…More information abut wedding photography withing Ashbourne and the surrounding areas, coming soon!
In the mean time, check out some of our other wedding blog posts.
Timings for your wedding day
July 19, 2011 By
The amount of time you leave for your photography may not be something that you consider high on your agenda but this really is an important factor if you’re going to get the photos you want. If you want some lovely wedding day pictures then read on!!
Timings will vary hugely depending on where you get married and where you want your photos taking. It also depends on how many guests you have invited and if you are having a receiving line before your meal, and of course, what style of photos you want taking.
It goes without saying that if you want lots of different family groups, lots of bride and grooms photos and then lots of reportage photos too (as most people do) you’re going to need more time that if you just wanted a few quick snaps of your day.
The two types of wedding we’ll look at in detail here are church weddings and civil (non-church) ceremonies.
A church wedding
Say your service starts at 2pm, the ceremony will probably last 45 minutes to an hour, making it 3pm, then say 30 minutes at the church for all your family group images. After a 20 minute drive to the venue and another 30/45 minutes for romantic images and some more relaxed reportage images, you’re then looking at 5pm for the meal (allowing time for your receiving line which will probably start at 4:40). Of course that’s providing nothing runs late and all your guests don’t disappear to the bar!
A venue wedding
For simplicity, lets say again that the wedding starts at 2pm, a civil service only lasts on average 20 minutes so you’ll be ready for some photos by say 2:30pm. Again 30 minutes to run through the groups and then another 30/45 minutes for the two of you and the reportage shots. You could be ready for your receiving line at 4pm.
Of course, we haven’t left any time for mingling with your guests and that’s what we want you to have a think about! Quite often at weddings we’re left with an hour do all the photos and we often feel guilty that you don’t have any time to socialise whatsoever, so its worth factoring in a little time for all your guests to say hello and tell you both how amazing you look!
You also need to take into account the amount of guests you have invited when considering the amount of time to allow. For example a wedding with 35 guests should only take about 20 minutes for the group shots, whereas one with 130 guests could take 45 minutes, providing we can get everyone out of the bar!
Below is an ideal scenario for timings on your day:
Church Weddings:
2pm – Wedding Service
3pm – Leave the church and greet your guests
3:20pm – begin your group photos at the church (space permitting)
3:50pm – Do some nice informal, but romantic photos of you both in the church grounds
4:15pm – Leave for the wedding venue
4:30pm – Arrive at the reception venue for a drinks reception
4:45pm – Maybe have a few additional photos in and around your reception venue
5:15pm Begin a receiving line
5:30pm Sit down for dinner
Non-Church Wedding (all in 1 venue)
2pm Wedding Ceremony
2:30pm Drinks reception & greet your guests
2:45pm Begin your group photos
3:30pm Romantic photos of you both together in and around your venue
4pm Receiving line begins
4:15pm Sit down for dinner
Don’t forget about travel time and accounting for people getting lost on the way if you’re getting married at a different venue to your evening reception.
All of these timings are just a guide, but from hundreds of weddings worth of experience, the ones where you have left lots of time in between events tends to be the weddings with the least stress. After all, if you find yourself done with your photos sooner than you expected you have more time to have a drink with friends and family!
Click Here to download a PDF of this article!
New Facebook / Twitter competition – Win a free baby photoshoot
July 18, 2011 By
Exclusively for our Facebook and Twitter users
Win a free baby photo shoot for your son daughter in our fun and relaxed professional home studio!
For full details, please Click Here
Moxhull Hall – A beautiful Warwickshire wedding venue
July 12, 2011 By
Moxhull Hall, Sutton Coalfield, Warwickshire
Moxhull Hall’s charm and appeal hits you as soon as you enter the beautiful Victorian building and it’s easy to see why it has fast become one of the Midlands most sought after wedding venues.
The warm, welcoming and friendly atmosphere is immediately apparent and the attention to detail cannot go by unnoticed. You can tell this place is really loved by the people who work here.
The Moxhull Hall promise is that they hold only one wedding on any given day and all 18 bedrooms are held for the wedding party so it really does feel as if you have the whole place to yourselves.
