Posts Tagged ‘photography’

Bridal Soup’s very own Steve Gerrard has put together a little slideshow of some of his fave photos from last year.

There are plenty of wedding images but Steve also shoots a lot of bands so it’s a broad mix.

Sit back and enjoy…

My Fave Photos of 2009 from Steve Gerrard on Vimeo.

We all know there are lots of good luck charms that can be given to the bride and groom on their big day from a silver sixpence, a horseshoe and even a chimney sweep.  So we thought luck will definitely be on our side today as we introduce….. Horseshoe Photography, otherwise known as Annemieke Goldswain-Hein and Jo Thorne.

“Times have changed and with that, styles have changed.  From more official, traditional wedding photography, reportage wedding photography has become very trendy over the last couple of years, which captures an event in a more realistic way.  Where traditional wedding photography focuses on staged photos, a reportage wedding aims to pictorially capture the spirit and feel of your wedding as it really is.”

“We really enjoy approaching weddings from various angles, bringing the atmosphere of the day into our imagery in a creative way.”

Their award winning style is a mixture of photojournalism, fashion and fine art photography and they both feel that modern weddings offer the photographer the scope to broaden his or her creative talents far more than was previously possible (..as the image below clearly shows…Wow!).

They offer pre wedding shoots and ‘rock the frock’ sessions too!  So what are you waiting for? If you’d like to get in touch with the ladies and have a look at more of their work you can visit their website at Horseshoe Photography.

I’m now off to buy a lottery ticket.

As a new member of the Bridal Soup team I wanted my first blog to make a statement and boy oh boy did I find just the thing!  Oh So Boudoir recently got in contact to let us know about their new luxury boutique boudoir shoots and I think it’s safe to say….we’d all LOVE to have some gorgeous shots of ourselves looking beautiful and down right sexy!

Oh So Boudoir have teamed up with the Radisson Blu Hotel and Crowne Plaza in Birmingham to offer us ladies boudoir shoots in a stylised, luxurious, boutique setting with the option to really pamper yourself.  Not only do you get your own photo shoot with a professional hair and makeover, you can also have lunch or dinner in the hotel or pop over to the mailbox for some retail therapy!

Jo says ‘I think our images have a softer, more sensual, feminine feel to them than a lot of boudoir that’s out there at the moment and the stylised hotel settings adds greatly to the finished effect, boosting the air of glamour surrounding the experience. All images are professionally airbrushed to make our ladies look even more fabulous.

Clients are all offered a free consultation as part of their Boudoir experience, where we offer styling advice and suggest outfits for the day, we discuss any body hang ups (we’ve all got them - right) and reassure clients that we have poses that will flatter every different body shapes.’

They have a range of packages including overnight stays for that extra treat and girlfriend packages designed for two people, each getting their own private shoot.

Of course boudoir isn’t just for the brides to be, girlfriends can get in on the action too with their hen weekend packages. This is available for up to 10 ladies, each getting a professional makeover, 30 minute boudoir shoot with full posing direction and a professionally retouched image in a presentation folder, along with 2 nights accommodation in the Radisson or Crowne Plaza.

The images can be used as a unique and personal gift for your groom on the morning of your wedding (he will LOVE them), a valentines or birthday gift or simply just for yourself!

If you would like to get in contact then you can visit their website www.ohsoboudoir.com

Thanks Oh So Boudoir!  So when can you fit me in?

Hello everyone!

My name is Emma Case and I would just like to introduce myself as the newest member of the Bridal Soup team and to say that I am so so excited and cannot wait to share all the delicious things that come our way!  As a ‘not yet married but engaged to a gorgeous guy’ lady I am really looking forward to finding all sorts of wonderful things that I would want to book for my own wedding and to share them with all of you!

So who am I?  Well I am a photographer who loves anything vintage and a girl who likes fake moustaches, photo booths, cupcakes and good music.  You can find me at www.emmacasephotography.co.uk

When I’m not taking photographs I do a bit of acting, sign language (which is my other passion), spend time with my fiance Pete, attempt to decorate my house and look after my two cats, Maximo and Nanna.

I hope you all enjoy my future posts and it’s an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance,

Emma x

If you have something that you would love us to feature or you simply want to say hello then email me at emma@bridalsoup.com

Photographer: Robert Burress
Wedding Venue: Buxted Park Hotel
Catering: Hotel
Jeweller: Bridal Jewellery bought from The Little Things In Life, engagement ring designed by groom and made in Israel
Wedding Cake: Cheese Tower from The Cheese Shed
Hair: Kirsty McCall
Reception Venue: Buxted Park Hotel
Wedding Dress: Bridal Rogue Gallery London
Florist: Bouquet by The Flower Shop Uckfield, Table centre pieces made by bride
Transportation: Our own legs!
Make-Up: Kirsty McCall

What Chrissy loves most about Arnon - How he makes me feel like i’m the only one in the universe, he is very chivalrous and caring.

