Category: Featured

Helen & James’ Devon seaside wedding with an ocean sunset

You might remember Helen and James from their bluebell woods engagement shoot. I was certainly looking forward to seeing

Helen got ready at The Paddocks, on the Ocean Kave site before making her way to the church in Instow, Helen’s childhood home. I whisked Helen and James off for some pictures by the Ocean – it was a very typical English summer but the moody grey skies gave a very atmospheric feel to the images (I love them!) The reception was at Pier House at Westward Ho! (the only place name in the UK with an exclamation mark in it) briefly interrupted by sparklers and a surprise glorious sunset just as the sun dipped into the ocean, after which the fun when on late into the evening with a ceilidh…

Congratulations Helen and James!

21 Aug ’15
Cherry & Duncan’s epic wedding full of fun – with added trampolining action!

Finally, I’m able to blog this epic wedding, so epic they couldn’t fit it all into one day!

You might remember their mammoth pre-wedding shoot – brimful of happiness and fun. Well, they had a wedding to match. Cherry, Duncan and their families are all active members of the church as well as the Chinese community. Friends and family travelled from all over the world (from Vancouver to Hong Kong) to witness their union. A rare chance for the bridal party to be together, they hired a house together and the wedding was in fact, just part of a week of fun activities that they had planned!

This wedding was a combination of both a traditional Chinese and a church wedding. Chinese weddings start with traditional door games and tea ceremonies. The ceremony took place in the church that Cherry went to at school, then I moved on with the bridal party for some photos at a park near Cherry’s home before everyone congregated for the fabulous banquet at Water Sky.

It was a wonderful day with a great sense of community – everyone being so happy for Cherry and Duncan. They are a really fun couple and when they are around, laughter and smiles are never far away. I’m so happy I could be there to record their wedding for them.

It was such a big event, I’m going to start off by sharing some pictures of Cherry and Duncan so they’re not lost in the blogpost. Sit back and enjoy!

If you’re not familiar with Chinese weddings, proceedings are kicked off with a series of door games, where the bridal party issue challenges to the groomsmen. This is then followed by traditional tea ceremonies, where the couple serve tea to members of their family. The morning started off relatively serenely with Cherry gettting ready…

In the flat next door, friends and family were gathering to prepare for the door games and tea ceremony…

Some door games are kinder than others. Looks like mischief is afoot here…

The boys have arrived!!

And the games begin! How determined are these groomsmen to earn access to the bride?

Pretty determined it seems! First up…dance challenge 🙂

Next, the taste challenge…

Some being nicer than others. Luckily for Duncan, the groom was entitled to delegate to his groomsmen. I thought Duncan was pretty smart having so many ushers!

Yes, Duncan thought so too!

Third challenge – no hands allowed! Duncan’s brother Terence came all the way from Hong Kong to show everyone how it’s done…

Followed by this brilliantly photogenic round. I’ll let your imagination get to work on what this challenge was all about! Needless to say it needed his very closest friends (including his brothers Terence and Darren) to step up to the plate!

I should probably explain the next photo! This round involved snorting….pepper, it’s just pepper folks 🙂

Mmmmmm, that feels good!

And the penultimate challenge? It’s a Chinese wedding, it’s about the money of course…Duncan, how much do you think Cherry is worth?!

Having paid a suitably high sum of money for such a fabulous bride, Duncan earnt access to the house. He then had to answer a series of questions and finally…he earnt access to his bride. And doesn’t he look happy about it?

But it doesn’t end there! Next….tea ceremony, where the couple kneel and serve tea to their elders. Their offerings are returned with gifts of money and jewellery and blessings for their future together.

Despite all that bling, the limelight was still stolen by Cherry’s newborn nephew

A whole new day. And all is calm…

The veil was handmade by Cherry’s friend. Amazing!

Meanwhile, over with the boys…

Uh-oh, cufflink down! Glue gun to the rescue…

All sorted!

The wedding took place in the church that Cherry went to when she was at school…

This was a super cute idea…guests signed and wrote messages on little wooden hearts which were dropped into a frame

Contender for biggest group photo ever

Despite the rain, the bridal party rocked it at this playground

Yes, Cherry climbed up onto the fort in her dress. Respect!

