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The Strawberry Advent Blog: 21st December – A Family Wedding – Peacocks & Birdcages

Katy — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:22 +0000

On the 21st day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Family Wedding.

Today’s blog isn’t one of my official shoots but I just had to include it as one of the 24 blogs in December. The reason I wanted to share these photos is because they are of my sister’s wedding and it was a truly special day for them and all of us in the family. Fiona & Bill got enagaged last December so this year has been spent planning their special day in London with their closest family & friends.

Their day started with a lovely ceremony at Chelsea Registry Office with a small group of immediate family & friends. We then jumped in cabs and made our way down to the River Thames where we boarded “Pride of London” which was to be the location for their 2nd ceremony. As we made our way down the river towards London Bridge to collect the rest of the wedding guests, who had all been told to be ready to board at 3pm, we had lunch and got Fiona changed into her wedding dress for the ceremony. Fiona wanted to break all traditions with her wedding dress and opted for a beautiful gold gown which she made with my mum. She looked absolutely stunning and with the accessories of her fascinator with birdcage veil made by Imogen’s Imagination and lace fan & garter made by my mum she looked radiant.

I was bridesmaid for the day but couldn’t resist taking a few photos….I had to have a few memories of my sister’s wedding. The offical photos were taken by Stephan Gregoire, it was so lovely to step back and let him get on with capturing the day.

The Pride of London

Final touches

The gorgeous golden gown made by my mum & sister

Birdcage Veil

Mum's handmade lace garter & horseshoe

Lace & Peacock Feather accessories

After the ceremony on the boat we sailed along the Thames past all the main London landmarks before mooring up at Chelsea Harbour to head to the reception at Imperial Warf. Whilst we had a few hours on the boat the guests enjoyed drinks & photos plus a few fun games to get all the guests talking.

Mr & Mrs Frost

Happy

Love at the Tower!

Fiona & Bill with his best men

Once we moored up all the guests gathered on the docks for an “everyone” photo before walking to the pub where we all enjoyed a wonderful meal and fantastic evening. Fiona & Bill had themed the room with peacock feathers and flower arrangements in beautiful birdcages. They also had a “superhero” theme to go with Bill’s love for Marvel comics so all the tables were named after a superhero. The cake was topped with a tardis to show Bill’s love (obsession) with Dr Who.

All the wedding guests

Dr Who inspired Wedding Cake.

After the meal & speeches Fiona & Bill did the most amusing first dance to Basement Jaxx. Their dance turned into a bit of a dance off to the hilarity of all the guests! To keep the party spirit going my cousin Ben & I put together a photo booth area where the guests could come along and have their photo taken wearing ridiculous hats & wigs. It was a great end to a wonderful day.

The Frosts

Sophia with my parents..my dad suits that hat!

The bride & her bridesmaids...Sarah, Fiona & me (Katy)

The girls

Gorgeous

Dejected?

Ben & Claire

Fun times

It was a very special day and it was so wonderful to see my sister so happy. We are all so pleased to have Bill as part of the family and I now have the brother I always wanted.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 14th December – Sunshine & Lantern Wedding

Katy — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:00:05 +0000

On the 14th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….A Sunshine & Lantern Wedding. This summer was full of beautiful weddings and it was great to be able to be part of such wonderful days. We didn’t get much of a summer this year so the weather was a challenge although I have yet to use the wedding brollies! In August I photographed Zara & John’s wedding at Tankersley Manor in Sheffield. They had a beautiful day including blue skies and sunshine. I am thrilled to be sharing their day with you for the Strawberry Advent Blog.

I met up with Zara & John before their wedding to check out the venue we were going to use for their wedding photos. It gave us the chance to get to know each other and for me to get an idea of the sort of photos they were thinking of for their wedding.

Zara & John

The lovely couple.

As the wedding day dawned I went over to Tankersley Manor to see Zara as she was getting ready. I don’t think I have met a more calm bride. Everything was in order and she was quietly having her makeup done and getting excited about the day ahead.

The dress

Bridesmaids & the mother of the bride.

Getting into the dress.

Whilst the girls put the finishing touches to their outfits I went over to meet with John and the boys and get some photos of them as they waited for the guests to arrive.

John & his best man arrive.

Relaxed and ready

Time to get married.

A very proud & emotional bride & father of the bride.

A happy groom

A happy bride

Man and Wife

Bouquets

Let the celebrations begin

As the guests enjoyed a few drinks I took the bridal party off to get some photos of them all together before taking John & Zara off to a secret location for their couple shots.