What Arnon loves most about Chrissy - how adorable she is and how much more we are together then the sum of our individual parts.

How did the proposal happen?
It was our 1 year anniversary and we had a lovely picnic on Primrose hill on a warm sunny day on June 10th 2008. After eating some lovely food and finishing a bottle of champagne we went to get another from the off license. On the way back into the park Arnon said that we should walk around and choose a favourite tree. So here we are, walking around rather tipsy - me just holding a bottle of champagne and Arnon carrying 3 bags… over the top of the hill i saw a ‘family of trees’ - a mummy & daddy and 2 baby ones. So we went to explore. After checking them out i was ready to walk away when Arnon said, ‘Hang on, there’s something wrong with my shoe’, as he put all the bags down and got on one knee. He then produced a very unique ring from his sock and asked me to marry him. I cried, i said yes and we got a third bottle of champagne!

How did you choose the wedding venue?
We like the handpicked chain of hotels, so we looked for ones that were in close proximity of London. It was the gorgeous gardens of Buxted Park that made us go for it in the end.

The best moment of the day
Too many to choose from! Perhaps when we all went outside after dinner to light and release sky lanterns into a rather windy night and some got stuck in the tree! It was very funny…

The story of the dress
2 weeks after i got engaged, i went to look to see what i might like. I went to Chiltern Street in London and in Bridal Rogue Gallery i described the kind of dress that i like and they had exactly what i described, i tried on the sample and it was a perfect fit. I felt like a total princess in it. I proceeded to some other shops - Harrods etc and nothing compared. Another shop assistant said, ‘you know THE dress the moment you put it on…’ It was that moment i knew that i should go back to BRG and get THE dress. A few weeks later i returned and was offerred the sample dress half price. I offerred a couple of hundred pounds less and they agreed! I was a very happy bride to be after making this most expensive purchase of my life!!!

Why did you choose your photographer?
We looked and looked and looked. We had a budget which of course limited us. Then we found an amazing photographer and even though he was WAY over budget, we were willing to spend less elsewhere. That particular photographer was busy on the date of our wedding, but he recommended 4 friends. We checked them all out and found that Rob was just as good and cheaper! We got in contact with him and loved him and his work. The end result is simply spectacular.

What personal touches did you include in your wedding?
We hand wrote individual messages for each guest and had them rolled up with their names on them which doubled up as their name place. For favours, i made little glass trinkets which were fused and sandblasted. Also i painted on every bottom of the candle lanterns/votive holders our names and the date of our wedding - there were enough of these for all guests to take home. We also did the table decorations ourselves - flower ring with hurricane candle in the middle with rose petals and table diamond scatters. I probably saved half the money then if i had a florist do it, and it was so satisfying to do it myself (albeit a little stressful!)

What happened that wasn’t planned?
It was unfortunately too cold to have our Jewish ceremony outside, so we had to have it inside. The chupah was not decorated in time for the ceremony so it was 20mins late! Also the numerous function manager’s gaffs…

What advice would you give couples planning their own weddings?
Sort out as much as possible as far in advance so that you have no stress leading up to the wedding. We had little to do the weeks leading up the wedding which meant we were super relaxed. If you read about or see something unique from another wedding, take it and make it your own. Have fun!

All images - Rob Burress at ShootingHip

Wedding Venue: Lyveden New Bield near Oundle  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-lyvedennewbield

Photographer – Crash Taylor http://www.crashtaylor.com

Catering: We had a hog roast and BBQ from Trendall in Oundle

Jeweller: Monsoon/Accessorise - I wanted vintage but couldn’t find anything I liked!

Wedding Cake: A metre high summer fruit pavlova made by Katie at Couture Cakes - www.couturecakes.co.uk

Hair: and make-up by my good friend Sarah Jane Green of Teresa Fairminer Associates www.teresafairminer.com

Reception Venue: Lyveden New Bield - we hired a marquee from the Posh Tent Company www.theposhtentcompany.co.uk

Wedding Dress: Was made for me by Rachel Lamb because I couldn’t find anything I liked ready made - www.rachellambdesign.co.uk

Florist: My friend Simone Pickering of Miss Pickering of Stamford - because she does the best vintage country flowers in the world

Transportation: A morris minor convertible driven by my dad - we needed a self drive wedding car because we both get terribly car sick! http://www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk/index.html

We asked the couple to answer a few questions so you can get an insight into their day and why it was so special, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

1. What Rebecca loves most about Tim…

His hugs and his reassuring logic which brings me back down to earth.

