Skip to main content
search
All Posts By

Big Day Weddings

David and Joanna Green are Time Out recommended, award winning fulltime London wedding photographers. Mum and dad to four wonderful children and three family dogs. Lovers of all things photographic and wedding related. Covering Greater London and destination weddings in the UK and Europe.

star wars themed wedding image Enfield

Star Wars London Wedding

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

Image features in Enfield museum wedding exhibition

Very happy to say we had a call from a London museum asking permission from us to use a couple of images for their year long exhibition “Just married 150 years of Enfield weddings.” This particular image is actually a few years old but still makes us smile, especially as we had no idea before the big day that Becky and Ben seen here were such big Star Wars fans. This was shot on the helicopter landing pad at the Royal Chase hotel in Enfield with rain clouds fast approaching. The civil ceremony was held earlier in the Manderville Suite of the hotel and there’s an image below of the moments right after the happy couple had been pronounced man and wife. Information about the museum’s exibition can be found here: Enfield Museum

We have worked in and around Enfield many times, and also photographed the first official gay wedding in that area of North London. The museum wanted to feature those images too as a landmark occasion, but understandbly that particular days couple wanted to keep their image and identity private.Enfield wedding kiss photo

See our related post about choosing Enfield wedding photographers here: Enfield Wedding Photographers

by David Green

Love1
wedding_confetti_inside_London_Hotel

Grovefield House Wedding

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

Windsor versus London

London wedding couple in a frame

So where were you on Valentine’s day, and how did you spend the time? Well Joanna and I spent this traditional twenty four hours devoted to lovebirds, photographing two incurable romantics tying the knot at their Grovefield House wedding. We knew three years ago looking at dates ahead in the diary, that Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday would be one that would be busy for us. No time for an amour fuelled meal alone for David and Joanna…Good job we love what we do, and what a better way to fill this February the 14th than with a London wedding. We say London wedding but strictly speaking this was Windsor. Well if it is good enough for the queen then that does us just fine, and we did take in a scenic trip around that traditional test of a photographers patience and planning, the joyous M25.

first dance Grovefield House wedding

Yes it rained, but nothing could dampen the spirits at this fun filled day for Laura and Luke at Grovefield House. It did mean however we made a rather pretty mess in reception throwing confetti as the bride and groom came out of the main lift. I did feel a little guilty later when every time I passed through reception afterwards staff were still sweeping away bits of confetti. I couldn’t bring myself to confess it was the photographer’s idea, but I did apologise with a smile, however, staff were great and understanding throughout the big day. Grovefield House itself is Victorian in origin and is set in seven acres of land close to Burnham Beeches. It was once the country retreat of John Fuller of the brewing family fame. The hotel itself has forty bedrooms and of course is licenced for civil wedding ceremonies. They can cater for up to 180 guests, and if you take one of their packages you have your own dedicated wedding coordinator to work with. Take a look at their website here: Grovefield House website

Love1

Engagement shoot in Trent Park north London

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

wedding couple kissing in London forest

It goes without saying of course that we love a home counties or London wedding, but almost as much as that, we really enjoy our London engagement shoots. This particular day the chosen venue was Trent Park in the borough of Enfield. It’s a lovely spot with real variety in its terrain, from shaded woodland to open fields, a small lake, and some public spaces and cafes.

wedding and engagement shoot photo

Here is Giulia and Antonio who were married at St Peters Italian church in Clerkenwell and then on to the fabulous Landmark Hotel on Marylebone road central London. As theirs was an urban wedding we decided that countryside would be a nice contrast to what was to come on the big date.

couple kissing by field gate

Hertfordshire engagement shoot by Trent lake

On the day of their traditional Italian wedding we were delighted to see that in a reception area of the Landmark that the newlyweds had created a signing book full of their favourite images from this shoot. It’s a great idea to use engagement images in that way and of course they can be used for invitation or thank you cards as well. Although we are very experienced at quickly putting people at ease on their wedding days some couples find it reassuring to have spent photography time with us beforehand. If nothing else it affirms to them how fun and undaunting in the right hands it can be.