Then this awesomeness happened…

Finally, the couple get a moment to themselves…

We haven’t even got to the banquet yet! The Chinese Banquet…with amazing cake made by Cherry & Ducan’s friend

At Chinese weddings, the guest write messages on long red card or fabric

Cherry in her traditional Chinese bridal gown. Stunning embroidery and check out her newly acquired bling!

Ready for another round of tea ceremonies

Time for the second dress change

And a whoooooole lot of toasting!

An amaaazing day! The bridal party went on into the night, but I will just leave you with this shot…

Congratulations Cherry and Duncan. Thanks for having me along for the day, it was swell! Wishing you the very best of luck in your new life together. Good luck in Hong Kong.

With thanks to James and Gareth for helping me with this big, big day
If you’re interested in having documentary wedding photography coverage at your wedding, contact Marie

2 Oct ’14
Kate & John’s sun-filled Chateau wedding…in the Worcestershire countryside

I’m soooo behind with my blogging! But here is a fab wedding from earlier this summer – a surprise day full of sunshine in between rainy days that ended with a glorious sunset which meant we could take advantage of the beautiful grounds at Chateau Impney. Chateau Impney is a French-styled chateau that the original owner decided to build…in Droitwich, Worcestershire! It is currently undergoing renovation, bringing the bedrooms and suitably Rococo interiors up to par with the exterior.

Unusually, I hadn’t met Kate or John before the wedding as I had to step in quite late in the day. I absolutely loved covering the bridal preparation – Kate and her close friends knew each other so well and were having a riot. They were super welcoming and I had great fun with them as they got ready, even though I had to turn down the several glasses of champagne they offered me 😉

Kate and John met on a night out in Leamington Spa and have been together ever since. Kate works in HIV research and in lieu of wedding favours for the day, they made a very fitting donation to the National Aids Trust http://www.nat.org.uk/. There was a lot of love in the room that day – all their friends were so happy to see them unite, including bridesmaid Anita who had detoured enroute from the Middle East to America to be there! After a dreamy sunset, the day was drawn to a close with a fantastic live band, including a set by John’s brother.

Kate and John’s love for each other brims over throughout the photos of the day, a few of which I’ll share with you now!

Credit where its due…
Dress: Bea Bridal Southampton: http://www.beasbridal.co.uk/
Hair and make up: Angela Fergusson https://www.facebook.com/AngelaFMua
Other wedding beauty: Lou and Hannah at Halcyon Beauty: http://www.halcyonbeauty.co.uk/
Cake: M&S with amazing sugarcraft flowers by bridesmaid Rachael!Florist: http://www.the-wedding-house.co.uk/the-flower-house/ (Kate and Wendy)
Wedding stationery: http://www.bydonnablundell.co.uk/

With thanks to my second shooter Kerry.

If you’re interested in stylish documentary photography for your Chateau Impney wedding or event, get in touch with Marie.

18 Aug ’14
Sophie & Ben’s Coombe Lodge wedding with accents of gold, sparklers and a silent disco!

What better cure to the the post-festive season January doldrums than the wedding of two fabulous people? Sophie and Ben got married at Coombe Lodge in Blagdon near Bristol, surrounded by all the people that they love; who were all ready to keep the festive party spirit going strong! I love that Sophie and Ben had declared that since English weather is so unpredictable, why not get married when they knew they could count on the weather to be wet and dark. However, despite their expectation of bad weather, it was actually dry for all the key moments so we could get out and about into the grounds – you can see it’s a stunning venue that used to be the Wills family home.

Sophie loves fashion and not only was she super elegant in her vintage gown, stole and black and gold Jimmy Choo shoes, but her bridesmaids looked gorgeous and sassy in the chic black dresses and gold shoes she had chosen for them, a suitable match for Ben and his dashing ushers! The gold theme carried on through the styling with plenty of gold glitter everywhere. Even the registrar had gold glitter on his face during the ceremony, though that might not have been intentional. I’d like to think that Sophie and Ben had help drinking the contents of all the vodka bottles that made up the the table centre pieces, which were a nod to their student days when they met working at a vodka bar. Each guest had a bottle of sloe gin with a beautiful leather label crafted by Sophie’s brother. There was a lot of love in the room and the speeches moved many people to tears – I’ve only included two pictures of people wiping their eyes dry in this blogpost, but there were in fact plenty more including the groom himself.

