Elisabeth & Peter

A beautiful day for Liz and Peter on the first day of August.  They were getting married at St. Peter's church, with a reception at the Old Government House hotel.

 Stunning flowers and a summery choice of colour for the bridesmaids' dresses.

 Liz and her dad clearly had a close bond.

 Meanwhile a little helping hand with the scissors for Peter, before the groomsmen made their way to the church.

 No sign of nerves for either the groom or bride.

It was nice to see Rev. Linda Le Vasseur temporarily back in the western parishes again.

 The ceremony was lovely, a highlight being the touching and personal address from Rev Nicole Le Goupillot.

 On the way to the reception we stopped off for pictures on the cliffs near the couple's home.  Then we also stopped by the harbour as Liz & Peter have a close affinity with the sea as they are both keen rowers.

 The cake had been made by Liz's mum and carefully brought over from the UK.  It was well worth the effort.

 Speeches were split at the beginning and end of the meal.

 The forecast evening rain never appeared, giving people plenty of time to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air before the dancing.

 City Limits gave their normal great performance and there were plenty of energetic displays on the dance floor.

 A really lovely day for a lovely couple.

Angela & Luke - a lovely wedding in Herm

The day started early as we got the boat to Herm on a glorious morning.  This wedding had been a lot of work to organise for all those involved, mainly due to the fact that Angela & Luke had to do it all from China and only came to Guernsey a few days beforehand.

 Angela and her bridesmaids all got ready in a large meeting room, but it was still a bit tight for space.

 Angela looked amazing.

 Meanwhile The Wedding Fairy team and Jayne White were busy preparing for the outdoor ceremony.  The setting for this, at the end of the White House Hotel garden, was just perfect.

 The ceremony was touching and good humoured, the mood suited the leafy green surroundings on such a quiet and calm day.

 After drinks on the lawn and some family group photographs, we visited the north of Herm for some scenic pictures of the couple.  Sion had to concentrate a lot to ensure the quad bike didn't get stuck, but it all seemed great fun for everyone else!

 Then it was back to the marquee for the meal.

 Speeches were informal and the couple showed off slides of their ceremony back in China before the cutting of the cake and first dance.

 Stormy Monday were the band for the evening, adding their touch of class to proceedings.

 We took the opportunity to do some photography of the couple as night fell, then there wasn't much time left before most of the guests had to get the boat back to Guernsey.

Olivia & Sam

I love weddings with a mix of cultures and countries.  They inevitably have a few different opportunities throughout the day.

Olivia got ready at the St. Pierre Park Hotel.  All seemed relaxed and well organised.

 I spotted this possible composition early on,  fortunately I was able to capture this fleeting moment of Olivia and her bridesmaids before the scene was lost.

 The bride really did look amazing.

 Sam got ready at home,  a bit of debate about how to do the ties, a quick beer then it was onward to St. James for the ceremony.

 A lot of effort had gone into preparing the hall.

Yes, really it did happen, the groomsmen forgot the rings at home!  But after a run back on such a hot day, the rings arrived just seconds before the bride!

 Jayne White conducted a beautiful ceremony.

 We visited Candie Gardens for some pictures.  Harsh contrasty light can be difficult to deal with, but then it is also fun to play light and shade off each other.

 The couple met working on a ship, so another stop at the harbour was apt, then we went to the Auberge at Jerbourg for the reception.

 Dancing commenced in a totally different way and things got pretty wild for a time as everyone had great fun.

 Heavy rain also gave us the chance to pop outside to create a few pictures as night fell.

 There was a lot of smoke around as the groomsmen enjoyed a cigar late on.

Quite a special day, lots more went on but this is all I am sharing on this preview.

Claire & Robert

Claire & Robert had a wonderful wedding day recently.  The ceremony was at the Town Church, always a great place to get married.

Claire got ready at her parents' house, not far from the church itself.

 Dad was quite amazed at his beautiful daughter.

Robert and his groomsmen enjoyed a beer before making their way to the church to await the arrival of his bride.

