Author: rkp

Wedding Photography at St Andrews Church, Westcliff on Sea – Sarah & Simon

Wedding Photography at St Andrews Church, Westcliff on Sea – Sarah & Simon

Sarah and Simon chose their regular church St Andrews in Westcliff to exchange wedding vows, it’s a lovely old and very big church with a real sense of community and the feeling that it is always busy.

There are not many places to take wedding photos but we managed with the brick walls which didn’t look too bad and a brief trip to Chalkwell Park, using the many lovely old trees, the bridge and the greenery as our photography backdrop.

Sarah and Simon are a couple very much in love and seeing Simon’s face light up as he looked at Sarah for the first time when she walked down the aisle was beautiful.

Vicar Paul was so helpful, showing me the different areas of the church and just generally making me feel welcome.

The Reception was held here too and the couple had a ‘right royal’ afternoon tea, it was almost like a street party indoors.

Simon’s brother Tim was best man and his four adorable children were bridesmaids and pageboy along with Amber.

Simon has advised me to hug a tree so I will be trying this in the future, if nothing else it will make me laugh and they showed me how to do it in Chalkwell Park.

My thanks go to Sarah and Simon for choosing me as their wedding photographer, it was an absolute pleasure to work with them.

 

Essex Wedding Photographers at Kelvedon Church & Marks Hall, Coggeshall – Rosie & Jason

Essex Wedding Photographers at Kelvedon Church & Marks Hall, Coggeshall – Rosie & Jason

Fabulous day, fabulous wedding, lovely people!

Rosie and Jason chose a beautiful country church to get married in then chose the lovely Marks Hall in Coggeshall, Essex to hold the reception. Both venues were new to me and I loved them. I have a penchant for country churches and Kelvedon church didn’t disappoint, lots of lush greenery to use as a backdrop to my wedding photography. Jason and the boys wore blue suits with fab checked waistcoats and pink ties to match the bridesmaids’ pink dresses.

 

Rosie is as her name suggests a beautiful English rose and she looked a picture in a lace dress and matching veil.

The big surprise of the day was the transport, Rosie and her mum arranged for the actual bus driven by her Grandad in the 50’s to ferry them to the church, some of his colleagues were on the bus too.

The weather was hot and sunny, and guests were able to make the most of the beautiful gardens at Marks Hall. Such a lovely venue, it has extensive grounds, a lake and formal gardens all of which are superb for wedding photographs. The geese were very protective of their goslings. Another fine bird was the peacock which strutted around the grounds displaying its beautiful plumage.

Big thanks go to all the team who were very friendly and welcoming, I hope to be working at Marks Hall again soon.

I look forward to Rosie and Jason’s return from honeymoon when they can see their wedding photos and we can make choices for their Graphistudio album.

Wedding Photographer at The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Vicky & Jim

Wedding Photographer at The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Vicky & Jim

Vicky and Jim had lovely weather for their April wedding at the Lawn. The brilliant Faith Gurel did the flowers and the orangery looked amazing.

Jim and Vicky have seven children between them and they really are one big happy family, they all get on so well and seem to really care about each other. It was nice to hear the story of how they met and to see them together.

Jim took his other love to the Lawn, his prized Harley Davidson, so I obviously had to get a photo of him on that, I also took some extra photos of the bike whilst they were eating so you have a surprise coming Jim!

Grandson Milo (lovely name) looked gorgeous in his suit which matched the rest of the groomsmen.

Jim bucked tradition and had his daughter Laura as his ‘Best Woman’, she excelled at it and did a really good speech.

Vicky became nervous before the wedding so it was good to see her relax and enjoy herself once the ceremony was done, in fact she seemed to be happier the moment she reached Jim at the end of the aisle. Vicky has beautiful eyes and she looked lovely in a dress from Chantilly Lace in Westcliff, the bridesmaids’ dresses were also from there. Hair was done by Jenny and make up by Katie Poole.

One novel idea was to have a jigsaw puzzle and each child walked down the aisle and placed a piece of jigsaw in, naturally the complete picture was one of Vicky and Jim.