smiling engagement couple photo

We create spontaneous moments, but we also gently direct too because understandably most people have not thought about factors such as composition, lighting, flattering poses and angles when taking the average iphone shot! Trent Park is one of our favourite venues for this kind of engagement shoot and it is non weather dependent. We know this because we have actually photographed here in torrential rain! The couple on that day were completely unfazed and wanted to carry on, and we consequently had a great time. It made everything else on their actual wedding day and our time around the Tower Bridge area shooting a breeze!

couple by tree in London engagement shoot

You can see our related post about Giulia and Antonio’s Landmark Italian wedding here: Landmark Hotel Wedding Photographer

By David Green

Love1
Valentines Mansion wedding photographer

Valentines Mansion wedding photographers

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

Getting ready for Valentines wedding

Wedding couple in garden Valentines Mansion

Well as we sit here recharging various batteries, cleaning lenses and generally getting ourselves ready for this weekends weddings, it is that time of year when romance is in the air in a big way, namely Valentines Day. This Saturday we are celebrating our own Valentines as a couple by photographing another couple’s very special day at Grovefield House. February 14th this year falls of course on a Saturday and has been one of the most requested dates of the last three years for us. We are pretty certain many people may well use this famous time to pop the question to their loved ones, that is because many times in initial wedding meetings that exactly what we have been told was the day their engagement started!

Wedding ceremony at Valentines Mansion

This make us think now of a day we photographed as Valentines Mansion wedding photographers that somehow didn’t make it to the blog at the time, but was probably one of the most romantically named venues we have encountered. Shilpa and Helson had an intimate civil ceremony with close friends and family in one of the splendid grade two listed drawing rooms of the imposing building. This was followed by a drinks and nibbles reception downstairs, and a little alone time with David and Joanna around the beautiful grounds of the wedding venue.

laughter between wedding couple at Valentines

Valentines Mansion is over three hundred years old and was built in 1696. It has been extensively restored with money from the National Lottery fund and Redbridge Council, and is surrounded by beautiful gardens.  Take a look at their website here and see that their blog features some of our images: Valentines Mansion

By David Green.

Love2
London_engagement_shoot_Thames_view

London Southbank Engagement Shoot

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding Venues3 Comments

Engagement couple on the Thames

Claire and Simon are getting married in April this year with the ceremony in Bermondsey and reception at the Amadeus Centre in “Little Venice” Maida Vale. When we initially met we had a naturally good rapport, which is so important, and an often underestimated factor when choosing a potential wedding photographer.

Photo shoot by the Thames

Wedding photography itself is generally classed as “social photography” and for a people orientated couple like ourselves it is a tremendous part of the enjoyment of capturing someone’s special day.

London southbank engagement shoot

If you care about the couple you are photographing above and beyond your natural professional level then your wedding photography will reflect this. Couples will look happy and relaxed, and your settings composition and direction will set you apart.

graffiti couple at Southbank

wedding couple at London southbank

A London engagement shoot isn’t for everyone. Although we have offered them for quite a few years, it is only about twenty percent of couples that decide they would like to do one. Simon and Claire had a special affinity with the Southbank of the Thames, so a shoot there made perfect sense. Sometimes we are hired purely for a London Engagement shoot when the wedding plans are a little different. This happens for instance when a couple are getting married abroad but want special memories of their time in the capital.

kissing behind snouthbank centre Londo

Other times for example a Chinese couple may come over specifically to get their engagement shoot done with a London flavour before returning home to marry. See our related post on this here: London Engagement Shoot and also here: Hertfordshire Engagement Shoot If this is the case please get in touch for a bespoke quote.

We are very adept at relaxing people on the big day in terms of having themselves photographed, and of course they are often blissfully unaware of many of the shots we take. However an engagement shoot can be useful for some to get used to our personalities and way of working. Often we will hear familiar feedback afterwards and during the shoot, which is how enjoyable and easy the whole process was. Well great! Now imagine that for your wedding day, because that is exactly how it is going to be.

Update: 3/2/15 just got this email through from Claire and Simon regarding their London engagement photography as follows: “The style of the pictures from last weekend are exactly what we’d hoped for! We just wanted to say we love them and are even more excited for the big day now!”

By David Green

 

 

 

Love2