  Rob Harnish took the service, it was a stirring occasion in such a beautiful setting.

 Afterwards we all emerged into the rain.

After a stop for pictures on the nearby cliffs the couple went to the Bella Luce Hotel for the reception.  A cosy welcome awaited, complete with crown and anchor for entertainment!

 Umbrellas gave a different look to our family group shots.

 The marquee was beautifully decorated.

Speeches were truly touching, with some very emotional moments.

In the evening everyone moved into the hotel and enjoyed the jazz band.  Troy had been mentioned in the speeches and his performance did not disappoint.

 Q-Sky took over the music and lighting for the rest of the night from the first dance.

 It was dry enough for people to spend time outside chatting and even enjoying a cigar as night fell.

 Another great day.

Laura & Sean

Another spectacular wedding.  Laura & Sean, plus lots of their guests, had travelled from afar, mainly Canada.  It was great that they could all see Guernsey at its best in such gorgeous weather.

Laura's dress was rather special and she was clearly very excited about wearing it.  In fact she was ready so early, we had time to take plenty of different portraits of her.

 Meanwhile Sean and his groomsmen were getting ready at the Old Government House Hotel.  Lots of shirt ironing took place before they made their way to Castle Cornet for the ceremony.

 The scene was set in quite idylic fashion as Laura arrived on perfect time.

 It was extremely warm out there.  Jayne White performed a lovely humanist ceremony.

 After the ceremony, we made a quick trip to the cliffs to take some pictures of the couple, showcasing Guernsey in beautiful weather.

 Back at the Castle, things also looked stunning.  The interior of the Hatton Gallery was decorated to great effect by The Wedding Fairy.  Each guest had an engraved ormer shell to take home.

 Speeches were heartfelt and very emotional.  Peter, Laura's dad, started things off in great style.

 I waited a while for Roy, the best man, to be against the shadows to get this picture, but got exactly what I envisaged.  He kept everyone thoroughly entertained.

 Soon it was time for the dancing.  What a pleasure it was to be treated to the music of Stormy Monday.  A trio of talent consisting of Lydia Pugh, Colin Falla and Chris Taylor.  Perfect for the occasion and how nice not to have to use my ear plugs!

 After dusk it was time to take a few pictures in the Castle, then watch the beautiful fireworks.  What a great day.

Emily & Angus

Emily & Angus' wedding coincided with a gorgeous day and England's opening match of the World Cup.  There was no ignoring the football, with many at the wedding having a big involvement in the game.

 Time to finish getting ready .....

 Emily was simply stunning.

 Angus and his groomsmen caught up with the latest football news, had a good laugh and a game of darts.  No sign of nerves yet.

Parking is always tight at St. Matthews Church and minutes before the ceremony, just as the bridesmaids arrived, their way was blocked by this huge machine trying to fit through in the opposite direction.  It looked as if there could be a big problem, but somehow the machine and following tractors and trailers managed to squeeze past just before the bride arrived.

 A slightly more pensive look on Angus now.

 The scene was just perfect outside the church, little wind and a beautiful blue sky.

 The Cobo Bay Hotel was the reception venue.  Speeches were held before the meal and naturally contained a few football references.  Dad's statement that the wedding was the biggest match of the day, went down especially well.

 With such a hot day, the allure of the beach across the road was irresistible for some.

 Back indoors it was time for the first dance, a lovely moment.

 Things then became pretty lively, as everyone throughly enjoyed themselves.

Not very gentlemanly to beat one of your sisters at press-ups!  It was an extremely close contest though.

 As it was getting dark, there was just enough sand at the top of the beach as the high spring tide receded for Emily and Angus to have a quiet moment outdoors.

 The wonderful day finished off with the other match drawing everyone's attention.

Rowena & John

What a spectacular day this was.  Beautiful weather and settings, but also such a great crowd of family and friends all having a wonderful day.

Rowena got ready with her bridesmaids at her parents' home.

 I could have spent ages taking abstract pattern pictures of sections of the dress.

 Lena did the hair and make up, all preparations wernt smoothly with plenty of time to spare.

