A Gay Wedding At The Fishpond Matlock Bath – Brett & Martin

July 11, 2019

Wedding – The Fishpond , Matlock Bath

I’ve never seen guests get so emotional at a wedding as this one (and I’ve seen a lot of emotion in my time as a wedding photographer)

Martin and Brett married at The Fishpond – a boutique pub set amongst the beautiful Derbyshire countryside (and one of Englands first tourist destinations) in the little town of Matlock Bath. (If you’ve never visited it’s like a seaside town as far away from the sea as you can physically get in this country)

In fact – I think the Fishpond website says it best:

“Set in the popular tourist town of Matlock Bath, we have everything the discerning bride needs; candy, motorbikes, ice cream, arcades, and fish & chips. The only thing missing here is the sea . . . Matlock Bath, or “little Switzerland” as its nickname suggests truly is a unique landlocked seaside town.”

As you can guess – the celebrations had a lot of character. From the dinosaur / jurassic park themed decor, through to Aura-Jay’s drag act as the evenings entertainment. But what really struck me about the day was how much love and support Martin and Brett’s friends and family shared. And how much love and affection the couple have for each other

Watch the slideshow for the full experience (above) – but below are a handful of favourites.

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Whitworth Centre Wedding Photographer

June 25, 2019

Preparations, Wedding and reception @ The Whitworth Centre

That’s right, I’m trying something new with the blog and including a slideshow. So take a couple of minutes out of your busy day and press play

And turn down the volume if you’re at work (you can thank me later)

This Whitworth Centre wedding was a real joy to photograph.

Phoebe and Ross married at the Whitworth Centre – a beautiful victorian venue situated on a huge park out in Darley Dale. This was back in March – and I think the low sun really adds character to the day. The Whitworth Centre is a beautiful building to get married in (I hadn’t photographed here since Bex & Bruce’s wedding) and they finished the evening with a Cadleigh and lots of dancing.

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Electric Cinema Wedding Photographer

December 21, 2018

“We wanted natural, unposed photos and loved Simon’s use of colours and light in his portfolio. His photos of our day are stunning, and really captured the emotions of a very special day.”

Wedding – Electric Cinema Birmingham / Reception – Hotel du Vin

I’ve been so excited to share this wedding on here. The Electric Cinema in Birmingham is such a fantastic venue for a wedding. Especially if, like me, you have a deep rooted love of the cinema – especially old flea pit ones like this beauty – located just opposite New Street Station.
Firstly, Zoe and Karl are such a lovely couple, and a joy to work with (you can see their engagement shoot in Digbeth here). And they got all emotional and it was beautiful, which always adds to the day. They showed short films and slideshows before the ceremony, and a montage of (mainly 80’s) classic scenes afterwards.

Then it was a stroll across Birmingham Centre to Hotel Du Vin for further celebrations. Ending up with Karl DJing in the pub in the basement.

Below are some of my favourites pictures. Enjoy!

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A Lindy Bop Garden Party Wedding – Jen & Chris

October 29, 2018

Jen & Chris Married at West Bridgford Hall, followed by a garden party in Jen’s parents back garden before heading on to Lubenham Village Hall to Lindy-Bop the night away.

I’m going to hand it over to Jen & Chris to tell the story:

How did you meet?

On Tinder! We each swiped right. Chris didn’t have good signal where he lived. Every time he messaged me he had to go out onto the street for reception. We met on 27th December, in bar I’d been quite ill over Christmas and almost cancelled. So glad I didn’t!

Tell us about the proposal

I’d just got back from a couple of weeks in South Africa for work. Chris has planned it all. He based it on our first three dates. We had diet coke – the drink we ordered the day we first met. He had learned how to cook Turkish food and made me a beautiful meal (we went to a Turkish restaurant on our second date). We sat on the floor in my living room and ate it picnic-style by the fire, just like we did on our third date. I could hardly answer for crying. But somehow I managed to squeak out the word ‘yes’.

What was the inspiration for your wedding?

We knew we wanted to keep it low-key, natural, and not buy-in to the traditional wedding circuit. We discussed what was important to each of us, and went from there. For Chris, it was that we provided lots of food, and all the alcohol. For me, it was that it looked beautiful. We both swing dance and wanted a good party. We thought briefly about just having a small Ceremony and keeping it really simple, but we decided that this was our chance to bring everyone we knew and loved together. We found the hall, a local Community Hall, and went from there – my parents offered their garden for after the Wedding itself. I love making things, and had a picture in my head of how it would look. There wasn’t an ‘inspiration’ as such, I just went with what I found and made it up as I went along!

