NATALIE & SHARDARNE'S HOUCHINS WEDDING

During their wedding, these guys made me cry, not once by twice! That takes some doing and is a reflection of the beauty and power of their marriage. I had been looking forward to working at Houchins Wedding Venue. They opened as a wedding venue only two years ago. Natalie got ready in Houchins farmhouse, a stunning Grade 2 listed building full of character and space for some guests to stay overnight.  I started the day with Natalie, whilst Jay started the day in Braintree capturing the final stages of Shardarne getting ready with his bestman and ushers. After an emotional ceremony at St Peter ad Vincula Church in Coggeshall, we headed back to Houchins for the wedding reception. I love how Natalie and Shardarne made their day truly their own. It was lovely working with some familiar and new faces too including Sally from Halo Blossom florists, Wedding Planner Sian from Busy Brides and Limeberry Catering to name just a few. I have to say a special mention must go to Get Gospel Choir, finalist for BBC Gospel Choir of the Year, who were absolutely superb during the church service. So that's enough from me, here are the highlights from Natalie and Shardarne's Houchins Wedding!

NATASHA & STEPHEN'S GOSFIELD HALL WEDDING

As Essex country house wedding venues go, Gosfield Hall is quite spectacular. It was once a Royal residence and much of it's unique history has been retained throughout the grounds. Natasha and Stephen's Gosfield Hall wedding was a day to remember although their cute daughters stole the show as it was very much their day too! Here's a preview of their beautiful day. Congratulations again to Natasha and Stephen!

LUCY & AARON'S GAYNES PARK WEDDING

The 2017 wedding season is well underway. To kick off we have Lucy and Aaron's Gaynes Park wedding. 

Lucy and Aaron got married at All Saints Church in Epping. After the ceremony everyone made the short drive to Gaynes Park. We were treated to beautiful sunshine all day. Top marks to the father of the bride, Aaron and the bestman for brilliant speeches! Excellent comic timing as well as heart felt sentiment throughout.

Gaynes Park is one of those venues that has it all. A beautiful bridal cottage, a honeymoon suite, overnight accommodation for guests, stunning barns and gardens as well as capacity for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies. It is a joy to photograph weddings here. 

Florist - The Willows Flowers
Venue - Gaynes Park
Venue decorator - Mediterranean Venue Stylists
Makeup artist - La Charlemagne MUA
Hairdresser - Laura Anne
Groom's suit - Jack Bunneys
Bridal gown - Paverly Bridal
Bridesmaids dresses - The Bridesmaid Boutique
Band - Cellar Door
Singer - George Pelham
Wedding Car - Premier Carriage Wedding Transport
Caterer - Galloping Gourmet
Cake baker - The Cake Doll
Videographer- Premier Wedding Videos

DEBBI & DANNY-LEE'S OLD BROOK BARN WEDDING

Today's feature is Debbi and Danny-Lee's Old Brook Barn Wedding from last summer. I had the help of my trusted photography angels, Jay Anderson and Helen Taylor, for this wedding as baby Broad decided that I should head off to hospital for her arrival! In the meanwhile, Debbi and Danny-Lee had a fantastic day as they had a gorgeous outdoor wedding at one of my favourite boutique barn venues, Old Brook Barn in Navestock Essex. One of the highlights had to be the bouncy castle! After all it is not very often we get to see the bride and groom on a bouncy castle competing with the kids!

MARY & TOM'S LAYER MARNEY WEDDING

Tom and Mary's wedding at Layer Marney Tower kicked off my 2016 wedding season in style. Wedding photography at Layer Marney is an absolute joy. It's a beautiful castle set in stunning gardens, overlooked by scenic views.

Tom and Mary booked me last year following a recommendation and it was a pleasure being part of their day. Their wedding ceremony was held at Mary's childhood church St Joseph's in Upminster. Following the ceremony, we drove to Colchester for the reception.  Thank you to Jay Anderson for being my wingman and assisting me throughout the day. Congratulations Tom and Mary once again, it was a truly memorable and stunning day. Here are some highlights from their day.

