A wedding at Kelling church & Back To The Garden – Ben & Charlotte’s perfect day…
Another nice local wedding for me in a weekend of three weddings and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces at Charlotte & Ben’s wedding. I’ve known both Charlotte and Ben’s families for a number of years and being a North Norfolk wedding it meant I also knew a lot of the guests which is always great!
No preparation shots required today so I started the day’s coverage at Kelling Church and found Ben and his groomsmen having a cheeky snifter at this gorgeous VW Camper, one of Simon’s collection and part of the legendary Retro Campers fleet. The sun was shining, the spiced rum was flowing, all was well in the world!
The bridesmaids arrived in ‘understated’ style in this beast! Certainly took some skilled driving to navigate the little North Norfolk country lanes!
With everyone present and ready it was time for the service to begin. The church looked amazing with the flowers and floral arrangements provided by the lovely Karen at Blooming Blooms florists in Sheringham.
With the formal bit done, the guests all enjoyed some champers out the back of the camper van, while we quickly got the formal groups done, how cool is that?! Then I put the drone up for a few quick shots of everybody from the air with Charlotte & Ben in front of Henri’s (Charlotte’s father) awesome red Cadillac Eldorado…
After a really chilled time at the church in the sunshine we all headed off to the wonderful Back To The Garden for their wedding reception. Back To The Garden is a North Norfolk institution these days, a cracking deli & cafe during the week and a stunning venue for a wedding reception with the most amazing gardens and surrounding farmland not to mention the incredible food. It really has to be one of my favourite Norfolk wedding venues.
Ben & Charlotte were so much fun to work with, it’s always so lovely to shoot a wedding for a couple that are really into the photography, as a result our happy couple gave me a really good chunk of time to work with as we explored the grounds of Back To The Garden and we found some great farm buildings to shoot in. I always enjoy the juxtaposition of the rural buildings & barns and the immaculate wedding dress and suits (wow, that sounds awfully pretentious, don’t think I’ve ever used the word ‘juxtaposition’ on this blog before, sounds all a bit art critic-like!)
With some fun shots in the bag we headed back into the venue for some reception cocktails and this sumptuous feast awaiting…
Krispy Kreme doughnuts for dessert, now this really is my kind of wedding!!
The evening catering was provided by the lovely folk at Pie Central – I can honestly say that the steak pie & ale they gave me to take home is the best pie I have ever eaten (no exaggeration), the beef was tender, no nasty fat/gristle surprises, amazing rich gravy and a perfectly light & crispy crust. Exactly as a pie should be. I truly can’t recommend these guys enough.
As the sun began to drop I headed up onto the hill with the wedding party for a few more shots in the gorgeous golden evening light and we had some fun trying to get them to do synchronised jumping. Sadly I think the wine meant we didn’t quite get the same timing throughout but we gave it a go!
So there it is, Ben & Charlotte’s amazing North Norfolk wedding, it was such a fun wedding to photograph, I came home buzzing from such a great day. Thank you to Ben & Charlotte and their families and friends for making me feel so welcome, such a lovely bunch of people, I’d happily do it all over again!
For the full gallery of their Norfolk wedding photos click here.
• Wedding photographers in North Norfolk • North Norfolk photographers • Back to the garden wedding photography •
Laura & Ben – a sunny, summer wedding at Thurning Hall
Laura & Ben’s wedding was blessed with glorious sunshine from start to finish, and we started at the beautiful Dialhouse in Reepham for Laura’s bridal preparations.
All was calm and relaxed in the room where Laura & her bridesmaid Amy were getting ready, I love all the thought that has gone into the decor for the rooms at The Dialhouse, each so individual.
Laura & Amy were getting ready in ‘The Taj Mahal’ room, decorated in Indian-themed colours and objects.
With the ladies ready for their departure I headed off to Thurning Hall, a gorgeous North Norfolk wedding venue and the first time I had been there. Thurning Hall is an 18th Century georgian manor house set the most beautiful grounds & surrounded by woods & farmland. Proper North Norfolk style!
It was a great surprise to walk into the ceremony room and find the lovely Xenia Horne warming up on her harp. Xenia is always an amazing addition to a wedding day, a truly lovely person and highly talented harpist, from classical pieces to Coldplay covers, she can play them all!