How would you describe your wedding theme?

Home-made! I described it as ‘Garden’ in the end – with a vintage flavour.

Do you have any particularly significant, funny or important stories about something that happened surrounding your wedding?

Originally we were going to get married in September. But one of my brother’s lives in Japan with his wife and my two nephews. He’s a teacher and can only visit in the summer. This was the only day we could get my whole family, and Chris’ family, in one place! Summer wedding it was then.

What was your favourite part of the wedding?

The people. For both of us, the process of planning a wedding really made us realise just how many wonderful people we have in our lives – this was a chance to reconnect with people we’d lost touch with, and to see those who lived further afield. My friend Anne flew over all the way from Australia to be there. In the end, we had British, German (Chris is German!), Japanese, Australian, American, Norwegian and Irish. It was a wonderful mix of wonderful people .Chris’ mum made my bouquet… My mum organised the ‘Garden Party’, some of my friends baked cakes for desserts, others brought alcohol – people helped set-up the hall, and clear up the hall the next day. It was us, and our friends. It was real, and it was fun!

What did you choose for readings and music? Why?

James Kavanaugh — ‘To love is not to possess’. Why? So many wedding readings are so cliche, about roses, waterfalls, and summer days. ‘To love is not to possess’ is about real, durable love. The kind of stuff that lasts. It was the perfect reading for our day.

What was your wedding budget?

Free! We soon realised that wasn’t possible, aimed for £5,000 and then decided that £10,000 was more realistic. I think we came in just under!

How did you allocate your budget?

We had a whole spreadsheet! We ticked off the important things first: Dress, suit, venue, food, alcohol, accomodation and then guestimated everything else. I set myself a ‘decoration’ budget, and am proud that I managed to stick to it.

In retrospect, was there anything you would have done differently?

Actually, no. For us the whole day was just what we wanted – better in fact. the only thing I (and Chris) would say, is that I wish I worried less about the little things. But then, that’s who I am and who I’ll always be!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Given our budget, we were reluctant to spend on a photographer, but we also knew we would regret it if we didn’t have a good set of photos. Simon was a recommendation from another guy that we approached. We had a shortlist of two, but his style of photos swung it in the end. We wanted natural photos, not posed stiff ones, and Simon’s portfolio looked beautifully quirky. I can’t tell you how glad we are that we chose him. He was worth every penny and more. Neither of us expected such an array of beautiful photo, it’s impossible to choose our favourites, there are just so many! He is a nice, professional guy and clearly loves what he does – it was great to see how he enjoyed taking photos of our day.Not only has he captured every moment, he’s captured every feeling. Every time I look at our photos I smile. They are perfect.

Suppliers:

Massive thanks to Lubenham Village Hall and of course to Emmerson & Wests – of everything I worried about that day, I knew the food and bar were well taken care of. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough!

They’re a super-lovely international couple – with lots of great friends and family. The day took in garden games, lots of emotional moments and a lot of great dancing . It’s such a smorgasbord of events and stories that I think it’s best presented in a totally random fashion… so here goes.

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Anstey Hall Wedding Photographer – Nikki & Matt

September 4, 2018

An Elegant Stately Home Wedding

Sometimes it’s nice to travel out of Derbyshire and the East Midlands to photograph a wedding. And this was certainly a very beautiful day. Nikki & Matt married at the stately Anstey Hall, a 17th century farmhouse set amongst beautiful grounds in Cambridge (I’m originally from Cambridgeshire, if you didn’t already know). It was HOT (as most of our summer was) so I can’t believe Matt and his groomsmen spent the whole day in military dress. It was also chaotic and fun and full of personality.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

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Carriage Hall Wedding Photographer

July 5, 2018

Natascha & Alex’s Carriage Hall Wedding

Those of you familiar with my work will know that I love the Carriage Hall. I’ve been there many times over my time as a wedding photographer. It’s a perfect venue for those that want to put their own stamp on the day. The staff very much tailor the wedding to you.

Natascha & Alex got married a few weeks ago and it was a beautiful day full of wonderful moments. Natascha’s family are German, so half the speeches were in German so as to include them. There was beautiful music from Arkangel throughout the day (they played for so many hours and it was all beautiful).

Best moment was getting to see them try and cut the cake with a ceremonial sword.

Pictures below –

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Curbar Edge Derbyshire Engagement Shoot – Hannah & Tom

April 30, 2018

This isn’t usually what I do. I’m not the sort of photographer who spends a lot of time on portraits. They disrupt weddings to much (in my personal opionion) whilst a newlywed couple should be enjoying the time spent with family.

