Lily first contacted me just over a year ago to discuss highlight videos. She and Tom had already booked their wedding photographer but she had seen my highlight videos and decided to book me for video only.
In April though, their photographer cancelled and so after a little chat on the phone, they added photo coverage to their booking too. I’m extremely pleased that they did, because yesterday was their big day and it was a joy to photograph.
They chose the beautiful Southdowns Manor as their venue (excellent choice) and it was looking great.
Lily spent a relaxing morning with Bridesmaids and her Mum getting all made up by Adele at Rosie Blush.
There was breakfast, presents and lots of excitement - just about the perfect wedding morning.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the manor, Tom and his Best Man, Kieran, were sprucing up and making themselves look super sharp!
Before long, it was very nearly show time. Lily put on her dress and it looked amazing!
And then a very proud (and slightly emotional) Dad came to collect her.
Tom was waiting for her downstairs in the ceremony room. He had been a little nervous beforehand but by this point he seemed more excited than he was nervous.
He didn’t have to wait long though. An emotional Lily soon appeared.
The ceremony was lovely, there were a few laughs and a few tears and then before we knew it, a newly married couple were smooching right in front of us to whoops and applause!
After some bubbly and some canapes, I took a little photo walk with the happy couple around the Southdowns Manor grounds.
One of the unique things about Southdowns Manor is that they do the confetti indoors. Confetti is still confetti though, and I love a good confetti shot!
After a good feed it was party time! Lily and Tom had the wonderful band Spoils there and ready to go! They played the first dance song which ended in a big romantic dance for anyone and everyone that wanted to join.
The party went on long into the night and the band had everyone up and dancing. I have lots of party pictures, but I can only post so many shots on these little sneak peeks, so this will have to do for now.
As always, before l left, I asked Lily and Tom if they were up for a few night time shots. One of the many great things about getting married at Southdowns Manor is that it looks AMAZING after dark. I mean, how about this for a farewell shot!?
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 to all at Southdowns Manor for being so great. Particularly Lia for making sure everything came together and ran smoothly, and for taking such good care of me all day.
Thanks too to all of Lily and Tom’s guests for being amazing (especially the nice chap that came to find me during the dinner just to say that he thought I’d been excellent all day and was ‘way better and more relaxed than any other wedding photographer I’ve seen’).
I love hearing things like that!
Lastly, a MASSIVE thanks to Lily and Tom for having me capture your special day. You guys are wonderful. Big congratulations to the both of you!
I really love unique wedding venues and I love the kind of couples that choose to have their big day at one of them, so I’d been looking forward to this one for quite some time.
Serena and Scot chose the wonderful Hawk Conservancy Trust in Andover for their wedding and, as always at the Hawk Conservancy, it was absolutely fantastic.
Serena arrived while her guests were still waiting outside, but luckily the Hawk Conservancy has a secret entrance so she was able to take a few minutes to compose herself… and take a quick selfie!
While Serena was talking with the registrars, her bridesmaids were waiting outside, standing in the most perfect light (which was hard to come by on such a bright sunny day), so I took the opportunity to grab this quick shot - and I love how it came out.
Before long though, it was showtime. Serena took the short walk down the aisle to where Scot was keenly awaiting her arrival.
There are lots of really cool things that happen when you have your wedding at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, but at the very top of that list, is that this beautiful barn owl delivers the rings!
She was very happy hanging out with Serena and posing for pictures - how amazing is that!?
And then before we knew it, Serena and Scot were officially married and it was sealed with a kiss!
After some bubbly and lots of congratulations, the newlyweds and their guests were treated to a VIP Wings of Africa display, including a very close encounter with the vultures.
Then it was time for the confetti, and let me tell you, their guests absolutely pelted them! I chose this shot for this little sneak peek but there are some other great shots of them getting hit directly in the face, complete with evidence of who did the throwing!
Next on the ‘really cool things you get to experience if you have your wedding at the Hawk Conservancy’ list was a Woodland Owl display. While Serena and Scot’s guests were lucky enough to get reeeeeally close to the beautiful owls…
The couple themselves got even closer.
At this point I want to mention that it was a really hot day. Really hot!
The sunburn on my bald head reminded me that applying sun screen just once during a wedding day doesn’t always cut it.
I’m pleased to report that both the happy couple and their guests seemed much better than me at avoiding sunburn though - particularly these two legends that I found hiding in the shade using cans of soda to cool themselves down.
There was still one more amazing thing to tick off the list - all of Serena and Scot’s guests got the opportunity to get up close to a Harris Hawk!
The Hawk Conservancy has the most amazing wild meadow on it’s grounds, so we headed there for the couple’s portraits.
Now, I have a lot of really romantic first dance pictures from these guys, but I can only edit and post so many shots on these little sneak peeks, and I just love this one. Look at those reactions!
