Gill and Kev's Glorious Wedding Day

On Saturday I photographed Gill and Kev's wedding at St Mary's Church in Milton Keynes Village and then at the reception in Buckingham. It was a lovely day with lots of sunshine and everyone was in a sunny mood. Gill got ready at the hotel in Bucking ham where the reception was held, and during the preparations I took this image of her engagement ring nestling in one of the bouquets's rose buds:




Meanwhile, Kev was waiting for his beautiful bride at the church:



Gill arrived and was escorted in by her father and attendants Kirsteen, Devron and Alanas:



The ceremony was very moving, befitting the wonderful church in which it took place. Here, Gill is giving Kev his wedding band - just look at the delight on his face:

The newly-weds then strode arm-in-arm along the church path where they found a tunnel formed of friends and family waiting to shower them in masses of confetti. This images captures them in the calm before the confetti storm:

When I visited the hotel in the days before the wedding I spotted an opportunity to create some fun images besdie the building adjacent to their reception venue. Gill and Kev were game and here's the results:

The last shots are typical of the fun I like to inject into my wedding coverage. It's not all about goofing around, though, and here's a beautiful shot with a more serene feel to it:

What a wonderful wedding you guys had. It's obvious from spending so much time with you that are totally made for each other. Congratulations on tying the knot and my best wishes for a long and fulfilling marriage.

David

Em + Dan = Perfect Partners

Em and Dan are teachers, so I had to be on my best behaviour when they tied the knot on Friday. I didn't fancy the idea of being put in detention! As it turned out, I did stay pretty late into the night but it was well worth it. As you can see from most of the images here, entertainment was at the heart of their day - especially the musical variety.

Em had a beautiful wedding gown. But instead of showing off the dress here, I'm starting with an image of her bridal shoes which were exquisite:



Exquisite would be a pretty apt way to describe the bride, too. But my English teachers were hot on stamping out repetition, so how about we say she was gorgeous? Or radiant? Or, well, you get the idea:



Em's bridesmaids were treated to a personalised t-shirt as a memento of the day and this gave us an opportunity for a fun shot or two:



I should add a special word here for KT, to whom I uttered the words "You're not one of the bridesmaids, are you?" shortly after arriving at the reception. By that stage, I'd been in KT's company for around five hours so I ought to have known better - sorry KT, I can only plead for your forgiveness again and blame it on the heat. As you'll see if you read through this blog, I'm much more used to shooting on rainy days and my poor little brain must have been over-cooked.

Now, did I mention entertainment earlier? Here's an example of what I mean. There's quite a lot going on in this shot. The more you look at it the more you see. The guys were straight of an old fifties Hollywood musical - very dapper:



During the ceremony, Dan's father performed a song he'd composed for his son and new daughter-in-law. It was a wonderful way to mark the occasion and a great song. In this shot, you can see Paul strumming away on guitar behind the bride and groom as the congregation were singing Stand By Me. Look at the affection in Em and Dan's eyes:



As we left the church, friends and family gathered for the traditional confetti shower:



A slightly quieter moment followed at the reception venue - you'd never guess there were a dozen or so friends looking on here trying to kae Em and Dan laugh:



Here's a new twist to the culinary side of a wedding, the wedding cookie. The perfect solution if your groom doesn't like cake (though, personally, I'd have to question the sanity of anyone who doesn't like cake - it's all too evidently one of my favourite things in life)!



Now, did I refer to entertainment yet? I did? Three times? Looks like detention for me, after all. Em did something I've never seen a bride do at a wedding before - she took the microphone and sang. Not only did she sing, but she sang beautifully. It was a very fitting way to celebrate a truly special day:



Wow, what a great day. It was incredibly enjoyable and a privilege for me to share it with so many wonderful people. Em and Dan, you really are perfect partners. I'm sure you are enjoying your honeymoon and I wish you both a very long and very happy married life together.

David

Sarah & Jason's Wedding Day

Congratulations to Sarah and Jason who were married last weekend. The ceremony took place in the local church in Dunton, near Whitchurch and the reception was held at the Villiers Hotel in Buckingham - my second wedding there in under two months.

