The Wedding of Katie and Liam @ Yaxley Hall, Suffolk

The last Wedding we photographed at the end of September was at Yaxley Hall. This was a beautiful day and the fact that Yaxley Hall is a fantastic wedding venue just made it even more special. If the weather was good the plan was always to have the ceremony outside which fortunately it was and so we did our first outside ceremony (although technically Katie and Liam had to stand in a gazebo/temple which was licensed).

What a great day this was - they had a black and white theme and even all the guests had been asked to follow the scheme which they did. It all looked very stylish.

Here's a selection of photos from their day starting with David photographing the boys and then followed by me photographing the girls getting ready

Here's a few taken during the ceremony

They asked their guests to throw confetti when they walked back down the aisle which worked really well

Here's their large group shot together with a few photos of them

Here's one of Katie's sister listening to Katie's speech

If you attended Katie and Liam's Wedding and would like to view their photos they are online now. They have the password which I'm sure they'll give you!

After seeing their photos Katie sent us the following e-mail:

'Hi Hayley,


We love, love, love our photos!! We just don't know how to pick!!!
We are so excited about starting our book!!


Katie'

Thanks for the sweet comments - I'm glad you love your photos as much as we do and that you are thrilled with your final photobook which was sent a couple of weeks ago. We very much enjoyed sharing in your day and I loved doing the Trash The Dress shoot with you both a couple of days later (I'll write a separate post on this!). We wish you all the best for your future and a long and happy marriage and hope that you'll stay in touch.

Joanne & Stuart's Wedding @ Yaxley Hall, Suffolk

The next wedding we shot was Joanne and Stuart's Wedding which we photographed at Yaxley Hall

The weather was a little wet and drizzly but it certainly didn't ruin the atmosphere of their day. Joanne's brothers both turned up in uniform which looked great and when Joanne arrived with her dad he was also in uniform.
With this wedding we started with the ceremony rather than the getting ready and here are a couple of photos as Joanne came in with her dad and the kiss during the ceremony.
After the ceremony it was raining quite heavily but Joanne and Stuart were happy to go out under umbrellas as they wanted a couple of photos in the car before it left.
Thankfully, after these were taken the rain past and it was mainly dry for the rest of the day so we could do all the group shots outside which meant we could use Yaxley's gorgeous grounds.
Joanne was actually just over 4 months pregnant for the wedding and I love these ones emphasising her bump and Stuart holding her


This one was taken in the hall itself as the couple specifically wanted to use the chandelier with the candles burning in their photos

I always love close ups of couples holding hands and here's one of those shots
There were 4 bestmen for this wedding which has to be a record! Stuart's dad was bestman for the ceremony (although he did also give a short speech) whilst the other 3 bestmen's main duty was the speeches. They delivered one of the best speeches I've heard in a long time so I thought I'd include a couple of photos of them


This was a lovely, small, intimate wedding that we very much enjoyed being able to share with the couple and their family. We can't wait to hear from Joanne and Stuart over the next few months with the progress with the bump. I know that it has started moving and that they haven't found out if it's a boy or girl (I think they're very patient - I think I would have to know if I was them!)

If you attended Joanne and Stuart’s Wedding and would like to view their wedding photos they are online now and I am sure they will give you the password to look at them.

Joanne and Stuart sent us a lovely e-mail after viewing their photos which read as follows:

'Well I don't know what to say!!! they are fantastic, you captured the day perfectly. Both sets of parents want them all!! We have passed your web address and password to all and everybody has said " I don't know how you will choose which ones?!" We had a wonderful wedding, it was more than we dreamt it could be, and memories to last a lifetime. The comments from family and friends have been great to hear not just about the day but also about all involved in making our wedding so perfect, we had lovely feedback for both yourself and David and would not hesitate in recommending you.We had a fab honeymoon just what we needed and we have lots of baby movement!
Once again thank you so much. Best wishes Joanne and Stuart'

Thanks for taking the time to send us this - we wish you all the best for the future and can't wait to hear more baby news over the next few months.