As is customary with the Lawn the day ran smoothly, the gardens provided a wonderful backdrop for my wedding photography. It is so good to work with people who know
and care about what they are doing.

A good time to mention Blatella too, it was good to work with them again.

It was a great day and I am excited to share the wedding images with Vicky and Jim and look forward to making their Graphistudio album.

Essex Wedding Photography at Langtons House, Hornchurch – Rhonda & Ashley

Essex Wedding Photography at Langtons House, Hornchurch – Rhonda & Ashley

The first wedding of 2018 was a small one, held at Langtons House in Hornchurch, one of my favourite Essex wedding venues. I love the architecture, the windows and the beautiful gardens especially the old tree and it’s great to be able to go outside and capture images walking along the pathway. Rhonda and Ashley chose Langtons House as the perfect venue for their marriage. Their respective parents were present to witness the happy couple’s ceremony and pose outside on a bright but chilly day to get some lovely wedding images.

 

 

Essex Wedding Photographers at Channels, near Chelmsford – Carly & Jason

Essex Wedding Photographers at Channels, near Chelmsford – Carly & Jason

Yay! Back to Channels which has changed quite a bit since I was last there and is still a great wedding venue with really helpful and dedicated staff.

Carly and Jason chose Channels for their wedding because they loved the venue and it also gave the opportunity to have an outdoor ceremony – in October! Needless to say, they were lucky with the weather and were able to have their wishes fulfilled.

Such a loving family with gorgeous kids and it was especially emotional for Jason as he hadn’t seen his Dad for 17 years, so it was a tearful reunion.

Carly wore a figure hugging ‘fishtail’ dress from Bridal Boutique in Southend, she looked amazing, she has the most beautiful eyes too and the makeup really enhanced them.

I loved the way Carly had chosen different colours for the bridesmaids’ dresses (bought on eBay, who says you need to spend a fortune!) the girls looked fabulous.

Jason and the boys wore suits from Paul Costello in Braintree Essex, they looked very smart and little Kason aged 2 looked so cute in his.

There were some funny moments as well and also time to take some romantic wedding photos by the trees and the lake, it’s always nice to have a pretty background for the wedding photography.

The flowers and chair covers came from Lacey Events Services in Westcliff and the cake was from the Homemade Bakery in Leigh on Sea.

It was lovely to meet the families and be a part of Carly and Jason’s big day.

Essex Wedding Photographer at St. Nicholas, Wakering & The Lawn – Rachel & Terry

Essex Wedding Photographer at St. Nicholas, Wakering & The Lawn – Rachel & Terry

Just had a meeting with Rachel and Terry whose wedding I did recently, it was so nice to relive it, talk about happy moments and laugh about unforeseen hitches. I am looking forward to creating their Graphistudio Album.

Rachel and Terry are such fun to be around, happy people, always smiling and laughing, it was such a pleasure to work with them and it was good to be back at the Lawn with Andrew running the show and making everything perfect.

Rachel’s dress from Serena Bridal in Wickford was beautiful and she looked lovely in it, it suited her so well. I loved her shoes too! The bridesmaids’ dresses were a gorgeous turquoise and came from The Dressmaker in Leigh on Sea. Terry and the boys wore grey suits from Moss Bros.

Faith Gurel did an amazing job with the flowers which were a stunning burnt orange and contrasted so well with the blue of the dresses and were perfect for an autumn wedding.

The wedding service was held in one of my favourite churches, St Nicholas in Great Wakering and the Reverend Kim Lepley was brilliant as always, so friendly and relaxed it is a pleasure to watch her work and see the lovely way she has with people.

We had two vintage Rolls Royce from the lovely Arrow Cars people and a Routemaster bus to take everyone back to the Lawn.

The cake by Occasions Cake Studio in Grays was a work of art, brilliant the way they created the figures of Rachel and Terry to be wearing the exact outfits that they actually wore. I loved the large, colourful balloons from Love Me Do balloons in Hockley.

