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/

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.

Choosing the perfect...wedding photographer

When helping couples select their wedding suppliers, our philosophy is simple.  We always put forward those we believe to be outstanding in their field and those who have great personalities that add something to the day.  Miserable, clockwatching, wedding-weary types don't ever make it to our shortlist!

So, with this in mind, we thought it would be nice to introduce you to some of our favourites in a series of blog interviews. 

First up are photographers, Lord and Leverett (Mark Lord and Tristan Leverett).  As if to prove just why they always deserve to make our shortlist, they managed to take time out to chat with us, as well as move both home and office.  How's that for fabulous?!  They also kindly shared with us five of their favourite Lord and Leverett pics of 2010 which we have dotted throughout this post.

We love them for their style, their sense of fun and their attitude.  See what you think...

How did you become photographers?

Mark and I came to wedding photography from different directions and that has been of great benefit for us both as we bring different experiences to our business.

Mark worked hard at Uni and received a B A Hons Degree in photography, then went on to train  with a pro. social photographer in Cornwall before going on to get a job as a contemporary portrait photographer in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  I (Tristan) studied photography and graphics at college before working my way up to a being a photographer after starting my photography career in a camera shop.

Mark and I went on to work together as employed photographers for a portrait company, where after a couple of years we felt it was time to do something different and decided to launch Lord & Leverett.

What fascinates you most about your work?

We are very lucky to do the job we love so much.  We enjoy working at different weddings and I guess the thing that fascinates us the most is how every wedding is so individual.  That makes our job great fun as we always have a different challenge to tackle.

Who or what is the inspiration for your work?

Having studied the greats of photography, we both have a list of famous photographers we love.  Many are photojournalists and some portrait photographers.


We both love films and get some great inspiration from them too.

How do you get your ideas?

We find ideas come organically on the wedding day.  Often we start out with certain ideas, but then we see something and the old grey cells get working and new ideas flow.  At every wedding a new idea usually comes.

Who else do you admire in your field of work and why?

There are a couple of wedding photographers whose work we admire, but we both love the work of the portrait photographer Harry Borden - his work is just brilliant.

How do you think photography styles have changed at weddings over the years?

Wedding photography today is almost unrecognisable to the style around just twenty years ago.  We would like to think it has improved exponentially and continues to do so as more and more clients want something different from their wedding photos.

There's such a huge choice of photographers out there. How should couples go about choosing the right photographer and style that's right for them?

Well, the photography you want for your wedding is a personal decision.  Not only do you have to like the photographer who will be at your wedding, but you also need to decide on a style that works for you on your wedding day.

For instance, do you want a formal/traditional approach with lots of photographer input and lots of group shots or would you prefer a more unobtrusive approach where a photographer will capture the story of the wedding day without directing the wedding day. It is always worth seeing at least two photographers before you make a final decision.

Once couples have chosen their photographer, what sort of process should they expect from initially meeting you to seeing you on the day?

Well, we usually have a couple of meetings with our clients before their weddings -  one initial meeting and a further one closer to the wedding date to discuss all the timings and small details.  We also do a pre-wedding shoot which is a good way for us to get to know our clients better and a great way for our clients to get a feel for how we will work with them on the wedding day.

We will also speak to our clients on the week of their wedding to chat about any final details or changes to the day's schedule.

Are there any current trends in wedding photography?

Well, trends in photography can sometimes be a bad idea.  We would hate the thought of someone looking through one of our albums in twenty years time and just thinking it’s full of gimmicky photography effects that were en vogue at the time, so we always like to keep our photography true to classic values:  good colour pictures, good black and white pictures that are well composed with a great use of light.

Having said that, the industry is really jumping both feet into a vintage feel at the moment and that suits us fine as we both love photographing the vintage inspired wedding dresses that are available at the moment.

Photography vs videography - discuss!

This is always a hot potato subject among the photography industry, the truth of it is photographers and videographers are both trying to do a very important job.  Problems can arise though, as they are both trying to occupy the same space on the day to get the best shots and this can sometimes lead towards friction for both parties.

Now we are not saying that problems are inevitable and nine times out of ten photographers and videographers work together very well, but it should be a consideration for anyone thinking of having both at their wedding.  You should at least discuss it with both parties before the wedding and don’t just spring it on them on the actual wedding day.

