“We aren’t made of sugar” – Kelly and John’s wedding at Westenhanger Castle {sneak peek}

My first wedding of the year found me at Westenhanger Castle where I had met bride and groom, Kelly and John, at an open day last year. I was delighted when they decided to go ahead and book my services for full day coverage as it has been a while since my last wedding at the Castle.

I arrived to blue skies and Castle looking resplendent – spring seems to be taking its time to arrive this year and the weather has been somewhat unpredictable. Bride Kelly was determined to be married outside but on checking the weather forecast, it would be touch-and-go …

John and best man, Martyn, arrived in excellent time and so we had a few minutes to get their portrait shots in the grounds. John is quite the joker and he and Kelly, who have been together for over three years, are a perfect match!

Another delightful little attendee at this wedding was flower girl, and daughter of the bride and groom, gorgeous Lily-Rose … she beamed and posed and was just full of energy all day!

Lily-Rose also helped out by handing the wedding bands to her mummy and daddy with the assistance of Martyn. She certainly stole my heart and I’m sure those of many of the guests.

The weather had stayed fine long enough for the outdoor ceremony of Kelly’s dreams although it was a little windy at times. We took a few minutes whilst their guests were enjoying welcome drinks to get a few candid shots of the newlyweds as the clouds were beginning to gather …

The afternoon was spent eating, drinking and enjoying the talents of magician Neil Colley who certainly got some great reactions from his table tricks!

Now I’ve really had to cut down the amount of images for Kelly and John’s sneak peek otherwise it would have turned into the whole story of the day (which will come after my lovely bride and groom have seen their final edited images).

Huge congratulations to you both and thank you for making my year of weddings start in such a joyful and positive way. By the sounds of the disco as I was leaving Westenhanger, I would imagine that you all danced the night away!

Wishing you much love and happiness and I am quite sure that your wonderful sense of humour and fun will make each day wonderful! Love Sam xx

P.S. The reason for the title of this post … a phrase used by one of Kelly’s family when we went back outside for formal shots and it was spitting with rain … thanks to everyone who humoured my idea of venturing back outside – I think it was worth it!

P.P.S. Thanks also to Kelly and John for the white chocolate mice – I’m rather loving this tradition started by Kerry and Andy

Rosie and David … eagerly awaited part two of their wedding day story!

I hope that you enjoyed part one – I know that Rosie did as she emailed me and, having enjoyed the first part, she was looking forward to the second … here goes!

In part one, I showed a montage of the bridesmaids and now it’s time to introduce the ushers, best man and page boy (I had to photograph them at different venues as they were all so busy, it was difficult to get them to stop, even for a minute!) …

How cute? (I mean the little pageboy on the left …) And here are the others …

Big thanks must go to Josh (top left hand) for his excellent people “herding” skills for the group shots! As Brogdale is home to the national fruit collection, it seemed fitting that the table names had apples and each place name was in an apple too …

In order for all their guests to feel fully involved in the celebrations, Rosie and David had organised that everyone “bring and share” – as a result, the tables were heaving with a huge array of delicious food and provoked conversation and comments all round.

And some championship bubble blowing too! The miniature railway was also open, to the delight of the children (and their parents who really wanted to go on the trains too …)

Again, the ushers came into their own in inviting guests to return to the marquee for speeches … Rosie’s dad proudly spoke of his daughter’s achievements …

And Dave spoke of his love for his wife and for their joint belief in God … as a teacher, he could certainly capture everyone’s attention!

And over to Dave’s best man … and “David Beckham” …

Time for a few more group photographs and the light was starting to fade so Rosie, Dave and I grabbed one of his brothers to help me with a little off camera lighting …

And the light was beautiful and golden …

Rosie had set up an area where their guests could write a message and take a photograph … I’m not sure if she had expected her husband to be stolen …

But they were reunited in time for a lively first dance!

And that started off the party too …

Rosie and Dave must have been exhausted but I left them delighting in the company of their friends, families and guests. It truly was a wonderful celebration of love and friendship and I hope that you have enjoyed part two of their story. Their disc has been delivered today … and slideshow will follow very soon. Thank you to everyone who made their wedding such fun and much love to you both for your future life together. xx

If you are interested in discussing your own wedding photography requirements, do email me sam@samanthajonesphotography.co.uk and you can find out more about the current packages on offer by clicking here.