Despite being super camera shy (you might remember Sophie & Ben from our rooftop engagement shoot http://marieman.com/blog/2013/12/sophie-ben-an-urban-rooftop-engagement-shoot-under-stormy-skies/, which I’ve since learnt that they’d chosen because no one would be there to watch!) we had some fun doing some light painting shots – as Sophie is passionate about photography, she’s specifically requested that we play around with long exposure sparkler shots. We had so much fun doing those, that she asked to do more with her head bridesmaid…you can see one where they spell the word CUDE out – I understand there is a story behind it, but you’d have to ask them to tell you 🙂 I loved everything about this wedding, but I particularly love the picture of Sophie coming down to the banquet room and seeing her delight to see all the styling and favours in place for the first time. I also like the fun pictures of them eating the macaroons which their friend Niki had also made for them.

The day was rounded off with a silent disco, where everyone had headphones and a choice of playlists – cue some funky dance moves and limbo. I was sad to go, but it does get to that point of the night when it’s kinder for me to go 😉 I had been really looking forward to this wedding as Sophie & Ben are much loved by their friends. Everyone had a really great time, so much so that eight of their best friends joined them on their skiing honeymoon to celebrate! That pretty much sums up the spirit of how awesome and much-loved a couple they are. Sophie & Ben, you rock!

Hair: Hobbs, Bristol
Makeup: The girls’ own work!
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Macaroon Tower: Niki Downs at The Primrose Pantry http://theprimrosepantry.tumblr.com

With thanks to Matt for second shooting with me. Check out this bumper crop…

12 Feb ’14
Emily & Paul’s Fantastical Wonderland Wedding with added Rockaoke!

You might remember Emily and Paul from our shoot in a golden cornfield earlier in the year. When I arrived at the beautiful Wyck Hill House, I was surprised to bump into Emily downstairs who was walking around in her slippers and curlers in her hair – she was the most relaxed bride I’ve photographed yet! Her bridesmaids had been putting the finishing touches to the banquet room and she was so excited to see their work.

We went up to her room together and when I met the bridal party, I knew it was going to be a fun day 🙂 Emily and her bridesmaids (two schoolfriends and her younger sister) got along so well, we were all in fits of laughter all the time. And the laughter didn’t stop. Emily is a nanny, so her wedding would not be complete without flowergirls and pageboys, three of which were the children that she looked after. The bouquets were stunning in peacock colours and succulents – all the girls totally fell in love with the flower circlets that two of the flowergirls wore.

The colour scheme was carried through in the banquet room which was styled with Wonderland inspired details from chess pieces to pink flamingos and ‘drink me’ potions…as well as edible chocolate ‘rocks’. The cake was an amazing creation with two peacocks with their tails going all the way down the sides of the cakes.

The whole day was relaxed with lots of family and friends, including some overdue reunions. All the proceedings were topped off by rockaoke. For anyone who likes Guitar Hero/Rockband or karaoke, this is a dream – you get to sing the song of your choice with a full backing band. If your vocals need ‘help’, the singer can join you, so everyone’s a winner! As you can see from the pictures, they really did rock it, which made for a lively evening!

Congratulations Emily and Paul – everyone had a great time! With thanks to Kerry for second shooting.

22 Dec ’13
Zoe & Michael: Zoers and Lammers get hitched in a haunted house

I’d been looking forward to Zoe (Zoers) and Michael’s (Lammers) wedding all year.

It was a gloriously sunny day at a very special venue – Woodchester Mansion, one of my favourite places. Zoe and Michael chose Woodchester because they wanted somewhere local that was a bit different – that they could also take over and make their own for the day as many of their friends were coming from further afield. In a secluded National Trust valley, the house was never finished. As a result, there are fireplaces in mid air and floors that were never put in. A charitable trust was set up to save it from ruin and the team are now working hard on restoring it back to the state it was in when construction stopped. It is the kind of place that you want to explore as soon as you see it and so Zoe and Michael gave the guests time to have a look around the mansion before the ceremony – the mansion only had a basic track leading down to it, so guests had to be ferried by minibus down to the mansion.

Zoe’s sisters live in Australia and America and are rarely together, so Zoe’s family hired a gorgeous house in Wooton-Under-Edge for the week. She got ready at Edge Beauty which was just next door with her sister Amy who was head bridesmaid. In the meantime, Michael was at a cottage in Ozleworth with his son and his ushers. You can see from the pictures that they took advantage of the lovely weather to bask in the sun amongst the lavender and butterflies.