Suppliers
Venue - Layer Marney Tower Colchester Essex
Florist- Pinks of Upminster
Makeup - Olivia Sandy
Bridal and bridesmaids gowns - Confetti and Lace
Groom's tailoring - Jack Bunneys
Singer - Luke Burr
Videography - Rideout Films

REID ROOMS WEDDING ON NEW YEARS EVE

This was my second visit to The Reid Rooms to photograph a wedding. As an Essex based wedding photographer I get to visit venues all over the county. The Reid Rooms is high on the list as another favourite. There is a large beautiful cottage on site for the bride and groom to get ready without bumping into each other. In addition the cottage contains a handful of rooms for guests to stay overnight. Dan and Allison got married on New Years Eve and we were blessed with a few beautiful sunny spells. Being New Years Eve, there was still a little festive spirit in the air and Christmas decorations around the venue too! Congratulations once again Allison and Dan!

CRONDON PARK ESSEX WEDDING

Today's blog feature is a fifties inspired wedding at Crondon Park, one of my favourite Essex barn wedding venues. Earlier this year, I met up with Richard and Rebecca in London's quirky Borough Market for their pre-wedding shoot after they won my Spring wedding photography competition.

From our first meeting, I knew I was in for a treat! From the tiny details to the groom's suit and bride's dress, this couple had a stunning vision of how to make their wedding day stylish and personal! Richard's suit was made by Hackett and Rebecca's exquisite fifties style tea-length wedding dress was made by Fairy Gothmother.

Richard and Rebecca got married at St Edwards the Confessor Church in Romford and after a beautiful ceremony, they headed to Crondon Park for their reception.  It was a beautiful day and thankfully it remained bright and dry, enabling us to capture shots outdoors as the sun came down.  I loved all the reception venue details, especially the mini cricket bats used for table names which tied in with Richard's love for cricket. The stunning bouquets and florals were made by Lily & May. Congratulations once again to a smashing couple. 

BLAKE HALL WEDDING

Earlier this year, Sasha and Pete got in touch about their Blake Hall wedding. It's another of my favourite Essex barn wedding venues. The grounds are beautiful. The barn has a warm atmosphere with plenty of quirky details. There is even a small amount of accommodation on site for guests to stay overnight. One of the most precious joys about Blake Hall is the attentive staff team. In particular, special praise must go to Austin who was there to oversee the day and truly understands the importance of making every day special for each and every couple. 

Sasha and Pete both got ready at Blake Hall. This made logistics a little easier when it came to photographing the bridal and final groom preparations. Their ceremony was held at St Germain Bobbingworth church, a short walk away from Blake Hall. Sasha and Pete made an extraordinary effort to fill their day with personal touches, especially notable in Blake Hall Barn which looked stunning. I particularly like loved the teapots used as table centre pieces. Giving personalised tea cups to all the guests as favours was an original and thoughtful gesture (which also doubled up nicely for the champagne toasts during their reception). Congratulations Sasha and Pete! And thank you to Jay Anderson for assisting me throughout the day.

MAIDENS BARN WEDDING

Today's feature is a wedding at Maidens Barn in Essex. I first met Michelle and Richard last autumn at a wedding where Michelle was a bridesmaid. I was thrilled when Michelle and Richard asked me to photograph their own wedding. Maidens Barn is a venue nestled in the Essex countryside in High Easter near Chelmsford. The venue is exclusive to its couple on their wedding day. It's a beautiful venue and the staff team are fantastic to work with. Whilst Michelle got ready with her bridesmaids in Chelmsford, Richard got ready at the Saracens Head Hotel in Great Dunmow. It was a pleasure to once again work with professional makeup artist Olivia Sandy who I highly recommend to all my brides. Thanks again to Louise James who came to assist me during the day.

CRONDON PARK WEDDING

This year, May has been my busiest month for weddings. I returned to a few of my favourite wedding venues as well as visited a handful of new places too. One of my favourite wedding venues is Crondon Park in Stock Essex, so I was thrilled to be back there in May for Natalie & Mark's wedding. The day started with bridal and groom preparations in Chelmsford in the company of their family and friends. After a beautiful ceremony at St Nicholas Church in Ingrave, we headed to Crondon Park for their wedding reception. Hats off to Reverend Canon Paul Hamilton for expertly doing something that no other Reverend has done in my company before - a post-ceremony selfie with the bride and groom! As one would expect for May, the day was scattered with sunshine and showers. But is didn't dampen the spirits of the day. Congratulations Mark and Natalie, and thanks for having me along for your day!