And I don’t actively persuade people to book an engagement shoot. Sometimes I’ll suggest it if the couple are really nervous, but I see it as something completely separate to wedding photography.

But at the same time, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone… to do something different.

So I ran an engagement shoot competition to see what would happen. In the end I was so overwhelmed by the response that I ended up picking three couples to work with. This is just one of them.

Curbar Edge is a beautiful location overlooking Derbyshire’s Peak District

Being a very peaky area, it’s just one of several locations that does this! Hannah & Tom were such a great easygoing couple to work with. The weather was windy, a little bit rainy, with the occasional ray of beautiful evening light (and even a rainbow). We worked through loads of ideas and the whole shoot was great fun.

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Osmaston Park Wedding Photographer

September 13, 2017

Wedding – St Albans Church, Chaddesden
Reception – Osmaston Park

I had serious deja vu at this wedding – I’d photographed Joanna’s sister, Lizzie’s, wedding at Callow Hall two years previously.

The preparations, the church, a lot of the faces are all very familiar. In a way it was interesting to see how far I’d come – how my style had changed in those two years. I think even now, I’m getting a lot better at nailing the moment I want to get!

Joanna & Scott married on a beautiful sunny day with a wedding reception at Osmaston Park near Ashbourne. Surrounded by lakes and woodlands in the private location they were free to celebrate with family and friends.

So these are the pictures – and there’s a real sense of family, friendship and fun throughout.

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West Mill Wedding Photographer – Emma & John

July 5, 2017

“We’ve looked at these SO MANY TIMES and I just can’t tell you how happy we are with them. You’ve captured the mood, the colours and pretty much every single guest. They’re exactly what we wanted – thank you so much.

Everyone we’ve shown them to has praised them to the skies! We’ll recommend you to everyone we know who’s getting married

Please could you also pass our thanks to Kathryn? It really shows how worth it it is to have two photographers because you captured lots ofdifferent angles so well.”

Emma & John

Wedding & Reception – The West Mill, Darley Abbey

I never feel that words really do the wedding justice. So what was special about this one? I think the deep bond that Emma & John have really shines through. The fact that Emma was so nervous until she met with John at the ceremony. Speaks volumes (you can really see the nerves in the pre-ceremony photo)

It was great to have Kathryn Edwards Photography shooting with me on the day. A second photographer adds so much more coverage and adds a whole new dimension to the wedding day.

I’ve been dying to get inside The West Mill – based in Darley Abbey Mills it’s an old industrial warehouse that has been converted into floor after floor of lusciousness. This was my first wedding there, but I’m already looking forward to the next few.

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A Rainy Foremark Cottages Wedding – Harriet & Gary

June 30, 2017

A Rainy Wedding at Foremark Cottages
Harriet & Gary

It’s so nice to meet a couple who really don’t care if it rains all day. Harriet and Gary were just happy to go with the flow and enjoy the day. Despite missing out on garden games in the gorgeous grounds of Derbyshire’s Foremark Cottages.

(I say meet, but I went to university with Harriet – although I don’t think she realised it was me she got in touch with to photograph her wedding. And although the name rang a bell, I couldn’t quite work out why)

Foremark Cottages is such a complete venue. A beautiful place to get ready, a great reception venue, and it also has its own little church in the grounds.

So many people tell me they just want a fun, relaxed day with their guests. Gary and Harriet really walked the talk.

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A Winter Nottingham Cathedral Wedding – Rose & Phillip

February 8, 2017

“Simon, we got them!! And the photos are truly amazing!

Thank you for being our photographer and being part of our day. Everybody told us that our wedding day would go so fast and pass us by. So Phillip and I tried to take in every moment and detail on the day. But memories do not last forever (especially when we get old and grey). So Simon, what you have done is capture the special and unique moments and given us memories that will last forever.
Any photographer could give us photos but you have given us much more. You have captured moments, relationships, feelings and love. How you have managed to photograph the things we can’t physically see….we don’t know! But Simon…..you can and you have!
A precious gift! A million times…..Thank you! “

Mr and Mrs Begley

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A Malvern Hills Wedding – Kate & Jack

December 16, 2016

“We cannot recommend Simon enough. Having a small, intimate wedding, we were cautious that having a formal photographer might spoil the atmosphere but Simon was extremely discrete, managing to capture it all without us hardly noticing he was there!

We absolutely love our photos. Simon has a true talent for capturing natural, subtle moments, with beautiful light, colour and context.

Genuine interesting photos, which I personally feel is quite rare in wedding photography!

A comment from a guest on seeing the photos: “what a talent to catch so many spontaneous, natural moments and such a range of emotions.

