Zoe & Adam | Danesfield House Wedding Photography

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Zoe and Adam got married today at beautiful Danesfield House near Marlow in Buckinghamshire. It was one of those days where the weather could have gone either way but I was so pleased for the couple that the afternoon was bright and the rain held off. The Versailles room at Danesfield is a wonderful wedding  location and the big windows down one side of the room illuminate the ceremony beautifully. The reception was on the terrace which is a lovely part of the hotel, perfect for mingling with the family and friends prior to the meal.

Zoe and Adam were great to work with – what a photogenic couple eh?

I really enjoyed photographing the wedding and can’t wait to show Zoe and Adam the finished results when they return from honeymoon in Hawaii. In the meantime here are a few images that jumped out at me when I checked through the photographs last night.

 

Some pre-ceremony photographs – always fun to do and it’s nice that the couple can see a little of each others morning.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

 

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

I love the backlighting in this photograph as Zoe’s mum watches her makeup preparation.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Just a little relaxation before the ceremony.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

rorrim eht ni eoZ

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Adam and his dad (L) and the beautiful bride, ready to go (R)

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Adam and Davy get their pre-match briefing in the Versailles Room .

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Last minute advice from Dad :)

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

I love the look on Zoe’s face during the wedding ceremony.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Shiny new wedding ring.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

On the way to the reception on the terrace

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Some favourite photographs of the bride and groom.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Danesfield House has great views down the river from the bottom of the gardens.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

After the wedding meal Zoe’s dad opens the speeches.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Adam in full flow.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Cutting the cake.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

Some favourites from the post-dinner reception.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

First dance time.

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

I hope Hawaii is brilliant Zoe and Adam, see you when you get back :)

Fee and Pete | Hannington, Hampshire Wedding

Saturday saw me at Fee and Pete’s lovely wedding in the little Hampshire village of  Hannington, not far from Basingstoke. The day was crisp and clear, a little cool but pretty much perfect for the day as Fee had planned to walk from home to the church. The reception was held in Fee’s parent’s garden, a magnificent marquee was set up and beautifully decorated. The day was a great success, everything seemed to go very smoothly and the bride and groom and their families made me feel very welcome. As usual, here are a few favourite photographs from the day so far. If you would like to know when the rest are available for online viewing drop me a line and I will let you know. Comments (click the link at the bottom of this post) welcome as always.

I started the day documenting the bridal preparations at home.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Fiona and the girls.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Time to get the dress on.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Fee’s mum sees the dress for the first time.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

All Saints Church Hannington on a picture postcard day.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Pete arrives at the church.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

A simple classic portrait of the groom.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Fee arrives at the church.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Ambushed by  a small child :)

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Village weddings are lovely when the bride and groom can walk from the church to the reception.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

This image taken as all the guests had left the garden reception and headed into the marquee for the meal. Weddings can be a bit of a whirlwind for the bride and groom and it’s lovely to see them steal a few minutes for themselves. I like the depth in this photograph as well – the deserted chairs. The long shadows tell you it’s taken towards the end of the day as well.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
The wedding wellies – essential for off-road brides.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Following the guests into the marquee for the wedding breakfast.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

The marquee was beautifully decorated. It looked fantastic and had wonderful views.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

A last minute confetti throw

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Pete and Fee were waiting outside the marquee for a few minutes whilst the guests were seated. I love this little sequence of images.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Speech time.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

When your father-in-law laughs at your jokes, you know you’re doing well.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Speeding puddings.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

A photograph taken between the courses. The cake looked great.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

The band starts and the dancefloor fills.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

Thanks again Pete and Fee, I hope you have a fantastic honeymoon and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Wedding photos at marquee wedding hannington wedding photography  by Simon Kemp

peter bryan - May 15, 2012 - 11:54 pm

Hi Simon

Just had our first glimpse of your blog and our big day.

WOW!!! You’ve got some amazing shots on here and we are so so pleased that we chose you. Thanks for being so good at your job and for not being the intimidating wedding photographer that every bride and groom fears!!

Jamaica is more than we could have hoped for so it truly matches our wedding.

Can’t wait to see the rest of the photos when we get back – we’re both so excited to see them all.

Thanks again
Pete and Fee

Cheap Wedding Photography

It’s not often I post these kind of sentiments because I’d much rather be positive and upbeat in my blog posts but I had a conversation this morning with yet another tearful bride devastated by the results delivered to her by her £500 wedding photographer.

I’ve had the question more than a few times now – “my photographs are dreadful – there is so much missing – is there anything you can do with them in Photoshop?” Sadly the answer is always no – garbage in – garbage out and all that. I sympathised with the bride that it’s all too easy to economise on things in the run up to the wedding (when your bank account is emptying faster than Bondi Beach during a shark attack).

