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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.

Chelsea Old Town Hall wedding photographer

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

Well musician Elvis Costello famously sang “I don’t want to go to Chelsea”. Much as I like that song I’ve always been delighted to be a Chelsea old town hall wedding photographer. At the moment with two to three weddings a week I have to admit writing weekly blog posts is lower on my list of priorities. Editing wedding shots and communicating with couples new, past and present is always going to be number one. However as I sit here with a laptop and frothy cappuccino in our favourite local Italian cafe I’ve just received the following email from Chloe and Daniel who’s short Chelsea wedding I photographed seven days ago:

Chelsea_wedding_photographers_image

“I’ve received the photos and just wanted to say a big thank you. You only had a short space of time and I think did a fantastic job. The pictures of the children are just beautiful and I’m happy Daniel and I have some good shots of the two of us (you even managed to make both of us look good at the same time in some of them which has always been a challenge for us ;). I wanted to also say thank you for being so good with the kids on the day- especially at the points they were getting bored- you employed some excellent distraction techniques which we may use ourselves in the future!
I’d like to post a review (highly recommending you of course) but couldn’t figure out how to do it through google plus. Happy to post something on facebook? Or write something for you to post on our behalf?
Thanks again and best wishes,
Chloe”

Chelsea old town hall wedding photographers

Daniel hailing from Canada and Chloe originally from Liverpool decided on an early morning ceremony to start at 10.30am. I suspect so they would have plenty of time for lunch! I was hired on my own for two hours, sorry Joanna, but of course no matter how short a wedding is it is still one of the most important moments in a couple’s life, and this was reflected by the attendance of close friends and family who had flown in to be a part of their special time.

Chelsea park wedding photos

One of the lovely things about getting married at Chelsea old town hall is that the registrar conducting your wedding ceremony may well be Roger who I’m told has been working there since 1962! In my opinion he is the most charming and charismatic registrar I have ever encountered and can only add to your sense of occasion. You are undoubtedly the star of your own day, but Roger has married a fair few public stars in his time too.

wedding couple laughing in Chelsea

After documenting the preparation. arrivals and small intimate ceremony we all walked around the block for some couple photos. Family photos were done in a small but beautiful park that I like to use when I can near by.

getting ready in Chelsea shot

Of course your Chelsea old town hall wedding photographer would do well to be aware of the fact it has always been a consistently desirable place to get married. Judy Garland tied the knot there, David Niven, Roman Polanski, in fact more famous people than that other old town hall I find myself at all the time: Marylebone.

By David Green

Chelsea pub wedding photo

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Hertfordshire Engagement shoot

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

London engagement shoot at Trent park

Well before we talk about one of many photo sessions i.e. a Hertfordshire engagement shoot, just to say what a busy time it is for us at the moment! It’s hard to keep this blog up to date between photography editing and all our various assignments. Two to three engagement sessions a week and an average of two full weddings every seven days too. No complaints though, good job we love it! Joanna and I are happy to say we are busy all year round but it just gets a little more intense at this time of year.

Hertfordshire engagement shoot

We made a decision last year not to do any three weddings in a row i.e. Friday Saturday Sunday. This is because although two consecutive big days are fine, the fact we put everything into what we do means that by the third there is a chance one hundred percent becomes ninety five, and that is just not fair for a couples once only wedding day. Downside business wise it did mean saying a polite no to an extra six weddings this year.

Love my London engagement image

Martina and Petrus featured here are getting married in South Africa, and hey we are already booked for their date, so we won’t be going, but we will be wishing them well in spirit! We chose Trent Park near Enfield and Barnet for its mix of woodland, open countryside and lake locations. We had plenty of fun with props which is what this lovely couple wanted, and as keen golfers we set up a tee with Martina’s engagement ring to sit on while they embraced in the background.

Trent Park photo shoot image

Fallen trees from recent storms made for interesting backdrops, and as usual we used a variety of lenses to get different looks and feels for value and variety. For an example of a more urban engagement shoot take a look at this recent post: London Engagement Shoot

golf love shot London

By David Green

 

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London wedding reviews and Google

By London Wedding Photographer

For any photographer in the capital or surrounding areas London wedding reviews and google plus testimonials are a very important part of our business. For Joanna and myself it gives us feedback as to how others see us and what they value most about our wedding photography. In the old days (that would be three or four years ago!) you would get a thank you card or email, and perhaps you would include that on a dedicated testimonial page on the website. An example of this, because it still of course happens a lot can be found here: David & Joanna towards the bottom of the page.

London_wedding_reviews_header_image

In these days of Trip Advisor, Amazon reviews and the like, there is a great opportunity to check on public feedback for your potential wedding photographer with google’s own review service. Goole local, places, my business – the name keeps changing but whatever you  want to call it, if you are registered for google plus it is very easy to find or write a review for your London, home counties  or local wedding photographer.

A couple of days ago this review from recent bride Caron was posted on our official Big Day Weddings google plus My Business page. We have cut and pasted it here for convenience:

“From the moment I met Jo and David I knew that they were exactly what we were looking for – they were warm, intelligent, funny and had a great chemistry between them! They made us and our guests feel totally relaxed and we had lots of FUN with them during our very magical wedding day, their natural easiness and high level social skills are clearly reflected in the final results! Our photographs are spectacular …none of those awkward stuffy portraits, but naturalistic gems that capture sparkling moment after moment. We adore the finished results and I actually wept when I saw them for the first time, they are truly beautiful. I would absolutely recommend them without reservation, for any occasion . Thank you Jo and David for being part of our day and capturing the most special memories for us xx”

See some of our google plus reviews here: Big Day Weddings google review page

When Joanna and I read this we both felt quite emotional, it really means a great deal to get that kind of reaction. It is wonderful to know what a positive and lasting addition a photographer can be for a couples once only big day, and not just for them but their guests too.