The girls

Jumping!

Beautiful

Summer Love

Reflections

Once back at Tankersley Manor the guests enjoyed the sunshine before inside for the wedding breakfast.

Blue Sky

Relaxed

Drinks in the sunshine.

A little hockey star in the making

Excitement!

Last minute touches

Little Details

Speeches

To finish off the evening Zara & John took to the floor for their first dance before heading outside to set off some Chinese Lanterns into the summer evening sunset.

First Dance

Chinese Lanterns

Setting off

Make a Wish

Zara & John had a beautiful day for their wedding and I wish them all the happiness as they start married life together.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 8th December – A Bride, A Groom & a Fire Engine

Katy — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:42:19 +0000

On the 8th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you….a Bride, a Groom & a Fire Engine.

I love photographing weddings and often get asked “don’t you get bored of photographing weddings week in week out?” The answer is always “no…because every single wedding is different. You never know what is going to happen.” The wedding of Steve and Sarah was no different and this is what I am going to show you for today’s Advent delight.

Steve and Sarah got married in August at Whirlowbrook Hall in Sheffield. I used to teach with Sarah and Steve so I was really looking forward to taking the photos of their special day. They had a beautifully sunny day so we got to make the most of the wonderful gardens and grounds at Whirlowbrook Hall for their photos. They were both very relaxed and excited about their wedding so they were great fun to photograph.

The boys getting ready.

The stunning bridesmaids

Loved the colours!

Once all the guests had been ushered into the Hall it was time for the beautiful bride to arrive with her dad and be greeted by her bridesmaids (who were wearing gorgeous dresses!)

Celebrations

The ceremony

Mr & Mrs Fox

After the ceremony the guests were all treated to drinks & canapes on the terrace whilst Steve & Sarah went for a drive in the car before coming back to join in the celebrations.

Canapes on the lawn!

Relaxed

Confetti

Congratulations

Here come the girls

Aunty Sarah & Uncle Steve

Whirlow Brook Hall Gardens

One of my favourite shots

Happiness

As we headed back to the Hall for the wedding breakfast we saw a fire engine. Once we’d found out there wasn’t an emergency I took the opportunity to get a photo of Steve & Sarah in the engine. This is what makes every wedding different….you never know what is going to happen next.

A bride, a groom & a fire engine

To finish off the Strawberry advent blog of Steve & Sarah’s wedding here are a few photos of the speeches.

Bouquet

Guests

Father & Daughter

Speeches

Laughter

Bride's Speech

Together

cake topper

A beautiful fun wedding with a fantastic couple. I wish Steve & Sarah all the happiness in their married life together.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 5th December – A Beautiful Barn Wedding

Katy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:00:01 +0000

On the 5th day of Christmas the Strawberry Photographer brings to you…a beautiful barn wedding.

One of my September weddings was down in Suffolk with a couple who I knew from Sheffield. They are both from a lovely little village in Suffolk so went back home to get married with their friends & family.

I met up with James & Kat in Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens to take some photos of them before their big day so that they could get to know me and feel relaxed with the camera.

Relaxed

Fun

They were great to photograph so I knew their wedding was going to be a fantastic day. I travelled down to Suffolk & got to have a look around the Barn where they were getting married. It was a beautiful location & I managed to find some great spots to take photos on the day. Here’s a taster of their amazing wedding.

Getting ready

Bridesmaid makeup

Beautiful Bride

Ready to get married.

Once Kat was ready there was time for a few photos at her parents’ home before heading off to the barn.

Ready to get married.

The arrival of the bride.

Excited

The boys waiting for the arrival of the bride

Once Kat had arrived it was time for the ceremony. It was quite an emotional service with most of the family in tears by the end. Kat & James had included the song “Moonriver” into the ceremony which was obviously very special for them both.

The ceremony

The vows

Smiles

Moonriver

Once they were man & wife it was then time to celebrate with all their family & friends.

The flower girls

Enjoying the champagne

Confetti

Some time with the happy couple

Cheers

After spending some time with James & Kat we got some wonderful photos of the family & friends.

The girls

The boys

The wedding breakfast took place in the barn which had been beautifully decorated by family & friends.

The Beautiful Barn

True Love

The beautiful hand made cake

The cake topper

The top table

After the meal, which was provided by a local caterer, the speeches began. They were all brilliant but it was safe to say that the best men fulfilled their duty in embarrassing the groom.

