Mike & Kate got married last year and I shot their beautiful French wedding. It wasn’t long before they welcomed their first ‘baby’ into the world.

This little pup has a wardrobe of cashmere to rival any dog about town….even Lolo hasn’t got cashmere in his closet…..

So lovely to meet you Estaban Anderson!

Dress by Monique Lhuillier, Shoes by Louboutin, Hair & Make Up by Dina Catchpole, Venue: St Mary’s Church, Standon & Marquee at Groom’s Family Home, Flowers by Elegant Stems

“When you and I first met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was
nothing. Now it is growing into something as we remember it. But still
we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I
lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days till then–that is the
real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it.”

C.S. Lewis

As read by our celebrant during our wedding ceremony.

When I walked through the desert to the ceremony to the sounds of the beautiful voice of Laura Kuebel singing the Elvis song ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’ acoustically, against a backdrop of sunshine, mountains and sand, it was one of the most powerful moments of my life.

I don’t think I have ever felt as filled with love as when I saw my man stood there and walked through the desert to join him to join in marriage.

My wedding day was emotional, magical, precious, intimate and filled with love….. thank you to everyone that helped make it that way, and especially my amazing new husband

Photograph by Jose Villa

Sign by Paul Antonio

Oh my. What a utterly stylish and wonderful wedding this was….To be the photographer for a wedding at Claridges is always lovely, but I especially love working for creative clients like this bride. Shortly before her wedding, Sarah had just taken the plunge and left her job as a magazine designer to start up her own stationary company, Brown Paper Design, with her close friend & cousin Juliette, so she brought that creative talent and eye for beauty to the styling of her wedding day. But this was a day that was not just beautiful to the eye, but also beautiful for the warmth and joy of sharing it with their families, to whom the couple are very close. In the Jewish faith, family is very important and Sarah planned the wedding closely with her parents, especially her mother, who herself has a great eye and interest in art and design.

Sarah met Oli as a friend of her brother, and then friendship blossomed into romance over time and it became obvious the couple were the perfect match. On the wedding day we started at Sarah’s parents home where her mum so sweetly covered the outside of their home with little teddy bears wearing customised ribbon neckties. Sarah’s father accompanied her to the synagogue in her uncle’s beautiful vintage car, and in Jewish tradition he walked her down the aisle to the huppah, decorated in white roses. I love shooting Jewish weddings for their sense of celebration and joy in the ceremony itself, not the mention the vigorous dancing…and all before you’ve even sat down to eat. Sarah & Oli’s friends ensured this was particularly lively! (I think the grooms friends were mainly responsible for the wild celebratory chaos at this point & definitely for the hoisting up on the couple on chairs in the air, despite the bride’s reservations!). Sarah designed beautiful notecard sets as favour/placenames, with each guest’s name printed at the top. She also made gorgeous escort cards in a chic grey stripe and the most beautiful gold foil embossed invitations. I highly recommend checking out her new website.

Sarah loved both the grainy black and white look of my documentary work and the soft palette of my colour photography so I combined the two by capturing the details and portraits in natural light in colour film, and the evening’s events in my trademark grainy black and white film. My goal was to create a portrait of the wedding that was at once elegant, natural and beautiful.

Wishing Mr & Mr S both many sweet years together, and perhaps even a lovely family of their own one day…..

Ceremony Venue: Western Marble Arch Synagogue.  Reception Venue & Catering: Claridges Hotel, London. Bride’s Dress: Peter Langner from Browns Bride. Bride’s Shoes: Rupert Sanderson. Jewellery: Tiffany. Hair & Make Up: Daniel Galvin. Bridesmaid’s Dress: Gucci. Grooms Suit: Nick Tentis. Stationary by the Bride’s Company, Brown Paper Design Flowers: Paul Thomas Cake: Peggy Porschen. Super 8 Film: Mariage a la Mode. Wedding Cars: Sarah’s Uncle.

Thank you to Kate Rossin from Depict for some second shooting (not shown here)

I am just back from my wedding & honeymoon – which was magical – and will resume blogging soon – with a beautiful London wedding. In the meantime I love this image shot a few weeks ago – from dark to lightness, it seems to represent new beginnings…and reminds me of an oil painting….

Can’t decide which garter to wear? Choose them both…..

Jules and Russell (both twins!) knew things were special pretty much from the start, and it wasn’t long at all before Russell knew Jules was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and proposed by a lake in France.  Jules had always wanted a winter wedding and loved the cosiness and candlelight that a celebration at this time of year is all about. In the end it turned out more perfect than she could have imagined as as soon as we arrived at the Bluebird Restaurant in Chelsea, the snow began to fall and in a few hours London was covered in a blanket of white.

The couple had already seen & loved my black and white photography and we decided to capture much of their day in using black and white film for that timeless yet nostalgic look we both love so much. This works so well for winter weddings. After a ceremony at Chelsea Old Church (where Jules was christened as a baby) it was along the embankment for some relaxed portraits and then after a short drinks reception off to the Bluebird Chelsea for the merriment to begin. And it was a really fun & lively wedding! Music from a 1920′s/30′s jazz trio and the stunning vast warehouse like backdrop of the Bluebird provided a canvas for all sorts of merriment, joy and laughter.

To be the photographer for a wedding at the Bluebird was wonderful, I so enjoyed it….with memories of eating at the restaurant years ago, it was so great to see it come alive as a wedding venue and it really came into it’s own. But it is of course the people that make the party and Jules & Russell & all their family & friends were the ones that really lifted the joy & excitement to the rafters. Congratulations Mr & Mrs T….here’s to many years of fun & joy together!

Reception Venue: The Bluebird Chelsea, London; Ceremony: Chelsea Old Church; Ceremony Reception: Petyt Hall;  Dress by Temperley; Hair: Richard Ward, Make Up: Graziella; Florist: Scarlet & Violet; Band: Nova Scotia

Coming up this week, Jules & Russell’s beautiful & fun Chelsea winter wedding…..

Shot on an i-phone. Lolo & I having a sunset walk opposite the magical Es Vedra in February.