Wedding Photography Our Lady of Lourdes & Rayleigh Club – Elizabetta & Marc

Wedding Photography Our Lady of Lourdes & Rayleigh Club – Elizabetta & Marc

Wow! Fabulous sunshine in late September and really warm too, Elisabetta & Marc were so lucky with the weather. The contrasty light made wedding photography difficult but it was great to see everyone enjoy the sunshine.
First stop was Our Lady of Lourdes in Leigh On Sea, where Father Kevin gave a great service as usual. It’s a beautiful church and it is nice to have the bushes and trees providing a background and some shade for my photography.
Marc, his son and the best man Omar looked great in blue suits from Paisley of London, with pink ties which matched the pink in the bridesmaids’ dresses which came from Asos. Elisabetta looked lovely in a gorgeous lacy vintage style dress and veil from Blush in Leigh Road, Leigh on Sea.
The Reception was held at the Rayleigh Club and I got some great shots of Elisabetta & Marc under the willow tree. I also took full advantage of the mirrors in the entrance to get some nice shots of Elisabetta and sister Elenora. It was a lovely, happy relaxed and I wish we could do it all over again.

Essex Wedding Photographers at Braxted Park, Great Braxted – Stacey & Bob

Essex Wedding Photographers at Braxted Park, Great Braxted – Stacey & Bob

A recommendation from wedding photography l did at Cooling Castle Barn in Kent led to my first time working at Braxted Park, an elegant Georgian mansion situated between Colchester and Chelmsford and what a beautiful venue it is, everything you could possibly need or want on your wedding day.

Stacey and Bob chose this venue because Stacey fell in love with it the moment she saw it and they particularly wanted a shot of themselves with the lake in the foreground and the house in the background, I was of course happy to oblige. There were so many lovely areas providing great backdrops for our wedding photography. Stacey and Bob were great to work with and we had lots of fun. Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photographers at Braxted Park, Great Braxted – Stacey & Bob”

Essex Wedding Photographer at All Saints Church, Barling – Amy & Marc

Essex Wedding Photographer at All Saints Church, Barling – Amy & Marc

I love a country wedding, and Amy and Mark had a proper country wedding with a fabulous marquee in Barling, checked waistcoats for the boys, (hired from Anthony’s in Billericay Essex) ribbons hanging in the trees, lanterns, hay bales, tons of beautiful flowers and even a vintage Land Rover.

Amy’s stunning dress came from Turner and Pennell, she looked lovely, all lace with a flowing train and it had an unusual heart shape in the back, and it suited her so well. The bridesmaids wore vintage coral dresses. Mother of the Bride, Jane looked fabulous in a light blue outfit with matching hat.

The day started well with everything running smoothly, the make-up and hair girls, Sophie and Lorna from Halo Hair based in Essex really understood the importance of having everybody ready on time in order to capture all the pre-wedding photos. We had time to go into the garden of Amy’s parents’ house to get lovely images of the girls which was great before setting off to All Saints Church in Barling Magna in vintage cars provided by Arrow cars.

Kim Lepley is the new vicar at All Saints, Barling where Amy and Mark got married; she gave a lovely service and had some nice words for the couple.

The real magic was at the reception in the gardens with the marquee, the setting looked so beautiful and took your breath away, mainly thanks to Jenny from Out of the Earth in Southchurch Road, gorgeous floral displays were everywhere – truly amazing and so talented. Jenny had excelled herself and worked really hard to make the wedding a success, such attention to detail and so many beautiful things to photograph. Jenny’s mum Thelma had stitched together 250 metres of bunting. Nicola from Paper Orchard in Wakering made props and did the signs and stationary. There were chalk boards with fancy writing and an old trade bike, a lovely old tree with a seat that went all the way around, such an inspiring place to work and I am so grateful and happy to be a part of it.

Wedding Photography at Westleigh Baptist Church & Leigh On Sea – Ann-Marie & Mick

Wedding Photography at Westleigh Baptist Church & Leigh On Sea – Ann-Marie & Mick

I have known Mick for many years so was thrilled when he and Ann-Marie asked me to be their wedding photographer. Mick is a very lucky man as he is surrounded by beautiful women, he has three gorgeous daughters plus the lovely Ann-Marie who looked radiant on her wedding day.