The teddy

Embarrassed.

Have they said too much?

Then it was time to play some last minute croquet before starting off the evening celebrations with the first dance.

Croquet

First Dance

Congratulations to Kat & James, it was a privilege to be part of your special day.

The Strawberry Advent Blog: 3rd December – A Garden Games Wedding

Katy — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:00:33 +0000

It’s the 3rd day of advent and it’s time to share with you one of our summer weddings. The summer was really busy with wonderful weddings so I have included a few of them in the advent blog. This first wedding was at the end of July with Cath & Martin. They had a very family focused wedding & had treasure hunts and garden games at the reception to keep the children occupied. They had put a lot of thought into the details at the wedding to make sure that all their family & friends were catered for. It was a very personal and happy day.

A few days before the wedding I got chance to meet up with Cath & Martin at the venue to have a look around and take a few photos of them before their big day. I usually like to do this at least a month before the wedding but due to Martin working away from Sheffield this was the only time I could get them both together.

Relaxed before the wedding

The Happy Couple

On the day of their wedding the sun shone and family & friends enjoyed celebrating Cath & Martin’s special day.

The bride arrives.

Mr & Mrs

Enjoying the ceremony

Confetti

The girls

The best men

The Boys

Garden Games for all ages

Family fun

Wedding Bubbles

After fun & games in the garden I spent a bit of time with Cath & Martin taking a few photos of them together & giving them some time to themselves.

A look of love.

Happiness

Fun & games

Fun & Games

To finish off their perfect day they had a ceilidh and got all their guests up and dancing. I don’t think one person was left sat in their seat! The perfect end to a wonderful day.

Dancing

Everyone was dancing!

And finally..the cake.

Congratulations to Cath & Martin, I hope they have a wonderful & long married life together.

Rock The Dress – Jen

Katy — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:39:49 +0000

I had the pleasure doing another Rock The Dress shoot with Jen. Jen works for Gemini Directories which produces the Made in Sheffield Magazine and Hillsborough Directory. I met Jen at the Perfect Pink Tea Party which was put on to bring businesses together and raise money for the Weston Park Cancer Care charity. When Jen heard about my Rock the Dress shoots she was really keen to get the chance to wear her wedding dress again.

Jen got married on the beautiful island of St Lucia so it was great to be able to do a shoot with her in the English countryside. At this time of year I love the bright yellow colour of the rape seed oil fields so we decided to do the shoot in one of those. It really complimented her colouring and added to the romantic feel of wearing the wedding dress again.

As before when I did the Rock the Dress shoot with Liz I took Jen to Vicky from Passion Beauty Studios to have her make up done for the shoot. Jen looked gorgeous and it was a real pleasure to photograph her in her beautiful wedding dress. She rocked her dress as well as the Strawberry Hat!

Beautiful Bride

Hidden

Beautiful Bride

Makeup by Vicky from Passion Beauty Studios

The Stunning Dress

A Country Bride

Rocking our "Strawberry" Hat

Hedgehogs and Sunsets – Simon and Kate’s May Wedding

Katy — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:59:54 +0000

Just over a year ago I was introduced to Simon and Kate through a mutual friend. We had a great first meeting and it was such a pleasure to photograph their special day on Saturday 8th May. We met up at The Moorside Grange Hotel, up in the High Peak in March, and it was very clear that the surroundings would be beautiful for their wedding photos. I was instantly thinking “Wuthering Heights”. Whilst having a look at the reception venue Simon and Kate took me to see the church where they would be getting married. We drove down this little one track lane and at the end of it was a really quaint church where Kate’s grandmother had been married. I love it when there are such special parts of a couple’s day.

Having done a great engagement shoot with Simon and Kate in Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens I was really looking forward to taking photos on their special day. On Saturday morning I packed up the car (including the wedding brollies which once again didn’t need to be used!) and headed out to Kate’s parent’s home in Macclesfield. I arrived to a very serene bride and mother of the bride. Kate’s bridesmaids lived down the same street so they came round about an hour before the ceremony to get their dresses on and add the final touches.

The beautiful dress

The beautiful bride

After taking photos of the final preparations I headed to the church to meet the groom and his groom’s men. Both Kate and Simon and very happy and relaxed people which really showed throughout the day. They are quite possibly one of my smiliest couples yet!

Simon and his bestmen at St James' Church in Taxal.

Waiting for the bride to arrive.

Here comes the bride.

I do...