It was a brilliant idea to have a variety of settings and the ones of you two – and the crowd scenes, up on the hills contrast wonderfully with the ones of the ceremony and its confetti filled finale. It’s a visual poem, a veritable feast.” Thank you so much Simon. “

Kate & Jack

Wedding – Malvern Hills
Reception – A hike in the Malvern Hills, followed by a pub meal at The Chase Inn

This was something different. A stripped back wedding at Malvern Hills Registry Office, followed by a quick change into walking gear and wellies for a hike up into the beautiful Malvern Hills between Worcestershire and Herefordshire. It was one of those plans that could have gone either way, but luckily Kate & Jack had a beautiful fresh autumnal day at the end of November. So it all went to plan. (Apart from the walk being much longer than expected!)

I got to spend the day with a lovely relaxed group of people. And Kate & Jack just ooze class – they look like classic film stars.

Anyway – photos.

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Blackbrook House Wedding Photographer – Caroline & Ben’s Autumn Wedding

November 18, 2016

I’ve got a visual feast for you today. A stunning Autumn Wedding at the intimate Blackbrook House. The outfits, the decor, the wonderful warm hues throughout the day are breathtaking.

Swanwick – Church and a Bus

Caroline & Ben married at St Andrew’s Church in Swanwick, Derbyshire, before a big red bus transported them to Blackbrook House for their reception.
(The bus didn’t make it up the hill at Blackbrook House – those who know the venue won’t be suprised to learn.

Wedding Reception – Blackbrook House

Which brings us to Blackbrook House. With it’s cascading Ivy leaves that had turned red for autumn, pumpkins, sparklers and the decor was spot on.

The food was perfect, the venue was perfect, and The Burgundys were excellent entertainment as usual (as were the dance offs).

I even arrived early so I could jump the bus, and was offered a bacon sandwich.

Eye candy below (in reverse order this time!)

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Rebekah & Brian’s Carriage Hall Wedding

August 24, 2016

We chose Simon as our wedding photgrapher and the results were amazing. What we love most about Simon’s work is that he manages to capture the emotion and honesty of a moment so perfectly, and he definitely did that for us. Simon is a great guy, makes you feel very much at ease and is very good to work with.

Wedding – St Giles Church – West Bridgford
Reception – The Carriage Hall, Plumtree

Rebekah & Brian married on a beautiful sunny day at St Giles Church in West Bridgford. Then went for a relaxed celebration with plenty of live music (including a set by my favourite wedding band, The Burgundys) at the Carriage Hall in Plumtree. As you can see from the photos – despite the morning nerves the whole day turned out beautifully, with plenty of fun and laughter.

“What we love most about Simon’s work is that he manages to capture the emotion and honesty of a moment so perfectly, and he definitely did that for us.”

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Callow Hall Wedding Photographer – Lizzie & Paul

September 21, 2015

“When looking through the photos it as if we were back reliving our big day”

This one’s a treat. A lovely couple. A gorgeous dress. Traditional scottish attire. And some georgous light and landscape to capture it all in. Some days my job is just too easy.
Lizzie and Paul married at St Alban’s Parish Church in Chaddesden, Derby.

Wedding Reception – Callow Hall

The reception took place at Callow Hall – a historic country house out in Ashbourne. Lizzie and Paul had exlusive use of the hall and grounds. Drinks reception in the Secret Garden, followed by a meal and dancing the night away with their guests in the marquee overlooking the Derbyshire landscape. It was a truly special occasion.

And the dress is Sottero & Midgley (people do keep asking me!)

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Birtsmorton Court Wedding – Kate & James

July 17, 2015

“Lots of people can take photos. But he has an incredible eye and completely captured the mood and emotions of the day”

A Sunny Rock’n’Roll Wedding in the heart of Worcestershire

Kate & James married at the stunningly picturesque Birtsmorton Court, a historic venue in the heart of Worcestershire near the Malvern hills.
Kate and her bridesmaids prepared in the grounds with lots of champagne, music and laughter, whilst James and the groomsmen set up decorations at Birtsmorton Court and soon guests were rocking up for drinks. The wedding itself took place in the summer garden and their pet beagle carried the rings down the aisle (with surprising success, to the shock of any beagle owners out there!). It was followed by a champagne reception in the courtyard terrace overlooking the moat.

After the meal and speeches (which were both hilarious and emotional) they bought out a bag of fancy dress for each table – and Kate and James performed their first dance in very strange attire!

The whole day had a rock and roll theme to it – from the Tables named after bands to the songs chosen at the ceremony – the guests sang “Sweet Child of Mine” (Guns and Roses) and “You and Me Song” (Wannadies). At the end of the evening they danced the night away to live music under fairy lights in the main venue.