It’s also all too easy to forget that the photographs will have their greatest resonance decades after the wedding (trust me, I speak from experience here). It’s also easy, if you don’t think about it too much, to forget that there is a gulf between inexperienced snappers making a few extra quid on the weekend and established professional photographers who take their vocation very seriously indeed. It’s very wise investment in my view to put a little bit more money into the photography. Averaged out over the sixty or so years after your wedding it works out pretty cheaply :)

Wedding photos at  by Simon Kemp

The situation reminds of the story I heard of the hairdresser who loved his job, was the best hairdresser in town and took great pride in his work. He was quickly being put out of business by new cheap, five dollar hair cut salons that were springing all up around him. He simply could not compete, even if he did drop his price to $5 which made him feel sick to think about. After a few days trying to come up with a solution and pondering various ideas he woke up one morning with a smile and went to work.

His business started to rapidly grow and very quickly he was back on track. In the hair salon window he had put up a sign, it read:

‘We fix five dollar haircuts’.

To state the obvious, there are no re-do’s with your wedding photography – you have to hire somebody who knows what they’re doing, right from the start. Someone who has seen everything that can happen on a wedding day and work around it. Bad weather, pitch darkness, cameras that break down (it happens), timings that go rapidly wrong, wedding emergencies of all kinds – these are the things and established professional will take in his or her stride and still deliver. Speak to friends, find out what they thought about their weddings. See at least 3 photographers, ask awkward questions.

Find someone you can work with on the day and someone you have confidence in delivering the photographs that you will come to treasure when you are old and when your babies have grown up and flown the nest. Find someone who can tell the story of your day in images so that if you show them to someone who wasn’t there – they feel as if they had attended the big day and shared the joy and happiness, the tears and the the love, the conversation, the socialising and the excitement of the wedding day.

Thanks for reading. Comments as always are welcome.

Crooked Billet Stoke Row Wedding Photography | S & C

Siann and Chris got married today, a beautiful spring wedding at St. Peter’s Church in Caversham. The reception was at the Crooked Billet pub in Stoke Row, north of Reading. Siann, Chris and all the family and friends were great to be with on the day. Everyone had great fun and the weather was brilliant. Here are some favourite photographs from the wedding.

 

The beautiful bouquets.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

North Street Caversham – Siann and Mum!

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Andy get his tie sorted.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Baby Pippa raring to go.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

A few finishing touches…

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

…and it’s off to St. Peter’s Church in Caversham.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

The groom in the pub. Well, it’s traditional isn’t it?

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Chris and the boys on the mean streets of Caversham.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Shiny brand new wedding rings.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

A portrait of the groom.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

A small wedding guest.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

FOG (Father of the Groom)

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Siann and her Dad arrive at the Church in this beautiful red MG.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

No turning back now :)

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Never miss a quick opportunity for a snog…

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

I love baby Pippa peeking out from between the bride and groom!

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

And it’s off to the lovely Crooked Billet pub in Stoke Row for the wedding reception.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Some favourite photographs of the bride and groom.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
A few wedding reception photographs that caught my eye.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

I love this photograph, shot into one of the mirrors in the pub dining room. I am a fan of images that have different things going on in the foreground and background.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Chris works the crowd.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Best Man Charlie in full swing against the setting sun.

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp
Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

The boys!

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Off into the sunset :)

Wedding photos at St. Peters Church Caversham  by Simon Kemp

Thanks again Chris and Siann, have a great honeymoon!

Wedding Supplier Spotlight | Beau Events Chair Covers

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp
For this post – another in my occasional series wedding supplier spotlights – I am pleased to write about Beau Events located just outside of Reading. Beau Events is a specialist chair cover and table dressing company that’s been established for a few years now and does a superb job of transforming your wedding reception. I’ve seen many wedding reception table setups in my time and it’s really quite striking the difference that well fitted chair covers can make, particularly if they are accompanied by coordinating sashes, table dressing and other decorative touches. Visually, these are of course very influential when you first enter the wedding meal room and the right choices can literally take people’s breath away when they walk in.

Just recently I visited their office in Swallowfield to meet with Fiona and Mark who run the company and talk about some of their recent work and what they are doing this year. Amongst other things I was surprised to learn there are about 8 different ways to tie a bow :) and that you can choose from over 200 stock colours of fabric.

Mark and Fi have an almost obsessive attention to detail. I was interested to see how they  cut and hem the fabric in their workshop to ensure everything is lined up correctly and how the fabrics are assembled to sit correctly on the furniture at the wedding reception. On the wedding day, the Beau Events team will swing into action with military precision and transport your finished covers and accessories to avoid creasing and crumpling. Everything is installed in good time for the wedding meal (definitely no last minute panics) and throughout the whole process they liaise with you to make sure you are happy with your choices and the way everything is set up.

 

 

Fiona and Mark from Beau Events.

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp

A ludicrous amount of colours are available off the shelf and failing that, Beau Events will custom manufacture your chair covers and sashes for you.

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp

Mark in the workshop cutting fabric for an Olympics themed dinner celebration. You can see just some of the stock behind him on the shelves.

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp

Fiona in the storeroom with hundreds more fabrics

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp

A couple of photographs of the workshop, Mark (L) cuts the fabric on a custom made guide table which ensures straight, parallel lines. Margaret (R) the Beau Events seamstress hard at work.

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp
It goes without saying that I can wholeheartedly recommend Beau Events to you for your wedding. Click here to visit their website or give Fi or Mark a call on 0118 9885655.

Wedding photos at wedding chair covers  by Simon Kemp