Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Mel, when she got married to the amazingly happy Luke!

Anyway, I’ll be honest and up front, right from the start, I have never photographed a wedding at Quy Mill Hotel before, let alone photographed a wedding there! When Mel first spoke to me about their wedding, I had a look at the website and was thoroughly impressed with what I saw! It’s a beautiful venue, with stunning grounds. However, I should have known that it would be good, because Mel is one of the members of staff at the sublime Parklands, in North Essex. There was no way she was going to book a duff wedding venue!

Although I know Mel really well, I’ve only ever met her hubby (to be at that time) a handful of times. Luke is a lovely fella, but it never really struck me before today, that he also seems to be a very happy fella! He just smiles all the time, which is frankly, just brilliant as far as I’m concerned!

As ever, we started off with a few shots around the grounds of the venue, showing the day and the venue to its best, then I got a few photographs of the Groom and Best Man together. Although the grounds aren’t particularly large at The Cambridge Quy Mill Hotel, there are a few really beautiful little spots for some gorgeous photographs, which is perfect.

She looked gorgeous! I mean, really gorgeous! A great choice of wedding dress, hair and make up, spot on! Yes, Mel, if you’re reading, you’re a looker and Luke is a VERY lucky man!

Thankfully, not only did I have a gorgeous Bride, but the bridal room, while a little small, was a lovely warm place, with lots of natural light from the huge Georgian windows.

The only thing that caused a slight problem was that there seemed to be a lot of mirrors in the room! This meant I had to keep sending people in and out, otherwise they were reflected in the background… However, if that’s the worst thing you can say about a venue, I think that’s pretty damn good, in my opinion!

Mel also had the sweetest little bridesmaid, who was all shy and timid, but she had such a cute little face. She was a proper ‘little girl’ I just had to get a photograph…

Anyway, it wasn’t long before we all had to hustle downstairs for the wedding ceremony itself… Which takes place in the room where the water wheel is, which is set behind glass. Cool…

The registrars were great (I have had some bad registrars in Cambridge!) which is always good. Photography during the whole ceremony, provided no flash used. I can’t ask for more.

Look at him smile!

The ceremony was over all too soon, a great reading from a very young man who put his heart and soul into it and deserved the round of applause he got.

Unfortunately, while we were inside, the weather outside looked like it was taking a turn for the worse, with rain looming on the horizon. Thankfully, because Mel has seen this all before and wanted her wedding photographs outside, she piled outside and everybody came with her!

Everyone could see that the weather could turn at any minute, so the formal family photographs were over surprisingly quickly, which gave us plenty of time to get some great shots of Luke and Mel.

The Blossom was beautiful, and the formal area of the grounds were just amazing. I really wish we could have had blue skies and sunshine for Mels day, but honestly, even overcast the grounds were lovely.

See, he’s at it again, he just can’t help himself, he just has a big ol’ smile on his face, all the time!

There were also a few spots at The Hotel that are pretty unique (and also, just pretty) Two spots in particular are the old front door to the hotel, which is actually now at the back of the hotel…

And the other is the bar area, which must have once upon a time been the main working area of the mill… A huge room, vaulted ceiling, lots of natural light, it was awesome… I just love rooms with this combination of old exposed timbers, but done up to modern standards… It really floats my boat!

The last thing to mention is the wonderful flowers which were made by none other than the fabulous Lauryn of Parklands, no… she’s not a florist, but one of the fronts of house, but she did a stunning job, and they really complimented Mels vintage theme. Take a look:

So, to sum up, awesome day, awesome people (but I already knew that!) and a surprisingly awesome venue! If you’re looking to get married in the Cambridgeshire are, it’s really worth a look,  I doubt you’ll be disappointed…

PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

Just a very quick one from my wedding last week aboard the Thistle Thames Barge…

All I can say thank the lord!

It rained alllll the way to the brides house, then stopped.

It rained all the way from the brides house to the ceremony, then stopped.

It rained all the way from the ceremony to the barge, then the rain stopped and the sun came out!

I am the luckiest photographer alive, let me tell you!

Seriously, it was beautiful having the wedding reception aboard a Thames barge, and we got some amazing photographs… Especially with the beautiful sunshine and heavy strom clouds in the background…

Congratulations Laura & Dayne, it was great fun…

PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

So, this week I attended a wedding at two locations in Essex that I had never photographed before!

The first location was the Chapel at Felsted school, Felsted Essex and the second was at the White Hart Hotel in Coggeshall, Essex.