Catherine & Adrian's Wedding @ Yaxley Hall, Suffolk

Wow - two entries in two days this must be a record. In my bid to get up-to-date with these here's the first shoot I did in June which was Catherine and Adrian's Wedding which we photographed at Yaxley Hall in Suffolk.

This was a small and intimate wedding which all took place at Yaxley Hall. I really enjoy doing a mix of smaller and larger weddings throughout the year as they have completely different feels to them and keep us on our toes for coming up with new ideas.

I love this photograph in high contrast of Catherine taken before the ceremony and I love this one of her and her dad before they are about to come in for the service.



The ring exchange is always a special moment and if possible like to get a close up of this.


Yaxley Hall is a gorgeous location with ample opportunity for photographs both outside in the grounds and in the building itself - it is a venue which we love working at and Richard (the wedding butler) and all the staff always do as much as they can to make the day special as well as being wonderful for us to work with.

The weather was overcast but in many ways this is ideal for us as it doesn't create harsh shadows, squinty eyes (when shooting informally you can never guarantee where the sun will be in relation to the subject) and overheated guests. Here's one taken of Catherine and Adrian taken between organising the group shots.


I also tried a couple of more unusual shots of the two of them under Catherine's veil which I believe worked well.


Here's the two of them near Yaxley Hall's biggest pond which had a lot of water plants in flower in it.


I really enjoyed being part of such an intimate and special day and wish both Catherine and Adrian all the very best for their future happiness together. They were another lovely couple to work with (we have been blessed with many wonderful couples this year) and I am looking forward to designing their albums with them over the next few weeks.

If you attended Catherine and Adrian's Wedding and would like to view their wedding photos they are online now and I am sure they will give you the password to have a peek at them.

New Sample Wedding to view in Your Album Section

As well as updating the wedding photographs gallery I recently got Sarina and James' Wedding made a permanent fixture on their for you to view a complete wedding at
Yaxley Hall.

This should give couples the chance to view a complete wedding rather than just the selection and give them a feel for the quality of the photographs taken throughout the day. Sarina and James had a very small and intimate wedding at Yaxley Hall last September and only needed coverage from getting ready through to the time they sat down to eat (they didn't have an evening reception). It was a beautiful day which all took place at the venue and everyone had a really good time. Being such a small wedding they could also eat in the dining room rather than using the marquee which created a very homely and welcoming atmosphere. I hope that Sarina and James stay in touch as they were a lovely couple to work with and we would love to hear from them in the future.

In contrast to Sarina and James' wedding I am hoping to add another wedding permanently to the Proof Wedding Photograph Albums section of the website this Spring/Summer. I will be putting a larger wedding on which will hopefully start with the bride getting ready at one location, followed by a church ceremony, then on to a daytime reception followed by evening entertainment.

With the two selections online this should provide a good overview for future couples as to how we make sure we capture the uniqueness of each wedding whilst allowing you to feel relaxed and enjoy your day.

Who's wedding will I be choosing for this new album online? hmmmmm ..... there are so many to choose from and so many couples days who we have already enjoyed working with over the years. As our photographic style develops and progresses every year trying new techniques, lighting and locations I feel that the best representation is going to be to use a forthcoming wedding. I have therefore decided to choose one of the weddings that I will be photographing between April and July this year. If you have already booked me to photograph your wedding between the above months and you fit in with the above description of what I am looking for then it could well be your wedding that's featured!!!! How exciting I hear you say ... don't worry though ... for all of my couples who don't get put online permanently your photographs will still be put in the Your Album section for friends and family to view after your day (they will just be password protected and online for approximately 10 weeks).

I will write on this subject again once the new album is uploaded.

