I travelled down to London last autumn to meet Bernadette and Rob at The Connaught, to find out a bit more about their wedding and to look around the stunning hotel and to see inside the extraordinary Farm Street Church, just a short walk away.

Bernadette’s family travelled over from Ireland for the wedding. Here, her mother and sister look on as Bernadette has her make up applied by the fantastic Kate Hughes. Kate has worked with proper A list celebrities along with top magazines, advertising campaigns and television. She is incredibly down to earth and helpful, and Bernadette looked absolutely stunning.

Bernadette made the unusual but dramatic choice of black diamonds for her wedding jewellery, matched with black nail varnish. It worked really well.

Possibly the most beautiful wedding shoes I have ever seen, this style is Amelia by Emmy

Although the Farm Street Church, properly named the Church of the Immaculate Conception, is only a short walk from The Connaught, it’s always nice for a bride to arrive at her Church in style, and to spend a few quiet moments with her father and sister.

When I visited the Farm Street Church earlier in the year, I was absolutely blown away by the interior. I really wasn’t expecting such elaborate decoration. It really put me in mind of the basilicas I have seen in France. I wanted to get plenty of wide angle shots to show the scale and the design.

After the ceremony, the guests walked by to The Connaught, whilst Bernadette and Rob went on a short drive around Mayfair in the beautiful Bentley.

The drinks reception back at The Connaught was downstairs in this unusual mirrored-ceiling room.

The room for the wedding breakfast was laid out beautifully and very light and bright, despite being underground.

I love this shot of Bernadette, her mammy and sister enjoying a joke.

This was such a lovely wedding and I was delighted to capture it for Bernadette and Rob. I send them my very best wishes for their future.

If you are interested in booking me to be your wedding photographer at The Connaught in London, or your ceremony is taking place at The Farm Street Church, then please do not hesitate to contact me here

The mist and drizzle gave quite an ethereal feel to some of these images.

We walked along the wooden gangway through the rushes towards the river. Every time I go on this walk  stare longingly at the most beautiful tree in the middle of a field. I would have loved to use that tree on this engagement shoot, but unfortunately it’s impossible to get near.

On a clear day, the River Orwell which comes through Ipswich and flows out through the Port of Felixstowe is a beautiful blue and sparkles in the sunshine whilst the many sailboats tack up and down. I still love the coast of Suffolk on winter or cloudy days though. Whilst some might say it’s bleak, it takes on a quiet reflective character, and the cries of the seabirds and the bubbling and popping of the creatures in the mudflats can be clearly heard. Sorry, I’ve gone a bit poetic there!

After the heavy rain we have had, the edges near the shore had become quite boggy, so we decided to take the higher path, up the cliff and through the trees.

We then retraced our steps. The church and some of the other buildings in Levington can just be seen in the background of this next photo.

We then made the short journey down to Levington Marina, home to surprising number of boats. The Port of Felixstowe was only just visible through the mist.

It was great to see Samantha and Matthew again for their engagement shoot and I’m really looking forward to being their wedding photographer at Hintlesham Hall next month. It’s one of the best Suffolk wedding venues and I always love working there. It’s very versatile and you are guaranteed great wedding photos whichever season you have your wedding, and whatever the weather does. The staff are also fantastic and the service exceptional.

Rhea and Michael had told me at their consultation last year, about their dog Blue and how they really wanted him to be included in their engagement shoot. I’ve had quite a few couples bring their dog on their engagement shoot and so I was more than happy with this suggestion. (See the links below) I fell in love with Blue instantly! Rhea and I were walking along, chatting with Blue on the lead, and when we started talking about him, he turned around and smiled at me. I swear he did!

It was a gorgeous spring morning and it was so nice to spend it in such a lovely setting. We took a circular route through the woods with Blue racing off and coming back again, jumping in and out of the stream, and just generally having a great time. Here are some of the images from our walk through the woodland. Look out for Blue in some of the images he wasn’t even supposed to be in!

I had such a lovely morning with Rhea, Michael and Blue on their engagement shoot, and am very much looking forward to their wedding at Butley Priory. Sadly Blue won’t be joining us for the wedding.

Here are some of the other engagement shoots with dogs!

Daniela and Tim

Louise and Martin

Ellie and Tom

An engagement shoot is complimentary for every couple booking me as their wedding photographer. I am very happy though to photograph couples whatever the occasion – Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary, or just because… Please do not hesitate to contact me to enquire

We met at Leadenhall Market, which was the location for the Diagon Alley scenes in the Harry Potter films. It’s a very pretty Victorian market, which during the week is filled with the hustle and bustle of City workers, eating, drinking and shopping. It was very quiet and a little sad with nobody there at that time of the weekend, but it meant we were left to our own devices.