Meanwhile John and his groomsmen had a good time over breakfast at the Auberge, before making their way to Castel Church for the ceremony.

 The wedding filled the church and the singing was particularly rousing, helped along by the Bel Canto Choir.  Bishop Thomas gave a touching and personal sermon.  He talked about the symbolism of hands, especially appropriate as the couple sat below him holding hands.

 I haven't mentioned the amazing veil that Rowena wore.  The strong backlighting flooding through the church doorway showed this off to great effect as the bridesmaids tended to the veil.

 Then it was drinks on the lawn, with a vibrant garden party atmosphere.

 The marquee was stunning inside and out.

 Speeches were after the meal and gave us touching and humorous moments.

 Soon it was time for the dancing and the first dance was an athletic show.

 The dance floor remained packed for the rest of the night, with the Elastic Band giving a great show of their vast experience.

 The only short break in the dancing was when the ice-cream van arrived...

I am sure this day was what everyone who had planned and organised it had wished for.

Erin & Andrew

Erin and Andrew had a great wedding recently, getting married at the Capelles Methodist Church with a reception at La Grande Mare Hotel.

With six bridesmaids there was a lot for everyone to do.  But everything went smoothly, just getting to and from their house was a bit tricky due to unexpected roadworks and one way systems.

 The groomsmen were in high spirits, a quick beer and onto the church.  This lot certainly displayed great humour all day.

 What should have been a short distance to the church turned into a much longer than expected journey due to the roadworks, but everyone got to the church on time.  The rain that was intermittent earlier had now become heavy and persistent.

 As a special treat, the Boys Brigade and Majorettes had formed a guard of honour, this was greatly appreciated.  Well done to these yongsters who had spent a fair time outside in the cold and rain waiting for the couple to exit the church after the ceremony.  With the rain it was onto the wet weather plan, this meant family group shots were taken inside the church, before going to the reception.

 On the way we stopped for pictures at Grandes Rocques, a favourite area for Erin and Andrew.

 The reception room was beautifully decorated, the guest book we printed up from engagement pictures looked stunning too.

 Speeches were before the meal, including some words from Erin herself and her brother too.

 The dance training certainly paid off!

 Soon it was difficult to move anywhere near the dance floor, let alone take photographs of the action!

 As night fell we ventured out to take a few pictures, it's always exciting to see what we can create.

 An excited group awaited the bouquet toss...

 A touching last dance rounded off the lovely day.

Rebecca & Anthony

Rebecca was one of the most excited brides I have worked with, that was evident over a year ago when we first met.

Rebecca got ready at the Fermain Valley Hotel, her dress looked great and so suited her style.
 

 Her engagement ring was also very distinctive.

 Poppy was such a sweet flower girl.

 The groomsmen relaxed with some fine whiskey before getting ready to go to the Forest Church.

 While the strong overnight winds had calmed down, things were still wet and the fine morning gave way to periods of intense showers.  The car park entrance was especially treacherous!  A great moment captured by my wife and assistant Karen.

 Rebecca's arrival at the church coincided with the rain, but her smile never changed.

 After a lovely ceremony, it was out into the sun and we all went straight to The Venue for the reception.

 Between showers we got a few pictures in the gardens and there was plenty of time for people to mingle with a glass of champagne before being called in for the meal.

 The room and decorations were beautifully arranged.

 I always like to try to photograph the interactions between people, recording some precious moments between friends and family.

 While Jorge, Anthony's best man, gave a good speech, he seemed much more relaxed playing pool at the Fermain Tavern later in the evening!

 City Limits treated us to their normal great music.  Once the first dance had taken place, things became noticeably more energetic.

 While the vast majority of our coverage of a wedding is documentary and we pride ourselves on being very unobtrusive, I also love doing something artistic too.   Popping out briefly into the evening rain produced this image.   No umbrella for me, but well worth getting wet for!

Laura & John

I really enjoy winter weddings.  Yes, the weather can be a challenge, but the events are often cosy and the light can be lovely to work with.

