Somerset Wedding Photography - Sarah and Tom

With the wedding gods smiling upon the village of Pitminster in Somerset, and Bank Holiday weather you only dream about, the stage was set for Sarah and Tom's perfect wedding day.

Sarah's preparations were held at her father's house, which was also the setting for the reception later on. The bustle of morning activity is always interesting: there is excitement in the air, things are all coming together with everyone helping out left, right and centre. I also caught up with groom Tom and the boys at the Queen's Arms down the road. The laid-back atmosphere and banter was great to capture. However, there were a few nerves from our main man Tom as he only managed to eat the one scotch egg. Nevertheless, he was all ready for the biggest moment of his life and I left them to finish their platters and ale to catch Sarah having the final adjustments made to her dress.

The arrival of a splendid horse and carriage signalled the commencement of the church ceremony and a very happy Mr and Mrs V emerged into the sunlight after rousing hymns, heartfelt readings and life-joining vows. After a marvellous confetti line they clambered aboard the magnificent carriage and Rocky the shirehorse trotted off amongst cheers and whoops to meet us back at the reception.

Sun, champagne and croquet: good ingredients indeed. The reception was delightful, very chilled and gave plenty of time for guests to relax and enjoy themselves after their stroll.

I took Sarah and Tom off for 15 minutes to get some cool location photographs around the garden. It was great to see the two of them together and just so happy to be in each others' arms. Strong sunlight can sometimes be a photographer's biggest nightmare, but finding the right angles and being careful, it can be used to your advantage. I was delighted to see the blossom had started to emerge and used it as background where I could.

Inside the beautifully decorated marquee, bird cages exploding with gorgeous flowers from Wendy Symes, wine glasses filled with chocolates and individual cupcakes welcomed guests. What was wonderful was the amount of natural light which poured through the end of the marquee which was a real treat.

When everyone was settled the speeches began. All of which were delivered with great oratory skill, no mean feat with 140 people hanging on your every word, trust me! 

 

With just a few minutes before the sun disappeared, Rupert the videographer and I stole the Bride and Groom away to get a few more portraits. The light at this time of day is sublime and wraps softly. The best time to get a few romantic shots!

A magnificent wedding breakfast followed with the crack team at Amanda Williams Catering professional and courteous throughout. The food, I can testify, was as fantastic tasting as it looks!

Tom and Sarah showed they're not just compatible in life, but also on the dance floor and gave us all a lesson in how to rock your first dance!

As darkness closed in we had a fantastic display of fireworks by Heritage Fireworks before Funkty Dumpty kicked on with more booty-shaking live music.

There were so many lovely shots from the day, I hope you've enjoyed this small sample. Sarah and Tom, thank you, it was magnificent :)

The people who helped made Sarah and Tom's day rock:

Dress: Tilly Mint
Earrings: Annoushka
Shoes: Dune
Make-Up: Amy Elizabeth
Hair: Rachel-Louise
Suits: Stephen Bishop
Bridesmaids Dresses: Jane Jordan
Florist: Floral Designs by Wendy Symes
Videographer: Rupert Ward-Lewis
Marquee: Abbas
Catering: Amanda Williams (01823 331431)
Cheese Cake: Longman Cheese Ltd
Horse and Carriage: North Curry Carriages
Band: Funkty Dumpty
Fireworks: Heritage Fireworks

And not forgetting me! The one and only Simon Biffen, your creative Somerset wedding photographer

Make Your Wedding Group Photos Rock!

Remember: your group photos will be passed down through generations, so it pays to make them look good!

What pops into your head when you think of wedding group photographs? Boring? Time-consuming? Would rather be enjoying your first glass of bubbly?

Formal group shots have been part and parcel of wedding photography since people started taking photographs at weddings. Having a photographer who can organise them quickly and efficiently, allowing guests to relax is important, but so is someone who can think outside of the box and create something different if the situation allows. I want to show you a variety of group shots that may help you decide which you would prefer to have on your day.

Traditional formal group shots are often taken immediately after the ceremony. To make life easier when organising groups, make sure your photographer has a list of the groups in advance (I'd recommend around 8-10) and has some assistance in gathering the right people (an usher who has a good voice is ideal!)

A well balanced group shot with genuine smiles is always the goal!

Using the idea of 'layers' helps stagger groups and makes for a more interesting setup.

Using a wide aperture helps blur the background and isolate the subjects.

Wait for the perfect moment.

Finding cool locations at the reception to stage informal group shots can result in awesome images. Add depth, props and vary the height to help create a striking image. This sort of group shot is becoming more popular and it is possible, with a little creativity to have group shots that stand out from the ordinary. A great group shot should reflect the personalities within it. Having fun whilst taking portraits always helps as it generally makes those on the other side of the lens more relaxed, leading to more natural photographs.

Props can add colour and action.

Trees and umbrellas. But perhaps not together!

The second people think the pictures are over is when to strike!

Guys will always want to look cool.

And girls will always want to look beautiful.

Use the location to your advantage.

A little time spent arranging is well worth the effort.

The 'everybody' shot. Still requested by many couples!

So there you have it. A variety of creative group shots that show you don't have to go down the traditional route. Everyone is different so why be stuck with just having ordinary group shots? A photographer who understands your requirements is essential. If you like my approach why not get in touch or head over to my wedding photography website to see how I go about capturing the rest of your day.

