Patshull Park Wedding Photography -Julie and Sam

This time of year is great – plenty of lovely weddings to keep me busy, and you also get the mid-summer weather roulette.  August this year has been a fairly soggy one, and it is the one thing you cannot plan.  Julie and Sam got married at Patshull Park Hotel (just near Wolverhampton, West Midlands) a couple of weeks ago, and despite the best efforts of a really dramatic thunder storm they managed to stay dry most of the day.

The middle part of the day, before and after the church had brightened up and we had some lovely weather, but the afternoon was a bit on and off, with bright sun interspersed with heavy rain.  For me the weather is not a downside – there is always somewhere a creative photographer can find a spot for photos – and the advantage of days like this is interesting light.  You also get fun moments, such as the the one where the bridesmaids were down by the lake just as a sudden downpour blew in across the lake – I have never seen rain go from nothing to drenching in such a short space of time…

Julie and Sam are very clearly in love – Sam had put some really touching facebook updates leading to the wedding, and the day itself was emotional and uplifting.  Thanks to you both for letting me share it with you. I hope you enjoy the photos…

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The Wedding Community

As part of our new website, we are going to be setting up a section of people we love – people we work with on weddings who we think are fab.  We are going to be setting up a whole new section for this, but today seemed a good day to get the ball rolling, as one of our favourites – The Wedding Community – have featured one of our images as their Photo of the Day…  They have a really lovely site, full of inspiration and ideas for creating the perfect wedding, and well worth having a look around when you are planning your big day.

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Somerford Hall Wedding – Kat & Shane

The best thing about wedding photography is getting to be there for such an amazing occasion in people’s lives, and it is always a real pleasure to such an important part of it.  I particularly love getting to know the Bride and Groom, and it has been great fun getting to know Kat and Shane.  We had a laugh on the pre-wedding shoot, and been chatting loads on Facebook in the run up to the wedding so I was really looking forward to being there as they got married.

And their wedding did not disappoint.  I met up with them in the morning at the hairdresser, before moving on to Somerford Hall, where the wedding was being held. Somerford Hall is a lovely venue – they made sure everything was looking perfect – and the weather turned around from being a bit murky in the morning, to beautiful sun in the afternoon (with some dramatic clouds lurking in the background).

Kat looked fab, and had the funkiest shoes (although I did feel a little short once she had her heels on) and the ceremony and reception were relaxed and happy.  There was a black and white colour scheme, and quite a few of the guests had also colour coordinated so it all looked great.

It was a genuinely lovely wedding, and I hope Kat and Shane have as much fun looking at the photos as I had taking them.

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Isabel & Michael – Stoke Park Wedding

I love photographing weddings.  I suppose I should really, bearing in mind what I do, but either way it is always so good to be a part of a couple’s big day.  I have usually spent some time with them already – between the wedding consulation, pre-wedding shoot and various conversations I have a really good image of how the day is going to be.  It all comes together on the day itself and everything falls into place and you finally get to be a part of months (or years) of planning.

I met Isabel at the opening of Wedding World UK in Barnt Green, and got chatting about wedding venues.  I suggested a few ideas, but the one they finally booked was absolutely stunning – Stoke Park Club, in Stoke Poges.  As a backdrop to the wedding it was perfect – beautiful inside and out, but (as with most venues) it was the staff that really made it special; attentive, polite but never obtrusive.

Isabel and Michael were relaxed – Isabel looked stunning – and the guests enjoyed the party throughout the day and well into the evening, Hannah (who was assisting me for the day – and did a fab job) and I had real fun photographing the whole event.

Here are some of the photographs from the day….

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Louise & Peter – Hampton Manor Pre Wedding Photography

We met Louise and Peter at the Belfry Wedding Fayre earlier this year, and chatted about their wedding at the beautiful Hampton Manor later this year.  A couple of weeks ago I met up with them in Sutton Park for their pre-wedding shoot.

There are several reasons why I always do Pre-wedding shoots, and one of them is just to get to know people better.  It was a nice warm day, and it was great just wandering around taking photos of them, as well as just chatting and getting to know each other.  After getting the shots, we found a nice spot to sit for a chat and an ice cream, to talk through the wedding day plans (sitting on a blanket in the park with talking to lovely people about their wedding – there are tougher ways of spending your afternoon…).

I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding, particularly at Hampton Manor, which is a great venue.

Some photographs from the afternoon…

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Teresa & Andrew's Wedding – Charlotte House

A couple of weekends ago I headed out to Lincoln to photograph Teresa and Andrew’s wedding at Charlotte House, with Hannah who was assisting me for the day.  I had been out to Lincoln for their pre-wedding shoot, and it was good to go back out for the wedding itself.

