Well I have been thinking for a while now I never did a blog post about our trip to New York back in April. I am sure I am not the only one that has been thinking a great deal about the city today. I think we can probably all say we remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the devastating news that a plain had struck one of the twin towers. It was a devastating moment and one that almost didn’t feel real. As the events un folded in the news of that fateful day I think the whole world went into complete shock at the reality of what had just happened.

New York is a beautiful city and one that will always be close to myself and Daz’s hearts as it is where we got engaged. I felt today I wanted to post some pictures to say NEW YORK we are thinking of you and all the people that tragically lost their lives xx

On Monday morning myself and Natalie (my make-up artist buddie) headed down to brighton for a styled shoot at Wiston house. Melissa Love the super talented designer (well I would say that as melissa did my website) organised a beautiful “Jane Austen” themed photo shoot. There was an amazing team of people (all listed below) that came together to make this day a total hit! From stylists to stationary everybody worked really hard to put together a stunning set for 40 something photographers to click away, get inspired and learn. The sets that had been created were to die for and quite frankly I didn’t know what to shoot next, it was fab!!!! The models and children were great as I have to say I am not sure I would want a pack of photographers calling me telling me what to do. They probably felt as though they were getting papped, on the upside they have got some great shots out of it. I wanted to say a big thank you to my group of photographers, it was lovely to meet you all and get to shoot alongside you. Here are my best bits from a fab day x

Organised by - Melissa Love Design

Orchestrated Stylised Shoots – Bit of ivory photography

Venue - Wiston House

Styling, food & flowers - The Tea Set

Dresses – White Mischief

Tailoring - Gresham Blake

Makeup –  Natalie Clark of NC Bridal Beauty

Hair Accessories - Cherished Vintage Bridal Accessories

Hair styling - Caroline Kearney

Stationery  - The Girl Taylor

Children’s vintage clothing - Dinky Vintage

Children’s clothing - Bonnie Baby

Well I have to say Kat & Ed haven’t had the best luck with weather so far. When they turned up at the studio it was like night time the sky was so dark, you could tell some heavy rain was looming. Just as we were about to leave the heavens opened! There was no way i could have even stepped outside for a second as it was that heavy (gotta keep them cameras dry). We headed to the poppy field (that myself and Daz had scouted out the night before) and waited for the rain to calm down. With a slight drizzle in the air we pressed on. Kat you were braver than me as my hair would be rubbish in that weather but you still managed to look glam! Kat & Ed were so natural in front of the camera, more than happy to snuggle up together and sit down in wet grass. Kat had this lovely habit of closing her eyes every time Ed kissed her it was so sweet! You guys were brave and so up for it as the rain didn’t stop, but we got some fab shots all the same! x

Love this shot!My new favorite location – The Poppy Field!!

Kat looks so happy and contended in this shot!Looking forward to the wedding guys.

It is always so hard keeping up with blogging and keeping track of who you have blogged and who you haven’t. So when Erin and Antony called in the other day to collect their album I felt awful when they asked if i was ever going to blog their wedding. Sooooooo guys at last here is your wedding up on my blog!

Erin & Antony chose to have a civil ceremony at Coltsfoot Country Retreat which is a lovely new barn. It has got a very blank canvas so is fab to really make it your own with decor etc. Erin chose a really cool white postbox that all the guests posted their cards into. You may remember their fab Lavender field pre-wedding shoot that now features on my website here. In honor of this as a little favor they did all the guests a beautiful wooden heart for the name tag and a sprig of lavender tucked into the napkins. Erin is a twin and I am so glad they they looked very different on the day ( obviously Erin had a wedding dress on) as I think I would have struggled to tell them apart. All in all is what a lovely day with funny speeches, dry weather and lots of grandparents (which is always nice to see).

When Erin and Ant called in last week they were telling me about how they sadly had to have their rabbit put down as it was unwell! I am such a sucker for animals and know how much they become part of the family! Pan was the cutest rabbit I had ever seen so it only seems fetching to dedicate this blog post to Pan Oakman. x

Look at the bouquet, it was nearly bigger than Erin!

I nipped over to Clare and Shaun’s to do their engagement session a few weeks back. Clare decided to have her make-up trial with my good friend Natalie from NC Bridal Beauty. Its a good way for brides to have a practice of the make-up and ensure you are looking and feeling uber fabulous for the shoot! Calre looked stunning and talk about pick the perfect evening we had gorgeous sunlight beaming through the tree’s. We went for a wonder out the back of their house and found some right treasures for back drops. Poor old Shaun…….I doubt he was feeling all that masculine in amongst all the daisy’s. He went along with it though and we managed to get some lovely shots of him and Clare laughing and enjoying the sunshine together. Thanks guys and really looking forward to the wedding. x

It probably sounds really corny to say all my couples are lovely but they are, and Amy and Jamie are no exception. It wasn’t all that long ago that I shot their engagement session (which can be seen here). I met them both at Amy’s parents house and the family were all so lovely and welcoming. I knew then that if the wedding had the same vibe it would be a great day and not to mention how utterly gorgeous the couple are.

