A wedding in beautiful Lacock

28/11/2011 by Anna.

At the end of October I photographed the wedding of Victor and Anna in Lacock church followed by a reception at Stanton Manor Hotel.

The lovely autumn weather was continuing with plenty of sunshine.

I started off in Neston with the preparations and here the 3 bridesmaids are relaxing with a little champagne.

Mother and sister are helping Anna into her dress here with the usual pulling of straps and ribbons!

Proud father pops his head around the door to see how things are progressing.

This was made with a bit of tweaking in Lightroom and Photoshop.

As the house was an old cottage with low ceilings and fairly small windows I seated Anna to maximise the light in the room falling on her. I carry flash and diffusers around with me but will always try and use natural light first.

As the groom was preparing close to the church I managed to get to take a few pictures of him before he left for the church, again using what natural light I could find.

I stayed at the back of the church for much of the service but with both a wide angle and a longer focal length zoom lens I can vary the pictures I take.

For the more formal pictures it’s good to use flash. I use a very strange diffuser on the flashgun which looks a little like a clear yogurt pot!

A private moment for the newly married couple.

We took quite a few pictures outside the church as it is a lovely location.

While the guests travelled to Stanton Manor Hotel for the reception drinks we had a little walk around Lacock.

As I teach wedding photography at Lacock Photography (www.lacockphotography.com) just up the road from here, I know where to find the best light here, and luckily the sun stayed shining for this little session by the brook.

Lacock is a busy tourist village, so we had to work quickly to take these images inbetween the dog walkers and bemused tourists crossing the bridge!

Here we are in Stanton Manor Hotel in Stanton St. Quinton - a lovely old building near J17 of the M4.

The rooms were beautifully decorated with autumn colours and fresh foliage on the window sills.

The wind had picked up by this time, so poor Anna was starting to feel a little chilly! But at least we had the garden to ourselves as most of the guests were inside next to the roaring open fire.

This was the perfect time for outdoor photography with lovely late afternoon sun.

I like to vary the more formal wedding images with some impromtu moments.

Taking a dip?

A beautiful bride…

and a gorgeous groom!

We managed to drag a few guests away from the fire to throw the confetti. I like to get down low for these shots to get the waving hands in!

Look at that lovely colour sunshine!

My last picture just before everyone started the wedding breakfast and I headed for home with my stash of full memory cards.

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A bridal boudoir session

12/11/2011 by Anna.

I’m not sure if it’s thanks to Gok Wan but bridal boudoir is becoming quite big over here in the UK. The idea is that I capture your sexuality and femininity in pictures which are then given to your husband as a surprise on your wedding night! Last week I photographed Claire who is getting married at the end of the month.

It’s not usual for the bride-to be’s mother to be present, but Claire’s mother was a very good assistant, holding the reflector and a little video light when needed!

I always start off with a head and shoulders portrait to help my client to settle in and feel confident when she can see how great she looks!

Claire’s new husband is going to love this one!

I have a full length cathedral veil which I also use for my wedding training sessions, and it’s great as an accessory.

This is always a beautiful, flattering pose.

A cheeky smile!

Thanks, Claire, for letting me use your images and I hope Tom loves them!

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