Spring is a great time of year for weddings – the light is good, and the weather can be lovely, and Teresa and Andrew had a lovely day for it.  I met up with Teresa at her house in the morning, where she was getting ready with her two children (one of whom had been poorly during the night unfortunately), the bridesmaids and the rest of her family.  It was only a short trip over to the next village to the church where I met up with the guys as they walked over from the general direction of a pub (although I am sure they were only having lemonade…), and in time to see the choir set up.  Both Teresa and Andrew are teachers, and the choir were from Teresa’s school, and they were absolutely fab, with a really fantastic soloist during the signing of the register.

After the ceremony we went into central Lincoln to Charlotte House for the reception and wedding breakfast (and a very interesting best man’s speech….).   It was such a nice, relaxed wedding (even if some of the guests escaped momentarily, hey Teresa ;-) ), and it was lovely to spend the day with Teresa and Andrew, their families and friends.

Thanks for letting me be there to capture your big day guys.  Here is a sneak preview of the photographs from the day….

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Chesford Grange Wedding Fayre Photography

It was great to meet all the brides, grooms and their families at Chesford Grange Wedding Fayre in Warwickshire last weekend.  I always love finding out about people’s weddings, and I am looking forward to meeting many of you again to chat through your big day over a cup of coffee sometime soon…

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Pre Wedding Photography – Teresa & Andrew – Charlotte House

One of the great things about wedding photography is sharing a couple’s big day.  For me the key is that everyone is able to relax, and this is particularly important for the bride and groom.  This is why I always do a pre-wedding shoot.  It is a chance to meet up with the couple before their wedding day, to find more out about what they have planned and what is important to them, but also it is such a  a good opportunity to make sure they are able to relax with the camera.  It leaves the day free for having fun and enjoying the wedding, both for me and the bride and groom.

I spend a lot of time listening to couples about what is important to them – for some it is the dress, for others it is the venue, but most important to most weddings are the friends and family.  This is particularly the case for Teresa and Andrew.  I met up with them in Lincoln on a cold winters morning a couple of weeks ago for their pre-wedding shoot, and met their children for a family and wedding shoot.  I wanted to spend a bit of time with Teresa and Andrew on their own, but I also wanted to get some shots of them altogether (as that was what was so important to them), so I went along with Kat, the boys and with some friends and their kids, so we could sneak off for 20 minutes.

We headed to a local park in Lincoln, and just about managed to get some great shots of the family together, but also of just the two of them, and have a chat through the plans for the day at Charlotte House.  The wedding sounds like it is going to be a real family affair – it is in a couple of weeks time, so soon there will be some wedding photographs of their special day up on the blog.  In the mean time here are some shots from the pre wedding shoot.

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Alrewas Hayes -A new West Midlands Wedding Venue

I love networking – it took me  a while to get the hang of it, but now I enjoy the way that you get to meet a real variety of interesting people, and make connections you might have otherwise missed.  A while ago I was talking to James from South Farm in Cambridge, and he mentioned Bonnie and Toby at Alrewas Hayes, and that I should meet them.  South Farm is a venue that I have been to a few times for non-wedding events, and it is a very successful and well run wedding venue, and James had been talking to Bonnie and Toby as they developed their own wedding venue.

Alrewas Hayes is tucked away in a peaceful spot not far from the A38 to the north of Birmingham and Lichfield, and they have a really lovely venue.   I was genuinely impressed with how well they had renovated it, and would highly recommend anyone looking for an interesting wedding venue in the west midlands to go and have a look and meet Bonnie and Toby.  It is one of those flexible venues that can give you a small and intimate wedding, or a quite simply a huge party.

I am really looking forward to working with them in the future on weddings and big events, and if you are looking for somewhere different for a wedding, give them a ring and see Alrewas Hayes.

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Belfry Wedding Show

Just spent a long but worthwhile day at the Belfry for a wedding fayre.  We love meeting brides (and the grooms, but to be honest the majority of the guys look like rabbits in the headlamps…), and we had some really good conversations with plenty of lovely brides today from across the West Midlands, getting married at venues like Nuthurst Grange, Moxhull, Ettington Park, the new Midlands wedding venue Hampton Manor, and Rowton Castle.  We have booked in a load of meetings, and will be dropping a load more couples a line in the coming days, and I am really looking forward to being at some of their weddings.

It is also a good chance to catch up with friends in the business, and to meet new suppliers, like Ben, the Cake Man, who had a massive crowd around his stunning cakes.

We had Joe with us for the day – at only 5 months old he is still a bit small to be away from Kat for such a long day, and he was so good.  He did draw in the crowd, but having done that he then distracted attention from my albums to his cute smile, so I am not sure if he was the best marketing aid!

If you met us today (or even if you didn’t get to speak to us) become a fan of James Crockford Photography on Facebook to see all our latest updates.

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