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Funky photo of wedding party at Fanhmas Hall Hertfordshire

Fanhams Hall Wedding Photographers, with laughter love and fun in the sun!

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

If you are going to have a wedding at a stately home in Hertfordshire you would be hard pressed to find a better all round and picturesque venue than Fanhams Hall near Ware. This is the place that Jess and Theo fell in love with, and it’s one of our favourites outside of London.

Wedding dress hanging in window at Fanhams Hall photoall

Groom waits for bride at Fanhams Hall wedding ceremony

We have photographed there many times and our portfolio from this lovely wedding venue is one of the reasons we are often booked to capture a couple’s big day. There is something about our personal experience with the place that gets our creative juices flowing and we are always delighted to return. The air is fresher than central London too!

Fanhams Hall wedding bride and groom in wisteria garden image

Fanhams Hall is grade two listed eighteenth century manor house that was further extended in 1901. We particularly like the tasteful mix of old and new, and of course the fantastic and extensive gardens.

Bride sees groom for first time Fanhams Hall wedding ceremony

Jess chose to get ready at Fanhams on the morning of the big day with the help of her bridesmaids, flower girls and mum. Theo arrived a little later with his family and groomsmen. Naturally we were there and everywhere to get all the details and magic moments as they happened.

Wedding kiss at Fanhams Hall Ware Hertfordshire

The wedding ceremony was in the impressive Long Room which among other things, because of its length, gives a dramatic entrance to any bride and her bridal party. It’s long enough to really savour that classic moment, and it’s good for making the groom wait a little longer before he sees his wife to be!

Confetti throw at Fanhams Hall wedding

Bride and groom by trees at Fanhams Hall wedding

Afterwards we had a great confetti throw outside on the lawn and then straight into the drinks reception for all the guests. A little time after that David took the bride and groom away for a while to get some couple shots, before some family and group shots with a difference. Nothing stiff and over formal here!

Bride and groom head to head in Fanhams Hall wedding garden in black and white

A typically fabulous wedding breakfast and speeches took place in the famous Jacobean Great Hall. After some memorable speeches, particularly the best men, it was time for cake cutting and dancing the night away.

Bride and groom laugh between bushes at Fanhams Hall wedding

Wedding couple pose in hole in wall at Fanhams Hall

Another brilliant day as Fanhams Hall wedding photographers.

Wedding party group shot do mass dab at Fanhams Hall wareBy David Green

Flowers and wedding couple in grounds of Fanhams Hall

A couple of our many other Fnhams Hall wedding days previously on the blog here:

Another fabulous Fanhams Hall wedding day in sunny Hertfordshire

Fanhams Hall Wedding Photographer

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Claridges Hotel wedding photographers couple photo between arches

Claridges Wedding Photographers and St Olave Hart Street London

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

It’s always great to return to Claridges as wedding photographers in the heart of London’s Mayfair. It’s probably the most famous and iconic hotel in that area, and always a real pleasure to work in. What was also a pleasure was to find that the lovely couple Xanthe and Steve lived just two streets away, so that made it pretty easy to meet up and discuss a plan for the day!

Wedding kiss at St Olave London crypt photo

This particular wedding I did on my own (David) as the entire wedding party was a very intimate seven people, which I personally really enjoyed. It meant I got a real sense of what the people involved were about, and I believe it subtlety helped me photograph them even more sympathetically.

Wedding couple at the gates of St Olave Hart Street London

St Olave’s is a very special church with a rich history so I was excited to shoot there. I’ve photographed a great many central London and home counties churches but not this one. This was Samuel Pepys local and most favourite church, in fact he and his wife are buried there. The building as it stands today dates from around 1450, and managed to survive even the Great Fire of London. Xanthe and Steve’s service was conducted downstairs in the intimate crypt . The vicar told us that this was the original medieval street level, which is way below what we walk across today. With incense burning and one of St Olave’s best choir members singing unaccompanied, it was truly memorable.

Wedding couple in pub doorway central London

Afterwards a few bottles of champers were cracked open and we took twenty minutes with the couple to shoot some shots around the surrounding streets. After that it was time to head to Claridges for the reception of afternoon tea, impeccable served by their staff of course! The couple were pleased to be sitting near Whoopi Goldberg because as anyone who is familiar with Claridges will know it is very popular with celebrities and of course those that can afford it!

Claridges wedding bride and groom on the balcony photo

I had a further ten minutes to discreetly get some shots in the hotel, before waving goodbye to the wedding party and heading off into the sunset.

By David Green.

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London Eye wedding photographers coca cola kiss photo

London Eye Wedding Photographers Time Out Recommended

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London Wedding Photographer, Wedding Venues2 Comments

Some wedding days are destined to live long in the memory, and Tiffany and Ryan’s Coca Cola Official London Eye ceremony and Tower Bridge and West End wedding adventure is one of them.