A big thank you to the bridesmaids and groomsmen on the day – they did an excellent job and were always glad to help out where needed.

It’s been a real challenge picking photos for the blog – but these should give a flavour of the day!

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A Christmas Wedding @ Shottle Hall

February 12, 2019

Ruth & David married in a beautiful ceremony at Shottle Hall just before Christmas. It was full of wonderful moments and people – and I’ll probably remember it because I was so full of cold that I’d completely lost my voice on the day (meaning I was even more quiet and discreet than usual!)

But enough about me – I thought I’d ask Ruth & David some questions so they could tell us about it in their own words.

How did you meet?

We met in a nightclub in Derby.

Tell us about the proposal

Dave drove me out to a beautiful spot in he peak District and proposed where we could see for miles around us.

What was the inspiration for your wedding?

I looked at a lot of Pinterest and Instagram posts.

How would you describe your wedding theme?

A copper/ subtle hints of Christmas theme!

Do you have any particularly significant, funny or important stories about something that happened surrounding your wedding?

When my nephew walked in during the ceremony and shouted ‘mummy I’ve done a wee!’

What was your favourite part of the wedding?

Saying the vows

What did you choose for readings and music? Why?

My sister and friend chose their own / wrote their own readings.

For music it was:

A thousand years- the piano guys (because I love twilight)

Moonlight serenade- Glenn miller, my grandad’s favourite song

Perfect- ed sheeran, my mum’s request because she likes the song!

Heyho, the lumineers, just because I like it

God only knows- the beach boys, it makes me think of Love Actually which is a Christmas film

What was your wedding budget?

We just wanted to keep it as close to £10000/£11000 as possible! (From our money and then got around £2500 from parents)

How did you allocate your budget?

Just did things as cheaply as possible really without it looking cheap!

In retrospect, was there anything you would have done differently?

Absolutely nothing!

And here are some of my favourite photos. (In a totally random order, to keep you on your toes)

Suppliers

Dresses Nora Eve

Groom’s Attire next and moss bross

Bridesmaid Gowns ASOS and tk maxx for flower girls

Shoes Debenhams

Hair my sister in law who is a hairdresser

Make up Tabitha Glaze

Flowers I did the bouquets (flowers from The Range) and the top table was done by no. 8 studio florists.

Accessories borrowed/ what I already owned/ Etsy

Cake by Tasty Bites Cakes (Dave’s aunty)

Stationary invites and save the dates were done online using the website Pingg. Order of the day was a letter board from home bargains. Table plan by my brother.

Entertainment band, The Natterjacks and the DJ was Mainstream Music Events

Car the stag was my dad’s, Dave’s family organised his so I don’t know who that was.

Any other suppliers you’d like to mention?

Chairs done by Gemma White Weddings

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Wedding – The Fishpond , Matlock Bath

Preparations, Wedding and reception @ The Whitworth Centre

“We wanted natural, unposed photos and loved Simon’s use of colours and light in his portfolio. His photos of our day are stunning, and really captured the emotions of a very special day.”

Wedding – Electric Cinema Birmingham / Reception – Hotel du Vin

An Elegant Stately Home Wedding

Natascha & Alex’s Carriage Hall Wedding

Curbar Edge is a beautiful location overlooking Derbyshire’s Peak District

Wedding – St Albans Church, Chaddesden Reception – Osmaston Park

Wedding & Reception – The West Mill, Darley Abbey

A Rainy Wedding at Foremark Cottages Harriet & Gary

Wedding – Malvern Hills Reception – A hike in the Malvern Hills, followed by a pub meal at The Chase Inn

Swanwick – Church and a Bus

Wedding Reception – Blackbrook House

Wedding – St Giles Church – West Bridgford Reception – The Carriage Hall, Plumtree

“What we love most about Simon’s work is that he manages to capture the emotion and honesty of a moment so perfectly, and he definitely did that for us.”

“When looking through the photos it as if we were back reliving our big day”

Wedding Reception – Callow Hall

“Lots of people can take photos. But he has an incredible eye and completely captured the mood and emotions of the day”

A Sunny Rock’n’Roll Wedding in the heart of Worcestershire

Wedding – St Albans Church, Chaddesden
Reception – Osmaston Park

A Rainy Wedding at Foremark Cottages
Harriet & Gary

Wedding – Malvern Hills
Reception – A hike in the Malvern Hills, followed by a pub meal at The Chase Inn

Wedding – St Giles Church – West Bridgford
Reception – The Carriage Hall, Plumtree