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.

Jeremy & Jen - a touching proposal story

We covered a great story last Sunday.  Jeremy had spent many weeks planning his big proposal.
Remarkably neither couple are local and while Jeremy has friends here this was Jen's first visit to Guernsey.  While on a cruise the ship was due to stop over for a day in Guernsey and Jeremy had made elaborate plans.

He had appealed for local volunteers and it was wonderful to see a good group of people give up some of their own time to be involved.

The plan started with a picnic hidden on the cliff top above Petit Port bay.

As soon as the tide was low enough the team got to work.  Neap tides meant that there wasn't much time to get the message done, just enough beach was available as the tide dropped.

 A bit of cliff top direction ensured the main message was put in the right place.

 On the beach itself it was a busy time as seaweed was cleared.  Measurements and guides were made before the sand was raked to make the message itself.

The friendly side of our island was much in evidence, where else would you get such a team volunteering for a couple no-one had met?

 With the message completed the wait was on for Jeremy and Jen to arrive on the cliff top overlooking the beach.

 The big question approached!

 Absolutely to within a minute of the expected time Jeremy led a blindfolded Jen into view on the cliff path, before she removed the blindfold to see the message.  She was taken totally by surprise.

 Of course she said yes!  The now engaged couple spent a while together and then the boat for the second part of the plan came into view.

 After descending the steps to Petit Port Jen soon wrote her reply in the sand and then they were taken off to nearby Saints Harbour for a barbecue prepared by Sueco.

 What an idyllic place to spent the rest of the afternoon and what a pleasure it was to be involved in such a touching story.

Chloe & Kyle

While each wedding has its unique aspects, every now and then one is totally different.  Such was the case with Chloe and Kyle's wedding.  A huge amount of work was involved to make things like 1,000 origami cranes and many pom poms.  These were all hung in St. James where both the ceremony and reception were held.

I got the sense of style for this wedding as soon as I saw Chloe's shoes.

 Kyle got ready at home with his groomsmen and cats.

 He had received a rather special gift from his bride to be, a personal letter from Arsene Wenger!

 Even Chloe's transport was unusual, a beautifully restored Ford Anglia.

 Chloe was escorted up the aisle by her sister and maid of honour.

 After the ceremony, we took some family pictures while guests enjoyed the sun and ice-creams.

 Personalised shoes included the wedding date and again made a splash of colour.

St. James looked quite spectacular.  A few changes had been made since the ceremony.  Not surprisingly speeches were unconventional, Chloe's sister started off and included a song.  Chloe herself gave a speech too.

Matt, the best man, presented Kyle with a couple of pots of noodles, together with an amusing story.

 What a beautiful backdrop for the first dance.

Music plays a huge part in Chloe & Kyle's life, after the first dance we were treated to a couple of sets from the up and coming band Dealers Left.  They were fantastic and full of energy.  Thoroughly recommended.

This wedding was about a couple with a very personal style who certainly know how to enjoy themselves.

Claire & James

Few brides can be as excited to get into their wedding dress as Claire was, she was so excited and absolutely loved the dress.

 Both Claire and James got ready at the Bella Luce Hotel, being careful to avoid seeing each other in the morning.

 The ceremony took place at St. Saviours Church, James was in a jovial mood, but only he knows what was going through his mind as Claire walked up the aisle.

 Reverend Charmley conducted a touching ceremony.

 We were greeted by a strong wind outside the church, the veil didn't stay put for long!

 Then it was back to the Bella Luce for the reception.  The marquee can only be described as exquisite, both inside and outside.

 The red carpet and avenue of shrubbery made a grand entrance.

 We had worked together on a stunning guest book for the couple in the months before the wedding, this proved a great talking point as guests signed or left messages for Claire and James.

 Speeches were before the meal and were just right, short and entertaining.

 Everyone moved into the hotel for the dancing.  The band had flown in from Manchester and were brilliant, keeping the dance floor packed all night.

I just had to share this picture too, taken earlier in the evening, making use of the marquee, the arches and the beautiful sky and moon.

Michelle & David

Michelle and David's wedding took place just over a week ago.  I knew a fair number of their guests from Lisa & Tom's wedding in June, so I was expecting it to be a rather vibrant day.

While Michelle started her day with the make up, David and his best man met for an early morning walk with their dogs.

 After the beach and getting changed, the next stop was the The Swan for a quick drink before a walk to St. James for the ceremony.

 Michelle was given away by her father.  The Greffier performed the legalities before Lorraine stood in to complete the humanist ceremony.

 With the reception at the OGH Hotel it was convenient to make the short trip to Candie Gardens for some pictures on the way from St. James.

 The Regency Room at the hotel is a grand place for a reception and it was beautifully decorated.

 Speeches can only be described as highly entertaining.

 The same description can be applied to the dancing.  After the couple's first dance, City Limits played a couple of great sets and kept the floor packed with action.

 As I mentioned at the beginning, I was expecting this to be an energetic day and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Have a lovely time away and hope you can log on to see this preview of your wedding pictures.

Fabienne & Jean-Pierre

Fabienne & J-P's wedding was one I had been looking forward to for a long time.  I had got to know Fabienne via her work at Karl Taylor Photography over many years, plus I had worked with the couple on a gorgeous guest book for the wedding.  I just knew their event would be full of character and fun.

I started off at the hairdressers, where Fabienne arrived with the incredible news that the marquee was not ready and couldn't be used for the wedding!  But this certainly wasn't going to spoil the day.