Ann-Marie’s dress from a Touch Too Wild in Leigh On Sea was elegant and really suited her, she had chosen a fitted dress with an interesting cut away at the back. The girls wore pale grey dresses and the wedding theme was ‘shades of grey’ with the idea being that women would wear outfits in various shades of grey and the men would wear dinner suits – which is of course what Mick and Best man Phil wore. Continue reading “Wedding Photography at Westleigh Baptist Church & Leigh On Sea – Ann-Marie & Mick”

Essex Wedding Photograpy at Roslin Hotel, Thorpe Bay – Vicky & Daniel

Essex Wedding Photograpy at Roslin Hotel, Thorpe Bay – Vicky & Daniel

I had a lovely day at the Roslin Beach Hotel in Thorpe Bay with the gorgeous Vicky and Daniel.

It was a bright but very windy day and Vicky was reluctant to go outside so most of our shots were done inside, not easy with 85 people and two enormous mirrors in the room but I like a challenge and we got some great shots of the happy couple and their guests.

Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photograpy at Roslin Hotel, Thorpe Bay – Vicky & Daniel”

Essex Wedding Photography at Friern Manor, Dunton. – Nicky & Daniel

Essex Wedding Photography at Friern Manor, Dunton. – Nicky & Daniel

Nicky and Daniel chose Friern Manor in Dunton Essex as their wedding venue. With so many places to photograph in and so many trees, statues, the lake, the fountain, we were spoilt for choice.

The room Nicky got ready in was beautiful with a four poster bed to hang the wedding dress up and a balcony to view the gardens and spy on the guests arriving. I wanted a shot of the bouquet and shoes taken against the garden backdrop so balanced them on the wall, luckily it worked and they didn’t fall. Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photography at Friern Manor, Dunton. – Nicky & Daniel”

Essex Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford – Clare & Charlie

Essex Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford – Clare & Charlie

Back to the Rochford Hotel where Jane and the team are working flat out to make sure Clare and Charlies’ day is a success. Once again we are lucky with the weather, it was raining in the morning but we had warm sunshine mixed with cloud in time for the photos.

Clare wore a gorgeous dress from Serena Bridal in Wickford Essex, it fitted her perfectly and dazzled in the sunshine. We went to a nice shady spot in the gardens to give a lovely backdrop for our wedding photography. Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford – Clare & Charlie”

Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford, Essex – Shelley & Bradley

Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford, Essex – Shelley & Bradley

Had a fabulous time at the Rochford Hotel celebrating the marriage of Shelley to Bradley. The weather was glorious, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Shelley looked beautiful in a stunning dress from Turner & Pennell, she could not stop smiling. Brad and the boys had fun arriving in a Mustang, donning shades for our ‘walking’ shot and generally larking about. Continue reading “Wedding Photographer at Rochford Hotel, Rochford, Essex – Shelley & Bradley”

2016 Wedding Photography Blogs – A Summary

2016 Wedding Photography Blogs – A Summary

2016 was a brilliant year for weddings, I met so many lovely people and worked in some great places, it was funny to start the year off at St Nicholas Church in Great Wakering, photographing the wedding of Alun Hurd, a local vicar who did my daughter’s wedding and has officiated at other weddings I have had the pleasure to photograph. I don’t know who was more nervous, him or me, it was only when his lovely wife to be Sharon arrived that he relaxed a little.

Continue reading “2016 Wedding Photography Blogs – A Summary”

Wedding Photography at Hadleigh Temple & Brandy Hole, Hullbridge, Essex – Zena & Claes-Goran

Wedding Photography at Hadleigh Temple & Brandy Hole, Hullbridge, Essex – Zena & Claes-Goran

I had a lovely time with Zena and Claes-Goran at their Salvation Army wedding, everyone was so welcoming and helpful. It was a very relaxed affair with lots of laughter. Claes-Goran had travelled to England from Sweden bringing a handful of close friends and family with him including two majors who were part of the service and said kind words for the happy couple.