Wedding dress and shoes hanging at Le Meridien Piccadilly London

We first spoke to Tiffany via Skype as she and Ryan are residents of Toronto Canada but truly love London and try and get over as much as possible. After finding us as London Eye wedding photographers, and knowing we were Time Out Recommended, they wasted no time in getting in touch and sharing their exciting wedding ideas with us.

Bride and groom walking to their London Eye Wedding ceremony

The day started for us capturing the couple’s wedding preparations which were taking place at the lovely and classy Le Méridien hotel in central London’s Piccadilly. A five star hotel built in 1908 it’s just a few short metres from the iconic Eros figure that along with places such as Tower Bridge, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are timeless symbols of the capital.

London Eye Wedding ceremony photo

We particularly liked Tiffany’s white Doc Martin wedding boots which reflected her personal style and tastes in music and did look great with her wedding dress.  In fact we found we had lots in common in the music department with the couple.

Wedding ceremony photo taken on the London Eye

It was a small intimate wedding party of just eight people, all Canadian and all super friendly. When everyone was ready we all boarded a huge white wedding stretch limousine waiting outside Le Méridien for us.

Wedding couple kiss by Tower Bridge London

We had quite a bit of time allocated for photos before heading to the London Eye, so we set off towards Tower Bridge and Butlers Wharf. However London traffic being what it can be at the weekends, or for that matter anytime, we were left with just twenty minutes when we finally arrived!

London-wedding-party-pose-by-Tower-Bridge-at-Butlers-Wharf

No matter though because we are used to working in tight schedules and had plenty of fun getting a good mix of classic and quirky. I think the fact that the wedding party had extra champagne drinking time in the limo probably helped loosen everyone up too.

Bride and groom at London Eye wedding

Not that anyone needed loosening up, in fact the naturally friendly nature of the wedding couple and their friends meant that wherever we went people wanted to join in for photos, selfies and even two like minded tourists were invited to the ceremony itself. I’ve never seen that before!

London bride and groom in front of red roller doors photo

At the Coca Cola London Eye the couple were looked after in the VIP lounge before being fast tracked onto their flower decorated personal wedding pod. For the first half hour rotation they had their ceremony with dedications and signings. For the second half we did some photos and drank more champagne….well we only had a little, ever the professionals, maybe…

Wedding couple and daughter pose on the London Eye

After that it was back to the stretch limo and our ever patient driver Jo, and zoomed off to the West End and Charring Cross Road to head to The Crow Bar.  This rocky themed venue is a favourite watering hole for Ryan that he wanted to drop in to as part of the celebrations of the couples special day.

Wedding couple kiss inside red London phone box image

From there it was time for the reception and final meal at the Gaucho Piccadilly.

London wedding couple pose for photo by Tower Bridge

London wedding couple pose with tourists at Butlers Wharf photo

Ultimate London Eye wedding photographers photo

Bride in reception at Le Meridien Hotel London wedding

 

 

By David Green

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Kenwood engagement shoot on Hampstead Heath photo

Kenwood House Engagement Shoot Photography in Hampstead

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

We are looking forward to Sophie and David’s central London wedding day in July. They came to us through recommendation which is a frequent and pleasant occurrence in wedding photography, and always a good start! For them Kenwood on Hampstead Heath was a place with memories and meaning, and the perfect place for their engagement shoot photography.

Couple kiss in front of Kenwood House engagement shoot

Many is the time we have visited this lovely place to walk both the dogs and our children, and for this shoot it was half term so I (David) took two of our sons with me as well. The boys happily went off to play football in front of the stately home, while myself Sophie and David went on a little photographic adventure.

Engagement photography at Kenwood lake Hampstead

Kenwood House is a former stately home and dates from the seventeenth century. Notably it was a seat for the Murray and Guinness family of aristocrats. It was eventually bequeathed to English Heritage and had a complete refurbishment finished in 2013. Inside there is a fantastic art gallery with priceless paintings by Rembrandt and Van Dyck to name a few.

Wedding couple on Hampstead Heath stare into each others eyes photo

The back of Kenwood has been cleaned up so much compared to what we have been used to seeing over the years, and now it gleams bright white in the sunshine, to the point where it is almost blinding and I wanted to feature that at the end of our shoot. The hardest part is trying to get those shots without all the visitors walking past. Fortunately this was a Tuesday afternoon, it would have been impossible on a weekend, and besides we would probably be photographing a wedding then anyway!

Engagement couple sit on grass at Kenwood House photo shoot

I also wanted to feature the meadowy parts of Kenwood (“meadowy” – is there such a word!??) with lovely spring flowers and blossom, and also try and incorporate the lake nearby in some form. Of course an engagement shoot at Kenwood or anywhere for that matter is a good chance to get to know a couple better, and reinforce the fact that photography in the hands of experienced shooters is fun and rewarding.