Okay, so I’m going to let you into a little secret now.
I get that for most people, having lots and lots of pictures taken is a bit strange. It can make you feel awkward and a little uncomfortable. In an effort to make things more relaxed (which is a big deal for me), I often find, or invent a reason to bring one or two of their best friends along with us for the pictures.
So at sunset, we headed back to that beautiful meadow for some more pictures. I had already enlisted the help of Claudia, one of the bridesmaids, to be chief ‘dress floofer’ throughout the entire day, so naturally she came along again. This time I also asked best man Brandon to come along too, to help manoeuvre the flash. I had noticed throughout the day that both Claudia and Brandon were great at making Serena and Scot laugh so they were the obvious choices. Scot was also able to make Serena laugh at any given moment too which was great.
So a potentially nice but slightly uncomfortable photoshoot, became the couple having a great time and a good laugh with some of their best friends.
Meet Claudia and Brandon - it was only fair to get them involved in the shoot too - and they opted for the power pose all on their own!
As you can see, they did a great job (with the dress floofing and the flash manoeuvring, but moreover, helping to make everything fun and relaxed) and with their help, we got these lovely sunset shots of Serena and Scot to finish the day.
Serena and Scot booked a highlight video with their package, which was super fun to shoot with all the birds flying around! To find out more about highlight videos and how I shoot them at the same time as I take photographs, click here.
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 to all at the Hawk Conservancy Trust for being so great. Particularly Jemma and Emily who do such a great job making sure everything comes together and runs smoothly, and always take such good care of me every time I’m there. And to Ben for basically being a bird whisperer and for making it so easy to get amazing shots.
Thanks too to all of Serena and Scot’s guests for being amazing, extremely photogenic and making sure I was well taken care of (and well hydrated) all day.
Lastly, a thousand thanks to Serena and Scot for choosing me to capture your special day. You guys are wonderful. Massive congratulations to the both of you!
I’m off to apply some After Sun to my head! ☀
Gabby and Ben first got in touch with me back in March and I knew right away that these two were going to have a super fun wedding. Sometimes you can just tell - so I was really happy when they decided to book me.
Saturday was the big day - and what a day!
Gabby got ready with her close family in Battersea. The house had the most amazing natural light everywhere so I was overjoyed with it!
For me, one of the most special parts of the bridal prep is always when the bride walks into a room, in her dress, and everyone sees her for the first time.
I mean, how great is this? And a what a proud Dad!
I left Gabby and rushed off to meet Ben, who was enjoying a nice pre wedding pint.
When I arrived I found he’d made friends with this little guy, Dash, who was more than happy to have a picture with the groom on his big day.
Before we knew it, we were all at Chelsea Old Town Hall and waiting for Gabby to make her big entrance… which she duly did.
And the sight of his beautiful bride was enough to bring Ben to tears…
The ceremony was lovely and emotional and all the things a ceremony should be.
Best Man, Sam, watches on proudly as his best mate marries the woman of his dreams.
And then it was done. Husband and Wife - time for the first kiss and a celebration!
Then they were greeted by their guests on the famous steps of Chelsea Old Town Hall - how happy do they look!?
After some bubbly and some laughs the guests made their way to the reception venue while Gabby, Ben and I took a few pictures around the Chelsea area.
I lost count how many times ‘CONGRATULATIONS!’ was yelled from the people of Chelsea but it was wonderful!
The happy couple reunited with their guests back at the Hollywood Arms for lots of food and drinks and then three genuinely world class speeches from Gabby’s Dad Mike, Ben and Best Man Sam.
Here is Ben delivering his speech in style.
And Gabby’s sisters Felicity and Justine really enjoyed the Father of the Bride’s speech!
I know we’re all still living in a time of restrictions and general weirdness right now, but I’m so, so delighted that receptions, and particularly the couple’s first dance, are back!
The time had come for me to leave Gabby and Ben with their guests but, before I left, we popped back outside for a few night time shots.
Gabby and Ben also chose to have a highlight video for their big day. For more info on highlight videos - click here!
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 to all at Chelsea Old Town Hall and the Hollywood Arms for being so great.
Thanks also to all of Gabby and Ben’s guests for being amazing, extremely photogenic and for taking such good care of me all day.
Special mention to Gabby’s Mum, Denise, who was a great help - particularly at Bridal Prep - and to Sam the Best Man for his help during the formal shots and for giving me a little shout out in his speech!
A huge thanks to Gabby and Ben for being so utterly brilliant - you guys are great!
Big congratulations to you both! 🥂
If you were one of the people watching the Zoom, my sincere apologies if my big bald head blocked your view at any point! I tried my best to stay out of your way, I promise!