2. What Tim loves most about Rebecca…

Everything.

3. How did the proposal happen?

After eight years of waiting I was completely stunned when Tim took me to my favourite restaurant for my birthday and proposed. I was rendered momentarily speechless - which for those who know me would never have seemed possible.

4. How did you choose the wedding venue?

I’ve always wanted to get married outside, somewhere beautiful that has some history. I searched on the internet for stately homes and country hotels with nice gardens but nothing was right. Then I tried the National Trust website and came across Lyveden. We went to see it on a cold rainy day and loved it even though it was dark and wet. It has a fantastic atmosphere and loads of great backdrops. We knew it would be great for photos and it was something different - the perfect setting for our humanist outdoor ceremony.

5. The best moment of the day…

Other than the I dos - the best moment was everyone shouting for more when the DJ played the last song. No one would leave the dance floor - that’s when I knew everyone had had a great time and they didn’t want our wedding to end. We had one more track - Thriller - to end the night.

6. The story of the dress…

I knew I wanted lace - but it needed to be very English looking lace not French or Spanish like most of the ones in the shops. I knew I didn’t want strapless, that I wanted a v-neckline, a nipped in waist and an a-line skirt with a bit of a train. I tried on dress after dress and none of them were right - they were too French, too big, too sparkly, too Flamenco and just not me. When I tried on a sample dress in Rachel’s showroom in the fabric my dress was made from I knew it was perfect - and unlike other wedding dress designers who can be really snotty about changing their “design” she was happy to make me anything and sketched the perfect picture from my description. Having a dress made is nerve-wracking because you see how much work goes into it without knowing if you’re definitely going to like it in the end - but I loved my dress.

7. How did you choose your photographer?

A friend had seen Crash Taylor’s website and once I’d seen it we got in touch asap to book him up fast. We loved his dramatic images which we knew would suit our venue and we loved the idea of the engagement shoot too.

8. What personal touches did you include in your wedding?

Lots - I wanted our wedding to be about us and not just a generic wedding. Our humanist ceremony included our childhood stories, details of how we met and readings by close friends. We wrote our own vows - which were really special. My mum, sister and I made pretty much everything for the wedding from the bunting, tablecloths and pillows to the homemade cakes and scones. Tim hand stamped all of our place cards and we created a gallery of old picture frames filled with black and white pictures of us growing up and with all our friends and family. Each of our out of town guests got a goody bag when they arrived at their hotel full of nibbles, sweets and bottles of water to make them feel at home. I also kept a blog of the planning process and we had a wedding website which got our guests involved from the outset - http://becomingmrsjones.blogspot.com/ and http://www.beckandtim.com

9. What happened that wasn’t planned?

I’m a bit of a control freak so things ran pretty smoothly. Some of the candles didn’t get lit but I was having such a great time that I didn’t care. Our guests drank our welcome drinks dry in 30 minutes - so I’d definitely get more booze in from the start if I did it again! Oh and one of our ushers locked his car keys in his boot along with the video cameras for the wedding - which was a shame, but it was great fodder for the grooms speech.

10. Where did you choose for the honeymoon?

We went to Cape Town, on Safari and then to Zanzibar and it was amazing.

11. What advice would you give couples planning their own weddings?

Have a marquee wedding - they have a beautiful atmosphere that’s relaxed and intimate at the same time. Get great food, lots to drink and music that everyone will love. Make sure your bar is in the same room as the dancing - so many people came up to me to say that they’d never seen so many men on the dance floor and that was because we made it hard for them to escape the music. We chose to get married at 4pm rather than lunch time - it meant the day was shorter, but it also meant that our guests didn’t have the dead time between the ceremony and the evening reception for just hanging around - it worked really well. Enjoy yourself - it can be hard to let go when you’ve been planning something for months/years (29 in my case!) - and I was a nervous wreck before I walked up the aisle - but from then on it was brilliant. A few bits didn’t get done but no one but me (and mum) really knew about it so no one noticed. People are there to see you happily married - so smile and enjoy yourselves.

Thank you to Rebecca and Tim for sharing their wonderful day with Bridal Soup, and thank you to Crash Taylor for the brilliant images.

http://www.crashtaylor.com/

Next month sees the wedding of superstar wedding photographer Jessica Claire. When you’re career revolves around weddings you know that you have to raise the bar a little when planning your own big day. After seeing the photos of Jessica’s bridal shower and the gorgeous details, we at Bridal Soup are even more excited to see the photographs from the wedding itself.

Two of Jessica’s bridesmaids Chenin and Candice pretty much crafted everything here on their own. Great job girls!