Couple hug by tree during Hampstead and Kemwood engagement photography

Couple kiss in arch at Kenwood House London

They sent a quick email after receiving the shots saying:

“Hi David,

Thank you so much for the amazing photos! We love them and everything you captured. We’re now having difficulty trying to choose our favourite for the invitation!!

We are really excited for the wedding photos!

Thanks for also doing this so quickly.

Sophie and David”

Kenwood House engagement shoot photot

By David Green

Engagement shoot couple sit on bench by Kenwood House

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St Pauls Cathedral wedding photographer couple pose outside photo

London Church Weddings, to home counties and beyond!

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

Farm-Street-Church-wedding-recessional-shot-London

London church weddings, we love them! Well any church wedding, although about fifty percent of all ceremonies we cover today are also in licensed and interesting civil venues. We love them too of course!

The reason we thought about writing about church services around the capital and home counties, is because we were asked recently to show a couple at a meeting some extra wedding images taken in churches. They were concerned about available light levels and where would their clergy allow photographers to shoot. The images in this piece were lifted from recent blog posts and were what we showed our couple to answer their questions. They actually booked us there and then.

Wedding-couple-pose-after-ceremony-at-St-Pauls-Cathedral-wedding

Needless to say after ten years of fantastic experiences with wedding photography from St Pancras to St Paul’s to St Tropez (yes we have done them all) we are very well versed with capturing beautiful imagery in churches whatever the light levels and position we find ourselves in.
Wedding-vows-at-Farm-Street-Church-Mayfair-London-image

As every wedding day is different, so is every church and it’s clergy that we work with. Some vicars and priests are very relaxed with little restriction on what a photographer can and can’t do. Others have a very clear set of rules and some of whom send us them before the big day. We generally aim to find out well in advance so that we can plan, and we are always very respectful in the midst of a wedding ceremony.

Enfield church wedding shot

We are mindful that a wedding service is an incredibly special and intimate moment for both the couple and their friends and family. Wherever possible we photograph from a distance and put our cameras into silent or semi silent mode.

Wedding-at-St-Stephens-Walbrook-London-photo

Bride-and-groom-walk-down-the-aisle-at-London-Hampstead-wedding

It’s very important at this time to be as unobtrusive as possible. For the couple this part of the day passes so fast that the photos of what actually happened become even more critical to reliving the moment that their commitment to each other became a “real” marriage.

Wedding-vows-at-St-Stephens-Hampstead-London

Italian Wedding CeremonyBride-walks-down-the-aisle-at-Hampstead-wedding

Some of the most important shots to capture well at any church wedding are the brides processional and the the corresponding recessional at the end of the newly weds. The exchange of rings, that first glance when the groom sees his bride to be, and of course the first kiss as man and wife are essential too.

Newly-weds-walk-down-church-aisle-photoBride-and-her-father-walk-down-the-aisle-for-church-weddingWedding_ceremony_at_Shoreditch_church_LondonSt-Georges-Cathedral-London-wedding-recessional-photoIslington_church_wedding_interior_shotwedding_ceremony_in_Hitchinwedding_recessional_shot_essex_chirchSouthwark_cathedral_wedding_ceremonyBride_in_aisle_Essex_wedding_dayJust_married_at_Shoreditch_church_imageWoking_wedding_service_imageFirst_look_between_couple_All_Saints_BlackheathWedding_ceremony_St_James_church_LondonSt_Peters_Italian_church_wedding-2marriage_vows_at_St_Helen's_Bishopsgate_LondonWedding_procession_St_Helens_Bishopsgate_LondonSt_Barts_wedding_photo_LondonWedding_at_St_Peters_Italian_London

Featured images here are London church weddings as diverse as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Italian Church Clerkenwell, St Bartholomew The Great, Southwark Cathedral, St George’s Cathedral, Shoreditch Church, St Sophia’s Greek Cathedral in Bayswater, Farm Street Church Mayfair, St Stephen’s Hampstead and many many more.

Here’s some links to a few of the previous writings and wedding images from the churches showcased in this post:

St Paul’s Cathedral Wedding Photographers & Skinners Hall Reception

Lansdowne Club and Farm Street Church Wedding Photography

Shoreditch Wedding Photographers. Claire & Jamie’s big day in East London.

Smithfield Wedding Photographer

Greek Wedding Photographer London & Saint Sophia Cathedral Bayswater

Southwark Cathedral wedding with Butlers Wharf, Tower Bridge & Vinopolis reception

By David Green

We’ve done lots of great stuff
Coverage and prices
We’d love to hear from you