We also found a little bit of shelter near the Lloyds building.

With the weather just not playing ball for this engagement shoot, we decided to head over to the west side of London and to Covent Garden. Naturally we went by tube and I managed to sneak this shot as a train came in.

There was indeed more shelter in Covent Garden, but oh my goodness, it was heaving! We used to live in central London many years ago, and Covent Garden was pretty much our local town.

Sometimes it’s quite nice to include other people in a shot, especially if they are scurrying by while the couple are lost in a moment.

First of all I thought about doing a shot with the traditional red telephone box (another of my couples, Chelsea and Bobby had been desperate to have some photos with one, but sadly they are very few and far between in Suffolk) then I noticed the shop behind the box, and got them to do this..

We carried on walking a little further. Sometimes the rain eased off, but most of the time we had to use the umbrellas we’d brought with us.

We finished the shoot near Trafalgar Square, in a nice mall we found. It was good to be in the dry for a while.

We had good fun despite the weather and we also discussed the plans for their London wedding in more detail. I shall blog the images of their wedding at All Soul’s Church and the Langham Hotel soon!

If you haven’t yet heard of Vintage Trouble, you soon will! After a stand-out performance on Later with Jools Holland the band began to tour the UK bringing their high energy live shows to fans across the land.

Their enthusiastic performances combined with their good humour and accessibility (meet and greets and pop up shows in unusual venues) means that they have an enthusiastic and loyal fan base always ready to welcome them back to these shores.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Vintage Trouble backstage in their dressing room before the show at the Waterfront, in Norwich, taking photos of them warming up.

The music of Vintage Trouble is a blend of Soul, Rock n Roll and Rhythm and Blues in its original sense. One moment you can be whirling like a dervish on the dancefloor, the next,moved to tears. Charismatic singer Ty Taylor, who first caught our eye on Rockstar INXS, is the consummate front man, captivating the audience from the very start. Able to sing screaming high notes but also soulful, mellow blues, he completes the package with some seriously energetic dance moves.

Naturally the rock on which a Rhythm and Blues band is built, is a solid rhythm section. On drums is the ever laid back Richard Danielson, with the snake-hipped Rick Barrio-Dill on bass.

The set ends with a jaw-droppingly beautiful solo from guitarist Nalle Colt.

Some of these images featured on the fan-generated Tour Video

Vintage Trouble are back in the UK this summer, 2012. Try and catch them at one of the festivals!

Oh and if you needed another reason to love them, have a look at this video of the day they visited a nursery school

Vintage Trouble visit Huntley Preschool

Images have been reduced in size  for web presentation. As always these images remain my copyright. If you wish to use them please email me first

These images were taken on a Wedding Open Day when it was beautifully presented, as it would be for a wedding taking place there. As you can see, the weather was fairly atrocious, but even the heavy showers and grey skies  didn’t detract from such a stunning venue.

The original Butley Priory, of which little remains save the gatehouse, was first founded in 1171.

Once surrendered to Henry VIII, was visited by many of the nobility, most notable by Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor. In 1737 George Wright, who had married the heiress to Butley Priory began transforming the gatehouse into a handsome mansion. Once again it became a popular hunting lodge, but it began to fall into disrepair in the early 1900s. In 1926, it was bought by Montague Rendell who made the restoration and conversion of Butley Priory the rest of his life’s work.

The Great Hall was originally the carriageway through the gatehouse into the Priory.

Couples may marry either in the Great Hall, or for smaller weddings in the Drawing Room.

Couples holding their wedding ceremony or civil partnership at Butley Priory, have exclusive use of the venue, which means up to 16 people may stay in the sumptuous accommodation.

The Yellow Room

The Mary Rose Room

The Moroccan Room

The West Wing Bedroom

The kitchen is enormous.

Lily the dog and Skimp the cat are in residence and lend Butley Priory a very homely feel.

If you would like to enquire about booking me to be your wedding photographer for your wedding at Butley Priory, then please do not hesitate to contact me here.

Esther and her bridesmaids got ready at the historic Lavenham Priory in the picturesque village of Lavenham in rural Suffolk. It dates back to the 13th Century. Just look at the beams and timbered walls!

Esther’s bridal preparations were remarkably relaxed and laid back. The Great Chamber was a fabulous space for the girls to get dressed and do their makeup.

