Nicky and Matthew, Yew Lodge, East Grinstead, West Sussex: Sussex Wedding Photography

Happy Friday Everyone!

We had a wonderful day at Nicky and Matthew's wedding, the weather was good and as usual Yew Lodge did not fail disappoint with is great interior and exterior. The day started at Nicky and Matthew's house where the bridal preparations were in full swing, there was much excitement as Matthew had managed to hire a Rolls Royce Phantom. This was not any old Rolls Royce, oh no it is the one the stars use and its number plate is BAF7A; how brilliant is that. We were told is is used regularly by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones to name but a few!

Anyway back to the most important people Nicky and Matthew, they were married at Yew Lodge in the beautiful Oak Room and their reception was held in the new reception room, which boasts a lovely black granite floor. So the first dance was quite something with the floor and the lighting the owners have installed. Here are a couple of pictures of the day; I just loved the passion in Nicky and Matthew's first kiss, the 500 year old yew tree and just one little tantaliser of the inside!

Have a lovely weekend whatever you are all up to,

Claire

Ruby - East Grinstead, West Sussex Children's Photography

This is the gorgeous Ruby and I cannot believe that she is now standing. It does not seem five minutes since she was first in the studio when she was just over a month old. I remember this session vividly; every time Dad held ruby for the 'arm' shot she 'spent a penny'! Ruby's Mum and I found it hilarious!

Anyway here are a few tasters of the session and she is such a happy, bonny little girl I had to share them on here.

Have a great day.

Claire

Lisa and Pete - Hotel du Vin and High Rocks Inn Tunbridge Wells Kent: Kent Wedding Photography

I recently photographed the wedding of Lisa and Pete; we had a fabulous day, the weather was kind albeit a little humid and I had two lovely locations to work in.

Lisa prepared for her wedding at the Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells and this beautiful building is steeped in history. It was really nice to be able to work there as my Great, Great Grandparents used to run the hotel when it was the Calverley Hotel about 120 years ago!

Before returning back to the hotel I travelled to the High Rocks Inn to meet Pete and the Gang from the train. Unfortunately they were not on the steam train, but this certainly did not dampen the excitement. Funnily enough the High Rocks was where I was fortunate enough to have my wedding nearly 12 years ago, and the Toastmaster from our wedding is still working there; it was lovely to have a chat and catch up with him during our break.

It was a beautiful day for Lisa and Pete with lots of lovely memories for me too!

Hope you are enjoying your fabulous Honeymoon you two and looking forward to seeing you both on your return.

Claire

Nicky and Matthew, Yew Lodge, East Grinstead, West Sussex

Good Morning,

I hope you are all well and I cannot believe that it is July already and the longest day been and gone!

I recently had a lovely pre-wedding shoot with Nicky and Matthew at Yew Lodge; it was raining but we still had loads of fun. I love pre-wedding shoots as it is a time to relax and chat about the big day whilst exploring the grounds of their venue. Despite the weather with Nicky and Matthew there was lots of laughter and I cannot wait until their wedding day.

Have a great week,

Claire

Rowfant House, Rowfant, West Sussex

I have been waiting for the weather and light to be just right in order to get the exterior shots of Rowfant House as these are going to be used for their new website and printed material, all of which is currently being designed. After a most unusual month of rain, grey cloud and general misery, today offered me just what I wanted. I made my way over to Rowfant House to catch the early morning light and wonderful blue skies. Here are a few images; I particularly like the black and white image but I wanted to pop a colour one in to show you how lovely the skies were this morning. There is another image of the lake, which I rather liked in what I would call subdued colour, and I think the texture and faded colour tone gives it a paint like quality.

I hope you enjoy the images, and have a great weekend as it is set to be hot, hot, hot! I know I will need to take plenty of water with me tomorrow!

Claire

Wedding at the Felbridge Hotel, East Grinstead, West Sussex

Good Morning,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and managed dodge the rain! I photographed a beautiful wedding reception at the Felbridge Hotel yesterday. It was a genre of wedding that was new to me so I was naturally nervous, but I had done a lot of research and chatted quite extensively to the family; so now it was to put everything into practise.