She got ready with her bridesmaids at her brother's house and there was plenty of time, even for a game of table football.

Jean-Pierre enjoyed a barbecue breakfast, the bacon was well done!

 St. Matthews was the church for the ceremony, the thick morning fog had cleared to an absolutely perfect blue sky.

 On the way to the Bon Port Hotel for the reception we stopped off at the park, where Fabienne & J-P had arranged a rendevous with their dog Roxy.

The weather certainly showed off the view at the Bon Port to best effect.

 The bouncy castle proved irresistible while the guests filed into the dining room!

 As mentioned above the couple were let down when the marquee was not ready in time.  But thanks to an absolutely amazing effort by the Bon Port staff and The Wedding Fairy the hotel was made ready in just a few frantic hours for the reception.  The result was beautiful and everyone was so appreciative with the efforts made.

 A lot of planning had paid off in the details, from the bunting to the pot of herbs grown specially for every single guest to take home.

 Fabienne's brother, Mark, gave her away and also started off the speeches.

 The rings were engraved with some sweet words, Fabienne's engagement ring is quite unique.

 We took advantage of the last rays of sunshine as we could see the fog was soon going to roll in again.

 First dances don't come much more spectacular than this, they needed the whole area of the dance floor and had obviously worked hard practising the routine.

 Knowing the couple and some of their guests it was no surprise that the dancing was so energetic.

 I was keen to use the fog to create a beautiful picture for the couple, this was one of the ideas I had in mind. 

Though the fog did cause delays to flights the next day, worrying for Fab & J-P as they travelled off to South America, also for myself as I went away for a meeting at the Royal Photographic Society in Bath.

I suspect Fab & J-P may take a while to see this blog, they will not have internet access on the Amazon river!

Lisa & Tom

Lisa & Tom got married at St. Matthew's Church, followed by a reception in Herm.  The weather was absolutely perfect and showed off our islands at their best to all those who travelled over for the wedding.

Lisa got ready at her parent's house and all were in great spirits with a relaxed mood.

 Tom and his groomsmen enjoyed a glass of champagne in the sun before making their way to the church.  Just a little hiccup when they had to return for the rings!

 A slightly pensive look from Tom as he awaited his beaming bride.

 Rowing is a huge part in the couple's life and this was evident with the guard of honour outside the church.  There is a lot of history associated with the oars used.

 As I mentioned Herm was at its best, we got a lift to the common for a few pictures, Jonathan skilfully got the buggy off the deep sand on the beach and then we joined all the guests in front of the White House Hotel for drinks before the meal.

 The interior of the marquee was splendid, with many detailed touches.  The nautical theme was evident in the decorations and table plan.  I thought I was pretty good at knots, but there were many on display new to me.

Tom got his speech out of the way prior to food being served, there were some touching moments, making me feel emotional as I edit the pictures.

 The first dance was an entertaining affair, Tom's moves were much applauded!

 As night fell the dancing errupted into frantic activity then it seemed all too soon we had to return on the boat back to Guernsey.  What an amazing day everyone had.

Alex & Jon

Alex & Jon had a beautiful wedding last weekend.   Alex's sister Sara was the bridesmaid and also did the bride's makeup.  The closeness of their relationship was apparent as they seemed to have a good laugh as they prepared.

 Everyone was ready in plenty of time, just a little bit of concern as the taxis didn't turn up as expected, but fortunately alternative arrangements worked out and we all got to the church in time.

 Reverend Denise Dekker at St. Andrew's Church gave a ceremony that was very personal and moving.  A beautiful and happy moment.

 It was cloudy and cold, but the rain stayed away and we got a few moments of sun as we left the church grounds.

 A few pictures in the gardens and then onto the Farmhouse Hotel for the reception.

 Alex's mum gave her away and led off the speeches.

 With two best men, we were not short of laughs.

Josh may have been the only child at the wedding, but he more than made up for that with his presence. 

Just before the first dance we took advantage of a brief gap in the clouds that provided some exciting lighting.

 There must be a message in this cake cutting picture!

Lively guests of all ages made for an action filled few hours of dancing.

The Bandits provided a couple of great sets during the evening, I thoroughly enjoyed their music.  Jon's dad used to play in a band and took over the drums for a few songs.  Apparently he hasn't played for over 15 years, but he seamlessly slotted back into his role to great appreciation.

 Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable day, which seemed to go all too quickly.

Cassandra & William

Cassy and William's wedding was a beautifully sunny day, in fact it seemed this was the day spring had finally arrived in Guernsey.

A nice relaxed morning where the make up was done at home.

Meanwhile the groomsmen seemed keen to check Will's shave before they made their way to St. Matthew's Church.

Rev. Stephen Bailey took a lovely ceremony, my first wedding at this church since he became rector earlier this year.  Then it was back out into the sun, we stopped off briefly at Vazon Bay on the way to the Farmhouse Hotel for the reception.

 The interior of the Farmhouse had been decorated beautifully, with lots of little personal touches. 

Three bestmen made for some great speeches, plus a quiz kept people well entertained.

All too soon it seemed the evening was upon us and after the cake cutting we took advantage of some nice sunset light before the couple put on an amazing first dance!

 The dance floor was busy for the whole night, everyone obviously having a great time.

Have a lovely time on honeymoon Cassy & Will, what a great wedding day you had.