Ever thought it would be nice to get married outside? One of the most impressive features of all is the new development of Caliope’s garden. Along a winding pathway you find yourself entering a real secret garden. Surrounded by the magnificent rockery this is a truly magical setting for a wedding. Set with gazebo and garden chairs this really does offer couples somewhere truly special to exchange their wedding vows.
From a photography point of view it has everything going for it. A beautifully refurbished house with large rooms, large light windows, extensive grounds, various pillars and garden features as well as a beautiful permanent marquee…This wedding venue has got it all and is without a doubt in our top few wedding venues that we love to photograph wedding at!
If you would like to know more about this beautiful wedding venue in Warwickshire, visit the Moxhull Hall website.
Keep checking back soon… More venues to come. In the mean time why not have a read some of our other blog posts about wedding traditions from around the world, or 10 ways to get the photos you want.
Wedding traditions from around the world
July 12, 2011 By
Wedding traditions from around the world
We thought we would write a slightly different article to our normal wedding photography blog posts and tell you about a few of the extensive wedding traditions there are happening around the world. There are so many different traditions and ideas even within one culture so we haven’t listed them all, but we’ve picked out a select few. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your wedding here in the UK! Feel free to add your own findings in the comments box at the bottom of the page…we’d love to hear some more traditions. (Please note that the pictures are not our work and are those collected from Flickr.)
Did you know…….?
Bengali
According to some sources some Bengali tribes practiced a custom where blood was drawn from the husband’s finger and mixed with betel (a type of plant) and eaten by the bride.
Pygmy
If a pygmy man is to marry his beloved one, he has to find among his relatives a girl willing to marry a brother or male cousin of his future wife. If he does so and has enough food to give, he may have even more wives.
Chinese
Before the wedding happens, it is initiated by a series of three letters. The first one is a request letter sent from the groom’s family to the bride’s family, as formal marriage request. Second one is a gift letter that accompanies the gifts of the groom’s family to the bride’s family shortly before the wedding. And third one is the wedding letter given on the day of the wedding, officially accepting the bride into the groom’s family.
Red is central to the wedding theme of China. It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions. The bride’s wedding gown is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom’s homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.
It is also customary for couples to be married on the half-hour on their wedding day rather than at the top of the hour. In this way, the couple begins their new lives together on an ‘upswing’, while the hands of the clock are moving up, rather than down.
England
Some brides in England wear a penny in their shoe which should bring prosperity to their future lives as wives.
France
In some weddings in France, after the reception, people who were invited gather outside the newlyweds’ window and bang pots and pans. After a few minutes they are invited into the house for some more drinks in the couple’s honor, after which the couple is finally allowed to be alone for their first night together as husband and wife.
Japanese
The Japanese bride-to-be may be painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her maiden status to the gods. The bride wears a white kimono and an elaborate headpiece covered with many ornaments to invite good luck to the happy couple. A white hood is attached to the kimono, which the bride wears like a veil to hide her ‘horns of jealousy’ from the groom’s mother, who will now become the head of the family. Japanese grooms wear black kimonos to their wedding ceremony.
The bride may change into several outfits throughout her wedding day. And her attire usually consists of an extravagant kimono, heavy make-up, a wig, and a head covering.
Taking the photographs of the bride, the groom, and their relatives are considered to be the essential part of the wedding day – it is like prevision of the couple’s future life.
Italy
In Italy on the day of the wedding, the groomsmen try their hardest to make the groom as uncomfortable as possible by saying things like “Maybe she forgot where the church is.
While in some countries blue is a color that brings good luck in Italy is green.
Poland
According to an old tradition in Poland, a groom arrives with his parents at the house of a bride just before the wedding ceremony. At that time both parents and parents-in-law give a young couple their blessing.
One of oldest customs in Poland is preparing “passing gates” on the way to the reception for the newlyweds, who in order to pass have to give the “gate keepers” some vodka.
The married couple is welcomed at the reception place by the parents with bread and salt. The bread symbolizes the prosperity, salt stands for hardship of life.
Scotland
Typical for Scottish culture is that during the wedding ceremony, the groom and much of the male bridal party, wear kilts.
You are free to be married in Scotland at 16, whereas in England you would still need parental permission at that age.
The newly wed couple may only leave the ceremony to the sound of bagpipes.
Filipino
- Sibling weddings in the Philippines must be held more than a year apart, to do otherwise is considered bad luck.