Laura & John got married between Christmas and the New Year, giving them even more to celebrate between the holidays.

The bride, her bridesmaids and flower girls all got ready at the Fermain Hotel.  The scene was busy, but everything got done calmly and in plenty of time.

 John got ready at home, he opened an especially beautiful present from his wife to be.

We all had to run through extremely heavy rain to get to the Church of Scotland for the ceremony.  Seth kept everyone entertained as they waited in the porch.

Father and bride seemed nicely relaxed and enjoyed a good laugh just before walking up the aisle.

 We all enjoyed a good humoured ceremony from Reverend Beebee.

The sun was shining as we exited the church!

As soon as we got to The Venue for the reception we took the opportunity for a few pictures in the garden before the rain started again.

Lorraine and her crew at The Wedding Fairy had done a superb job of decorating the dining room for the wedding.

After the meal and the speeches there was plenty of time for people to have a chat before the evening entertainment started.

We had a bit of fun outside taking some pictures, I particularly liked the below image as it shows the benefits of doing things a bit unconventionally.

 As soon as the first dance was over the doors were slid open and the Bandits treated us to a few hours of great music.

 Another delightful winter wedding.

Annabel & Arron

We've had some pretty rough weather over the Christmas holidays.  If you are getting married and it is pouring with rain and blowing a force 9 gale what do you do?  The answer is to have the biggest, most sparkly smile possible all day long!  This is exactly what Annabel and Arron did and everyone had such a great time.

Arron's hair took a lot of effort to get just right, the bestman's duties are many and varied!

 The wind and rain made for an interesting walk for the bride from the car to the church.

 Arron looked very relaxed as Annabel battled the conditions to the church door.

 We had a beautiful ceremony, it was nice to be able to use some of the seasonal decorations to find some different compositions.

 Strange very few people waited around to throw confetti on the happy couple.

 Once at La Grande Mare Hotel for the reception, we took the opportunity to use more Christmas decorations for some pictures.  Stopping for some outdoor photographs on the journey from the church was certainly out of question due to the conditions.

 Once the couple entered the dining room it was straight into the speeches, these got great reactions.

 The first dance was a very touching moment, Annabel's sisters were not the only ones with tears in their eyes!

 Annabel and Arron are there somewhere...

What a truly great day everyone had, quite fitting for such a happy couple.

Lucy & Darren

November can be as good a time to get married as any.  Lucy and Darren had a lovely day recently with perfect conditions.

Lucy got ready at the Duke of Richmond Hotel, where the reception was to be held later.  In fact she was busy first thing in the morning re-arranging tables and putting in place some decorations!  The dress was quite special and had some gorgeous embroidery.

 The joke was that Lucy was unlikely to be parted from her jeans, even on her wedding day.   Well this was correct and she made a point of wearing them!

 

 Meanwhile Darren had a less hectic start to his day.  The groomsmen fitted in a drink before making their way to St. Sampson's Church.

 No normal wedding car for this bride!

 The three page boys were pretty eager to begin their walk up the aisle, Lucy was given away by her brother.

 After the ceremony we visited Lucy's Gran before going on to the reception.

 Not quite sure how we managed to get this lively lot to stay still long enough for this picture.

 Each guest had a hand made duck as a place setting, someone had spent a huge amount of time and effort.  The cake was also a labour of love by Darren's mum, depicting the couple's keenness of snowboarding.

 Speeches were started off in great fashion by Grandpa.

 Tristan, the best man, had a very entertaining slideshow telling the story of Darren's life.

 Soon it was evening, time for the cake cutting with a row of intrigued little onlookers.

 The same crowd then became an integral part of the first dance.

 Eventually the adults took over the dance floor and there was a great deal of energetic activity for the next few hours.

 This was a special day for a special couple.

Kerry & Jonathan

Kerry & Jon had a wonderful wedding day the other weekend.  Their family and friends were obviously people who really knew how to have a great time.

One of Kerry's bridesmaids, Emma, was kept busy during the preparations as she also did Kerry's make up.

 With six bridesmaids, there was plenty going on as everyone got themselves ready.

