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London Enfield’s first gay wedding

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

We were delighted to be asked to photograph Peter and Mark’s special day, which unknown to us until we arrived turned out to be London borough of Enfield’s first gay wedding.
Right from the beginning when civil partnerships first came into existence, we have been photographing a great many of them in and around the capital, so this was not really unkown territory for us and great to see now that everyone has the chance to fully marry. From our own research, a highly scientific method that involves the question: “so how long have you been together?” we found the average couple has been with each other for about three years before deciding to tie the knot. For a gay couple it seems to be anywhere from five to ten years. These guys confirmed our research…
London gay wedding Enfield registry photo
Peter is originally of Italian decent, so a large group of friends and family made the trip over for the day. The ceremony was held at one of London’s prettiest registries, namely Enfield’s at Gentlemens Row.

Afterwards we had family and couple shots along the old streets and canal bridges nearby, It is an area we have photographed many times that never feels stale. The reception followed a short ride away at the four star Royal Chace Hotel, again a venue we have covered for many Enfield weddings and receptions.

We would like to wish Peter and Mark all the very best for the future. What was a new event for the area is sure to herald in a new era of equality for ALL couples, and we were very happy to be a part of it.

See our related Enfield wedding photographers post at: Enfield wedding photographers

Check out our extensive image galleries here: GALLERIES OR just scroll through this blog, it’s full of images! And here’s a quick link to our London wedding collections and their pricing: Pricing

Find out more on Enfield’s Royal Chace hotel here: Royal Chace Hotel

By David Green

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Pembroke Lodge Weddings

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding Venues2 Comments

There is something about photographing at a place like Pembroke Lodge that no matter how hard you are working, it still feels like a trip out! That may have something to do with the fact that Joanna and I used to go there on our quest for the ultimate London cappuccino experience, long before we photographed a Pembroke Lodge wedding. Although the lodge remains a public treasure your wedding will still have a private and special feel. First floor rooms will be reserved and a beautiful section of the lawn area to the side of the house will be available for drinks, canapes and photos.

Pembroke Lodge wedding photographer

The Lodge was originally a one bedroom cottage in Richmond Park which was developed over time into the fine Georgian mansion we see today. It was given by Queen Victoria to then Prime Minister Lord John Russell in 1847. It has hosted many historical and famous figures from Gladstone and Palmerston, to world renowed authors Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll. For the past fifty years or so it has been available for wedding days. Civil ceremonies and receptions can be hosted in either Russell Suite upstairs for small to medium size weddings, with the alternative Belvedere seating up to 140 on the ground floor.

wedding car at Pembroke lodge

We think a Pembroke Lodge wedding is always going to have a little bit of everything: a historic classically featured Georgian venue with internals to match. Varied grounds that can also include Richmond Park London’s largest at two thousand three hundred acres. Spectacular long range views over the Thames valley, and pretty nice cappuccino on tap at the wonderfully situated tea rooms. Wander into the public park and find some of six hundred and fifty free roaming deer!

wedding confetti photo at Pembroke lodge

We have always tried to think creatively at every wedding as well as being ever ready to expertly cature those once in a lifetime spontaneous moments, which is why you can see one of the couples featured here is actually driving a Richmond Parks official vehicle. All you have to do is ask, who is going to refuse a confident photographer with a bride and groom in attendance?

Richmond park wedding image

Here is Pembroke Lodge’s official site that includes plenty of info of hosting London weddings: Pembroke Lodge

Pembroke lodge cappuccino drinking wedding shot

To see over 100 wedding images just click on the link here: GALLERIES OR just scroll through this blog, it’s full of images! And here’s a quick link to our London wedding collections and their pricing: Pricing     By David Green

Sign post at Pembroke lodge

wedding procession inside Pembroke lodge

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Hoxton wedding shot against corrugated iron

Hackney and Hoxton London Wedding for Carly and Jim

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, Wedding Venues2 Comments

Hackney Wedding photographers

Every wedding is special, individual and memorable, even in the same venues. For instance last weekend in Bloomsbury Square London, there was so much love in the air especially between the couple during their ceremony I found myself fighting back the tears, which is just as well as I didn’t want to fog up the viewfinder! Carly and Jim’s Hackney and Hoxton London wedding was especially memorable, not just for the obvious love between themselves and for their friends and family, but for the individual stamp they put on their special day.  Not to mention the lateness of the ceremony and celebrations. Photographing in the dark..no problem.

Hackney Town hall wedding ceremony

As artists and designers they had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve and were open minded to our photographic ideas which was great. Carly even helped design her own dress with specialist Claire Hannington-Williams at: Prince Lilly Bespoke Bridalwear

Kiss at Hackney wedding

The evening started with Carly arriving with dad in a specially prepped white london cab. A love filled ceremony followed in the impressive and imposing venue that is Hackney Town Hall. Because of the lateness in the day confetti throwing and all group and family shots took place in the dark, which was atmosheric and no problem light wise when you know what you are doing photographically.

Hackney town hall confetti image

A routemaster bus took us all to an art gallery in Hoxton fashioned underneath a railway arch that was specially converted for the reception. The driving team behind the routemaster “experience” will remain nameless because it was one of the craziest/almost dangerous pieces of driving we have ever witnessed from a bus at a wedding! We’ve also had to travel with them again recently…Having said that it made the journey very memorable and very amusing for most of the guests. We stopped off at a bridge on the way to recover (ha!) and to create an image back drop of one of the couples favourite spots Tower Bridge.

near Tower Bridge wedding kiss

After a little reception time Joanna and myself went walking with the newly weds to explore the night streets of Hoxton. Nothing was pre planned for this rwenty minutes or so apart from an area of corrugated iron Carly and Jim particualrly wanted to feature as a backdrop. We basically just had a lot of fun looking for what interested us all for some memorable London wedding photos.