With the formal bit done everyone headed into one of the walled gardens for cocktails…
As ever I put the drone up for a few aerial shots (all included at no extra price in my wedding packages)…
After some garden games everyone headed into the teepee (tipi?) for afternoon tea provided by the talented folks at Back To Your Place…
So I left them to it as the warm summer’s evening continued, a really nice chilled wedding in the heart of North Norfolk. For the full gallery of Laura & Ben’s North Norfolk wedding click here.
• Wedding photographers in Norfolk • North Norfolk wedding photography • Norfolk photographers •
Holiday property photography – stunning new B&B & holiday let in Sheringham
I’m pretty comfortable with my system for photographing holiday properties; from the specialised kit I use to the tried & tested settings and the proprietary method for post-process to really bring out the best. With this system I have found I can photograph the darkest, smallest places & still get great results but every so often I go to photograph a property and the place pretty much sells itself. This is the case for this gorgeous, newly refurbished holiday let plus two B&B rooms on Alexandra Road in Sheringham.
It’s so new that they are still finishing one of the rooms and the website is under construction but I wanted to share the photos of this beautiful North Norfolk holiday accommodation. Andrew & James have done a spectacular job on transforming this house into a lovely coastal holiday property, really tastefully done & every detail carefully considered. I’d be a very happy customer if I booked in to stay here!
Adjacent to the bed & breakfast is a self-contained holiday let with it’s own garden, once again beautifully decorated & furnished with a coastal theme running throughout. Right up my street for sure!
For the full gallery of photos of this stunning holiday let and b&b please click here. Their website is currently under construction but if you are interested in booking with them I’d be happy to pass on your details.
Saturday of this weekend just gone I had the pleasure of photographing Sally & Jon’s sun drenched wedding at the unique Firepit Camp Site just outside Dereham in Norfolk. As we didn’t get a chance to fit in a pre-wedding shoot Sally & Jon opted for a post-wedding shoot at the beach at Wells-Next-The-Sea.
As Monday mornings at work go this is up there with one of the best I’ve ever had, an absolutely perfect morning on the North Norfolk coast, sun shining, slight breeze, a high spring tide at Wells and very few people on the beach.
Sally & Jon are so easy to get on with, it was more like a walk & a chat with friends, stopping every now & then (OK, stopping every couple of minutes) to do some shots!
I won’t write too much more now as I have to get on with processing their wedding shots (I bumped this to the front of the processing queue as I knew we had got some lovely stuff) so here’s a sample of our Norfolk Norfolk photo shoot at Wells…
For the full gallery of Sally & Jon’s gorgeous morning on the beach at Wells click here.
Laura & AJ – a sunny, summer Voewood wedding in North Norfolk – Norfolk wedding photography
I do love a sunny wedding, and I love Voewood, so a sunny wedding at Voewood is a winning combination for sure!
In case you haven’t read about my raves about Voewood in the past it’s an incredible Arts & Crafts house just outside Holt in North Norfolk, set in incredible gardens the house is a visual feast of interesting art & objects collected from all over the world by the owner Simon Finch. I always find something I hadn’t noticed before when I am at Voewood, such an interesting place, totally unique and with such a great atmosphere, truly for that unforgettable wedding day.
At this time of year the gardens at Voewood look amazing so it was really lovely that Laura & AJ chose to have a Duo Ceremony, in which they can have the wedding service outside in the sunshine and then go inside to do the official bit of signing the documents. I’ve jumped ahead a bit there though, first of all there were the preparations to be done so I headed in and found everyone busily getting ready…
Meanwhile the guests were arriving and enjoying the sunshine on the veranda with a cool drink before heading to the area to the side of the garden that had been set up for the ceremony to take place.
Laura is a successful Drum & Bass artist (under the name of Riya) so there were plenty of D’n’B references in the wedding including these great posters showing some of their guests (also in the music business) who were performing/DJing later that evening…
With the ladies all ready it was time to head for the ceremony via a walk around the edge of the garden so that the guests didn’t get a sneak preview of Laura in her beautiful wedding dress…
I love that the guests were asked to turn away from the garden so as not to ruin the surprise of seeing Laura & her bridesmaids for the first time!
After a beautiful and emotional ceremony in the glorious North Norfolk sunshine Laura & AJ and their parents headed inside to do the official bit…
…and then back out again for the confetti!
After a few quick group shots while the guests enjoyed Pimms & lemonade I put the drone up for a few aerial shots….
…and before long we all headed inside for the speeches…
After a fantastic meal provided by the talented folks from Florentina Events I went for a wander around the grounds with Laura & AJ for some couple shots in the gorgeous evening sunlight, definitely my favourite time of day for photography.
