen to show off their new bling!

And of course, we couldn’t leave Langtons without the confetti shot!

That’s all for this little sneak peek, folks, but I have soooo many more great shots from this beautiful wedding. 

I’ll add one or two more pictures from this wedding to the Facebook and Instagram pages as I edit them, so feel free to follow along over there.

Thanks to all at Langtons House for being so great. 

Big congratulations to Emma and Alex - I love you guys!