Venue: Coombe Abbey, Coventry
This booking actually came from a friend called Roxanne who I know from when we were just 11 years old at school! Thanks to the world of Facebook and online Social Networking, she knew about Enlight Wedding Photography and passed my number onto her friend Jessamine.
From the first meeting with Jess, I could tell it was going to be a great wedding. She told me the venue was the amazing Coombe Abbey in Coventry and this was my initial clue that she likes to do things right! I love Coombe Abbey and although I have photographed weddings there quite a few times, I still manage to find a new way to shoot it each time. Now I just can’t wait to get back there! Many thanks to Jess and Matt for a very enjoyable day.
Venue: Dunchurch Park, Rugby, Warickshire
My first wedding of 2011 took me back to Warwickshire, where I seem to shoot many weddings. Kate was getting ready with the bridesmaids in her room upstairs, and I managed to grab some of the excitement on camera just before the ceremony began.
Afterwards, I took the bride and groom outside for their first portraits as a married couple. Kate was so happy she couldn’t keep still! This session of just a few minutes resulted in some very happy memories for them, before I got back to my usual reportage style. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for booking me as their photographer.
Venue: Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth
Although not as popular, there is something very special about a winter wedding. On Kirsty and Carl’s wedding day, the Christmas spirit was still in the air, and with the New Year just around the corner, they couldn’t have ended 2010 any better! The day all began at St Nicholas Church in Warwick. We had just come out of an extremely cold period and the snow was just melting on the ground, but the air remained crisp. The light outside was perfect for those very dramatic and atmospheric black-and-white images that I just love to create.
After the ceremony, we all went on to Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth. By this time we had lost the light and a fog had dropped, which made for a great eerie image of the hotel. Inside the reception hall was warm and welcoming with an open fire and red carpet, which we used as a backdrop for some formals, taking us up to the meal and speeches. Kirsty and Carl then finished off the day by a very impressive ballroom style first dance which they had been practicing at their dance lessons!
If you are getting married in the next 12 months and still looking for a reportage wedding photographer, then this is for you! Come and see me this weekend at the gorgeous Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham. I will be exhibiting at their Wedding Fayre organised by Perfect Days from 12 – 4pm. I look forward to meeting with you!
Date: 7th November 2010
Time: 12:00 – 16:00
Venue: Hotel Du Vin, 25 Church Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 2NR
Venue: Caverswall Castle, Staffordshire
I love photographing weddings in Castles! There is just something so prestigious about the feeling and the presence of a castle. What made this even more exciting was the fact that I had never been to Caverswall before. Many thanks to Christiaan and Claire for booking me to photograph their wedding day.
Church: St.Francis Of Assis Church, Bournville
Venue: Berrow Court, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Adam and Natalie’s wedding was set in the beautiful setting of Bournville, Birmingham. Compared to some of the locations I have travelled as a wedding photographer, this one was sitting right on my doorstep. Funnily enough, it was where Adam and I attended College and the place where I first found my love for photography! Adam remembered me from Bournville College some five years previous, and booked me to photograph the happiest day of his life, which naturally, I was only too happy to do.
The reception was held at the grand Berrow Court in Edgbaston. Quite honestly, I never even knew it was there! It is so hidden and tucked away, you would never think you were in Birmingham at all. But it was such an ideal setting for the happy couple, as their wedding was a more intimate affair, sharing it with only their very close family and friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and I wish Adam and Natalie a long and happy married life together. Many thanks go out to them for booking me as their photographer.
Church: St. Peters Church, Pedmore, Stourbridge
Venue: Hagley Hall, Worcestershire
Hagley Hall is always a popular venue for couples getting married in the West Midlands, and for obvious reasons. Not only is the venue and location itself absolutely stunning, the staff are also very friendly and always only too happy to help with anything you need.
Deb and Nick’s wedding however, all began at St Peter’s Church in Pedmore, Stourbridge, and this is another one of my favourite church’s to photograph. I have shot many weddings there, and have built up a good relationship with the rector, Andrew. He is always great with me, as he does not restrict where I am allowed to photograph in the church, which allows me to use any angles I wish and hence create the best images possible.
After the ceremony, Deb and Nick had a drinks reception at the church, which was a nice change to the usual rush to get to car and off to the reception venue. This allowed me to relax in the surroundings and continue uninterrupted photography, documenting all the great candid moments that were happening all around. The drinks reception finished around 4pm and all hell broke lose as the guests dashed to the gates each with 2 huge handfuls of confetti! The energy and happiness of this moment was all summed up in the confetti shot shown above – one of my favourite images from their day.
We finally arrived at Hagley Hall at about 4:30pm, and after allowing the bride and groom to greet all their guests in the breathtaking entrance hall, I took them away for a short while which allowed them to relax and reflect on the day so far. I followed them on a short walk around the amazing grounds of Hagley Hall, keeping my distance so as not to disturb the happy couple, and captured some great shots full of the love they share together.
I would like to thank Deb’s mum, Mary, who was my point of contact throughout the day, and who organised the list of photographs for me. She was so organised it was incredible! But it all paid off in the end, and Deb and Nick then went on to enjoy an awesome honeymoon after the happiest day of their lives. I feel honoured that it will be my photographs that will bring all these memories back to them in years to come.
Church: The Abbey, Church Street, Pershore, Worcestershire
Venue: Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Mark and Emma had originally booked their wedding at a different venue, and with only a few weeks to go, they unexpectedly had to change venues. Planning your wedding is a stressful enough time without things going wrong, but Emma remained calm and made all the arrangements for the change of venue, and she couldn’t have picked a better one! Eastnor Castle in Ledbury is one of my all time favourite wedding venues. Some of my best work has been captured at Eastnor Castle, and at this particular wedding, it was all finished off in style with an amazing firework display. Mark had arranged this as a surprise and it was the perfect way to end a perfect day.
It was great working at this wedding alongside Steve Slattery from Cedar Videography. His work is superb and he can be found at www.cedar-videography.com
Venue: Buckland Hall, Brecon, Powys, Wales
What an amazing day! This was the first wedding I had photographed in Wales and I couldn’t have asked for a better venue. Buckland Hall is set in an absolutely stunning location in the Brecon Beacons of Powys overlooking countryside for miles all around. I have to say that Darren and Amanda were such a pleasure to work for, I almost didn’t want to leave! It was a pleasure to be their reportage wedding photographer. As always, the above images are my personal favourites from their wedding day.
Venue: Losehill House Hotel, Derbyshire
Kati and Kevin are not the kind of couple who particularly like being photographed, and so my relaxed reportage style suited them perfectly. They also wanted their wedding set in the countryside, away from the hectic life of the cities, and Losehill House Hotel was just that. It was so peaceful out their in the Derbyshire countryside, and the weather played out to our advantage – sun, sun and sun! Yet again, another successful day, and some great photographs to show for it. Kati and Kevin loved every one of their photos, and wrote me a kind testimonial to say thank you – “Richard was very friendly and we are delighted with the photographs we received.”
