This morning I met Sarah and Andy in Winchester for our second attempt at an engagement photo shoot, after the first one was rained off last weekend. Today had a very autumnal feel to it, but it stayed dry so that we could take a walk alongside the River Itchen and then up St Giles Hill, where you get some great views of Winchester. When the weather is kind, this is certainly a lovely time of year for an engagement shoot, with all the colour in the trees and the leaves on the ground providing some beautiful backgrounds. Here are a few shots from this morning and I’m looking forward to taking a lot more at Sarah and Andy’s wedding in April.

Bank holiday weekend saw me down on Hayling Island for the wedding of Sam and Jamie at St Peter’s Church and The Langstone Hotel. Sam’s bridal preparations were made at her parents house, to the sound of rain hitting the conservatory roof, but it soon cleared up and the sun shone for the rest of the day. Following a lovely service in the little church of St Peter’s, Sam & Jamie took the scenic route to the reception at The Langstone in a beautiful horse drawn carriage. After the wedding breakfast and speeches, the sun setting over the harbour made a nice back drop for some photos. Here are a few shots from Sam & Jamie’s happy day.

I was very happy to be back at The Elvetham this month for the wedding of Kim and Seb. This really is a dream venue for a wedding photographer, with photo opportunities everywhere you look. After some photos of Kim’s preparations, we met Seb for a few shots around the grounds before leaving him time for a quick pint in the bar to steady his nerves. The ceremony was full of happy emotion and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room after the bride and groom completed their touching personal vows.

The weather got better as the day went on and everyone had a great day. Here are a few shots and some more will go on the Facebook Page when the happy couple return from their honeymoon.

 Norton Park is a super venue for wedding photography, so I was happy to be there again for Karen and Karl’s big day. Once again there was a bit of rain around early on, but the weather turned out nice in the afternoon and allowed us to make full use of the stunning grounds of the hotel.

After a lovely ceremony in the barn, the happy couple led their guests around to the gardens of the old manor house for drinks and photographs on the lawn. Then it was over to the Norton Suite in the modern part of the hotel for the wedding breakfast. After the meal and speeches, everyone enjoyed a game of roulette and black jack before hitting the dance floor.

Here are a few shots from the day.

Last month I entered a couple of photographs into the monthly image competition of the International Professional Photographers Network and was happy to find out today that they both received bronze awards! The first image was from Tanvi & Vishal’s wedding in India earlier this year and the second is a pet portrait of one of our own cats.The IPPN is a network of professional photographers from around the world and these were my first entries in the competition, so I’m really pleased.

After weddings in Farnham and London in the previous six days, a busy week of travelling ended with a drive down to Southampton for the wedding of Helen and Al at St Mark’s church in Woolston. With Helen getting ready at her parents house just across the road, it was easy to walk over to the church for some photos with Al and the groomsmen, before returning for the final bridal preparations and some portraits in the garden. After the service and a few group photos in the church yard, we took a short drive to the ruins of Netley Abbey for some romantic shots of the happy couple and then it was off down the M27 to Ower for the reception at The Mortimer Arms. Following the wedding breakfast, the celebrations continued late into the evening, with everyone up on the dance floor enjoying the entertainment provided by the excellent live band, The Strand. Here are a few highlights from Helen and Al’s perfect day.

 A couple of days after Dash and Adam’s English wedding at Bury Court Barn, they tied the knot again at their Indian wedding in London. The Hindu wedding ceremony was a lovely intimate event held in the garden of the brides parents home. Here are a few highlights and more will be on the Facebook Page.

The Barn at Bury Court near Farnham was the venue for Dash and Adam’s wedding on Sunday and, appropriately, the sun was with us for most of the day. Dash and her bridesmaids were getting ready in the charming Oast House so that is where photography of the day started, before the groomsmen arrived and had a few photographs outside in the gardens. After a lovely emotional ceremony, for which Dash and Adam had written their own personal vows, it was out to the gardens for a very well organised group photo session. Thanks go to Nisha with her numbered photo cards and bell for helping us get through a big list of formal photos as quickly as possible. The grounds around the barn provide numerous stunning locations for wedding photography and we made use these with the happy couple before and after the meal.

The whole day was simply lovely. Wedding photography is physically and mentally tiring, but on days like this one, it really doesn’t feel like working. Here are a few highlights from the day and more will be on the Facebook page soon.

On Saturday I was at the fabulous Norton Park in Sutton Scotney, assisted by my son Steve, for Lisa and David’s wedding. Storm clouds were gathering when we arrived and there was a fairly heavy shower while Dave and best man Luke enjoyed a pre-wedding drink in the hotel bar with some of the guests. However, by the time Lisa arrived, the rain had stopped and the weather got better as the day went on, especially after the meal when the stunning manor house gardens were bathed in beautiful early evening sunlight.

After the happy couples first dance of the evening, they and their guests were entertained by the excellent Beatles tribute band, The Silver Beatles. A perfect ending to a really enjoyable day. Here are a few shots from the day and more can be found on the Facebook Page.

Last Friday saw the wedding of Laura and Paul at St Mary’s church in Overton, followed by their reception at Wokefield Park, near Reading. It was a lovely summers day and the bride and groom were greeted with bright sunshine when they emerged from the church after their lunchtime wedding service.

After being showered with confetti and having a few photographs outside the church, the happy couple headed off to Wokefield Park to celebrate. It was very nice to see toastmaster Chris Poole waiting to greet the wedding party at the hotel. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris before and, as well as keeping things running to schedule, he provides great help to wedding photographers when it comes to organising the formal photographs.

Like many grooms, Paul got his speech out of the way before relaxing with his new wife to enjoy the wedding breakfast. We then took advantage of the lovely light provided by the late afternoon sun to shoot some photographs of Laura and Paul in grounds of the manor house, before the evening guests arrived. Photography of the day concluded with the cutting of the cake and first dance. Here are a few shots from the day.