Birmingham Wedding Photographer
Alex and Adam got married back in May, on the day of the big royal wedding – they’re never going to forget their wedding anniversary! They opted to have a super laid back, fun wedding at The Kedleston in Derby. It’s a venue I know well and I’m always really impressed with how people put their own stamp on it. Every wedding there is different, it’s great.
My mantra is very much that I want my clients to feel like a mate shot their wedding. Well, in this case it was actually true! Laura and Alex held their wedding at Upton Barn and Walled Gardens earlier this year and it was absolutely epic. I’ve known these guys for many years now, in fact I used to live with Laura. Their love story is the cutest – friends for years and years and then love finally blossomed when Laura moved down to Bristol.
As you’ll know if you have a little look around my site, I’m no stranger to a wedding at the Kedleston Country House, but I absolutely love getting invited back so much. When Abigail and Greg got in touch to ask me to shoot their wedding, I knew we’d be a good fit right from the off. They told me all about how they wanted their wedding to be – full of good fun, relaxed, and a chance to really spend time with everyone. They also told me about their gorgeous pup Angus, who ended up taking quite a starring role in their engagement shoot. I knew from the engagement shoot that their wedding would be a stylish affair. These two have such an ease about them but both always look amazing!
When Becky and James got in touch with me to shoot their Italian destination wedding in Lake Orta (or Lago d’Orta if you’re feeling fancy), I was absolutely thrilled to get involved. I love to travel, and I especially love the Italian lakes; I even took myself there for my 30th, who doesn’t love prosecco on tap by the water? I hadn’t been to Lake Orta before but I’ll most definitely be going back – it’s absolutely stunning. Picture a quintessential Italian piazza and you’re probably picturing the beautiful Piazza Mario Motta, which overlooks the beautiful island in the centre of the lake. Lake Orta has been gathering plenty of press recently, having been called one of the continent’s best kept secrets by the Telegraph.
Becky and James chose to get married in the garden at the beautiful town hall, Villa Bossi. It’s not hard to see why they chose it – it’s got a pretty garden, it overlooks the lake, and you can arrive to the wedding by boat. I’m not going to lie, the boat ride was definitely one of my highlights! The rest of the day took place just a few steps away at Hotel San Rocco, a stunning lakeside hotel with breathtaking sunset views and a terrace right on the water.
The day was really relaxed and fun, as destination weddings should be! The couple had a great attitude, not once stressing about anything. In typical wedding fashion the odd thing here and there didn’t quite go according to plan (Becky even managed to forget to grab her bouquet as she left!) but neither of them were fazed at any point, which is my kind of couple. Everyone was there to enjoy the day, and the fact that most people had either just walked downstairs or taken a short walk through the town to attend the wedding definitely helped with a chilled out atmosphere. I hear there was also a swim in the lake and a BBQ the next day – another advantage to having a destination wedding!
So you’re getting married! Yasssss! But where to start with finding a venue? Well if you’re in the Birmingham area, you will definitely want to consider having your wedding at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses. I’ve decided to write some features on some of my favourite Birmingham and Midlands wedding venues, so let’s start with the Botanical Gardens.
The gardens are nestled away in Edgbaston, just outside of the city centre, and they’re GORGEOUS. It’s a beautiful piece of history, there are tons of amazing plants to look at, and it’s got two huge banqueting suites as well as a small intimate ceremony room, so it’ll suit any size of wedding. Oh and did I mention there are peacocks just casually roaming around?
A few weeks ago, at the start of what feels like longest summer ever, I caught up with Amey and Jack to shoot their engagement photos. They wanted to get together at their venue, The Kedleston, so we arranged to meet up in the evening when the light would be perfect. As The Kedleston are now mostly concentrating on events and didn’t have one on, we pretty much had the place to ourselves which was nice! Having somewhere secluded or quiet always makes for a nice relaxed atmosphere on an engagement shoot, which is perfect for getting natural photos and genuine smiles.
When Laura and Alex wanted to book in for their engagement shoot, I knew we’d be shooting somewhere in the Bristol area. These two have got the cutest love story – friends for a decade, and then as soon as Laura moved to Bristol, the time was right and they fell in love. Within no time they were engaged! They wanted to include their beloved city in their shoot, so what better plan than to have their engagement shoot at the Clifton Suspension Bridge? The bridge is one of the most iconic structures in the UK and it’s got tons of fun places surrounding it too. There’s an awesome stone slide, a pretty observatory and a sweet little garden just around the corner.
Well it’s been a busy time for me these past couple of weeks! Wedding season is now in full swing which means I’m shooting a lot, but as per usual that means I’ve been pretty crap with blogging things as and when they actually happen. I’ve actually just come back from beautiful Orta San Giulio in Italy shooting Becky and James’ wedding, but I couldn’t not share their gorgeous engagement shoot at Battersea Park from back in April.
I love visiting new places and it’s definitely one of the perks of this job, so when Jen and Dave asked me if they could have their engagement shoot at The Black Country Museum, I loved the idea. I’ve not been since I was a kid so it was really fun to go and have a wander around all of the historic buildings again. It’s a treasure trove for photos – lots of colour, texture, different light, all the ingredients for a great shoot! More recently it’s now on the map for a new generation, having been the set for some of the filming of Peaky Blinders. There aren’t many people who can claim to have had their engagement photos on the set of a major international TV series, but these guys can!
It’s the big day at Hazel Gap Barn today for Hannah and Adam, so it’s definitely time to share a few images from their engagement shoot at Allestree Park in Derby, back in April. The original plan for their shoot had actually been to head to Hannah’s family home to shoot among the blossoms, but the ridiculous lateness of spring scuppered that! So, we put our thinking caps on and came up with heading over to Allestree Park.