The wedding had lots of personal touches with their very own kegs of beer that Michael had brewed especially for the wedding, home-made favours and tables named after their favourite local places. They had been looking forward to the paella for a long time. So much so, that they were quite disappointed when the weather turned out to be so good that everyone was outside enjoying the sun instead of seeing the ‘live theatre’ of the paella being cooked. They couldn’t complain about that too much though as it made the setting so idyllic! And I can testify that the paella was very nommy indeed, equalled by the hogroast that fuelled people dancing into the night.

Michael’s son Joe had a great time and pretty much stole the show with his speech and later on with his dancing too! But by far and away, the thing I totally loved most was that Zoe and Michael are simply a super awesome couple and it was clear how much they loved each other, and it was clear all their friends think they are awesome too. I love that you can see in their photographs just how happy they were to get married – you can see them giggling at each other and then dancing their way into the wedding banquet. In fact, there were plenty of laughs and giggles throughout the day. Thanks for a really fun day!

Most of my coverage for the day is documentary, but as an experienced fashion photographer I also offer my couples the option to get more creative with the posed shots. As this was such a dramatic venue, I went for a variety of bridal portraits – I really wanted to shoot inside the mansion, so we went up into the roof, traversed scaffolding to shoot by the stunning rose window in the chapel, got creative with smoke and lighting in the scullery and still fitted in some natural shots outdoors. What a portrait bonanza! I hope you like them. Special thanks go to Morag who was helping me out that day. Without further ado, here are their photos (and apologies for lack of blogposts recently…lots of weddings will be posted soon!)

If you are interested in documentary wedding photography, drop Marie a line.

21 Oct ’13
Elaine & Sam: 99 yew trees in a traditional Cotswolds village: Gloucestershire engagement photographer

A quick Christmas Eve post! Say hello to Elaine & Sam, who are childhood sweethearts.

The chose the picturesque village of Painswick for their engagement shoot. It’s a gorgeous Cotswold village built out of traditional Cotswold stone, with a church and village green in the centre. In fact, their annual apple festival was taking place when we were there, complete with apple-bobbing and hay bales for sitting on. You couldn’t get more quintessentially English! We had to wait for the kids to clear out from the churchyard, which is filled with yew trees. 99 in fact, according to local folklore no more ever

Elaine and Sam, I look forward to your wedding at the fabulous Manor on the Lake, which will be my first wedding of 2013!

Happy Christmas and happy new year everyone 🙂

xx

If you are interested in an engagement photography session, drop Marie a line.

24 Dec ’12
In between rainstorms: David & Nicky – Hampstead engagement shoot

I’m hugely behind with my blogging, but here’s a gorgeous engagement shoot that I wanted to share with you straight away.

Meet Nicky and David. Nicky is mad about all things blue and can’t decide if she likes tealy turquoise or baby blue more. David loves long bike rides and a good boogie to some funky tunes! They are planning a really fun festival-style wedding which I am totally looking forward to documenting.

My pre-wedding shoots are informal, I just recommend to my couples that they choose a location that is special to them. Keen cyclists, they initially considering bringing a tandem bicycle along, but in the end Nicky and David decided to go for a walk on Hampstead Heath. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans…it turned into one of the wettest weekends ever! The heavens opened and the rain just poured and poured…it seemed impossible that it could rain any more, but it did and by the bucketload. So we had to rethink our plans and luckily for us, David remembered a secret corner of London that he had happened upon some years before.

As David led us into a dark, dank staircase, Nicky and I wondered if we should follow him, but follow him we did and our trust was rewarded as we emerged into a stunning Italianate pergola walkway, overlooking a secret garden. The rain turned out to be a true blessing in disguise, bringing us to this stunning location. To top that off, the sun came out to play and gave us some gorgeous flare – the location was so dreamy, it was hard to believe we were still in London. What do I like most about this photoshoot? All of the images from this shoot make me smile, because their love shines through each and every one.

Nicky & David – you rock! I’m so looking forward to your wedding in Oxfordshire next month.

If you’d like an engagement shoot in Hampstead, somewhere else in London or another location, contact Marie to have a chat!

