Winter Weddings | Polly Alexandre Photography

Charlotte and Teddy’s Wedding at Iscoyd Park

January 12, 2015

Charlotte is a super talented bridal designer and head of her own brand, Charlotte Balbier, who married her love of her life, Teddy, in a glamorous winter wedding at the beautiful Iscoyd Park.

I was really thrilled when Charlotte approached me to shoot her wedding, as not only do I love working for other creative people, but Charlotte’s feminine, glamorous, romantic style is a great fit with my style of photography. I loved that Charlotte trusted me from the outset and knew what I offered was exactly what she was looking for. I was so excited to create a beautiful, romantic and stylish record of her wedding.

Natural light is really important for me to create the beautiful natural couple shots I am known for, and it was important to me that Charlotte understood the implications of this for the timings of their wedding ceremony. This is especially important for winter weddings when it can get dark as early as 3pm. The ceremony is provisionally scheduled for 1pm, a time that allows natural light for during the drinks reception so I can create soft, flattering romantic portraits of Charlotte and Teddy and make sure everyone is photographed in the most flattering light. Having a great venue in case of wet weather is also important and Charlotte definitely ticks all the boxes with this one! Iscoyd Park has huge windows which provides lots of natural light and was great for shooting in. The stylish interiors looked stunning in the photographs, and the stone house and romantic grounds were the perfect backdrop for beautiful portraits.

Charlotte and Teddy met for the first time at a dinner of mutual friends…. they in turn became friends and a few months later had their first date. Teddy asked Charlotte to be his wife at home in a heartfelt, sweet, romantic from the heart proposal. I loved getting to know them both as they are such a great fit for each other, chat like nobody and have so much fun together. The amazing and magical connection they share was translated perfectly into their wedding, and it was an honour to capture it all.

To read more about this wedding see their extensive features on Love my Dress and Style Me Pretty. The wedding also appeared in You & Your Wedding Magazine.

Charlotte & Teddy, it’s been an honour getting to know you and you are one of the most genuine, glamorous and fun couples I had had the pleasure of working with. I’m so excited to see you share the rest of your life together and I wish you all the very best for an amazing and magical future together!

Wedding Dress: Charlotte Balbier // Wedding Veil: Joyce Jackson // Hair Band: Amanda Wyatt // Ceremony: St. Mary’s Church // Reception Venue: Iscoyd Park // Videographer: Silk Weddings // Wedding Shoes: Freya Rose Wedding Planner: Charley Beard of London Bride // Hair and Make-Up: Sarah Brock, Harry John, Catherine Hughes, Nicholas Austin, Helen Masters // Flowers: Red Floral, Shropshire Petals and Selena Godsall // Cake: Cakes by Krisanthi // Catering: Vanilla and Allseasons // Cakes & Sweets Table: Freyas Fancies, Mums Macarons, Red Floral, The Sweet Hostess, Pretty Little Trio, Lavender and Linen, All Things Nice // Reception Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Evening Clutch Bag “Annie” by: Vintage Styler // Flower Girl’s Attire: Rainbow Club, The White Company and Charlotte Balbier // Groom’s Attire: Hugo Boss, Jeffery West Shoes// Stationery: Rose & Ruby // Wedding Signs: With A Flourish // Wedding Favours: Char Bonnel // Gypsy Band: Gypsies Of Bohemia // Magician: Steve Faulkner // DJ: Nick Campbell and DJ Graeme Park // Lighting: Light Tech

Anna & Gareth – A Claridges Winter Wedding

February 6, 2014

Anna & Gareth chose the quintessentially timeless and chic venue of Claridges Hotel, London to celebrate their wedding just after Christmas, with their friends and family from around the world. Planned with the help of both her mother and planner Sarah, Anna’s wedding was an elegant black tie affair. To make the most of the winter light, we did their portraits in the afternoon, and just about managed to get those balloons through the revolving doors without them popping (ok, one of two may have been lost!). Anna & Gareth surprised each other before the ceremony with thoughtfully chosen gifts, after which they did a private first look on the stairs of the hotel. Anna & Gareth have such a strong and loving bond, and it was an honour to bear witness to this, and to be able to document their day in the heartfelt, emotional and glamorous style that suited their celebrations.