Amy got ready at her mum and dads house which was a 5 minute drive from Saint Mary’s in Hertingfordbury. It was a beautiful little village with a very picturesque church. When arriving there I parked up the car quickly on what I thought was a bit of scrub land (well it looked link a bank). When going back to the car after the service I had a rather ANGRY letter left on my windscreen. It basically explained that it was someones land and that there are a lot of weddings in the village due to it being so pretty, so please park respectfully and responsibly. Anyone reading from Hertingfordbury, I apologise for my inconsiderate parking. I can only excuse myself by explaining its a little fraught when you arrive at a church, getting your gear out and rushing around.

Anyway back to the wedding. What can I say, it was a stunning day with all 7 bridesmaids dressed in white and all the chaps in daper black suits. I have seen this only once before and I think it looks so clean and elegant. A lovely service was followed by a reception at Quendon Hall with lots of white flowers and a stunning white cake. All the guests were great fun and up for a party. The brides sister made a lovely heart warming speech however I did sneak a shot of her doing a tequila with her other half at the bar beforehand (a girl after my own heart). With the rain only rearing his ugly head on the odd occasion it was a great day.

Amy’s dress was beautiful and looked stunning on her!I think Amy has a real classic film start look about herI love the moment before a bride enters the church, its filled with anticipation and excitement (and a few nerves no doubt)The stunning couple happy to be marriedThe beautiful tree’s where we did the couple shots gave  the images a real Italian feel

Thanks guys and all the best!

Ellie & Jon are quite possibly one of the craziest couples I have ever come across. They were completely bonkers in all their planning and when you are with them you are laughing constantly. I knew from meeting them that their wedding would be a chilled out affair with plenty of alcohol flowing and lots of home made personal touches. Well the day didn’t dissappoint. Ellie’s mum had done all the flowers and designed the couple a personal “coat of arms”, what a clever talented lady!! They had a beautiful church service at St Mary’s in Hitchin after which the whole wedding party trecked through the town onto the wedding reception at The Priory. It was lovely walking the streats with passers by stopping to say Congrats and people pibbing their horns in support!

When we got to Hitchin priory I had plenty of gorgeous details to photograph from home made cakes to vintage crockery (all collected from charity shops). They also had two crates planted up with their names and wedding date printed on the side. The brides brother Stu disappeared off to fetch the other man in Ellie’s life “the hairy old bass” you guessed it, its the pooch. Some of you may know that i am a huge dog fan so was so excited to see him arrive in all his glory! Ellie had kept it together all day, up until this point. As soon as she saw the dog, the tears started rolling and I have to admit Ellie, I would be exactly the same!

Ellie’s 2nd name is Rose and as you may have guessed from the mugs at the beginning Jon’s surname is England. It was such a great day and I was privileged to see Ellie become England’s Rose! Congrats! x

Loving the bouquets made by Ellie’s mum!I love that Ellie bought lots of things with “England” on them. So apt as she was about to become “Mrs England”.Lots of big “congrats” hugs! 

Making our way through Hitchin TownThe room looked really stunning!Enter the “HAIRY OLD BASS”!I love the low sun you get towards the end of the day!

This was my first time ever shooting at Luton Hoo and WOW what a venue! There are very few venues locally I haven’t shot at so its always quite exciting to explore somewhere new.
Karen got ready at Luton Hoo and when I saw her dress and fabulous Benjamin Adams shoes it was inevitable this girl was going to look gorgeous! Karen is one of these girls that could throw a bin bag on and look stunning and yet she is so unaware of her inner and outer beauty.
Lots of people now try and make their wedding very quirky and different (which is great by the way) but sometimes its lovely to do a traditional white wedding. Lots of cream roses, a classic fitting dress and elegant ivory details. This day had all the classic white wedding charm and it looked beautiful. Another thing myself and Karen were ridiculously excited about was her Peggy Porschen Cake. I met Peggy briefly years ago and its safe to say I have been a bit of a stalker since. When Karen told me she was having a Peggy Porschen Cake (yes I’m going to name drop again) we both agreed she is cake royalty, I think Paul thought we had gone mad. Peggy runs classes to which I would definitely love to do one day so I can graduate from the Peggy Porschen Academy.
Anyway back to the wedding…….the sun shone on us all day (meaning May turned out to be a scorcher for all my brides) which is always nice. With Peroni’s for the boys and champers for the girls it was a lovely chilled afternoon for the guests who got to enjoy Luton Hoo grounds. When going in for the breakfast Karen had surprised Paul with some singing waiters (the company name escapes me but il post it up once I know). I have never seen these before and wasn’t sure what I would make of it. Welllllllllll, its was FAB!!!! The look on all the guests faces when they thought a “full of himself” chef was making some big speech was priceless and then breaking into song, even more priceless. All round a fab, day despite it making me wish I could sing opera. Thanks for having me Karen & Paul. xx

For Liam & Hayley’s pre-wedding shoot we met in Nether Heyford in Northamptonshire. We started off at the pub and then moved onto a field towards the end. It was later in the day so we had that lovely low, warm light. These two were actually a bit nervous about the shoot so after a bit of reassurance we got started. Liam was so affectionate towards Hayley with constant kisses and cuddles. I think the shots we got really sum up just how good together this pair are!

awwww these two are so cute!