It was a lovely day, full of good humour and wonderful details. Sarah chose to carry a single red rose instead of a bouquet and it was truly beautiful. Here's a close-up of her engagement ring tucked into the petals, a favourite shot of mine that I capture as the bride is getting ready:




Sarah wore the most exquisite dress. It was a very ornate gown with lots of intricate detail and Sarah looked absolutely stunning in it:



Jason was a really great groom to work with. He had lots of fun all day, which is a big priority for him if the speeches are anything to go by. We had plenty of laughs while taking the photos, even the serious ones like this:



After the ceremony, the ground was a little damp outside, so we chose to take some of our bride-and-groom portraits back in the church. Here's our happy couple in the background, enjoying a private moment while I shoot the order of service and Sarah's rose:



At the Villiers Hotel, I took a series of shots of Sarah with her sister and bridesmaid Rachel who looked radiant on the day, too:



Now, there's nothing like lining up a row of people against a wall and shooting them, even if it's only with a camera. I had a bunch of the guys alongside me as this was taken. The general consensus was that the girls should flash a bit of leg. Here's the result - I reckon they could have done a bit better, don't you:



The guys then had their turn. No leg-flashing at all here. The girls had fled inside (it was a little chilly, after all) and I wasn't confident of getting an image I could display if I'd dared to ask them to flash something at me!



As day gave way to night, the party got going with the traditional first dance, and Sarah and Jason whirled and twirled in a passionate and fun-filled embrace. And that summed up their day, really. As their dance ended, they took their applause with a big snog. Not the first of the day, and I suspect it wasn't their last either.



It was a great day and I'm sure Sarah and Jason will enjoy a wonderful life together for many, many years to come. Congratulations to you both!

David

Edgy + Urban = A New Adventure in Makeover Portraits

Recently I posted a selection of images from a makeover shoot with Charlotte. We were so pleased with our photos that we've decided to launch a new line: Edgy + Urban. It's edgy because we're taking makeover portraiture in a new direction, and it's urban because, well, that's where we're going to shoot.

Makeovers have a bit of a cheesy reputation, and cheese is not something that David Lester Photography is all about. Give me cheese on my pizza by all means but not in my photographs. So the idea behind Edgy + Urban is to lift makeover portraiture out of its traditional studio home and put it down outside its comfort zone. Using gritty urban settings, we'll create a range of edgy fashionable portraits that'll make you feel great about yourself.

Some of you will probably have avoided professional photographers because you just can't stand those awful childhood portraits taken every year at school. We all have them, stored away in our parents' attic or in a suitcase under the bed. They're were dull to look at then and they're dull to look at now. The experience of having them taken was pretty dull, too. Edgy + Urban will change your perception of being photographed forever. It's funky and fun, exciting and exhilarating, it's stylish and stupendous - OK, I'm getting carried away, I know. What I'm trying to say is that you WILL enjoy it and, what's more, you'll love your images.

Drop me a line soon to ask about Edgy + Urban. I look forward to hearing from you,
David

Rachel & Kevin's Ashridge Wedding

If you've never been to Ashridge in Hertfordshire, you don't know what you're missing. A National Trust-managed ancient woodland that's a great place for family walks, picnics, cycling and much, much more. And in the heart of the woods, you'll find the internationally-renowned Ashridge Business School. At the weekend, it transforms itself from a place of economic education into the most astonishingly beautiful wedding venue (www.ashridgeweddings.co.uk).

Rachel and Kevin chose Ashridge for their wedding and they had a wonderful day. The staff are simply fantastic, looking after your every need with a genuine smile and calmly efficient manner. I found this out personally as I was feeling a little under the weather on Saturday, but Lisa and Sally looked after me in fine style - thank you ladies, you made all the difference!

The first part of my wedding coverage is usually devoted to the bride, and Rachel was a dream of a subject. Beautiful and elegant, she was also a very willing sitter and we took lots of stunning portraits. Here's one taken in the chalet at Ashridge where Rachel had stayed the night before the wedding:



And one from the portrait session in the main house, taken before Kevin arrived:



Kevin's pictures show a groom in his element. This one was captured in the grounds:



And this one in the library:



The ceremony was held on the staircase in the main hall. It's difficult to imagine a setting much grander than this:

The dining room at Ashridge is a wonderfully elegant place. It befits the delicious food served there - I've rarely tasted better. This shot has the cake as its focus but also shows off the top table to great effect:

The receiving line is a good opportunity to catch some wonderful expressions. Here's Rachel responding to one of the guests, while Kevin is in animated mode as he shares a word or two with a friend, and Kevin's father shakes the hand of one of the younger family members:

It was a truly romantic day, as the last two images show. This one was taken during my bride-and-groom portrait session, and shows Rachel looking very contented to have got her man:

While this shot was taken as the happy couple enjoyed their first dance, Rachel enjoying a slightly cheeky smile (makes you wonder what Kevin had just whispered in her ear):

Congratulations Rachel and Kevin. I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon and very much look forward to seeing you both again when you get back.