Anna loved my black and white work so I gave a special focus to this. Most of these images are documentary based so it’s all about using my intuition and sensitivity to feel the right moment to take a picture… that decisive moment if you like…. this is something that can’t be taught, and it’s about the combination of having an innate sense of composition and balance and connecting to the emotion on the day, being really present and trusting your instinct as a photographer.

I have been a wedding photographer at Claridges a number of times now, but I always try to being something different to each wedding, and to make the images truly personal to each client. I listen to what’s important to my clients, think about how to translate their personalities with my style, and approach each wedding as a unique brief.

A vibrant and joyful ceremony was hosted by Jack, their good family friend and Anna’s father and his friends gave a wonderful speech and performance of one of Anna’s favourite songs…you can actually see the tears of joy in Anna’s eyes….This was followed by a series of amazing bands, covering everything from big band to modern classics, and rounded off with hot chocolate and marshmallows to send the guests on their way into the cold winter night.

Anna & Gareth, it was a joy to be a part of your wedding, and to hear your story, and to meet your families. Congratulations to you both on the birth of Lucas Theo! Over the moon for you that you are already blessed with a beautiful healthy start to your family, and wishing you the best for a long and happy future together.

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Claridges; Brides Dress by Marchesa; Hair & Make Up: Antonia at Elle au Naturel; Florist: Rob Van Helden Floral Design; Cake: The Little Venice Cake Company; Bands: AJ Dean and The Bluejays; Lance Ellington and The Rare Collective,
Daniel Peace and The Rare Collective.

Kate & Alex – Wedding Photography at Ellenborough Park

October 27, 2013

As the chilly nights draw in once more, it’s sweet to think back to last seasons’ winter weddings, and I’m delighted to share Kate & Alex’s very English celebration held at Ellenborough Park Hotel, a country house hotel in the heart of the Cotswolds. Whilst I adore the sunshine, I also love crackling fires, cosying up indoors and the sweet warmth of being snuggling up inside with the ones you love, whilst the cold winds whip around outside. Oh, and I absolutely love Christmas.

Alex & Kate met in Cape Town, though they are both originally from England, and Alex proposed to Kate on New Years Eve with a yellow diamond ring. Their shared adventures took them thousands of miles away to the Serengeti in Tanzania, where they currently live. Kate brought a touch of Africa to the wedding by commissioning little handmade angels for the Christmas tree made by local African women, but it was back to their homeland they headed for their wedding. Kate’s Uncle owns the beautiful hotel and when Kate saw what a perfect venue it would make, it made the long distance planning all worthwhile.

Last year I actually shot more winter wedding than summer ones, and it’s sweet when the season is reflected in the wedding…. in this instance, from Kate’s imagination came mistletoe and pine branches, mulled wine and ivy, flickering candles and sweet homemade angels as escort cards. They continued to embrace the joy of winter by taking a skiing honeymoon to the Swiss resort of Crans Montana (when you live somewhere so hot, it’s a just a treat to have snow!)

This is a beautiful elegant English wedding that was both fun and elegant and celebrated the charm of winter…. my favourite touch just has to be the mistletoe hanging outside the church and the little tots of sloe gin given to guests as they arrived, ensuring the merry atmosphere started right from the ceremony….

To Kate & Alex: I wish you both a long and happy life together filled with even more smiles and adventures xxx

This wedding was featured in the September/October issue of Conde Nast’s Brides Magazine.