Once I had taken the first image I was fine and the day flowed beautifully. The family and friends were an absolute pleasure to photograph and I loved the vibrancy and colours that surrounded me. The aim of the photography for the Bride and Groom was 'regally romantic' and it really suited the occasion; my Bride was so demure and beautiful and having her handsome husband by her side really made for some wonderful moments.

So today it is to make a start on the editing and re-live the day again, which is something I love to do with every wedding that I photograph.

Have a great week everyone,

Claire

Food at Rowfant House, Rowfant, West Sussex

Last night it was over to Rowfant House to photograph some food; I can think of worse ways to spend an evening!

Rowfant House is being completely refurbished and this is going to be a truly spectacular venue when everything is finished. The house itself is steeped in history and benefits from some lovely architecture with magnificent grounds to match. Once the interior is finished it will match the majesty of food being served there. There is going to be no stone left unturned and my photography will be used for their new website, which is currently being designed.

Here are a few shots of the food created by Chef and Commercial Manager Rich Spicer and yes folks it tasted wonderful so if you get the chance try it out for yourself. Lucky old me has to go back and photograph some more dishes, how will I ever cope!!

Looking at this has made me hungry, sorry if it has done the same to you!

Claire

Bump to One Year - Max is One!

A couple of weeks ago it was time to go on location for Max's one year shoot. It was hilarious and mad; editing the pictures really made me laugh. As many of you will know I have followed Max since he was a bump and it has been a real pleasure to watch him develop over the year alongside his big sister Millie. As much as I always photograph Max at each session, Millie never fails to pull something quite magnificent out of the box and it has been as much a pleasure photographing Millie as it has Max.

We are off on location again in the Autumn, and I think the results will be a little more controlled with Max being just a few months older; but I did love the chaos of this shoot!

Here is just a taster of the day and have a great weekend.

Claire

Playdays in Sussex!

I recently had a what I would call a 'play day' with fellow photographer Lisa Beaney and we went to a most stunning vintage location for a shoot. Lisa's daughter Holly kindly agreed to model for us and I am attaching a few images of the day.

It is always good to set aside time to explore and experiment with our photography and having a fellow photographer to mull over ideas with definitely makes for a really rewarding day.

We have so many stunning locations in the South East and I cannot wait to search out some more to see what I can come up with!

I hope you enjoy these tasters and thank you Holly for for infinite patience.

Claire

Alyson and Julian at St Swithun's and The Ravenswood, East Grinstead, West Sussex: Sussex Wedding Photography

Well the weather has certainly be kind to us for quite a while now; Alyson and Julian's wedding day proved to be absolutely balmy. They were married at St Swithun's Church in East Grinstead and I think we are very lucky to have such a wonderful church right in the centre of East Grinstead; you can see its golden tipped spire for miles around. It was then off to The Ravenswood and as you know I think this is a beautiful venue with wonderful grounds. From the two shots I have chosen of Alyson and Julian's wedding it is the first that has the significance; next to the the Best Man you should be able to see two candles lit side by side, these were in remembrance of their Grandparents. I was really struck by the placement of the candles because although small they really stood out for me. I felt that it was like having them at the service as two guests in pride of place right at the front; this attention to detail really touched me. The second shot was taken at dusk and you can just about see the boat house although the size and placement of my watermark may have obscured this!

I hope you enjoy the tasters and I very much look forward to seeing Alyson and Julian for their viewing soon. Hope you are having a cocktail or two on your fabulous Honeymoon you two.

Claire

Flaming June!

According to the weather it may well turn out to be a flaming June, and it is hopefully time to reintroduce those summery clothes we all got used to using in April!

I am just finishing editing my last wedding so I will pop a couple of images on here soon as a taster. I am having lots of fun with the group shots this year, and approaching them differently is creating something unusual and really enjoyable for all concerned. June is set to be a nicely busy month for me with some interesting weddings and meetings.

My husband is also having a graduation for his foundation degree, so it will be a very proud day to see him go up in his robes to receive his certificate. Hopefully it will not be too long before he completes the degree and we are there again. For those of you who are wondering, he is a mature student and working full time, reading this back I was not sure what kind of picture I was painting!!

Have a wonderful month everyone!