Indian weddings (in general)
The Hindu bride always wears red clothes, never white because white symbolizes widowhood in Indian culture.
Marriage is a very sad moment for the bride’s relatives – traditionally the bride is supposed to permanently “break-off” her relations with her blood relatives to join her husband’s family.
During traditional weddings bride’s hands and feet were covered with henna.
Greece
One of most specific customs of a Greek wedding is that two or three days before the wedding, the family organises a celebration called The Krevati in their new home. In The Krevati, friends and relatives of the couple put money and young children on the couple’s new bed for prosperity and fertility in their life.
Typical Greek wedding includes usually 250-500 guests – not only family and friends of the wedding couple but mostly people that parents of young couple know, in more traditional weddings even whole villages. That is why it is common to have guests whom the couple has never met before.
One of most famous traditions is the pinning of money on the bride’s dress.
USA
A color scheme at the American wedding is often selected to match everything from bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, invitations, and decorations.
Tradition allows wedding gifts to be sent up to a year after the wedding date.
African-American
Jumping the broom developed out West African Asante custom. The broom in Ashanti and other Akan cultures also held spiritual value and symbolised sweeping away past wrongs or warding off evil spirits. Brooms were waved over the heads of marrying couples to ward off spirits. The couple would often but not always jump over the broom at the end of the ceremony.
Malaysia
A traditional groom, getting married in Malaysia, might send children bearing wedding presents to his future bride. These wedding gifts include elaborately displayed trays of food with origami flowers and cranes, which are made with bills of currency.
At the wedding reception, it is a Korean marriage custom, for each guest to receive an artistically decorated hard-boiled egg, which represents fertility.
Jamaica
A dark fruitcake liberally laced with rum is served at wedding receptions of Jamaican couples. Following the celebration, the wedding party slices the remainder of the wedding cake and mails them to friends and relatives unable to attend the wedding reception
Cuba
Wedding guests partake in the traditional money dance, where each man who dances with the new bride must pin money to her dress, to help the newlyweds with their honeymoon expenses.
Argentina
It is an Argentinean wedding tradition for the couple to exchange their wedding rings at the engagement, and not during the marriage vows.
Venezuela
During a traditional wedding ceremony in Venezuela, the families of the bride and groom will exchange 13 gold coins, to symbolise prosperity and good fortune. The coins are known as arras. These may also be exchanged between the couple themselves.
In Venezuela, it is traditional for newlyweds to sneak away from their own wedding reception without saying good-bye. This is considered to bring good luck to the union.
[Source: Pictures & content via Wikipedia, Worldweddingtraditions.com and Flickr]
Michelle & Haydn
July 5, 2011 By
Michelle & Haydns wedding in May 2011
by Michelle Whitfield
“Haydn and I have been together for 16 years and have lived together for 10 years, so it was on the cards that one day we would marry.
May 2010 we attended a party, the venue was in a marquee on Osmaston Park, Ashbourne. Driving down the long drive and seeing the breathtaking views of the manicured lawns, ponds and the fantastic lake in the background it certainly was a ‘WOW’ factor. We both looked at each other and said “What a fabulous venue for a wedding” we didn’t even know it existed. That was it, over the next few days phone calls were made and the wedding was booked for Monday 30th May 2011.
One of the first things that I purchased was my dress, then attending a wedding fayre at Uttoxeter Racecourse I saw the bridesmaids dress that I loved in such an unusual colour. The bridesmaids were all of Haydn’s daughters, (how many grooms have 4 daughters as bridesmaids!). I knew they would love them so I made the decision for them!! They did all loved them. I had my twin sister give me away so she had her dress in the same colour but a completely different style.
My sister lives in Doveridge and at the bottom of her garden live a couple called Ben and Hannah of HBA Photography, she told us they do photography, Ben does Saxophone and then they provide the evening disco all as a package. How could we not meet up with them. Great package, great price, booked!
I decided to make my own invitations, order of service, menus, place names etc and after finally finding a flower to match the colour theme, we set to work, hour after hour of making the stationery.
The year was quickly passing and Christmas was fast approaching so that took over for a while, but with Christmas gone and only 5 months to go, I had to motivate myself.
Flowers decided for the church, bouquets ordered, car booked, suits ordered. Only days before I was worried I had forgotten some of the smaller things that men don’t even think about but it was getting to late to do anything about it.