The decorate-your-own cupcake bar.

Congratulations to Jessica and all the best for the wedding…

Photography (and invitation design!) by Chenin Boutwell

Photographer Steve Gerrard tells us why you don’t have to “trash” the dress to capture some great post-wedding images to really show off that amazing wedding dress…

Fay & Jason were married at Rowton Castle in February. Unfortunately I didn’t get to shoot their wedding but I so wish I had! They booked the photographer recommended by the venue and were a little disappointed with the results. Fay emailed me asking about a “Trash The Dress” session, stressing that she “doesn’t want to actually ‘trash’ the dress”. And to be honest, neither would we!

So we met up one Tuesday morning in May and spent the day on a mini adventure in search of cool locations, only stopping for a nice pub lunch out in the countryside. This is why I LOVE my job and Fay & Jason rocked the shoot. Unlike the wedding day there were no restrictions on time, location, etc. They didn’t have to worry if their guests were ok and if the dress got a little dirty, so what?! Just clean it later.

I wish every bride would do this after her wedding day. We had so much fun!

So here are just a selection of images from our “Shoot The Dress” session with Fay & Jason.

This shoot was absolutely one of my favourites ever and that’s mainly down to Fay & Jason being so cool, fun, adventurous and great company. Thanks so much for asking me to do the session. Now, which one will look best on your wall…?

All images - Steve Gerrard Photography

What Hazel loves most about Richard…

Richard can always make me feel better no matter what.

What Richard loves most about Hazel.. 

Richard says he can’t narrow it down to just one thing but a few, good looks, generosity, fun to be with and out goingness.

How did the proposal happen?

We were snowboarding in the French Alps and Richard proposed at the top of the mountain.

How did you choose the wedding venue? 

We both wanted an exclusive venue so it was all about us for that one very special time in our lives. We wanted all of our close friends and family to be able to stay with us all weekend. Not to mention the log fires for a Christmas wedding. Somerford Hall fitted the bill.

The best moment of the day… 

Far too many to choose from but if we must then both of us agree that it was seeing each other for the first time as I entered the Drawing Room.

The story of the dress…

After the proposal we both wanted our wedding to be at a special time of year for us and that is Christmas. I wanted a big big dress with a huge train and one that you could never wear at any other time in the whole of my life and then when I saw the dress and found out I could have it in red my mind was made up straight away. Other than my mum and bridesmaids no one knew what my dress was like so as you can imagine I got the amazing response I was wishing for. Richard absolutely loved the dress and we still talk about it now!!

How did you choose your photographer?

We heard about Steve Gerrard through a friend of mine.

What personal touches did you include in your wedding? 

We had a very intimate day time which we both had always wanted only immediate family and very close friends and that’s what made the whole of the day very personal for us. Plus all the decisions were made together about what we wanted throughout.

What happened that wasn’t exactly planned? 

Everything went to plan perfectly, thanks to all the professionals that we had around us. me and Richard didn’t have to think about what’s next, where do we have to be?

What advice would you give couples planning their own weddings?

Don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s your special day and when all is said and done on YOUR wedding day it is only the 2 of you that count.

Photographer: Steve Gerrard Photography
Wedding Venue:  Somerford Hall 
Catering:  Somerford Hall 
Jeweller:  Michael Terry 
Wedding Cake:  Jackie’s Cake Kitchens 
Hair:  Sharon Gould 
Wedding Dress:  Camille by Hollywood Dreams from Caroline Jane 
Florist:  Jackie’s Designs 
Make-Up: Emma Thompson

First of all a big ‘thank you’ to Steve & Emily for inviting me to feature one of my recent weddings on their fabulous new Bridal Soup website. It’s an honour and a privilege.

I’m David Woodings and I’m a wedding photographer based in beautiful Stratford upon Avon. I’ve been shooting weddings since 2004 and travel the length and breadth of the UK doing so.

This particular wedding was shot in September 2008 at the prestigious Dunchurch Park Hotel in Warwickshire. During the run-up to the wedding the weather had been dismal, so I was expecting to deploy the ‘wet weather contingency plan B’ but fortunately the Gods were with us and the sun shone (all day!).

During the pre-wedding meetings I had with the blissfully happy couple (Paula and Steve) they made it quite clear that they loved my contemporary ‘photojournalistic’ style of wedding photography. It’s a ‘hands-off’ approach, whereby the photographer lurks in the background and captures the day very naturally as it unfolds. One or two aspects of the day do require a little bit of direction from yours truly – register signing, cake cut, confetti and formal groups, but apart from that I try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible.

To see lots more of my work go to www.davidwoodings.co.uk