Hoxton wedding shot against corrugated iron

The entire wedding party had the most delicious pizza based evening meal, hand made by a mobile fired oven facility parked outside the art gallery for the night.

Hoxton car wash

Lovely couple, lovely evening, pleae check out their website and some of their work at: One Penny Piece.

Hoxton street wedding dance

To see over 100 wedding images just click on the link here: GALLERIES OR just scroll through this blog, it’s full of images!

By David Green

Hoxton garage wedding shot

 

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London St Pancras wedding

By London Wedding Photographers, Wedding Venues2 Comments

Our latest London St Pancras wedding was a great meeting of cultures in a venue that has culture in spades! Lizzie and Sandy living in New Zealand and both in the medical profession came home to celebrate their love in front of friends and family at one of Londons most iconic hotels. This incredible building and station not only dominates the skyline but is quite a part of Joanna’s childhood as she lived nearby and often looked at the clock tower from her bedroom window to check the time.

The day started with Lizzie getting ready in her fantastic bridal suite with lovely tall windows and an elegant adjoining bathroom. Not an original room we think as the hotel when it opened in 1873 did not have en-suites, for all it’s glory you would actually have to go down the corridor to bathe. This is one of the factors that lead to the early demise of the hotel as tastes and expectations changed. After it recent refurbishment all those problems have been banished though, it really is spectacular and a great mix of old and new throughout!

St Pancras station wedding

The wedding ceremony took place under the huppah in the dramatic Hanson Hall, and as Sandy is a Scotsman all the official kippahs were tartan.

Laughter_at_St_Pancras_wedding

St Pancras hotel wedding prep shot

For couple shots we had twenty minutes (hey it’s all we need or less…) of fun around St Pancras station – one of the many location perks of being busy London wedding photographers.

St Pancras wedding bathroom shot

All too quickly it was back to the serious business of the wedding breakfast and dancing the night away. Best man Jim as well as a great speaker led the celebrations with his fantastic Ceilidh band. So a little Israeli dancing was followed by a lot of Celtic revelry. A great time had by all.

Kissing at St Pancras station wedding

Wedding dance at St Pancras London

Renaissance hotel wedding

We are experienced at photographing weddings for all the major faiths so please feel free to contact us and ask for specific examples and whole wedding days.

To see over 100 wedding images just click on the link here: GALLERIES OR just scroll through this blog, it’s full of images!

By David Green

 

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Fuji X100 for your London wedding, any wedding? Yes at the Goring Hotel.

By London Wedding Photographer, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

It is still very rare for any wedding couple to ask us what equipment we use, and to be honest we are pleased about that. The reasons are many fold, but mainly it’s because creating and capturing images is about technique, flair, experience and an artistic eye. Not so much about the camera and lenses you are using. Try telling that to your average wedding photographer though! One well know photographer when asked which camera he used would reply: “a black one.” David Bailey has said that in the UK many think the camera does the work, while abroad he’s found there is more sense that it is the person behind the viewfinder that makes the difference. Having said that we have invested heavily over time in Canon’s top of the range camera bodies and all their best lenses to help do justice to our couple’s once only wedding days.

Fuji shot at central London wedding venue

So where is all this leading?  Well David in particular still loves cameras as an object of beauty too and not just a tool, but when we are on holiday or just out and about with our kids he does not (and nor do I – Joanna) want to lug around any of our wedding DSLR’s and a bunch of lenses. So for the past two and a half years our companion in family times has been firstly the fixed lens Fuji X100, and then its upgraded successor the Fuji X100s. There are a million and one reviews and posts about this little gem on the internet so that’s not the purpose of this post. Would we use the Fuji on a wedding day? Yes and no! For us the DSLR and it’s lenses are still first choice, but for discretion around a reception perhaps – where the little camera does not intimidate it can be very useful, especially in cramped conditions. We would usually use a long zoom like the 70 – 200 to shoot from afar or perhaps the 85 1.2.

We tried it out for a while along with our other cameras at the Goring hotel in London where Kate Middleton stayed before the Royal weddding. We used it for some of our corridor shots with the lovely bride and chief bridesmaid, and also for discretion and silence in some shots from afar (cropped in now) of the couple looking at their wedding cake in situ for the first time. Can the sensor handle it? Yes, but un surpringingly considering the price difference and spec – not in the same league as the Canon 5D mark 3’s that we use. Having said that, in completely subjective terms – this camera has a certain indescribable something. That’s why it travels with us.

wedding couple alone fuji x100

Fuji X100 Goring hotel wedding

So what’s it like for holiday snaps? Well you need to think like a prime shooter not a zoom freak. And as far as we are concerned that is fine because the quality of the fixed lens at f2 is so great and the resolution so good you can crop in later if needs be. The other thing too for our taste is that we are only really interested in shots that involve people. So for enviromental portraits etc it is excellent, and with the two new screw on lens adapters , closer portraits or wider shots are no worries. We will be investing in these very soon!

Here’s a couple of recent holiday snaps, one of Joanna (added edge blur) one of our youngest son Rory. We don’t bring Rory to a wedding, but we cetainly keep the Fuji in the camera bag, just in case!

Joa Green in Caen Franceann

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Our related blog post can be found here: Goring Hotel wedding photographers

A great resource for finding about all things Fuji is: Fuji Rumors

And the official Fuji site can be found here: Fujifilm

By David Green

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