…while the guests enjoyed the many garden games that Laura & AJ had thoughtfully laid on for them…
Followed by a few more drone shots now that the evening guests had arrived…
Then it was onto the cutting of the cakes, both expertly sampled by AJ!
And finally on to the first dance followed by a veritable feast of DJ’s and a whole range of music to get everyone on their feet & dancing the night away.
Many thanks to Laura & AJ and their family & friends, what a fantastic wedding day and so much fun to photograph! I always enjoy photographing weddings at Voewood, one of the top Norfolk wedding venues by far and less than 5 miles down the road from me which is always a bonus!
If you’d like to book me to photograph your Norfolk wedding please drop me a line using the contact form. I have a pdf of prices & info I can send out and booking is via a very easy online booking form.
• Voewood wedding photographer • Wedding photographers in Norfolk • Norfolk wedding venues • North Norfolk photographer • Weddings at Voewood •
Amazing new suite at The Pigs, Edgefield – The Wallow
Last night we were lucky enough to be some of the first people to stay in a brand new room at The Pigs in Edgefield. The Pigs has a great reputation for gorgeous food and lovely rooms but this new suite, The Wallow, has taken it up a level with it’s own hot tub, sauna, steam room, roll-top bath, a drench shower and loads more.
With fresh flowers, a bottle of prosecco on ice, beautiful decor, a range of handmade smellies to try out and loads of huge, fluffy towels this really is a place to bring someone you want to treat like royalty. Below are a few shots of the rooms and features, I can’t recommend it highly enough…
Norfolk aerial wedding photography – included free with every wedding photography package
I was thinking the other day that I should make some more noise about a unique offer I make for my Norfolk wedding photography clients – free aerial photography of your wedding included with every booking.
As a fully licensed and insured commercial drone operator I produce lots of commercial short films and still aerial photography shoots throughout East Anglia (see my Aerovisuals site for more info). I’ve been flying drones since 2014 and love the new perspectives and angles it allows me to get.
As a free add-on for my wedding clients I offer some aerial photography at their wedding (weather-permitting) which I think gives some great scene setting shots of the venues. I also use the drone for aerial shots of all the guests in one group shot – a great way to ensure everyone is in one photo, definitely one for the wall!
Below are some example shots of the aerial shots I have taken at weddings over the last year or so. It generally only takes 5 minutes out of the day, as far as I know I’m the only wedding photographer in Norfolk and Suffolk offering free drone shots at weddings.
The first three shots are at The Boathouse, Ormesby, a cracking venue, right on the water in the heart of the Norfolk Broads…
Next, staying in broadland we have the charming Norfolk Mead hotel in Coltishall…
Oxnead Hall is another beautiful Norfolk wedding venue which deserves to be photographed from the air. Unfortunately on this day the sun didn’t shine for us but I grabbed a few quick aerial shots anyway…
Below is a plan view shot of a garden marquee wedding, a different angle for sure…
These next few shots were great fun to do – at their parent’s farmhouse, the couple decided to get all of their guests in the wild flower/grass maze for some photos from above…
The below shot was taken at the first ever wedding at the now legendary Rocky Bottoms seafood restaurant on the coast here in North Norfolk…
The next few shots are at the famous Cley Mill, definitely a unique Norfolk wedding venue worthy of a drone shot if ever I saw one!
Below are a couple of aerial photos from Jackson & Reiko’s wedding at Jackson’s parents’ house, it still makes me smile to see the shots of them rowing about in the pond in their silk wedding kimonos!
Beautiful Bayfield Hall is one of North Norfolk’s top wedding venues and we had a stunning evening for the wedding below with the sea in the distance…
Ah, the mighty Voewood, what an amazing place, always looks so good from the air too…
So, there’s just a few aerial photos from weddings at some of our fantastic Norfolk wedding venues, all shot at no extra charge and adding another layer of the storytelling to the weddings I photograph. Please get in contact if you’d like a price list or to discuss your wedding photography options.
Catching up on some blog posts after a hectic few weeks. Ella & Daniil’s wedding was so much fun to photograph, a truly lovely couple, unfortunate with the weather but they certainly didn’t let it spoil their enjoyment as you will see.
I started the day’s coverage at Christ Church, Eaton in the centre of Norwich, a hidden gem within the city’s Golden Triangle.
