I love how at weddings I get to find out so much about people I have only met quite recently. Misty and Simon for example, have been living in the UK until a few weeks ago, so we only got to chat on Skype. I got the impression that they were very relaxed, funny, gregarious and welcoming people. However it isn't really until you hear how other people talk about someone during a speech, or the way people interact with their families that those impressions really sink in. Family and friends are hugely important to these two, and it was heartwarming to see how many people came from afar to celebrate with them.

The wedding was at Woodstock in the Catlins, somewhere that is both close to where Misty grew up, and a place that Simon fell in love with when he first visited here (Simon is British). He's a surf dude. We popped to the beach after the ceremony for some photographs. The water does look tempting, but only to those who have a REALLY warm wetsuit.

Misty and Simon couldn't stop thanking people all day - me, the caterer, the catering staff, the barman, the flower girl and page boy. Such lovely, sweet people, it was an honour to spend the day with them. A few photographs then:

I only met Janie and Andy about two weeks before their wedding. They are both laid back, lovely, friendly people, and put their trust in me entirely for their wedding photography, which is very flattering since Janie is a really creative person. She MADE the bouquets you see here, which looked stunning with her wedding dress, and the whole simple yet elegant country style of the day.

The wedding was held under one of my favourite giant trees at Chingford, and the reception was literally across the road from Janie and Andy's house in St Clair! There is a little hidden away hall down an alley there that seems straight out of the 1940s. Janie's decorations, with hundreds of cute doilies, simple little flower vases and tealight holders fitted perfectly. It was like being transported to a village wedding from the past. Loved it.

Janie and Andy met before the wedding at their home so we did some location photographs after that. Then the wedding itself was really sweet, with lovely readings and an intimate air, all bathed in dappled afternoon light....

I'm very lucky - I've got some cool weddings this season.. if you found my last blog post about a sleeping dog entertaining... prepare yourselves.

I met Sarah and James a few months back, when we met to discuss their wedding photography at a nice eatery in town. On first impressions, they didn't seem the type to go for a Zombie themed engagement shoot, or a wedding reception filled with old medicine bottles, or even a magician doing tricks after the wedding meal for that matter. But they are. After I got the email about the zombie shoot (WHAT?!!?!!) Sarah then let me know that their wedding theme was "1920s Apothecary Medicine". I know, how cool is that??

They're also super lovely people. Case in point: Sarah gave me two presents for Elmer when we met up the second time. She just fished them out of a cupboard and handed them over. (Note to future clients - I will probably take more photographs at your wedding if you give me Elmer presents.)

The wedding was a long day, I started at 8am, and after a break in the afternoon went on until midnight!!! Mind you, if you're going to pack in getting ready, a drive in a vintage car, a wedding, a drinks reception, a tea ceremony, a picnic in the park, a relax, another hair-do, canapes and magician tricks, a multi-course meal, a zombie slideshow, speeches, a magical show, drinks and dancing... you've got to start pretty early..

Continuing the sleep theme... Nana lying next to our drive on a sunny morning, captured lazy-style on my long zoom from the kitchen window. She's very relaxed.

Liana was taking shots on one of my cameras at Saturday's wedding. She said "Oh there's already a few shots on this memory card... of a dead animal".

Lovely!

I thought I'd do a separate little blog post on the details from Sarah and James's wedding, because 1) I have a LOT of images from the day, and 2) They had such a great theme for the wedding.

Sarah and James are both medics (a dentist and a doctor respectively), James is an accomplished magician, Sarah has an artful eye, and they both like the quirkier elements in life. Along with Jolene from Estelle Flowers, Sarah came up with the idea of "1920s Apothecary" for their flowers and details. Strange and wonderful medicines, flowers in old jars, preserved and dried herbs, elixirs, old books, nests, medicine vials... relics from an era when medicine was a more mysterious, magical world - perfect!

Jolene discussed ideas with Sarah, and then sourced ALL of the items you see - florals, books, glassware, flower press (!) and everything is impressively colour co-ordinated.

James and Sarah's reception was at Gaslight restaurant, where the old piano, vintage cameras, stripped brick walls and 1920s music all gave an added air of nostalgia and glamour...