Jenna and Graeme's Pre-wedding shoot in Brighton

Jenna and Graeme from Buckinghamshire chose sunny (and windy!) Brighton as the backdrop for their pre-wedding shoot.  Pre-wedding and engagement photo shoots are becoming more and more popular.  They absolutely loved theirs and think that there are lots of reasons to make them part of your wedding plans …

1. It’s a great way to get to know and feel totally comfortable with your photographer, before the big day

Our wedding photographer is Phil Bourne, owner of e.motion images. He’s a brilliant photographer but he’s also an old friend of mine, so for me and my hubby to be, it was really important to feel confident and relaxed with Phil … not as mates, but as photographer and bride.

A pre-wedding photo shoot was a brilliant opportunity to do that and we think it worked pretty well!

2. It’s a great way to express yourself and your personality

We love all things vintage and fun … so straight away we knew we’d have a vintage photo shoot. After some thought and chat with Phil, we also knew Brighton would be the best venue for this. Not only was it an excuse to have some fun by the sea, we also knew it would really suit the vintage theme.

I’ve also seen some lovely picnic shoots, beach parties for two, and tea parties used as engagement themes. Some carefully selected props make the pictures stand out too!

3. Photos can be a great way of injecting personal touches in to your wedding day

We’ve used our pictures on our invites, order of service and in other little touches to be revealed on September 1st! (our wedding day!)

4. We’ve also made our own album as a keepsake and some as presents for family and friends, which they love!

The only piece of advice I would give anyone doing a pre-wedding photo shoot is to ‘be prepared’! When we did ours, the weather was absolutely freezing … and as you can see, very, very windy!!!!

To check out Phil’s work, have a look at http://www.e-motionimages.co.uk/or contact him phil@e-motionimages.co.uk

If you would like your wedding or your pre-engagement shoot featured on our website, please email your details to info@clarebeckwithweddings.co.uk and send us a few sample shots to look at.  We especially like to see your unique weddings with lots of special touches as these are most likely to be published.

Have fun with your wedding photography

We have just come across this fabulous piccy by one of our favourite wedding photographers Lord and Leverett and it brought a smile to our faces.

We had plenty of fun the other day at Paige and Harish's wedding when we used a range of props to inject fun into the photos. This young bride had other ideas when she suggested doing cartwheels.  Brave girl - we have much admiration for you.  Please don't try this in a tight dress!

Photo credits:  http://www.lordandleverett.com/

Paige and Harish's vintage wedding at The Bingham, Richmond

It was a complete treat to be invited to work with Paige and Harish on their wedding at the fabulous Bingham Hotel in Richmond.  Wonderful riverside location, wonderful ideas, completely wonderful couple. 

Paige, originally from New Jersey, USA and Harish met at St Andrews university just over 6 years ago, when Paige popped a valentines card under Harish's door. Brave move, and it clearly bowled him over! 

Their guests flew in from all over the globe and were treated to the amazing Bingham hospitality.  They could not have had a more perfect day for their celebrations as temperatures soared to an unseasonal 26 degrees on Easter Sunday.

I've been excited to see their photos - mainly because they incorporated so many really interesting details - a wedding planner's dream.  Take a look.

Wedding planner - Clare Beckwith Weddings http://www.clarebeckwithweddings.co.uk/
Photographer - Helen Jones photography http://www.helenjonesphotography.co.uk/
Brides's dress - J Crew (USA)
Bride's sash - Marisa (USA - handmade in New Jersey, where bride is from)
Bridesmaids dresses - David's Bridal (USA)
Bride's shoes - New Look
Groom's suit and groomsmen's waistcoats/cravats - Moss Bros
Flowers - Conservatory Florist, Richmond, Surrey
Wedding cake (birdcage) - The Cake Parlour, Wimbledon
Groom's cake and cupcakes with St Andrews crest - The Cake Parlour, Wimbledon
Favour bags - Handmade by groom's mother with fabric bought in USA
'Something borrowed and something old' - Vintage birdcage charm from Ireland (a gift from Paige's bridesmaid Grace - pinned to bouquet)
'Something blue' - Ribbon monogrammed with bride's initials and date of wedding - J Crew (pinned to bouquet)
'Something new' - Bride's necklace - Baccarat
Invitations and placecards - Vera Wang
Orders of Ceremony, table numers and seating plan - Ruth Springer Design
Frame for seating plan - Not on the High Street
Tall Birdcages - Wedding Day Hire
Double sided picture frames - John Lewis
Oversize Balloons - Signature balloons

Ivory lace for balloons - John Lewis

Ivory satin ribbon - The Ribbon Company

Something old, something new...