16 Aug ’12
SNEAK PEEK: Amidst fields of gold

Radio silence?

Not quite but I’ve quite a backlog of shoots to blog. Eeep.

For now, here’s a quick sneak peek of a recent favourite. What do I love about this picture? The movement…of the grass, the clouds and the dress.

Jodie amidst fields of gold.

7 Sep ’11
A countryside affair – Bonnie & Will, Charlton House: Shepton Mallet, Somerset wedding photographer

Do you remember Bonnie and Will? They had found me after being referred by an old school friend. After our fab pre-wedding shoot by Clifton Suspension Bridge, I was really looking forward to covering their countryside-themed wedding for them.

The preparations took place in Bonnie’s home village of Croscombe in Somerset. She prepared for her wedding at her mother’s charming cottage and it was a real family affair with her brother Ben giving her away, her young brother James being pageboy and her cousin travelling all the way from Australia to be her bridesmaid. James was particularly excited heralding “Bonnie Alert!” when she came near. My favourite moments from the cottage are of Bonnie writing her speech (yes, she had one too) and reading a letter delivered from Will that made her weep (fortunately just before she put her mascara on).

In the meantime, what better way for a groom to calm last minute nerves than enjoying a pint with his ushers and best man at the local pub before jumping in a Triumph Spitfire to make it to the church on time!

The ceremony took place in the neighbouring village of Dinder, in its quintessentially English church. Real rose petals were strewn and despite a week full of rain, the sun shone for them gloriously. The couple and I made a sneaky stop off at a field overlooking Glastonbury Tor to capture their first few moments of married life. I love it when newly weds get to spend a few minutes away from the madding crowds and have a moment to revel in their new status! All too soon, it was onward to Charlton House near Shepton Mallett, recently under the new management of Duncan “Dragon” Bannantyne, for drinks on the lawn, Jenga, croquet, dance, lots and lots of sweets, flowers, a “real” cheese cake, cheese buffet and an all round damn fine celebration.

Thank you to Bonnie and Will for inviting me to be part of and capture their day. Back today from their honeymoon in Greece, I’ve just found out that it’s also Bonnie’s birthday. Happy birthday Bonnie!

Here are a few images that give you a flavour of the day, scroll to the bottom for the full gallery. With thanks to James Bailey for his brilliant second shooting

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1 Aug ’11
FEATURED IMAGE: Oblivion: Lovers by the Sea

People ask me what I like about being a documentary photographer. I tell them that I love the special gift that comes with being a photographer; the privileged ability to record memories and moments in time. And if successful, to each viewer, the image will retell the very story that the photographer saw, a story that moved them so much that they chose to document that moment.

It was during a fashion shoot that I spotted this couple sitting by the waters edge. Seeing them huddled up, looking out over a tempestuous sea made me pause a moment, reset my camera and capture a memory they thought might only be theirs.

What was the moment that I saw? A story of lovers oblivious to anything else. Their world stood still – it was just them, their love and the sea.

[Best viewed whilst listening to ‘By the Sea’ by Suede, if you will]

16 Jul ’11
Paintworks, an urban wedding – Bristol wedding photographer

So I sit here watching our right Royal Wedding – an amazing spectacle that has made me become a wedding junkie…for the day. What better celebration of the wedding tradition than the fairytale story of an every day girl marrying her Prince Charming for love?

And what better can a wedding photographer do on this wedding day of all wedding days than blog a wedding 🙂 James Garrett and Isabel Sealey came together to seal the deal after a decade of love together. Isabel is a teacher and textiles whizz whilst her Prince Charming James is a DJ (DJ Ironside) well known on the local club circuit (http://www.myspace.com/dj_ironside). In addition to this, James’ brother works in the music industry and his best man was a musical maestro (and engineer). James’ clubbing mates all spruced up very well for a relaxed with a BBQ buffet…and onward to the music!

At Paintworks, you get married, eat, dance in the same area – an industrial building shared with BocaBar upstairs and an outdoor courtyard. Honourable mention for David Hawkin’s best man speech which was one of the most entertaining I have heard, outting James to his mates as a trainspotter!

The official photographer was Kate Kirkby (www.katekirkbyphotography.co.uk), I provided additional coverage and behind-the-scenes shots.

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29 Apr ’11