We personally prefer it if there isn’t a video team at the wedding because as we work as a duo we think adding another couple of people to the wedding with cameras can be a bit much, but we understand it is a personal choice of the clients, so if they want a videographer at their wedding we would do our utmost to work well with them.

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

A White Wedding...Dreamy backdrop or a planning nightmare?

It’s been snowing quite heavily here at Clare Beckwith Weddings HQ for a quite few days, but last Saturday we did venture out to a wedding at the 5 * Hanbury Manor where we have been invited to help out as Wedding Concierge.

With the forecasters predicting snow, we packed the car full of sensible essentials (spade, food, water, high vis. jacket etc) plus lots of warm clothing, and set out early.

It started to snow heavily after we arrived and the snowy backdrop of the Garden Court was picture perfect. It was everything you could ever dream of for a white wedding.

But white weddings can cause havoc with your plans too, as we were about to witness when the live 5 piece band call in to say they couldn’t make it, and the photographer turned up red faced and hassled, half way through the ceremony.

It wasn’t a wedding that we had designed and organised ourselves, so all we could do was watch and learn.

As a wedding planning business, we always think ahead and put contingency plans in place, and if you are organising your wedding yourself you should too. It’s essential, even on a normal weather day!

We’ve spoken to a few of our wonderful suppliers to help compile these 10 top tips to help you think of everything if you are facing a snowy, crisp weather wedding.

1) In the planning process, make sure you get good wedding insurance and have a written contract with all your suppliers containing a cancellation clause.

2) A few days before your big day, watch the weather. Yes, boring we know and much like watching paint dry, but very necessary if you want to avoid nasty surprises. Try http://www.accuweather.com/

3) As soon as you hear of weather warnings, contact your suppliers to alert them, and to see what their travel/contingency plans are.

4) If snow is forecasted, encourage suppliers to drive up the day before and stay in a B&B.

5) Make sure all suppliers know where they are going and what time they need to be there for. Provide maps and rough estimates of drive times between venues. It might seem like spoon feeding, but some people aren’t as sensible as you!

6) If you are planning a winter wedding, try to hold it all in one place, or within a very short distance from ceremony to reception venues. Make sure staff are prepared for the winter conditions and that guests are kept happy and not standing around in the cold.

7) If you are booking a live band, try to do so through a reputable agent. Try http://www.vivalivemusic.co.uk/
They only have musicians and bands that have been interviewed and auditioned. The musicians are trustworthy and won’t let down clients. In the unlikely event that someone is ill in the band, they will organise other musicians – giving you additional peace of mind.

8) If you are let down by any of your suppliers, check with your venue. They should have a list of local suppliers that could be contacted in an emergency. Alternatively, they might have other musicians on-site for residencies or other events that might be able to provide some entertainment – even if it wasn’t what was originally planned.

9) Contact suppliers via local business websites that might be able to assist. Even if they can’t, they might know someone that can. You would be surprised how everyone helps in a crisis!

10) If you find yourselves without a photographer, ask one of your guests with a decent camera to stand in for a bit until they arrive. You might even discover a hidden talent!

And to keep everyone comfortable and warm...

1) Make guests aware of the conditions so that they can dress appropriately, wearing suitable footwear, coats etc. Read my last blog post by Isobel Kershaw for some stylish ideas!

2) Prime your ushers to help push cars in the snow and also make them aware they may have to remove snow in places for guests to get to the church. Give them spades to do the job!

3) Serve warm mulled cider in the church to keep guests warm and happy!

4) If you are having a church ceremony, give out hand and foot warmers to guests with their order of service. Churches often have no heating and are cold at the best of times.

5) At the reception venue, ask your photographer to set up lights in an allocated room to do all the formal family shots which will keep guests in the warm.

6) Lay out a red carpet laid for the bride to walk on in places where it is particularly snowy or icy.

Winter weddings are wonderful. Don’t let the snow put you off. Just be prepared!

Our sincere thanks go to the amazing Lord and Leverett http://www.lordandleverett.com/ and to Viva Live music http://www.vivalivemusic.co.uk/ for their contributions to this blog post.
Photo credit:  http://www.marriott.co.uk/

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/