I loved Esther’s wedding dress. It was simple and easy to move around in (idea for a barn wedding) but the beading and detailing made it exquisite. Here’s a great shot showing the back.

We had time for a few bridal portraits in Lavenham Priory’s cottage garden before traveling the short distance to the wedding at Alpheton Hall Barns.

There were lots of smiles and laughter as Paul waited for Esther to arrive.

Alpheton Hall Barn had been decorated in rustic style. The flowers were grown by Paul’s Auntie Lyn. How lovely to have living plants rather than cut flowers. A great idea for an eco-wedding.

After the ceremenoy we moved out into the grounds of the barn. It was still glorious outside, although a little breezy.

The lovely lurcher here has his own Twitter account

We did a few group shots in very informal-style.

Rather than the traditional best man and ushers, Paul had a group of close friends for support on the day, known as his ‘wingmen,’ although yes, one of them is a girl.

The short, black and purple bridesmaids’ dresses work really well, and much easier to climb gates in!

As you know, I love photographing weddings at Alpheton Hall Barns. Although I am here quite regularly, it is never boring or routine for me. Its rural setting means that the landscape is constantly changing throughout the year and the different qualities of light make every wedding there unique.

Many couples choose Alpheton Hall Barns as their rustic Suffolk wedding venue, as inside it is a blank canvas. The owner, Nicholas Willcocks allows couples to decorate the Barn to their own taste and style, which means there is something different every time.

There is plenty of room inside the barn for people to sit and chat, and for the youngsters to let off a bit of steam.

I love to photograph the speeches. Esther and Paul are such a great couple and their families and friends made this part of the day such fun.

Possibly the most energetic first dance I’ve photographed!

As I mentioned in the blog post for their pre-wedding shoot, Esther and Paul are wedding photographers in London and Surrey. I hadn’t really dwelled on that fact a great deal but many of the guests came up to me to ask if I was nervous about photographing another wedding photographer’s wedding. I really wasn’t. Esther and Paul were perfect clients and never quizzed me on my equipment or techniques, they just let me do my thing. I was delighted to spend their day with them, and send them my very best wishes for their future together.

To see more of these lovely images, please visit my dedicated maternity and newborn photography site 

It was much warmer back on the beach and of course we had to have some images with the beach huts.

We walked right along the shore to the sand dunes before heading into the town.

We paused for a photo in from of the old-fashioned sweet shop.

What could be more English than afternoon tea? I took Chelsea and Bobby to the truly delightful Tilly’s tea room, decorated in period style and serving traditional food and drinks. It was very busy inside so we sat in the garden.

After some very nice tea and cakes we took just a few more images in the town.

I was thrilled to receive this testimonial from Chelsea:

“The photos are BEAUTIFUL! We absolutely love them all! You did such a wonderful job – THANK YOU. Everything about that day was perfect – the location, the sunshine, the company. I hope you had as much fun as we did. Thank you for sharing so many with us. ”

It was such a lovely afternoon. I really enjoyed getting to know Chelsea and Bobby. Their wedding is in Maine in September and I hope they have a wonderful day.

I have several connections to Neil and Becky. My parents used to socialise with Neil’s parents and my husband was at school with Neil’s brother.

I was thrilled to bits when Neil asked I’d I would be their wedding photographer for their barn wedding in Kent. They are all so creative and I knew that the attention to detail would be second to none. The invitation, designed and produced by Neil and Becky, was exquisite, a real joy to receive.

I think all wedding photographers check weather forecasts obsessively and I hoped the dry sunny and warm forecast wouldn’t be wrong

I travelled down to Kent from Suffolk, passing some lovely countryside and Leeds Castle. I was to shoot Becky’s bridal preparations at a beautiful little cottage where her parents had been staying that week. It had a windmill in the grounds which looked gorgeous against the clear blue sky.

Neil’s niece was a gorgeous bridesmaid.

Becky and her bridesmaids travelled to The Great Barn in Rolvenden in a gorgeous VW camper van.

Here is Neil’s best man, his brother ‘sig’, furniture designer extraordinaire

The barber shop quartet rehearse whilst waiting for Becky to arrive.

Neil, waiting somewhat anxiously (Becky was running a little late)

One of my favourite shots of the year.

We took a few minutes to take some photographs in the orchard in the setting sun.

Neil and Becky had decorated the barn beautifully. That’s what I like about barn weddings, the couple can transform the structure, filling it with their favourite things.

The speeches were fabulous – such fun.

Sig’s best man’s speech took the form of a powerpoint presentation, naturally.

I was so pleased to be part of this beautiful wedding.