Blog - Jill Evans Wedding Photography

SNEAK PEEK // FESTIVAL WEDDING AT MANSTY FARM // LAURA AND MARC’S ALTERNATIVE WEDDING

Where do I even start with this one???? I am just putting the finishing touches to Laura and Marc’s stunning wedding day but in the meantime I wanted to share a little sneaky peek of their big day to inspire anyone thinking about a festival wedding. If you are, look for ideas no more – this one wins them all and is going to make you want your own! these guys are big fans of music, festivals, the outdoors and beautiful handmade details so it made sense that they’d work all of this into their wedding. I can’t even begin to explain how much effort went into this wedding, and it all paid off. It was gorgeous! I’ll be blogging this in full sometime very soon but to whet your appetite, have a watch of the slideshow below. There was a beautiful handfasting ceremony, wonderful vegetarian indian food, dream catchers, hundreds of handmade paper flowers, a custom made dress, tattoos, and of course since Marc is a DJ there was absolutely cracking music both live and from the decks. Best Man Andy delivered one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard (I almost couldn’t take any photos because I was laughing so much!) and to top it all off the weather held out and gave us beautiful sunshine followed by a stunning sunset. It’s official, having a festival wedding is awesome. Can we do it all again please?

If you fancy having me capture all the smiles and fun at your own wedding, get in touch!

SNEAK PEEK // WEDDING AT EASTINGTON PARK GLOUCESTER // RACHAEL AND SAM’S FUN FILLED WEDDING

So it’s about time I posted something again isn’t it! I have been so very busy with wedding season that I must confess blogging has been a bit tricky but that’s because I’m busy working on some absolutely STUNNING weddings. First up on my list to share is Rachael and Sam’s wedding at Eastington Park in Gloucestershire. I absolutely cannot wait to share this wedding in full soon, but for now here’s a little sneak peek of what we got up to. These two are downright adorable and such a lot of fun, and it was lovely to finally be back at their venue shooting their wedding (we shot their pre wedding photos there too). I’ll save all the juicy details for the full blog but let’s just say that any wedding which includes vast amounts of cheese, a rope swing, gurning, dad jokes and Bruce Springsteen is going to be right up my alley. And did I mention that literally everyone at this wedding looked like a model?? If you’re looking for inspiration for an absolutely gorgeous wedding then turn up the volume, grab a cuppa and press play.

If you’re interested in having me come and capture your own awesome wedding, get in touch and let’s talk!

SNEAK PEEK // WEDDING AT MANOR BY THE LAKE // BAL AND NEIL’S STYLISH OUTDOOR WEDDING

Oh my goodness I’m so excited to share this one! Bal and Neil’s wedding at Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham was absolutely to die for, and it was such a pleasure to shoot. I knew from the moment I met these guys that their wedding would be suuuuper stylish and full of gorgeous details, and I was not wrong! Absolutely every detail was thoughtful and lovely, and it shone through that the main focus of this day was celebrating and enjoying it. It felt like everywhere I looked there was something fun going on, massive smiles and something colourful to photograph! Having an outdoor ceremony was just lovely, and a rare treat in rainy England. We actually had perfect weather for the ceremony and so Bal and Neil were able to have their dream ceremony in the gardens at Manor by the Lake. And lets just take a moment to say how stunning do the bride and groom look? Such an absolutely perfect day all round. There will be plenty more photos of all the details to come soon, but for now here’s a little sneak peek slideshow to inspire you for your own day. Press play and prepare for gorgeousness!

If you’re after photos with a relaxed and fun vibe, why not get in touch and see if I’m free for your big day?

VW CAMPERVAN IN THE LICKEY HILLS // ALTERNATIVE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY // MARC AND LAURA’S LAID BACK ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

When Marc and Laura first approached me about shooting their wedding, I knew it was going to be something special. As Marc is an alternative wedding DJ himself (check out his page for more details), they’re both well versed in approaching things in a non-cheesy way. So it was really important to them and to me to make sure that their engagement shoot reflected this just as much as I’m positive their wedding will. Since Laura owns the most amazing classic VW camper, it was a no-brainer to involve it in the shoot! As I’ve said many times in many posts, it’s really important to get yourself as comfortable as possible on a pre-wedding shoot and a really easy way to do that is to go with a location that’s meaningful to you. Marc and Laura get bonus points for bringing theirs with them! I’m hoping we’ll be seeing more of the van at the wedding so we saved some ideas for then – not going to give anything away about the wedding plans but it’s safe to say it’s going to be pretty epic. These guys are so clearly right for each other and they’ve got a great sense of fun.