Shortly after getting to the church Daniil arrived and the guests started to trickle in, before long the bridesmaids and our lovely bride arrived in two classic cars and we were ready to get started…
After a lovely service we all headed back to North Norfolk to the wonderful Chaucer Barn for their wedding reception. By this point the rain had really started to come down but it couldn’t dampen their spirits with Ella having her heart set on some shots in the bluebell woods at the end of the meadow. So after a welcome drink and some canapes we headed out, brollies at the ready and got some great shots despite the rain. It really shows that the more you put into your wedding photos the more you get out of them. Ella & Daniil were great sports, and it really paid off. I would never insist on a couple going out in the rain on their wedding day but Ella really wanted to so who am I to argue?! I’m up for anything which could result in great photos…
Back into the warm & dry, it was soon time for their meal, with the catering provided by the talented folks at Andy Parle Catering, followed a short while after by some truly heartfelt speeches…
After the speeches we headed back out for a few more shots in the grounds…
…and then back in for the first dance and a brilliant ceildh…
Many thanks to Ella & Daniil and their families for having me along to shoot their fabulous Norfolk wedding. Chaucer Barn has to be one of Norfolk’s top wedding venues with such character and beautiful grounds. I feel lucky to have such a beautiful venue so close to home.
I think this set of shots proves that rain on your wedding day doesn’t mean you can’t have a great set of images to remember one of the most special days of your life.
• Chaucer Barn wedding photographer • Wedding photographers in Norfolk • North Norfolk wedding photographer • Norfolk wedding venues • Norwich wedding •
We had a cracking day for Susie & Kevin’s spring wedding at Titchwell, just down the coast road from me. The drive along the coast road is lovely at this time year, not too much in the way of tourist traffic and some beautiful views along the way. I arrived to find the bridal preparations in full swing and the lovely Amanda Steed on MUA duty. Amanda is one of the very best make up artists in Norfolk and my first recommendation if brides ask for suggestions when planning their wedding.
We started the day’s coverage at Susie’s parents’ house just next to Titchwell Manor, a beautiful converted barn and a hive of activity…
With everyone ready I headed off to the church at Brancaster just as the bus full of guests was heading the same way from the manor, can’t beat a red double decker!
One of the flower girls obviously had a late night (or an early morning!), every time I see this shot it makes me want to yawn!
After a lovely service we headed to the beach where Susie’s horse Duke was waiting to meet us. Unfortunately Duke had never been to the beach before so was a little ‘flighty’ so we didn’t use him in too many shots in case he took off across the sand with our lovely bride & groom in tow!
…and then it was back to Titchwell Manor for the wedding reception…
To keep the children entertained Susie had ordered some whoopee cushions and it certainly worked! Susie had thought she was ordering 10 whoopee cushions but when they arrived she realised it was actually ten boxes of ten so they had 100 whoopee cushions to find uses for. I maybe shouldn’t have suggested it but I pointed out that they could easily hide an inflated cushion between the cushion & the base of the seats at the tables so the children carefully selected their victims and some great comedy followed!
Susie & Kev had provided a photobooth for their guests after the meal and they all got stuck in for some fun shots!
And so to the first dance, for me the conclusion to a great day photographing Susie & Kev’s Brancaster wedding, for the guests just the start of a great night of partying & dancing…
Thank you to Susie & Kev for being such fun to photograph. It’s always great when couples want to head to the beach for some extra shots on their wedding day and having Duke there was an added bonus. I have plenty more North Norfolk weddings lined up for the next few months at some of the stunning wedding venues we have on offer on the North Norfolk coast. Watch this space for more North Norfolk goodness!
Stormy weather hits North Norfolk
This week we were hit with some fairly extreme winds (60mph gusting to 80mph) and four days of constant rain, in complete contrast to the 30 degrees & sunshine we had last week. I can’t resist a good storm so I donned my wet weather gear, packed a couple of cameras & headed out into the salt spray (luckily my cameras are weather-sealed but I still don’t think they appreciate the sea spray so I keep them sheltered as much as I can). Didn’t see many people on the prom unsurprisingly!
I absolutely love weather like this, the power & drama of the sea totally energizes me, I find it awe inspiring and just another aspect of living on the North Norfolk coast that I adore.
After having had zero sunshine all day long it was a bizarre sight to see the sun make a very brief appearance on the horizon before setting…
The next morning was a different story, still rough seas but the clouds had moved on & gave us a beautiful morning…
As a Norfolk photographer I do feel lucky to live somewhere that has so much to offer in the way of picturesque landscapes. It may not have the drama of the west coast of the UK with the Atlantic rollers and rugged rocks but the North Sea can pack a punch when she wants to!