A bride-to-be recently emailed us a question which we have answered, and we thought we'd share with you:

Jenna Myles, Bride-to-be in September 2011:  One thing I would like to know is do you have to have a separate piece on you that signifies each thing (something for old, something for new etc) or can you have piece of jewellery that's say, old and borrowed!  My understanding is the old, new, borrowed, blue all have to be worn by the bride too, is that right?

CBW:  Hello Jenna,  The saying goes "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe".  The last part is less well known but symbolises happiness and spiritual and financial wealth.

The bride wears something old as a symbol of her old life that she is leaving behind. Something new refers to the new hope in her new life. A borrowed item (usually a garter) from a happily married woman is believed to pass on good luck to the newlyweds. Blue symbolises purity, faithfulness and her commitment to her new husband.

It is definitely tradition that the bride wears all of these things, but we have scoured the internet and etiquette books and nothing seems to mention whether each of these items has to be separate. We don't think it would hurt to have the same item to signify two things. Your example of old borrowed jewellery for instance would be a symbol of the old life you are leaving behind and the 'borrowedness' of it would pass on good luck. That works for us. A very powerful piece of jewellery!

If you have a question about wedding traditions or etiquette, please feel free to email us.  The best will be published on our blog.

Photo credit : http://www.lasenza.co.uk/

1970's bridesmaids

1970s bridesmaids dressed in Biba

My mum sent over this photo of me and my sister as bridesmaids at a 1970s wedding.  Not a fairy dress or pink sash in sight!  Could this have been the start of my fascination with weddings?

If you've got a similar pic of bridesmaids in the 50s, 60s, 70's, 80s or 90s email them over and we'll post a selection of them.

Real weddings: Fay and Andrew @ Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire

Having worked on so many weddings over the years, you'd really think we'd be hardened to the emotion of them by now - but no! 

Fay and Andrew had the most incredible day at Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire, and the touching, heartfelt speeches meant the tears of joy just kept coming!  They've been kind enough to share their photos with us - can't wait to show you these...

Photo credits:  http://mikaelamorgan.co.uk/
Our thanks also go to Fay and Andrew for giving us permission to display their photos on our blog.

Real weddings: Sarah and Tom at Haileybury School, Hertfordshire

As wedding planners, most of the brides we work with ask us to design their days from beginning to end as it helps to take the stress out of the planning.  That's not always the case though.  Sometimes we get calls from brides-to-be asking to tap into our fab address book of suppliers. 

Planning weddings 24/7 means we get to know the good, the bad and the ugly - politely steering you away from the latter and helping you choose ones that will really enhance your day (and of course meet your budget!).  So when Sarah called us, we were happy to recommend a wonderful photographer, Mikaela Morgan.  After we met with Sarah and Tom, we knew that Mikaela's relaxed, yet professional style and girl-next-door personality would suit them well.  Mikaela has sent us a small selection of the gorgeous photos she took on the day.  They are very 'wow'.

Sarah and Tom were delighted with Mikaela saying 'Oh Mikaela, they are just AMAZING! You have captured our day, and everything we remember about it (and a lot more!), to perfection. We laughed and cried watching the slide show. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and special selection of pics. We are about to begin watching it all over again!

Photo credits: http://www.mikaelamorgan.co.uk/
Our thanks also go to Sarah and Tom who have kindly given their permission for us to display their photos on our blog.

Real weddings: Sharon and Darren on their day to remember

Whilst working at Hanbury Manor, I met a great new photographer, Russell Neal.  He was a complete dream to work with and his relaxed approach really suited Sharon and Darren's day which was filled with fun and laughter from the moment they arrived!  He has sent me selection of shots which I wanted to share with you.

Sharon and Darren had a beautiful wedding at St Andrew's Church in Much Hadham and after the ceremony, they arrived in style at Hanbury Manor's Garden Court in a vintage Rolls Royce.

My special thanks go to Sharon and Darren Mansfield for their permission to use these photos.

Photo credit: http://www.russellnealphotography.com/