The eve of the day arrived – the bridesmaids stayed over and we ate pizza and drank wine (not too much!). 6am alarm call, coffee, toast and bath it was time to go to the hairdressers. 3 hours later, and hair finished, I arrived home to find Ben and Hannah already there snapping away with their cameras as we were due to be in church for a 12 noon service. I ran upstairs with a glass of bubbly for Dutch courage whilst photos were being taken downstairs – it is the most daunting and quickest make over I have ever done without worrying about getting mascara in my eyes, but everyone was relaxed and ready on time!
Whilst the rain continued to pour down we arrived at church. The service was lovely and relaxed and the time flew by, it felt like a few minutes not an hour. With rings exchanged, hymns sung and photos taken it was off to Osmaston Park. The venue still looked fabulous despite the grey skies and rain but it didn’t worry us, we knew we would have a wonderful day. Some photos were taken during the Pimms and Bucks Fizz reception. We then had a wide arrangement of family and friends photos taken inside the marquee. It was then time to announce in the new Mr and Mrs Whitfield into the room. We had a wonderful 4 course meal, served by Uppercrust Caterers whilst Ben was playing the saxophone in the background, he was so good even some of the guests got up and danced during the meal. Our best man, Malc, gave a great original speech that had everyone in stitches, we then cut the cake.
It all seems a bit of a blur at the moment, everyone says your wedding day will go so fast and it certainly did. The weather cleared and we went out for a short while for some beautiful photos appreciating the venue and its grounds.
The evening guests started arriving at 7.30pm, we greeted most of them but apologies to any we didn’t. Time ticking and Ben asked me the dreaded question “what time would you like to do your 1st dance”. It was 9pm before we got around to dancing to ‘Heaven’ by DJ Sammy. A hog roast followed, accompanied by numerous salads, breads and a cheese tower and was quickly eaten by all 220 guests.
Night coming to an end and off to Yeldersley Hall for a short 3 night break. The next day was tiring and a bit deflating thinking it was all over!
With huge thanks to everyone who made the day so special but especially to Ben and Hannah whom both showed such professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the day.”
Wedding party details:
Church: St Giles’s Church, Marston Montgomery
Reception: Osmaston Park
Bride: Michelle Bacon
Groom: Haydn Whitfield
Brides Dad – Frank Bacon
Brides Mum – Jackie Tranter
Grooms Mum – Joy Whitfield
Best Man – Malcolm Grindey
Ushers – Dane Bourne / Stephen Simpson
Bridesmaids – Sarah Whitfield, Samantha Whitfield, Amber Whitfield, Abigail Whitfield
Brides Sister / Maid of Honour – Emma Bacon
Brides Step Dad – Bob Tranter
Brides Step Mum – Carrole Bacon
Would you like your wedding to appear here in our ‘Brides Stories” Section? - Simply let us know and we’ll get your story from you!
Wedding Photography Tips – 10 Ways to get the photos you want
July 5, 2011 By
Wedding Photography Tips – 10 ways to make sure you get the photos you want!
Beautiful… Natural… Elegant … Fun… Creative… Formal… Informal…….. make sure you get what you want!
1: Locations
Your venue, aside from the weather, is probably the single most important factor when thinking about what you want your photos to look like. For example, if you pick a venue without any grounds or scenic locations your not going to get photos with beautiful backdrops you always dreamed of. Thats not to say you won’t get beautiful close up photos, just don’t get your hopes up for rolling green fields, or babbling brooks if the venue doesn’t have any in it’s grounds. The long and the short of it is simple… If you want a castle as the backdrop for your photos, then pick a castle for your wedding rather than a Holiday Inn. However, there may be a solution if budget is the problem. We offer a ‘love the dress‘ photoshoot which allows you to put your dress on again and we’ll take you to the location you dreamed of for your photos, but couldn’t quite afford on your wedding day. For more information, click here.
2: Decide who you want in which photo
There is nothing more disappointing than getting your photos back and realising that you’ve missed someone important off the family photo, or there is someone there on the photo who you didn’t want in. We will organise all your group photos for you so that everything happens as fast as possible on the day, but it’s important that in the lead up to the wedding that you tell us who you want in each photo so as to avoid any disappointment at a later date. The same goes for your bridal party photos… Some couples want parents included as part of the bridal party and others prefer to keep it as bridesmaids, flower girls, groomsmen and ushers. It’s your wedding so the choice is completely up to you, just let us know so we get it right for you guys on the day.