Google plus has been compared to it’s rival Facebook for obvious reasons given the similarities, but is well worth exploring in its own right if social media and reviews and testimonals are important to you.

By David Green

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London engagement shoot

By London Wedding PhotographerNo Comments

As busy wedding photographers our weekends are full and week days are spent editing images and meeting with couples. Our week also usually has at least one London engagement shoot.

London engagement shoot

Many of our wedding collections: Pricing contain a complimentary studio or location engagement shoot, which is great for getting to know a couple and relaxing them in front of the camera.

It is also a good chance to collect and create images that may be used on invitiations, signing boards and displays for the actual wedding day itself.

London engagement shoot prices image

Many couples who are getting married abroad and far away, say for example Singapore, Australia or Japan, choose us as experienced London wedding photographers for a bespoke engagement session in the capital. Very often this is because they have met each other here and want to celebrate and remember that part of their lives.. That was certainly the case for Singaporians Wai-Ling and Justin, who headed over for a few days before returning for work and wedding preparations in their home city of Singapore. Wai-Ling had very specific requirements of where she wanted to go, a kind of trip down memory lane if you like. It was left to myself David to do what I’m hired to do (ha!) and that is pick the spot, mood, angles, composition lighting and camera stuff, then create the moment and magic you would expect!

St Pauls engagement shoot at night

On a typical wedding day Joanna and I are used to having a fairly small amount of time to create the kind of unique shots that are going to be remembered for a lifetime. With an engagement shoot, there is extra time and opportunity for an almost limitless amount of photographic possibilities.

Lloyds building engagement photo

As befits a typical English evening it rained, then stopped, then started then…well you get the picture. No problem though, we love umbrellas in shots and it also clears away a great number of the general public off the streets!

Starting around the St Pauls area on a Tuesday evening, I noticed an unfeasibly good looking couple posing with a photographer on the steps of the cathedral. A short conversation with the “snapper” revealed the couple were actually models employed to boost his online portfolio. He had initiative that’s for sure but it is something Joanna and I have never done or needed to.  We only deal with real couples, their wedding days and engagement sessions! Real people come in all shapes and sizes and it is your job as a photographer to make them look their best in meaningful emotive shots that will stand the test of time. When I worked for glossy magazines doing branded fashion shoots once I had got the lighting and setting right the model could stand on their head, fall over, whatever and they would still look good. They were sculpted and styled to perfection because the army of helpers around us would make sure of that. Your average real world couple has to feel relaxed and comfortable, which is very much down to the personality and people skills of the photographers. They may need to be coaxed a little and certainly gently directed to get the best out of them. The moments and reactions that you see in photographs very rarely happen all by themselves. The photographer also has to take into account that one person may be much taller than another, carry a little more or less weight than another, wear clothes a little more comforatbly than another and so on.

Leadenhall market engagement shots

An often overlooked but very important point of preparation to bear in mind before your London engagement shoot is what you wear. To help make an akready good photographic image great, and keep the focus on your subject, then plain and simple is best. It is the opposite of the fashion ethos where the garment or accessory is king and the real point of emphasis. So we would always recommend avoiding busy patterns such as spots and stripes, big obvious logos and colour clashes. Nobody wants you to look like The Waltons though!

Rain image at London engagement shoot

Whether your engagement shoot is part of one of our wedding collections, or a one off bespoke and dedicated photo session, we will design a package and time frame for you to get the best possible experience and results in and around the greatest backdrop we know – London.

London engagement shot at Canary Wharf

To set up a relaxed chat, skype or meeting take a look at our contact page here: CONTACT Speak to us about our London engagement shoot prices.

You can also find part of our extensive image collection here: GALLERIES

By David Green

 

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London Enfield’s first gay wedding

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

We were delighted to be asked to photograph Peter and Mark’s special day, which unknown to us until we arrived turned out to be London borough of Enfield’s first gay wedding.
Right from the beginning when civil partnerships first came into existence, we have been photographing a great many of them in and around the capital, so this was not really unkown territory for us and great to see now that everyone has the chance to fully marry. From our own research, a highly scientific method that involves the question: “so how long have you been together?” we found the average couple has been with each other for about three years before deciding to tie the knot. For a gay couple it seems to be anywhere from five to ten years. These guys confirmed our research…
London gay wedding Enfield registry photo
Peter is originally of Italian decent, so a large group of friends and family made the trip over for the day. The ceremony was held at one of London’s prettiest registries, namely Enfield’s at Gentlemens Row.

Afterwards we had family and couple shots along the old streets and canal bridges nearby, It is an area we have photographed many times that never feels stale. The reception followed a short ride away at the four star Royal Chace Hotel, again a venue we have covered for many Enfield weddings and receptions.

We would like to wish Peter and Mark all the very best for the future. What was a new event for the area is sure to herald in a new era of equality for ALL couples, and we were very happy to be a part of it.

See our related Enfield wedding photographers post at: Enfield wedding photographers

Check out our extensive image galleries here: GALLERIES OR just scroll through this blog, it’s full of images! And here’s a quick link to our London wedding collections and their pricing: Pricing

Find out more on Enfield’s Royal Chace hotel here: Royal Chace Hotel

By David Green

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