After the ceremony I took Simon and Kate away for a couple of photos at the side of the church whilst all the guests lined the lane to throw confetti on the newly married Mr & Mrs Ross. Not everyone had confetti so I was really impressed with the use of cherry blossom. I don’t think I’ve seen quite so much confetti at a wedding!

Cherry Blossom...the improvised confetti!

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Ross

After heading up to the Moorside Grange Hotel the guests enjoyed a glass of pimms with strawberries. Having taken a few photos of Simon and Kate with strawberries in their engagement shoot I had to do the same on their wedding day. Unfortunately Simon isn’t a fan of strawberries so Kate obliged before we headed out onto the moor for some blustery and very cold photos with their immediate family and bridal party. We were so lucky to have such stunning scenery which complimented Simon and Kate’s love for the great outdoors.

Another strawberry wedding

Heading out to the peaks..

Simon carries his bride over...the cattle grid!

Kate and her beautiful bridesmaids.

Simon and his groomsmen

"Heathcliffe and Kathy"

After braving the very cold winds out on the moors we headed back indoors for warm cups of tea, speeches and the evening meal. To top off the amazing day Kate and Simon got the most stunning sunset so I took them out for a few more shots to capture it for them. It was the perfect end to a truly wonderful day.

Kate and Hedgy. (Hedgehogs were a running theme throughout the day due to her love for Hedgy.)

Lots of laughs during the speeches.

A stunning end to a truly beautiful day.

Couldn't resist another sunset shot of the happy couple.

The evening finished with Simon & Kate’s first dance and then all the guests were issued with silly hats. It was a brilliant way to get everyone involved and keep the celebrating spirit going. As I left the venue it was clear everyone had had an amazing day celebrating with a lovely couple. I wish Simon and Kate all the best as they start their married life together. Feel free to add any comments for them here.

First dance gives way to silly hats!

Happy Guests at the end of a Happy Day.

May Day Wedding with the lovely Alex & Jessica – Wedding Photography

Katy — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:41:50 +0000

When I left my teaching career just over 2 years ago, to start my own photography business, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Alex and Jessica. They had just got engaged and were looking for a wedding photographer for the 1st May 2010. In March 2008 that seemed a long time away but the last 2 years have flown by and it was such a delight to be able to photograph Alex and Jessica’s wedding on Saturday.

1st May is a special day for Alex and Jessica which is why they had chosen it for their wedding day. Not only was it their wedding but they were sharing it with Jessica’s granddad who was celebrating his 85th birthday. The other very special guest at the wedding was Alex and Jessica’s beautiful daughter, who was born in January this year. When they found out they were expecting a baby Alex and Jessica called me to ask me to do my Shutterbug “Birth to 1st Year” package for them. I first met Blair when she was 2 weeks old and will be going back to more photographs of her later this month. The combination of Alex and Jessica being the first wedding I ever booked, doing a Shutterbug package with Blair and waiting 2 years for their special day it was great to pack up the car and head up to Leeds to capture their wedding.

When I arrived at Jessica’s home she was looking very calm, the nerves were coming from her mum and bridesmaid. Jessica looked absolutely radiant as she put the finishing touches to her hair and got into her dress. Quite a few tears were shed by everyone in the room.

Getting into the beautiful dress.

The stunning bride.

Beautiful, stunning & serene...as every bride should be.

Once I had taken photos of Jessica and the girls I went off to Jessica’s granddad’s house where the boys were gathered. When I arrived they were all enjoying a glass of whiskey and ready to send Alex off in style. They were great fun to photograph and it was so good to have quite a bit of time with them before a 2 minute walk to the church.

Alex fooling around with his 2 nephews..loved this shot!

Here come the boys.

Stop him! (Now is Alex running away or is he just eager to get to the church?)

After a few fun shots with the boys we wandered up to the church to wait for Jessica, her dad and bridesmaid Kirsty. It was fairly overcast and a bit chilly but feeling optimistic I kept the white wedding umbrellas in the car. We had been worried about the weather as heavy rain was predicted but the only issue we had was the brisk wind which made for fun with Jessica’s veil.

The happy bride arrives at the church.

Pink and white rose bouquet for the bride.

Beautiful bride and bridesmaid with a white tulip bouquet.

The ceremony was beautiful with the 2 mother’s lighting a candle at the start of the service. Both fathers did a reading and Jessica’s niece said the prayers. It was a wonderful family occasion with a lot of love and emotion.