 Jon arrived at the Vale Church with son Bradley.

 Just as well the rings were firmly tied onto the cushion!

 Kerry's mother gave her away, with two best men the front of the church was fairly crowded.

 Someone didn't look that interested in the proceedings...

 A liberal application of holy water during the blessing of the rings, made for a hilarious moment.

 We made use of some of Guernsey's beautiful scenery in lovely autumnal light as we made our way to La Grande Mare Hotel for the reception.

 Face painting occupied the children before the speeches and meal. Cara loved her butterfly design.

 The cake was lovingly crafted and largely consisted of rice krispies!  Very effective.

 We took a few pictures outside after the meal and then it was into the dancing.

 

 Once people got going it was a pretty wild time throughout the rest of the night.

Everyone certainly had a great day.

Martine & Patrick

What a day this was!  My final wedding of a very busy September.

Under ominous skies, the groomsmen all met early for a swim at Vazon before a fried breakfast at the cafe.

 The dip didn't last long...

 Meanwhile Martine and her bridesmaids were all rather busy.  Davina did an amazing job on Martine's hair.

 Those ominous skies from earlier had given us some extremely heavy showers.  Somehow we dodged the worst of them all day, being able to walk up to the Vale Church just before more heavy rain.

 Gavin, the bride's brother, proudly walked his sister up the aisle.

  Ruairi, the best man, almost lost the rings handing them over, then got a liberal spraying of holy water!  Reverend Northover was in great form and everyone laughed a lot.

 Somehow we again missed the worst rain on leaving the church and for our brief photo stop at L'Ancresse.

 The reception was at the Duke of Richmond Hotel.  After some family group shots, there was time for the couple to mingle with guests before the meal opened with the speeches.

 Gavin's speech was wonderfully touching and heartfelt.

 The best man kept us thoroughly amused, simultaneously recording his own speech with a headmounted video camera!

 The dancing started off with a jazz band who then handed over to a DJ.

 It was pretty frantic for the rest of the night with the DJ completing his set with noise that was fit to dislocate your ribs!

 I just had to share this image we took in the evening, taking the opportunity to make the most of some more rain.

Victoria & Stuart

The harbour is an unusual place to start the coverage for a wedding, but most of Stuart's groomsmen have a strong affiliation with the sea and a rib trip was their ideal preparation.

 Back at home Vicky, her bridesmaids and daughters were having a bit of fun as they got ready.

It wasn't far to the Castel Church for the ceremony and Vicky's brother gave her away.

 The first hymn was started off in a particularly sweet fashion.

 Reverend Baskerville stood in to perform the marriage, he gave a beautiful ceremony in his amiable style.

 Afterwards we all made our way to the Duke of Richmond hotel for the reception.

 Speeches preceded the meal and provided plenty of laughter.

 Gary, the best man, was in great form for his speech.

 City Limits proved once again why they are such a popular band, playing to a packed floor from the first dance right through to midnight.

 The bouquet toss took four goes before it was finally caught, leaving the floor showered in rose petals.

  Nice to see some young talent coming through on the musical scene!

A wonderful day, have a great time away Vicky & Stuart.

Kerrie & Adam

Kerrie & Adam's wedding took place in a couple of Guernsey's most photogenic locations, Sausmarez Manor and the Bon Port Hotel.  Until a bit of mist drifted in later in the day we all sweltered on what must have been one of the hottest days of the year.

This character was completely unfazed by the preparations going on at home, or by the heat.

 Adam and his groomsmen arrived at the Manor, put on their button holes and awaited for everyone else to arrive.

 The intense sun shining into the dark interior gave some dramatic if difficult to work with light.

After the ceremony everyone gathered on the lawn for family photographs and people were ferried to the reception by minibus.

 After the last bus had departed we were left in peace to take a few pictures of Kerrie & Adam in the gardens before making our way to the Bon Port Hotel for the reception.

 Speeches were short and sweet, with some very heartfelt words by Adam about his wife.

 As night fell it was time for the atmosphere to change and also for the level of activity to move up a gear.

