Provence in late June is so very special, with both lavenders and sunflowers in full bloom it is hard not fall in love with the place. I had the best time being the digital back up for the talented Kat Braman (who shoots film), we hung out, drank wine, ate like kings and shot one of the most visually stunning weddings I’ve had the pleasure to work on. Not only are Karen and Howard a picture perfect couple, Nathalie from Majenia Marriage did the most amazing job at making this wedding super swoon worthy. If you’re getting married in France, you should hire her. Seriously.

Kat’s beautiful work from this wedding was featured on Design Sponge which also lists all vendors info and details.

It started with some family time in Holland followed by lots of client shoots, I was then asked to photograph the Blogacdemy London the weekend before I went to a week long “retreat” at the Photography Farm‘s Farm Week where I also held my first ever workshop (I’m hoping to blog about this so very fun & inspiring week soon). And no sooner had I unpacked from Farm Week than I repacked all my camera gears again for a whirlwind photo trip to Paris with the lovely Lisa Devlin and the Blogcademy girls!

So far February has been all about catching up with workload and lots of client meetings. With my first wedding of the season coming up this Saturday, I fear there truly is no rest for the wicked.

Though one of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to blog more (and spend less time mulling over which photos to blog) so to start the year off on the right foot, I’ve decided drip-feeding my round up post is the best way to ease myself into it. So here goes, I’m going to blog a photo a day in the entire month of January which will make up my 2012 post (not a best of, just photos I like and representative of my year). So without further ado…

01 Jan 2013: Sibing + Lei – Bali

Always been one of my faves because of the anticipation of the curtain opening to reveal the bridesmaids and the bride.

02 Jan 2013: Karen + Sam – Bath

Definitely one of my fave dresses of the year – Jenny Packham rocks my socks.

03 Jan 2013: Sam + Jonny – Devon

A colourful wedding dress and a cool hat, what’s not to love?

04 Jan 2013: Zara + Leszek – Kent

I’m in a woodsy kinda mood today. Plus Zara & Leszek’s yellow & grey wedding fits right in with my branding

05 Jan 2013: Semi + David – Athens

I know this technically is not 1 image but I couldn’t choose and they kinda go, right?

06 Jan 2013: Sofia + Gary – London

What a lovely start to your wedding day sipping some vino with a gorgeous Temperley dress hanging by your side…

07 Jan 2013: Laura + Dan – London

Nothing beats a fun couple with flare, especially if they got married in an urban warehouse venue.

08 Jan 2013: Emma + Sam – Herefordshire

Missing summer yet? Here’s some sunshine and rainbow for you today! <3

09 Jan 2013: Hailey + Ben – Oxford

A little playful, a little colourful, almost psychedelic.

  10 Jan 2013: Mimi + Ben – Hampshire

Taking a public bus to the church = awesome. Encouraging cars to honk at them while waiting at a bus shelter = rock n’ roll.

11 Jan 2013: Rosie + William – Tuscany

Proof that sometimes stealing the bride & groom away for 5 min between courses is well worth it!

12 Jan 2013: Julie + Jax – Melbourne

My one and only baby sister got married in Australia and I cried. A lot.

13 Jan 2013: Haidee + Steve - Leicestershire

Wedding Photography 101: How to turn anything into a prop.

14 Jan 2013: Hsiu Lye + Nick - Kent

If you’re this excited to marry your soul mate it’s gotta be L.O.V.E!

15 Jan 2013: Claire + Martin - Greece

Destination wedding tip #1: turn your wedding day into a  wedding weekend!

16 Jan 2013: Laura + Rob - Bristol

More sunshine and rainbow – can you tell I’m missing summer?

17 Jan 2013: Maria + Andy - Surrey

Silliness is almost a compulsory trait in my clients. True story.

18 Jan 2013: Chloe + Emma - London

2 beautiful brides, 2 beautiful dresses, 1 gorgeous tea party wedding!