Devon Wedding Photography - Royal Clarence, Exeter | Ben and Gemma

Tucked away on the outskirts of Exeter is the secluded Mamhead Estate. Follow a winding gravel track and you are led to a quite extraordinary picturesque church. Ben and Gemma decided that this would be the perfect place to be married, and they were spot on. With amazing weather they couldn't have asked for a better backdrop to their day. It was an intimate ceremony with around 60 guests and their happiness was clear for all to see.

I had met Ben and Gemma back in January and I knew it would be great working with them. They were keen to make the most of the couple shoot and I found some great locations nearby for this. The reception was held later on at the Royal Clarence, Exeter where we were all made to feel very welcome. With such unseasonably good weather for April it meant I could steal the Bride and Groom away for a few more pictures later on in the evening and we wandered around the peaceful Cathedral Green. The light was beautiful and Ben and Gemma were completely relaxed, paying far more attention to each other than anything else!

Here are some of my favourite pictures from their day. Enjoy!

 Like this post? See more weddings by clicking the scroll bar to the left or head to my weddings website: Simon Biffen Photography.

A Combe House Devon Wedding: Hannah & Steve

Hannah and Steve's wedding was one full of laughter and love and a real pleasure to photograph. It was held at the delightful Combe House, Devon and the day ran seamlessly, thanks to the amazing staff. The girls got ready in what used to be the maids parlour. As you can see, it's a little fancier now than it once was! I loved the big windows which let in lots of natural light. Hannah's stunningly beautiful lace dress 'Lucia' was designed by Suzanne Neville. Shoes were by Freya Rose. On hand to make the girls look their very best was hair and make up team Changing Faces. The bridesmaids looked ravishing in their hot pink dresses by Alexon.

The boys meanwhile got themselves ready down the road at the Deer Park Country Hotel. I say ready, Steve wasn't quite on schedule, but he was very relaxed and enjoyed the time with his two best men, one of whom was his brother. Steve and the boys wore Austin Reed suits with tailor made shirts and ties made in Germany. His awesome tartan cufflinks were a gift from his Mum. You may wonder why Germany? Well, the couple live in Hamburg as Steve is a Data Analyst for Hamburg F.C. This therefore meant planning their wedding mostly from abroad, with the odd visit back home to meet suppliers, taste canapes and so on. Anyone who has been married will testify to the amount of organising that goes into the day, so to do it from another country deserves a big round of applause indeed!

The traditional ceremony was held at the very quaint St Michael's Church in nearby Gittisham. It was so nice to see the happiness radiating from Steve and Hannah all through the service; you can see just how devoted they are to each other in all the pictures of them together. Once we departed the church the plan was to take a few family group shots, however the wind (of the biting, 'turn your lips blue' variety) decided we would do them later in the warmth of Combe House!

And so back to Combe House. Bride and Groom via a 1967 S Type Jaguar and the guests on cool vintage buses. Everyone was welcomed by the sound of... well how do you explain the sound of an Oompah Band?! The energetic, foot-stampingly good Bavarian Oompah Boys added a nice flavour of Germany for those guests who had made the long journey to be there.

It was then time to slip away with the newly weds into the gardens to capture some romantic moments between them. The wind had mellowed, the mood was relaxed and we had great fun getting some awesome photographs.

The boys' socks got their own moment in the limelight after I heard they were worth a look! The marquee adjacent to the house was our venue for the evening and it had been turned into a warm, colourful haven. The four-tiered wedding cake was from Rosanne Hollowell and the hand made sign and wicker chair backs were made by Hannah's very own creative Aunt.

And so the night continued with great speeches, an outstanding bouquet toss, a heart-warming first dance and live music by the fabulous Under The Covers band who rocked the house. Outrageous dance moves were made even better with funky neon inflatable instruments giving me plenty of action to shoot! It was great working alongside Pete Cox, the videographer for the day, who I can highly recommend if you're looking for an awesome film made of your day.  

It truly was a wonderful day followed by an equally fun-filled night. Every wedding should be follow these essential principles for success!

If you have enjoyed this post, you may like to find out more about my wedding photography by visiting my website Simon Biffen Photography. I travel the UK shooting delicious weddings for couple who value quality, creative imagery as much as I do.

Wedding Industry Experts 2013

I pondered whether to enter this year's 2013 Wedding Industry Expert Awards as unlike the similarly named 'Wedding Industry Awards' which bases results on actual client feedback (and one I will be entering later in the year) this one is purely on popularity. But hey, sometimes you just need to put yourself out there and risk it. Last year I finished in the Top 10 in England, which was ace, but with many more entrants this time round I will be needing your help!

This is a chance for anyone who quite likes, loves or adores my wedding photography to cast your vote in the form of a simple click. Don't be shy to pass this on either!  
 
The way the awards works is on the number of total votes in a category, and you can vote once per day for one week. Feel free to spread the word to family and friends if you think I'm worthy. With other wedding photographers across the UK and worldwide entering I will definitely need all the help I can get! Just click the button below to vote...

Voting runs until the 23rd April 2013. Results announced on 30th April. Thank you for your support! Fingers crossed :)