I started at the White Hart to get the final prep shots of the beautiful Bride Joana. She looked stunning! I’d met Joana at her Brother in Laws wedding, a year or so ago, where she told me about an amazing dress that she was planning on buying. However, much like a lot of wedding plans, a year down the line, she’d changed her mind, I have to say though her new dress design was STUNNING and was really elegant!

Despite her protestations that the choker made her feel like a dog on a lead, the whole thing worked amazingly! Just check her out in these pictures!

Isn’t she pretty? Cheeky smile too… (she’s cheeky!)

Beautiful back detail in the bow. Don’t ask about the bow, it took a lot of attempts to get it looking like this, but it was worth it!

The whole dress… Stunning…

I have to say I also adored her choice in roses was stunning, I think they might be tea roses, but I’m not 100% Anyway, the colours were just brilliant, green, through yellow, and purple… The Diamantés set it off nicely too…

Check out the Bridesmaids shoes too, they were so cool!

I have to say, although The White Hart Coggeshall doesn’t have any grounds for photographs, they do have a few lovely spots inside, for photographs, which are very nice indeed!

Anyway, it was soon time to move onto Felsted School chapel… It’s a beautiful building, both inside and outside, and it’s another rarity for me, because I’ve never covered a wedding here… That’s two in on day!

The car was beautiful too, a fabulous Rolls Royce Silver Ghost in black. I know that white or cream is a more usual colour for a wedding, but I have to say, it looked good in black! Perhaps it’s just different from the norm, that makes it seem a bit more interesting…

The Vicar at Felsted school chapel was lovely, at was happy for photography inside, during the wedding service, provided there was no flash. It’s lovely when you can get to the front of the church and get some shots during the wedding vows…

… and of course their first kiss! Ahhhhhhh.

I loved this chapel, it was really clean and fresh, with some beautiful colours… always makes a difference to the photographs when there’s lots of natural light and a bit of colour…

The grounds of the chapel are just perfect for the photograph session, after the service (Just as an aside, I think the interior of the chapel would be lovely in bad weather too, if you’re thinking about it!)

Just a perfect family group photograph, with a little sunshine from behind, and a beautiful blossom tree in the background!

Check out the shoes again, so cool! I think I’m going to have to get some converse all stars!

That is just a perfect spot for wedding photographs… and a beautiful Bride too…

The Bride and Groom, with those amazing flowers!

Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of grounds at The White Hart, but the room interiors are lovely, which makes for some amazing internal photographs…

However, just down the road is a beautiful spot for some fabulous photographs, all it takes is a bit of a sunset and you can still get some beautiful wedding pictures here!

It was lovely day, and of course, best wishes to Joana and John, you guys deserve the very best! I really enjoyed our day, it was great fun…
PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

I had the pleasure of photographing an amazing wedding at Leez Priory this weekend.

Leez Priory is one of my top favourite wedding venues in Essex. The building is beautiful, the grounds are beautiful and if you get a lovely day, it’s just an unbeatable venue to get married in…

This particular wedding came in last minute and Deborah knew exactly what she wanted from her photography, which I was more than happy to do for her!

If you are thinking of getting married at Leez, don’t hesitate, it’s a stunning venue with so many amazing photographic opportunities.

PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

I had a lovely wedding at All Saints Church on the High Street at Maldon, followed by a reception at Vaulty Manor.

I have to be honest, weddings at All Saints are a rarity, which is a shame, because this is a beautiful church…

Thankfully, the rain just about held off for us, but sadly, it was just too windy to get down to the Prom in maldon for a few photographs by the water, which would have been lovely…

Matt didn’t look too bad, a little nervous, and the poor guy had cut himslef shaving! A bit of photoshop work though, and you just can’t tell…

I have to say his poor best man Tyler, was more nervous than the groom!

At the end of the day though, if you get married in the UK, unfortunately you’re subject to weather and thankfully, these guys had realised that and booked the venues with the most amazing interiors they could find!

I always, always tell people when they’re looking to book a venue, “I know you don’t want to think about it, but you HAVE to consider what you’re going to do if it rains…”

The ceremony was taken by a lovely female vicar called Jo, who had short spiky red hair, needless to say, I took to her immediately! You can just see her peeking out from behind the Bride and Groom.

Actually, all the people I met at All Saints were really lovely and helpful, Which is lovely.

Rebecca looked amazing in her dress, with (fake) fur wrap, a very demure bride, with a very pretty smile! She has a very ‘classic beauty’ look, which is very rare these days.

So all in all, we had a great day! It would have been perfect if the weather had been slightly better, but frankly, it would have been a lot, lot worse, if it had poured with rain, which is what it was threatening to do!

Once again, I can’t stress enough the importance of having a venue that has a few options in inclement weather.