Credits: Brides Dress: Le Spose di Gio, Make Up: Emily Bell; Hair: Stuart Holmes; Flowers: Copelands; Cake: Contemporary Cake Designs; Ceremony Venue: St Peters Church; Reception Venue: Ellenborough Park Hotel; Videographer: Gorgeous Films; Band: Wired

Julie & Zak: A Winter Wedding in Paris…..

June 27, 2013

Where do I start to tell the love story of Julie & Zak? I may only have met the couple for the first time the night before their wedding, but it was evident immediately on meeting them what a brilliant couple they make, and the strong connection they share. From the moment the night before cruise down the Seine began, to moment I left the couple dancing the night away, I don’t think Julie stopped smiling. Her happiness was infectious and a reflection of the great love and connection Julie & Zak share together. After a sweet first look….we strolled around Paris: a trip to the Eiffel Tower, a quick visit to the lovers lock bridge where they attracted a crowd of paparazzi, a stroll around the Louvre, ‘un petit cafe a deux’ to keep warm…. I mean really, could there be anywhere more quintessentially romantic for photographs of love?! It was so wonderfully elegant and atmospheric….

Julie & Zak met at work in Washington, and still work in the same office today, albeit thousands of miles away from their original meeting place. Their weekend celebrations kicked off with a sunset champagne cruise down the Seine. They gave beautiful little goodie bags to guests filled with gifts that reflected the the past, the present and the future – America, Paris & Jordan – a Eiffel tower soap handmade by Julie’s mother, heart shaped glasses, some city of love shower gel, American gum & lip balm, and Dead Sea products from their new home. Attached to these was a custom map of Paris showing the locations of their celebrations made by the bride’s brother’s girlfriend Kaitlin Manning and all presented in a pretty muslin bag. Julie told me it’s a tradition amongst their friends to see how late they can party the night before their wedding….and whilst I won’t be revealing what time they eventually made it to bed, let’s just say Julie & Zak are the current record holders……!

The couple have an incredibly busy schedule, which was made even more so by a move from Washington DC to the Middle East in the middle of the wedding planning. This brought some great benefits….. they went from being 6 hours behind to 1 hour ahead, and Julie’s work brought her through Paris – a great opportunity to get her beautiful Vera Wang dress tailored to fit, and to pick up some peacock-blue Louboutins. Julie & Zak truly were a wedding planner’s dream: they gave great direction but were flexible, and trusted Fete in France to create a beautiful wedding day for them and their guests. They were delighted with the results and enjoyed all of the details they created: Ladurée macaroons as favors, an accordionist playing classic French songs, and a lovely gold & pink decor, including gilded ferns and gold glitter candles… Above all however, they enjoyed being surrounded by their precious family and friends on such a happy occasion.

In terms of photography, the couple took on board my advice to schedule their bride & groom portraits for during the afternoon to catch the best light. As the wedding took place in late November, it was a little chilly, but they strolled the streets of Paris, hand in hand, kissing, laughing and enjoying every moment. Once the portraits were done it was back in the warm, to sign the kettubah (which I had the huge of honour of doing as a witnesss, so thank you Zak & Julie for that beautiful gesture) and then for a heartfelt civil ceremony under a cream and gold canopy. From then on the celebrations began, and knowing this couple, I expect they went on long into the night!

Wishing you both all the very best for a bright and exciting future together…xxx

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Maison des Polytechniciens; Wedding Planner: Fete in France; Bride’s Dress by Vera Wang; Hair & Make Up: Laure Baruch; Florist: Sol Y Flor; Cake: Laduree

Featured in Perfect Wedding Magazine

March 6, 2013

Lina & Andrew’s glamorous London winter wedding was featured in Perfect Wedding Magazine. Sketch was a great venue for a near Christmas celebration and the food was out of this world! We had so much fun exploring the Regent Street funfair creating portraits of the bride & groom & Lina made a gorgeous bride.

Congratulations to the couple who are expecting their first baby any day now! You can see more of their wedding day on my blog here.