Continue reading “Wedding Photography at Hadleigh Temple & Brandy Hole, Hullbridge, Essex – Zena & Claes-Goran”

Essex Wedding Photographers at The Rayleigh Club, Rayleigh – Ellie & Matt

Essex Wedding Photographers at The Rayleigh Club, Rayleigh – Ellie & Matt

It’s been a funny old summer, and funny weather for Ellie and Matt’s wedding, one moment we had lovely warm sun on our backs, the next it was raining. As always our lovely bride and groom Ellie and Matt didn’t care about the weather and were happy to create wonderful wedding memories.

Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photographers at The Rayleigh Club, Rayleigh – Ellie & Matt”

Wedding Photography at The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Lucy & Dan

Wedding Photography at The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Lucy & Dan

The best way to describe Lucy and Dan’s wedding at the fabulous Lawn in Rochford Essex is to say ‘fun, fun, fun’! Lucy looked like a real life princess with a sparkling tiara and perfect makeup and a beautiful frothy full skirted dress with layers and layers of net.

Continue reading “Wedding Photography at The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Lucy & Dan”

Wedding Photographers at St Giles’ Orsett & The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Sam & Blain

Wedding Photographers at St Giles’ Orsett & The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Sam & Blain

It’s always great to go to a new venue, somewhere different to work, a new challenge and change of scenery so it was good to do Sam and Blain’s wedding at the lovely old St Giles & All Saints Church in Orsett Essex. It’s also nice to work in venues that are familiar and comfortable, where you just know that everything will work and go to plan so I was very happy that they were celebrating with a reception at the ever popular Lawn in Rochford, Essex.

Continue reading “Wedding Photographers at St Giles’ Orsett & The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Sam & Blain”

Wedding Photographers at Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh & The Lawn, Rochford, Essex – Sarah & Jean-Marc
Wedding Photography at Leigh Rd, Church & Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend, Essex – Rebekah & Andrew

Wedding Photography at Leigh Rd, Church & Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend, Essex – Rebekah & Andrew

July is a popular choice as a wedding date, brides and grooms hope for warmth and sunshine, however when Rebekah and Andrew’s big day came around the skies opened and it poured with rain. Consequently most of our photos were taken indoors. The rain did not dampen our spirits and luckily Leigh Road Baptist Church where Rebekah and Andrew had chosen to get married, has in recent years undergone considerable improvements and we had good light and plenty of space to work in.

Continue reading “Wedding Photography at Leigh Rd, Church & Roslin Beach Hotel, Southend, Essex – Rebekah & Andrew”

Wedding Photographers at Sands, Southend on Sea, Essex – Nicola & Chris

Wedding Photographers at Sands, Southend on Sea, Essex – Nicola & Chris

Nicola and Christian chose the contemporary and unique Sands Bistro on Southend seafront as the perfect venue to host their wedding day.

Nicola and the bridesmaids got ready just down the road at the Roslin Hotel, it was nice to bump into Sarah again, who made a lovely job of Nicola’s make up. Our bride looked radiant in a fabulous, unusual ruffled dress, reminiscent of swan’s feathers. Bridesmaids wore a vibrant aquamarine and Christian and the boys wore lovely light grey suits with aquamarine ties to match. Continue reading “Wedding Photographers at Sands, Southend on Sea, Essex – Nicola & Chris”

Essex Wedding Photographers at Fryerning Church & Le Talbooth – Sally & Phil

Essex Wedding Photographers at Fryerning Church & Le Talbooth – Sally & Phil

Two fabulous weddings this weekend, one set in the heart of the Essex countryside, the other on Southend’s seafront. Sally and Phil chose the church of St Mary the Virgin for their wedding, a beautiful country church in the parish of Fryerning.

Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photographers at Fryerning Church & Le Talbooth – Sally & Phil”

Essex Wedding Photographers at Marygreen Manor, Brentwood – Lynne & Andy

Essex Wedding Photographers at Marygreen Manor, Brentwood – Lynne & Andy

It was good to return to the Marygreen Manor Hotel, ideally situated in the heart of Brentwood, Essex for the marriage of Lynne to Andy. Hot summer weather together with old world Tudor charm and the warm and friendly atmosphere of this historic hotel was a recipe for success for Lynne and Andy and their  family and friends.

Continue reading “Essex Wedding Photographers at Marygreen Manor, Brentwood – Lynne & Andy”