Vaulty Manor is perfect because the interior is so beautiful, that it makes a great photographic location, in it’s own right, with plenty of space and light.

I love the place!

PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

So, it’s that time of year again, yes SPRING is in the air and that means lovely, blossom is on the trees at Boreham House

I photographed Gemma & Andys wedding at Boreham last weekend and let me tell you Boreham was looking stunning.

Wedding ceremony took place at All Saints Church in Springfield and thankfully, the rain held off for us all day…

If you get a chance to swing by at Boreham House and see the beautiful blossom trees and the lake, it’s well and truly worth it, trust me!

PK

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

A beautiful wedding photography session, which I covered at Down Hall Country Hotel.

Down Hall is, in my opinion one of the top wedding venues in Hertfrdshire and well worth a visit, if you’re thinking of getting married in the area…

Obviously, give me a call for your photography!

PK

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

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Down Hall Hotel is one of England’s most established country house hotels. Located in Hatfield Heath, near Bishop’s Stortford on the Hertfordshire and Essex border, Down Hall is 45 minutes from central London and also ideally located near Stansted Airport.Dating back to 1322, this impressive Italianate mansion is an historic setting. The hotel’s luxury interiors, ornate ceilings and abundance of natural daylight make for an experience like no other.Take time to wander the 110 acres of surrounding woodland, parkland and landscaped gardens or sample traditional English Afternoon Tea in front of the roaring log fire. Why not enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner in The Grill Room restaurant, serving modern English cooking prepared with fresh ingredients from our own vegetable garden?A historic Country House, situated in the breathtaking beauty of the Hertfordshire/Essex countryside, providing an exquisite backdrop for your special day… Down Hall is the place where your dreams are turned into perfect reality.Dating back to 1540, Down Hall has a wonderful array of rooms and suites to host the most intimate of ceremonies, luxury wedding breakfasts and stunning receptions, most with panoramic views over our beautiful gardens.Our Chef and his team have created the most exquisite menus for your special occasion, using the freshest and finest ingredients either from our own vegetable garden or locally sourced produce, complimented by outstanding personal service from our staff.Our dedicated Wedding Co-ordinators will guide through your arrangements from the very first time you contact us, to the moment you take your vows. Every detail is taken care of and they come equipped with lists of recommended suppliers, creative ideas and years of valuable experience to help make your wedding day everything you could have ever dreamed of and more.Our different wedding reception rooms can cater for parties of different sizes, with our largest room holding 200 guests and our smallest 32. Large windows provide a dramatic outlook onto our landscaped Hertfordshire gardens, creating the perfect backdrop for live music performances and dancing following your first dinner with guests as husband and wife.For more information about planning your Wedding Day at Down Hall, please contact our Wedding Co-ordinators onLocated just 15 minutes from London Stansted Airport and 45 minutes from central London, Down Hall is ideal for wedding guests arriving from national or international locations.

Had a lovely wedding at the weekend, at Furze Hill in Margaretting.

Terri and Chris are friends of ours and it was lovely to be their to cover their wedding.

Furze Hill is fabulous and looks amazing in the snow! It’s certainly changed a lot since I was last there, but the grounds have always been really beautiful.

I still really love the Orangery though, especially with the grapevine growing up through it, it makes the room really special, especially in spring.

I really enjoy Furze Hill, the staff are lovely and it’s a great spot to get married, and of course a lovely place for some great wedding photographs!

Before I sign off, take a quick look at Chris’ ring. He’s a specialist cleaner and had his ring made out of toughened glass! That’s a new one on me…

PK.

If you’re interested in our services, please contact me! or fill out the form on our prices page. I promise, I won’t hassle you, add your details to any dubious list or anything like that. Absolutely NO hard sell…

Just finished an amazing little wedding at Greenwood Hotel and Spa near Stock in Billericay.

Its been a number of years since I was last there and I have to say the place still has a certain charm. The grounds in particular are very pleasant, even on a freezing cold day!

Thankfully though, we were blessed with some gorgeous sunshine for todays wedding, which more than made up for the cold…

Now, when I say this was a little wedding, I mean it was a little wedding. 11 people in total, which for me is a record. Before that the smallest number was 18.

However, a small number of people doesn’t mean that the wedding wasn’t still fun, the guests were all great, lovely people and Doreen and Steven seemed to enjoy themselves.

I loved the relaxed, informal atmosphere and afternoon tea is a winner.

This is now the second wedding I’ve covered where the traditional fair has been replaced by tea, sandwiches and cakes, and I have to say I like it

I think that we’ll be seeing a lot more weddings coming up at Greenwoods over the next couple of years, and that’s great, because the venue and the grounds are perfect!

PK.