I just know when we photograph Emma and Ian's wedding in The Lake District in August we will have loads of photographs out of focus because the pair of them have me laughing all the time!  I'm going to have to control my giggles on the day!  The Lakes has to one of our favourite places, so Rob and I are really looking forward to photographing their wedding, and it really helps that Emma and Ian are a really great couple to spend time with, so if the pre-wedding shoot is anything to go by, we are going to have a good day at their wedding.

But for now, here are some of the pre-wedding photographs, showing a couple who told me that they don't photograph well - hard to believe when you see photographs as good as these!

Karen - Dance Teacher and Actress

Karen was an absolute delight to photograph - being a dancer and actress she found it easy to put herself into poses, and with very little direction she provided the perfect images.  We had time for a few changes of clothing, which was fantastic because Karen had brought some amazing dresses with her, all of which showed off her dancers physique to perfection.  I think I might be going to cause Karen a problem when it comes to choosing her photographs - there are too many choose from!  But here is a tiny selection just to whet the appetite.

Simon and Natalie - The Wedding, Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita, Ligure

The setting for Simon and Natalie's wedding is just amazing!  Santa Margherita, Ligure, in the North of Italy on the Italian Riviera is a spectacular backdrop, and the Basilica Santa Margherita has to be the most stunning church I have ever been inside.  The priest, who came all the way from Florence so that the wedding ceremony could be held in English, was lovely, with a kind spirit and a gentle heart, befitting of such a glorious church.  It was really sweet when Natalie got out of the car with her mum and dad - all the locals had gathered around the entrance to the Basilica and clapped and cheered her, and then again after the ceremony when the bride and groom came out of the church they were greeted with claps and cheers, and one little boy wanted to kiss the bride!

The reception was held in Villa Durazza, where the Rooney's recently got married, but I reckon this was a far better wedding!  The Villa is gorgeous, and I just hope I managed to captured enough of its glory in the fading light.  I'm thrilled with the photographs, and I hope that Natalie and Simon will love them too.  When we finished photographing the couple, they were kind enough to have arranged food for us, and when we went into the room where it was laid out (all very posh, I have to say!) we were greeted by the band, and Ricardo and Danielle looked after us perfectly (thanks guys!).

The photographs below are just a small selection of what I really wanted to post up on the blog!  I would have loved to show around 50 photographs, but I have to keep some surprises back for when Simon and Natalie come to view their proofs in a couple of weeks!

Natalie with her proud parents, Ken and Helen.

Just before the ceremony, looking like the perfect bride!
A slightly nervous looking groom, with the bridesmaids coming down the aisle behind him.
And the bride and her father enter the spectacular church, the Basilica Santa Margherita.

The bride and groom are both stunning - and strangely don't seem to know it!  A beautiful couple in every way.  And for the second time this year, I cried at a wedding, and then again when I looked at some of the photographs!  I have to get a grip of myself!!!  
We thought at first there was no confetti, but out of nowhere (well, Helen's bag, mainly, I think!) came masses of the stuff!
Antony managed to somehow look like the mafia when we were making our way up to the Villa Durazzo.
And what a backdrop - who couldn't have a great time with a setting like this!
The bride and groom making their way up to the Villa.
The beautiful bridesmaids
And proof, in case it's needed, of who caught the bouquet!
And to finish, the gorgeous couple - when I did their pre-wedding shoot earlier in the year people kept asking me if they are models that I did a mock shoot with - I guess I'll get asked that again with them looking so amazing in their photographs!

Simon and Natalie - Before the Wedding Shoot

I really am lucky doing what I do for my job!  This past few days I have been in Italy at Santa Margherita in Ligure, near Portfino to photograph the wedding of Simon and Natalie, who are a gorgeous couple in every way.  The night before the wedding we went for a walk around the town to take some photographs of the two of them together.  The selection of photographs below gives a feel for the place, and it looks like Simon and Natalie fit in just fine!

The wedding took place yesterday, so the next blog entry will be their wedding photographs .... watch this space!

Busy Time!

Wow!  What a busy 24 hours!  It started at Williamson Park in Lancaster on Friday evening for Tim and Clare, and then Ray and Alison's wedding in Southport Town Hall, and finally finished on Saturday afternoon at Crosby Beach with Neal and Liz.  I've uploaded a selection of the photographs below.

Liz and Neal at Crosby Beach

In September I am photographing Neal and Liz's wedding at Hoole Hall in Chester, so Saturday was the pre-wedding shoot, and as Liz is from Crosby originally we went down to the beach around the Gormley men.  It was a bit windy, but at least the downpours had stopped!  The pre-wedding shoot gave us a chance to show Neal that you can have fun being photographed!  And in just 30 minutes we managed to get quite a variety of photographs too - and here is just a small selection.

Alison and Ray Get Married

I had a last minute booking this week to cover the wedding of Ray and Alison Southport Town Hall, and it was a lovely wedding to be involved in.  Alison looked gorgeous in lilac, to go with her lilac and purple colour scheme, and Ray looked really dapper in his cream jacket.  It was really warm and humid, even though it was raining until just the time we came out of the Town Hall, so at least everyone was able to walk through the streets of Southport to The Latin Lounge in the dry!  We had just enough time to capture all the family photographs, and to take a few of Ray and Alison on their own at the columns of the memorial, one of my favourite places to take photographs in Southport.  And Alison's bridesmaid, Pamela, was able to snatch a quick portrait too!  This is just a small sample of the photographs.

Tim and Clare: Williamson Park, Lancaster

The weather this past couple of weeks has not been at all good - so I was a bit concerned about doing an outdoor pre-wedding shoot in Williamson Park in Lancaster for Tim and Clare.  But luck was on our side and the evening was perfect - not a cloud in sight, the sun shining brightly, and only the lightest of breezes.  And we got some beautiful photographs as a result.  I'd forgotten that is was the Play in Park at this time of year, but we managed to keep out of the way as went around the park, and Tim and Clare were happy to play around to get a variety of shots.  Here is just a small selection of photographs.