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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

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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

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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.

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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

 

 

 

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Clerkenwell wedding dress in the wind

Islington Town Hall Wedding

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding Venues3 Comments

Reception at The Peasant Pub Clerkenwell

Islington Town Hall Wedding

We are always motivated by an Islington wedding, not least because two of our children were born there, and of course we have many happy memories of life in N1.

Marraige ceremony at Islington Town Hall

For Claire and Chris having an Islington Town Hall wedding it was a day that created abundant and of course joyous memories for the future too.

Aisle shot at Islington Town Hall

The area had a special resonance for them as they met on a journalism course at City University nearby in Clerkenwell. It was also a major reason for choosing the Peasant Pub a gastro gem for their reception. More about the fantastic Peasant pub later.

Clerkenwell wedding photographer

Laughter at Clerkenwell wedding compilation shot

The main chamber for an Islington Town Hall wedding is both beautiful and dramatic, and we used three different lens and camera combinations to do it justice. A great registrar can make a real difference to the feel of a wedding ceremony, and we have always had the best of experiences with them in Camden and Islington borough. This Saturday was no exception, they were enthusiastic yet reverent too.

Islington wedding photographer image

Claire and Chris wanted a documentary style photographically for their big day, but still covering the bases with some more formal friends and family shots on the internal and external steps of the town hall. Taxis buses and good old fashioned walking then got everyone the short distance to the Peasant Pub Clerkenwell. There are many reasons Nick and his team at the Peasant pub are incredibly popular for weddings. They are friendly, efficient and nothing is too much trouble for them. They are staffed by the kind of people that when a smile comes to their face it comes quickly and then takes a long time to leave, and for us it has always been a good gauge of sincerity, especially in the hospitality industry!

Photo fun collage Peasant pub wedding

As so many couple are interested are interested in the wedding venue at 240 Saint John Street EC1 we may feature it in a separate post. After a champagne welcome the couple spent twenty five minutes with myself and Joanna around the nearby streets of Clerkenwell. Although the weather stayed dry we had lots of fun dealing with the very windy conditions! Claire’s homage to Marilyn Monroe’s famous skirt lifting shot on an air vent image was a completely random windy moment caught.

Peasant Pub London wedding shot

Although we used our experience to gently direct the couple at the time, the day was about natural reactions and events well photographed and anticipated, and we believe the balance was well struck with Claire and Chris.

See our related post here:  Peasant Pub Weddings Clerkenwell

For information on booking Islington Town Hall for your wedding take a look at their website here: Islington Town Hall

For a reception to remember give the Peasant a call and visit their website in this link: The Peasant Pub

Claire’s wonderful wedding dress was made by Judy Mott Bridal Couture and you can find them here: Judy Mott Bridal Couture and here: Judy Mott Facebook
holding hands in Clerkenwell

 

By David Green

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