Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire wedding | Rebecca & Aaron | The Pinkie Promise

It was one of those rare hot Great British Summer days when Rebecca and Aaron married at Kings Langley Methodist Church and, surrounded by their friends and family, promised to love each other for all eternity.

The wedding celebration was continued at The Bull Hotel at Gerrard’s Cross. Rebecca is the most pink-loving person I have ever met, and it was obvious that the wedding theme was pink.

I love wedding speeches, they are always so informative and you find out more than you expected… and this wedding was no exception, but when Aaron made his speech and his voice broke with the outpouring of his deepest love, and his and Rebecca’s dedication to each other and their commitment to building their lives together…!  When all the guests whispered ‘Aaahs..’, my eyes filled with tears so that I could hardly see through the camera viewfinder, and each and every cell of my body prayed for their happiness ever-after, because they are meant for each other! And instantly you know that it is the most romantic thing in the world – to show your love and commitment in front of the most important people in your life! It illustrates the true meaning of a wedding!

Even the table decorations celebrated their life together and their commitment for the years to come - instead of table numbers, each table had a themed collage of happy moments together, a collage of romantic love as they navigated their life together.

Thank you for allowing me to document your first day as husband and wife. It was an honour and I look forward to what the future has for you both. Much love and best wishes for your happy-ever-after...

Many thanks to the amazing team who made this wedding come to life... 

Real Wedding Planning...

Real Wedding Planning… a brief but vital guide to getting started

There are 3 essentials you need to decide in order to begin planning and organising your perfect wedding day:

The budget

The wedding date

The guest list

Once these are sorted, the wedding planning can commence. These 3 essential details all play off each other to start your plans: Without the budget you can’t chose your venue, dress, accessories and so forth; Without the date you can’t plan the venue; Without the guest list you don’t know how big your venue needs to be, how many people you have to cater for or how far you have to stretch your budget!  So get these three organised and your on your way to becoming Mr & Mrs!

The wedding budget can be managed in a number of ways, with savings, cash gifts from generous parents and relatives and salary/ wages in the lead up to your wedding day.  Don’t forget you rarely have to pay for everything all at once or as soon as you decide to get married, you do have time to drip feed the expense of your wedding, but it’s essential to plan…

Here’s a helpful budget-planning checklist to get your exciting wedding plans underway:

Registrar/ church fees

Wedding rings

Bride’s dress

Bride’s accessories

i)     veil

ii)    jewellery

iii)   shoes

iv)   lingerie

Hair & Make-up

Groom’s outfit

Groom’s shoes

Best man/ ushers outfits

Bridesmaid dresses

Wedding photographer

Wedding cars

Stationary

Flowers

Cake

Reception venue hire

Table decorations

Table favours

Chair covers

Catering

Drinks/ bar

Band and DJ

Thank you gifts

Honeymoon

Handy tips:

1) When I was planning my wedding I found that I became dependant on lists, they were indispensable.  It was really helpful having lists from favourite venues and prices, the best wedding dress shops in the area, weekly checklists of things to be sourced and paid for and in season flowers.  As you work on each section of your wedding plan, having the lists to refer back to is invaluable and saves time revisiting (and trying remember) previous ideas.

2) Unless you have a clear idea of theme, or favourite flowers or era it seems it’s a case of going through all available magazines, blogs, wedding fairs and websites for ideas.  This can be not only confusing but also overwhelming! 

I created a digital mood board by copying my favourite photographs, themes and colours from all of the websites I was traipsing through. It didn’t take long for a colour theme and style to emerge through the images of weddings, dresses, table decorations and flowers.

3) There are many resources available for advice and up to date themes.

Just for starters have a look at:

Top wedding bloggers:

http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/

http://london-bride.com/

www.philippacraddock.com/blog

Top wedding magazine websites:

www.the-weddingplanner.com

www.weddinglink.co.uk/bride

www.theweddingdirectory.co.uk

www.weddingmagazine.co.uk

Top stores to grab a wedding bargain:

www.notonthehighstreet.com

www.etsy.com

http://www.weddingarcade.com/

The true value of wedding photography...

--> As an established photographer making the decision to concentrate on Wedding Photography full time is a brave move, opening oneself up to the minefield of the wedding business.  There are hundreds of established wedding photographers all vying for the attention of the happy bride and groom who’ve seen the perfect wedding photographs in glossy magazines and highlighted in top portrait photographers portfolios…  

But what is real?  According to stats given by Which Magazine 2011, the average wedding cost is around £20,000, so unsurprisingly the happy couple are constantly trying to make savings where-ever possible.  

The bride imagines those dreamy, stylish images of her perfect day, taken by a confident and professional photographer and as a confident and professional photographer I can deliver this dream.  However, it comes at a price, the price of my hourly fee for all of the additional work undertaken after the 5 to 9-hour wedding shoot. 

Photography falls under the “service” category, and yes you may get digital files, prints or an album at the end of the process, but it’s still a service.  The outlay for a wedding photographer, on average between £2,000 and £4,000, may seem a bit hard to swallow, but it still amazes me when clients balk at that expense and yet barley flinch when a venue charges more than double that price.  Why does the venue seem so much better value?  Is it because it’s more tangible? You can see the building, touch the walls and feel the luxurious parquet flooring underfoot…  Why does my photography service and expertise seem less value?

Just to run through some costs that not every bride and groom appreciates, to explain what you get when you hire my services as a wedding photographer:  

My photography experience, education and training.

My professional standard equipment costs; camera, lighting, editing software, printer etc.

My professional insurance and other business costs.

The average 5-hour wedding takes 20 hours to edit.

The average 9-hour wedding takes 35 hours to edit.

To produce a wedding album takes a further 5 to 20 hours.

Not to mention venue visits and first edit show cases.

So to be honest I think to have lifetime keep sakes from the happiest and most important day of your life, the £2k - £4k price tag is more than worth it… The wedding dress you only wear once, the wedding venue you only use once, the flowers you use only once, the pictures are there to remind you for a lifetime. Would you want someone untrained to capture your day with a camera from Argos, even if your favourite Uncle says he can.....! What do you think?

TFGP Finally Launched...

 

HURRAH!!! 

We’ve finally launched The Fairy Godmother Project Wedding Photography with a wedding at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, followed by a reception at The Hare & Hounds Hotel, just down the road from Westonbirt Arboretum…

What a beautiful and spectacular day it was too…

The bride arrived in a 1960’s Dodge Charger hired from Star Car Hire, and proceeded to get blown into the ceremony by the biting wind...  

With a stunning bouquet created by Kopend Creations, and a dress made by Alice from Veils of Berkeley the smile from the brides face could been see for miles!

 

The rain kindly held off for the ceremony and until the newly married bride and groom and the guests were safely ensconced in The Hare & Hounds, with a glass of champagne and a canape in hand!