19 Jan 2013: Jaime + Steve - Surrey

First steps as husband & wife

20 Jan 2013: Sarah + David - Warwickshire

With all the snow lately I have been having some serious post-Christmas blues, looking at Sarah & David’s Christmas wedding photos cheers me right up!

21 Jan 2013: Joey + Matt - Yorkshire

A joyful moment is a moment cherished forever.

22 Jan 2013: Helen + Anthony – London

Pom poms aren’t just for (venue) decoration.

23 Jan 2013: Megan + Leo – London

Also known as Meo. They even had a cocktail named after them on the day.

24 Jan 2013: Melody + Keith – Surrey

I could photograph these two in that beautiful rapeseed field forever!

25 Jan 2013: Jenny + Gary – Oxfordshire

The only bride I’ve photographed who trekked up a (steep!) hill to get married. With the bridal party + dog in tow.

26 Jan 2013: Katie + Ian – Yorkshire

The priceless expression on your mum and sisters’ faces when you read that letter he gave you before the wedding.

27 Jan 2013: J + C - London

Oh hello there Mr. Moose!

28 Jan 2013: Sameera + Rob - Staffordshire

I love this. It was the moment after their first look and Sameera realised Rob hadn’t done up his (Asian attire) buttons properly.

29 Jan 2013: Karen + Howard – Provence

Provence in June is simply stunning with lavenders and sunflowers a bloomin’. How lucky that I get to go back again this year!

30 Jan 2013: A homage to beautilicious shoes…

I was going to put up another wedding photo then I thought of these one (or two!) things I love photographing…

Fact: almost a third of my 2012 brides wore Jimmy Choos. They are clearly taking over the (wedding) world.

Every now and again you come across a very special venue, not only is it stunningly captivating, magical and breathtaking – but where everyone is so warm and welcoming that at the end of a long weekend stay you struggle to tear yourself away to head home. Kinsterna hotel & spa is one of those places, and the gorgeous Claire & Martin are the lucky couple who celebrated their wedding weekend extravaganza there.

Claire & Martin invited me to photograph their 3-day wedding weekend which included a welcome dinner, the beautiful wedding day and a cocktail evening / farewell dinner the day after. The thing I love most about a destination wedding weekend is how everyone’s immediately on holiday mode, guests are relaxed and ready to have a good time, and… well why only have one day when you can have three! I fell in love with Kinsterna as soon as I set foot on it, it was perfect in every way and so was Claire & Martin’s wedding. Claire looked absolutely stunning in her Jenny Packham dress and Jimmy Choo shoes, and although there was a threat of thunderstorm to spoil the outdoor wedding they planned, the sun shone throughout (the thunderstorm did arrive later that night, more on that later).

Thank you Claire & Martin (and everyone at the wedding) for making me feel like a guest at your wedding, and to Theo & everyone at Kinsterna for making me feel so spoilt! I will be back, no doubt.

A thunderstorm was predicted to hit Monemvasia that day, the thunder and lightning edged closer & closer halfway through the meal (it was quite a sight!) but luckily only arrived later that night (and only for an hour or so). We had to evacuate indoor for the first dance but everyone promptly headed out again once the rain stopped. I did manage to catch the lightning in action at the cake cutting (above)!

In September I went to Bali for the second time this year to photograph a super gorgeous wedding – seeing Sibing & Lei was a bit like catching up with old friends as this is the third time I have photographed and spent time with them. Their wedding was too epic for words. From the jaw-dropping venue (The Istana villa) to the meticulous planning and styling by wedding planner extraordinaire Karen (Cher Ange), all the personal touches Sibing & Lei put into the wedding teamed with great family & friends made this wedding so very special. And only in Bali (or somewhere equally hot) can you end the party like they did!

Sibing & Lei, I wish you a lifetime of happiness eating, playing and travelling together.

As Semi & David had a sunset wedding ceremony, they were conscious they wouldn’t have much time for couple portraits on the wedding day itself – so they asked me to stay an extra day to have a post-wedding photo session around the Athens Riviera. We tried to start as early as possible to avoid the (extreme) heat and midday sun, alas by the end of the shoot we were all sweating like mad and pining for a cold beverage or three!