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BIRMINGHAM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER // MY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BUCKET LIST

One of the things I absolutely adore about my job is getting to see so many fabulous and interesting new places. I’ve travelled all over the place already which really suits my wanderlust – I’m one of those people who never quite puts their passport away as I’m always hoping to get to the next exciting destination as soon as I possibly can. Despite being primarily a Birmingham wedding photographer, my work takes me all over the place which is ace. Even closer to home here in the UK, I’m constantly amazed by all the wonderful places we have, and I love getting to see them at weddings and engagement shoots. It’s always lovely to hear my couples telling me all about why they fell in love with their particular venue – there are so many stories about why a particular place is special to certain people and it’s different each time.

Something I’ve been meaning to do for ages now is to put together a bucket list of sorts, thinking about what my absolute dream backdrops would be for a wedding or engagement shoot. For me, these places are a combination of wanting to take epic photos of course, but also to work with like-minded people who I have interests in common with. I really do think great wedding photos are borne out of good working relationships between the photographer and the couple, and it’s definitely a great place to start if you share a passion such as travelling, film, music etc, or a particular location. So this list is by no means exhaustive, because as I said before I love to go to all sorts of interesting places (for more of my interests, see my About Me page!). But these are the ones that immediately spring to mind when I think about my photography bucket list.

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BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS // CHILLED OUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY // KATIE AND BEN’S RELAXED ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

I absolutely love an excuse to go to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens – it’s such a lovely place for an engagement shoot and it changes all the time. Since Katie and Ben are fellow Harborne locals, it was a great choice for somewhere we could have a nice relaxed stroll. I love that there’s always something new to see, and plenty of little romantic spots for pictures. It’s a great place to grab some quiet spots as well, as the gardens are so big you can have a wander and just find your own little space.

Katie and Ben are really relaxed and natural together and clearly make each other really happy, so it wasn’t hard to get lots of shots of them looking at each other – I love these types of shots for couples; you definitely don’t need to be staring at me with my camera all the time, I prefer getting people to look at the person they’re marrying! I know these guys are going to have an awesome wedding, I’m massively looking forward to it. Bring on October! But in the meantime here are some of my faves from their engagement shoot. Well done guys, you nailed it!

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CUSTARD FACTORY DIGBETH // BIRMINGHAM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER // BAL AND NEIL’S COLOURFUL PRE WEDDING SHOOT

Ahhhhh I’m so excited to blog this one! Funnily enough, despite being based in Birmingham and being a lover of all things colourful and alternative, I’ve never actually shot at Birmingham’s iconic Custard Factory in Digbeth before. Bal and Neil are getting wed next month at the stunning Manor By The Lake, so recently we set about thinking of somewhere to shoot their pre wedding photos. Since their wedding venue has absolutely gorgeous gardens and we’ll be capturing those on the big day, I was thrilled when Bal and Neil opted to do something a bit different and have their shoot in Digbeth.

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FIVE REASONS TO HAVE AN ENGAGEMENT SHOOT (AND HOW TO NAIL IT!)

If you’re on the hunt for a wedding photographer you’ve probably seen that quite a few of us (myself included) offer a pre wedding shoot, sometimes referred to as an engagement shoot. I often see discussions on social media prompted by people wondering what the benefits are, and whether they should have one. I thought I would share a few thoughts and perhaps even persuade you that you – yes you, who hates having their photo taken! – should consider having an engagement shoot. Even more importantly, I’ll let you in on a few secrets so that you will absolutely nail it. [Read more…]

THE DROP FORGE // BIRMINGHAM & COVENTRY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY // EMILIE AND DAN’S URBAN CHIC WEDDING

I’m so excited to blog this wedding! I met Emilie and Daniel via a mutual friend in Coventry who thought we might hit it off, and she was definitely right. One of my favourite things about this job is that I get to meet all sorts of people and find things in common with them – I really knew we’d have a good connection when we shot Emilie and Dan’s pre wedding shoot and they opted to do something a little bit different. If you haven’t seen those photos, definitely check them out! Their wedding at The Drop Forge in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter was a stylish affair from start to finish.

Emilie chose a simple but elegant Alfred Angelo dress (another one with pockets! I am loving all the pocket dresses lately), and had it customised to suit her chilled out chic style. Everything at this wedding was one of a kind, and it was lovely that the dress was no different. Beautiful details were everywhere and everything had a story – from the Oud de Nil perfume that was a signature scent specially selected for the wedding, to the handmade headpiece, to the accessories from Emilie’s Aunty’s bridal boutique. Stylish gold flats and vintage gloves completed the look, and stunning greens and golds in the hydrangea and hypericum bouquets finished everything off beautifully.

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KEDLESTON COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL // RELAXED WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IN DERBY // KERRY AND GARY’S LAID BACK WEDDING

It seemed like no time at all since our pre-wedding shoot, but in October it was finally time for Kerry and Gary to tie the knot back at the lovely Kedleston Country House Hotel. In typical October fashion in the UK, the weather decided to give us the full spectrum and so we started the day with the type of peculiar sunny-overcast mix you only get in good old Blighty.

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