3: Prioritise which photos are most important
This is most important when there is a risk of rain. You need to decide whether it’s most important to have your bride and groom photos first outside leaving your group photos to be done inside in case it rains, or whether you would rather have a more picturesque location for your group photos risking your bride and groom pictures. We always hope that the weather is good, but you should always make plans in case of bad whether so that you get what you want for your wedding day.
4: Relax
It’s easier said than done when you have a photographer following your every move from a distance, but try and relax on your wedding day. If the groomsmen are doing thier job properly they will be working behind the scenes to make sure that everything you have organised is happening as planned, leaving you to enjoy the day and each others company.
Simply… The more you relax the better your photos will look. When were taking the photos, we’ll chat to you from behind the camera as we go along and put you at ease and we encourage you to just chat to each other and take a moment to spend some time together. At this time we’ll snap away from a far obtaining the most natural looking photos so don’t worry about looking at the camera… Just enjoy yourselves!
5: Don’t be afraid to make suggestions
At the end of the day the photos that are taken are a long lasting memory of your wedding day so you must be as involved as possible when deciding which photos you want. If you have any suggestions or ideas of things that you have seen elsewhere, don’t be afraid to tell us! We want you to have some creative input too and always welcome new and bizarre suggestions. If you’ve seen a photo that like from another wedding, even if it’s from another photographer, we’re always happy to look at it and give your something similar. If your happy to just let us do our thing…that’s absolutely fine…we’ll give you something amazing!
6: Pick even number of bridesmaids and groomsmen
We find that for a perfect formal photo of your bridal party, it’s helpful to have an even number of adult bridesmaids and groomsmen/ushers. It means that your photo will look nice and symmetrical on either side of you. That’s not to say however that if you don’t have an equal number, the photo will not look good as there are lots of different set-ups we can do to give you a great photo, it’s just gives you more options for both formal lines of people and more informal groups alike.
7: Strong colours often work better than pastel colours
We always find that the strong vibrant colours such as red, Cadburys purple, emerald green, chocolate brown, blue etc work better on your photos than lighter pastel colours. The deep colours of the girls dresses and guys cravats provide a very vibrant and striking contrast to the bridal dress which can give some great results, particularly if you like the photos with certain colours picked out and highlighted.
Don’t worry if you have your heart set on lighter shades… They will look fab too, we will just apply a slightly different approach to them when editing. Of course this is down to person preference and everyone has their own likes and dislikes. If you want some ideas or advice on colours, don’t hesitate to ask.
8: Be as open minded to our suggestions as possible!
We’re always trying new ideas as photographers, trying to say as current and innovate as possible and the only way to move forward is to try new things out. Let us experiment on you guys a little… It might feel a bit strange but more often than not results in something a little more light-hearted ad unique for your wedding album to compliment your romantic photos. We always make sure we get the nice romantic photos done first but after that, we’ll try and have a little fun with you if your up for it? Just tell us where to stop! Have a look at our “fun Photography” blog post.
9: Make sure you get what you want rather than what others want for your day
All to often we see couples compromise on their photography because of pressure from others around them. For example, mum might want lots of photos with auntie sue and the family and you guys might not want many individual family. More and more couple are wanting just a few family photos photos and more photos of the two of them together. It’s always hard to please everyone on the wedding day, but it’s your day and you should do what you want! (easier said than done though I know!).
10: Make sure you have left enough time for photography
Timing is key for your photography. Simply, if there isn’t enough time you won’t get all the photos you want. There is no point in paying a lot of money for decent photographers if your not going to use them so make sure you leave enough time to get everything you want. We advise telling us how many guests you have and what you want from your photography and we’ll advise on timings for you. Too much time isn’t a problem as your guests can just relax and enjoy themselves and you can have a bit of time to yourselves alone together, but too little time can mean that everything is very rushed which won’t make you feel very relaxed at all!
Read our next blog post dedicated to timings… It’ll give you some good ideas and might point out a few things to consider that you may not have thought about.
Next blog post….