The light was rather harsh so I had my work cut out for me to make Semi & David look as gorgeous as they are in real life – I really love how the photos turned out. I had so much fun photographing them and I can assure you that icy cold beer I had with them after the shoot totally hit the spot!
 

I could use so many different words to describe Semi & David’s destination wedding. It was elegant, chic and just oh-so-pretty. Apart from the obvious stunning backdrop, Semi also planned all the wedding details herself and the end product was a true labour of love – and an exquisite one at that.

The day started with Semi getting ready in a room with a view at Divani Apollon Palace & Spa. I love Semi’s choice of Vera Wang dress which was teamed with a bespoke embroidered sash, accessories from Jenny Packham and a glittery pair of Louboutin shoes. The boys didn’t look too shabby either – David looked relaxed but dapper in a blue bow tie/trousers combo while the two best men’s turqouise green bow ties were a perfect match to the bridesmaids’ dresses.

I had visited the venue the day before but it really took my breath away when I arrived at Island and saw it all set up. It is such a perfect venue for a destination wedding with its chilled out atmosphere and jaw-dropping setting. Semi & David had chosen a full moon date for their wedding and it was just the icing on the cake, the sunset ceremony was quickly followed by the moon rising behind the hills – it was pure magic.

I could go on about it all day so maybe I should just shut up and let the pictures do the talking. Oh and do check back soon as I’ll be blogging their post-wedding shoot shortly (more pretties!).

Oh and when I said it was a full moon wedding, this is what I mean- here is a photo of the (epic) moon that night. It was massive!

With the wedding season in full swing I haven’t blogged an engagement session for a while, and looking at the (yet again) rainy day outside I felt this happy sunny session is in order. Before we met, Joey & Matt described themselves as big kids – and they are just one of the most fun, gorgeous and silliest couples ever! It made me laugh putting this post together just looking at them being silly with each other.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a (late) Indian summer for their wedding in October. Might even do a bit of a sun dance.

Rosie & William’s chic Tuscan wedding was a pleasure to photograph. Rosie wore a beautiful sheath wedding dress teamed with a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos (bling!) and William looked so very dapper in a navy suit and bow tie. They pulled off a perfect combination of stylish and relaxed – the bridesmaids were in short coral dresses and matching gold strappy numbers with bejewelled heels (more bling!).

This was my second time working at Castello di Montegufoni and it was fun trying to find new places for photos as I always try to do something different. The day before the wedding I found a cute little vineyard overlooking the castle on one side and the Tuscan villages on another and I knew I wanted to take Rosie & William there at sunset. I think the quick 5 mins dash between courses was well worth it as I took some of my favourite couple shots ever! The combination of the light, the scenery and the gorgeous couple literally took my breath away – I only hope these photos have the same effect on you.
P.S. If you haven’t already, do check out their little welcome shindig.

The guests spotted us during the couple portraits, they cheered (and wolf whistled) and an impromptu mexican wave ensued!

One of the things I love about destination weddings is you could make a weekend (heck, even a week if you wish) out of it, and Castello di Montegufoni is such a perfect place for that. Only half an hour from Florence yet tucked between the Tuscan countryside and feels like a world away.

Imagine Tuscany in the summer, the air is fresh, the sun is shining, there is a pool to laze around or to dip in to cool down. When the sun is a kinder then moving on to the garden for a game of volleyball, table tennis, scrabble or just lounging on a picnic blanket. Once sun soaked and sufficiently chilled, heading back to freshen up and get ready for a multi-course al fresco meal while watching the sun goes down the now golden Tuscan hills. Then finishing the day snuggling up to watch an outdoor movie screening with your friends/family. Sounds too good to be true? Well that was exactly what Rosie & William (and their guests) did the day before their wedding. Jealous much? Yeah, me too.