 A lovely end to a great day.

Daniella & Richard

Another lovely wedding, Daniella & Richard got married at Castel Church with their reception at The Venue.  The morning preparations were to a tight schedule, but everything went well and we were all perfectly on time.

Seth, the page boy, had plenty to keep him occupied and seemed to be able to do press ups as well as use an iPad at the same time!

 Daniella looked stunning.  We had a long drive to the church with roadworks and traffic to contend with, but everyone arrived in good time.

 Seth and Ellie were little stars as page boy and flower girl, though it seems Ellie kept a close eye on Seth!

 The Venue was decorated beautifully and the weather was just right for people to enjoy themselves outdoors before coming in for the speeches and meal.

 No doubt about who's boss here!

 The bouquet toss was keenly contested and had a highly amusing outcome.

 City Limits treated us to another great performance right from the first to last dance, a hard working and talented group.

 It is always a pleasure to see so many people enjoying themselves so thoroughly.

Perseids Meteor Shower

I rarely post anything but wedding related work on this site, but you may be interested in this little video.  With some clear skies last night I was keen to see the Perseids.  You can see a few meteors in this short time lapse:-

Low quality to keep the file size down.  Short too, but with our weather you have to grab every opportunity you can to see events like this.  Not long after half past midnight the cloud moved in and it was time to go in.

Let's see if tonight brings clear enough skies.

OK here's a longer version from about 10 pm on the 12th to 4:30 am on the 13th.  Complete with the passage of the International Space Station about 16 seconds in.  On the full resolution version it is quite amazing how many shooting stars there were.  Six and a half hours condensed to 2 minutes:-

Samantha & William

This wedding was held in the most perfect weather, in the most idyllic location.  It was a busy morning as I started off covering the groomsmen plus a fair few extra people having a swim, followed by seeing Sam at Envy the hairdressers.  Fortunately all events were a short distance apart in St. Martins.

  There was a great reaction when Sam walked down the stairs to be seen in her dress for the first time.

 It wasn't far to go to St. Martins church where Will looked pretty cool and collected.

 Reverend Trickey conducted the service.  We were treated to the beautiful singing of the choir Johnny's Angels.

 After the ceremony, another short journey took us to the cliff top location for the reception.  The views were just breathtaking.

 It was a bit of a garden party atmosphere at times.

 Inside the marquee things looked spectacular.  Will's mum had made hundreds of meters of bunting!

 Dad's jokes were pretty good.

 Stuart, the best man, kept us all entertained.  It is surprising what can be learnt about people at a wedding!

 The Barley Dogs soon got into the their usual swing, keeping the dance floor heaving for their sets before the DJ took over.  In fact the rest of the day was a bit wild!

 Even such a great day had to come to an end eventually.  Enjoy your distant honeymoon Sam and WIll.

Stephanie & Rob

Stephanie & Rob booked me a long time before their wedding and a lot happened leading up to their wedding.  Most notably the arrival of their their daughter Gracie.

 Gracie is such a sweet baby that there was no shortage of people keen to look after her during the day.

 Rob's speech seemed to be left quite late.

The orders of service were distinctive.

 Yanis and Gracie waited for the arrival of the bride, Rob was in good spirits.

 After the ceremony we stopped off briefly for some pictures with some very ominous weather approaching fast.

 The reception was at the Farmhouse Hotel, beautifully decorated for the wedding.

 As you may guess from the cake figurines, Rob is a very keen cricketer.

 That weather soon caught up with us, leaving some groups of guests marooned out in the garden by the extremely heavy rain.  But with the call to dinner made, they had to make the sprint.

 The page boy did a splendid job of announcing the entrance of the bride and groom.

 Wonder if Rob now thinks it was a mistake making his brother one of the best men?!

 After the cake cutting, someone quietly replicated the event!

 Soon it was time for the dancing as night approached.

 A few found the pool irresistible, we'll keep the full length bikini shot for the private gallery!

 I'll finish off this post with a very appropriate tag left on the wedding tree.