The very proud father of the bride gives his daughter away.

Pronounced man and wife

The very happy couple.

Confetti

One of the most special moments for me after the ceremony was when Alex and Jessica were given Blair for a few photos before heading off to the reception. It was lovely to see the photos of them as a family on such a wonderful occasion.

What a beautiful family.

After the ceremony the bride, groom and all the guests headed to the reception venue for pimms (accompanied with strawberries), the formal group shots and then the wedding breakfast. It was quite chilly as we took the photos but I’m pleased to say that my wedding umbrellas were not needed.

Strawberry Pimms

Toasts & Speeches

Happily Married

I absolutely loved being part of Alex and Jessica’s wonderful day. I hope I have captured some wonderful memories for them and would like to wish them both every happiness as they start their married life together with their beautiful baby daughter.

Congratulations

Trash The Dress – Part 1

Katy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:10:20 +0000

About a month ago I met Laura from Little White Book wedding planners for a coffee. We hit it off and were coming up with lots of different creative ideas of how we could work together. When I left the meeting I was buzzing with ideas and couldn’t wait to make them happen. The thing we both wanted to do was to do a “Trash the Dress” shoot. These are becoming more popular in the wedding industry and a great way for couples to have a bit of fun after their wedding doing something a little different in their wedding outfits. Trash the Dress shoots can range from “Rock the Dress” which is where the bride and groom have the chance to wear their outfits again and get a little more creative to “Trash the Dress” which is exactly what is says on the tin…the dress gets trashed but lots of fun is had in the process. Photos can be taken in the sea, a lake, climbing a wall, running through mud or even cutting the dress up!

Laura and I planned a day which would consist of two shoots, a “Rock and Trash the Dress” shoot and then a “Paint the Dress” shoot. This part is about our “Rock/Trash” shoot which we did in Rivelin Woods. Laura volunteered to model for this and was brilliant on a sunny but freezing day. We did a mix of shots in the river and a few “sex and city” inspired shots as she was walking through the woods. The shoot ended up with Laura jumping up and down in the river, getting water & mud in her boots. We even had a few passers by helping out by throughing wet leaves at Laura. One old man got really involved and I almost had to step in to get him to stop! There are a few “behind the scenes” photos which I’ll blog about later.

Laura created her dress from an old dress she had. The bouquets are from Petalis and the head pieces/hats are by Imogen’s Imagination.

Taking a stroll

Rocking that dress

Sex & The City inspired...

Fun & Sassy

Bouquet by Petalis and Hat by Imogen's Imagination

Trashing the dress

Doing what we all want to do!

Mud, mud glorious mud!

Adam & Kirsty get married at Ripley Castle

Katy — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:10:26 +0000

Sunshine, a castle and a very lovely couple make for a perfect wedding and that’s exactly what I got yesterday with Adam and Kirsty. They got married at the very beautiful Ripley Castle on a warm, sunny autumnal day. I arrived as Kirsty and her bridesmaids were getting ready and enjoyed spending time with them before getting shots of Adam and the boys as they walked up to the castle for the ceremony. None of us could have asked for a better day. It was a joy to photograph their special day and it has been such a privilege to get to know them over the last few months. They both looked so happy as they got married and it was great to explore Ripley Castle and get some beautiful shots with them before they sat down for their meal. Kirsty was wearing the most amazing shoes and she gets my respect for wandering round the grounds in them as we took the photos. I just want to wish them all the happiness in the world and hope they have a wonderful honeymoon. Here are a few photos from their day….

: Girls getting ready in the best matching dressing gowns.

: Mother of the bride getting a first glimpse of Kirsty wearing the veil that she wore on her wedding day….gorgeous.

: Boys touching up their make-up..this is a first for me!

: Finishing touches

: The beautiful bride.

: Doing up the dress…it took 3 of us to do up all the buttons!

: The gorgeous shoes.

: A quick drink to calm those nerves!

: “Let me in..I want to get married!”

: Here come the boys.

: First look at the castle.

: The bride.

: Kirsty & her beautiful bridesmaids and very cute flowergirl.

: A nervous smile.

: The beautiful dress.

: Walking to the Castle.

: Reflective moment.

: The girls.

The vows.

"You may kiss the bride."

: Happy smiles of Mr & Mrs Ashman.

: Confetti.

: Flower girl.

: The happy couple.

: The princess and her prince.

: Beautiful.

: Kirsty & Adam with their Castle.

: Cheers to Kirsty & Adam.