Thank you card

This morning I received a lovely thank you card from Anna and Dick whose wedding I photographed back in July at Yaxley Hall. I am always touched after the day by couples taking the time to send me their words of appreciation.
The card read: 'Dear Hayley, We are both delighted with the album of our wedding. Thank you so much - we are very pleased we chose you - Anna and Dick'

Here's one of the pages from their photobook album:


and the last page of their photobook:


Their wedding day was a gorgeous and well thought out affair with plenty of entertainment for the guests (they had some surprise singing waiters who sang in operatic voices between the main course and pudding). As always, the service provided at Yaxley Hall was superb and the canapes Richard had made looked (and I'm told tasted as well) exquisite.

Thanks again Anna and Dick for sending me your kind words - it is always nice to hear from couples after the day and I hope that you stay in touch in the future. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together (which I'm certain you will have).

Weddings in October

Crikey - what a hectically busy month October was for me - so much so that the weeks seemed to fly by and I haven't had a chance to update the blog at all. Congratulations are therefore due to 3 of my couples who got married last month - so belated best wishes are sent to you all.
Firstly there was Sarah and Tom whose wedding we photographed at Yaxley Hall at the beginning of last month. The weather was good for photographs - they both looked amazing and Tom's green stripey socks made me laugh. The cake was superb and smelt delicious - they had lots of small chocolate ones that make me feel hungry just thinking about them



As always Yaxley Hall staff were a pleasure to work with and the day seemed to go by perfectly. I look forward to hopefully photographing some more weddings as Yaxley next year and seeing Sarah and Tom on Saturday to design their album with them.

The following week I worked with Nicky and James whose wedding we photographed at Caistor Hall, Norfolk. At the start of the day the weather wasn't looking so good and it was a little drizzly but this certainly didn't lower anyone's enthusiasm and excitement. As weddings go this one was a little different with a dress code of black tie and evening dresses - all the men looked very smart indeed and it had the feel of a film premiere with the red carpet out the front of the hall then later in the evening they had a casino which everyone seemed to enjoy!

I'm looking forward to seeing them on Wednesday to design their album with them.

Then a couple of weeks ago we worked with Seonad and Andy whose wedding we photographed at the Atheaneum, Bury St Edmunds. Seonad and Andy live in Holland so I have worked extra hard to work on their images so we can meet this week and design their album before they return. Considering it was late October the weather was pretty good all day. Seonad's cousin Kenny was out on the balcony at the Athaneum and piped for a good half an hour before the service. He did a sterling job (photograph of him below) and entertained not only the wedding guests but passers by in Bury seemed to really enjoy his music.
After the ceremony we had some lovely warm autumnal light and went over to the Abbey Gardens ( a short walk away) to do some photographs by the ruins . The evening was certainly different as well with a large screen for those wanting to watch the Rugby, a disco and a casino so everyone was happy!

Right, that was a long update so I must get back to preparing Rebecca and Tristan's album images and CD. I will write again very soon

Home Page of Website Updated

Today I have updated the home page of my Website with some new photographs. The main photograph is of Sarina and James whose wedding I photographed at Yaxley Hall a couple of weeks ago. Their wedding was a small and intimate occasion and we very much enjoyed photographing them. They are a gorgeous couple and were a pleasure to work with.
I wish them all the best for a happy life together.

The smaller top photograph was taken at Emily and Phyl's wedding I photographed at Hintlesham Hall in July this year. Again, they were fantastic to work with and easy to photograph.

I must confess I was a little sad to see the old photographs go from the home page now I've started updating the site. I loved the photograph of Dawn and Stuart taken at their wedding in Mendlesham Church last July. They must have had one of the hottest and sunniest days of last year! As you'll see below, the light captured the two of them through the church window perfectly.


Another photograph I was sad to see go was of the children at Anita and John's Wedding photographed last July at Orwell Park School followed by their reception at Belsteed Brook Hotel. The children were well behaved, funny and loved having their photographs taken.



The new photographs for the galleries section showing weddings and portraits photographed in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex will be updated in the next couple of weeks so please check back to see them (who knows - if I've photographed your wedding or a wedding you've attended it could well be you appearing!)