I like to meet my clients for their pre-wedding practice shoots in the month before their big day, so the experience is still fresh in their minds when it rolls around.
August and September are pretty stacked up with weddings (I’ve shot 2 since getting back from Africa just over a week ago!), and taking July off has meant I’ve had to hit the ground running to get all my clients comfy in front of my lenses. This past week I’ve met 3 awesome clients, with weddings over coming weeks.
Having been away for a month it felt a bit like dusting off my own skills again…
But fortunately the first couple I met was in the most beautiful evening sunlight.
This is Jackie & James, a couple I’m photographing at the lovely Woodlands Hotel later this week.
They booked me two years ago (!) and it It was wicked to catch up with them and chat through their plans.
I always like to play nail that f1.4 full length portrait, for that super soft background.
By the time we’d nattered through their plans the light was disappearing so we played chase the sunspots round the grounds!
How nice is that sunlight! Love it.
They were fantastic together, and soon loosened up.
Jackie’s bought this monster Fuji Instax 210 ‘Polaroid’ style camera, in a kit with a bunch of rolls of film & a guestbook to slip them in.
Nice idea, eh?
I love seeing these pictures ‘develop’ in front of your eyes.
The next couple I met was Dawn & Kevin, who are getting married at Wood Hall in Wetherby
It’s a venue I’ve always wanted to photograph at, with amazing grounds and a sweeping drive that curls round a hill to show the hotel in the distance.
Dawn’s a horse lover and they’ve got a horse & cart too! That will be ace.
It was drizzling when we met, so we took shelter under the natural canopy
It was great hearing how excited Kevin was about all the fun things they’ve got planned.
Some guys only role in their weddings is to turn up! Kevin is 100% involved.
I like this one; Dawn mentioned she’d brought a hat, so I told her to get it!
So Kevin ran off & came back in it!
The next couple I met, Jenny & David, I’m shooting this weekend too, down in Nantwich.
They’re getting married at the ancient St Mary’s Church in Acton. It’s one of the top 1000 churches of England, and some parts of the church date back 900 years!
I may have over processed this image a bit, but think it looks pretty cool.
900 years old!!
Mental.
Their wedding venue is the lovely Wrenbury Hall, an idyllic country manor house set in the heart of the beautiful South Cheshire countryside.
It’s still lived in as a family home & the business is family run too, so it’s still got that personal touch.
We had a good nosey round.
And I feel we got some lovely portraits too. I’m generally about capturing the fun, but like a quiet moment too.
Their wedding breakfast is in a GIANT hall surrounded by windows, with a huge skylight. I rather liked these regal chairs, so we got them involved.
WORK IT!
I learned Jenny doesn’t like bugs & flies, so dragging them through the bushes is something I won’t be doing on their wedding day!
It was ace to reunite with all these clients and get ourselves all giddy about their upcoming wedding photography.
Bring on August! I know the blogs been a bit Africa heavy of late (I’ve a few more Uganda posts to write, then I’m done!), but there’ll be a whole host of exciting wedding On-The-Day slideshows coming soon! Watch this (cyber)space!
Barns