David

Franci & Mark's Emotional Day

On Friday last week, Franci and Mark tied the knot in what turned out to be a very emotional service. I met Franci and Mark at the wedding fair in Central Milton Keynes where I exhibit my work twice a year. We seemed to hit it off together straight away, not least because they were both extremely complimentary about my work. Flattery works wonders, you know!

On the day of the wedding, the house was full to bursting point, everyone in a frenzy of activity. The excitement was tangible. To escape for a moment of calm before the service, Franci went next door to get changed and that's where we took the bridal portraits, including this lovely shot:



Did you ever see a happier-looking bride? Mark was also in great form, and proud (as this image shows) to be marrying such a beautiful bride:



The bridesmaids were all stunning, too. Not surprising really, as they're Franci and Mark's daughters. Obvious where they get their good looks from, don't you think?



And so to the ceremony. Just look at the love in Franci's eyes. If ever two people were cut out for one another, it's these two. There were tears and tears and tears during this ceremony, all of them happy ones. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed one or two myself - it was impossible not to get caught up in the proceedings:



A little later, we shot a series of wonderful images of the newly weds. Here's just one from that collection:



Congratulations Franci and Mark! What a wonderful day you had and I hope you have a beautiful life together.

David

Charlotte's Makeover Shoot

A couple of weeks back I did an amazing makeover shoot with Charlotte. The day started with the all-important makeover session by my favourite make-up artist Laura James (www.ljmake-up.co.uk). As the images below reveal, Laura did a wonderful job - as ever - and off we set for the shoot with Charlotte looking absolutely stunning.

My aim was to create a series of images in a gritty urban setting but we were in for a shock when we arrived at my first choice of location. We'd been there for all of two minutes when a lady walking her dog approached an informed me that we were trespassing on her land. I was pretty embarrassed, to say the least, and apologised profusely for my error as we departed in quite a hurry.

Shortly afterwards, though, we arrived at my fallback location and had a fantastic time taking some great shots. Laura came along, too, and applied extra lip gloss when needed as well as doing an excellent job with the reflector. And Charlotte was a complete natural, very relaxed in front of camera and had a great time posing:











I can't wait to show the rest of the images to Charlotte when she gets back from her holidays. If you're reading this, Charlotte, I hope you're having a great time away and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

David

Joanne & Daniel's Wonderful Wedding Day

Last weekend I paid my second visit of the month to the Kingfisher Country Club where Joanne and Daniel celebrated their wedding. Rain had threatened all week long and, as it had been a wet wet wet occasion on my last shoot there, I was beginning to think I might be jinxing the place. But when the big day arrived, the sun was high in the sky, everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and a fabulous day was had by all.

It all began at the bride's home. One of my favourite morning shots is of the bride's shoes arranged on the train of her gown:



Joanne was a very relaxed bride. We created some great portraits thanks to the stunning light that showed off her beautiful eyes:


Daniel was looking pretty good too, as this shot shows taken just moments before Joanne arrived at the Kingfisher:



I love this image from the ceremony. Daniel is so focussed on his bride, and his groomsmen are equally engrossed in the proceedings:




The elaborate bird table in the background adds an interesting element to this portrait:



If the previous image is a little on the traditional side, here's a more modern take on the wedding car shot. A long lens ensured I stayed out of the reflection in the beautiful chrome headlight panel. Angled so the front of the country club was visible, all I needed to do then was position my bride and groom, ask them to have a big kiss, and shoot away!



After eating, we strayed out for some fun group shots with Daniel and his friends. This is inspired by the cinema images we've grown accustomed to in recent years. The long shadows are formed by the sun setting behind the guys. This is one of those shots the guests just can't get with their compacts - you need a top-of-the-range fast lens to focus accurately and stacks of exposure compensation to deal with the strong backlighting. The effect is great:



And so ended another amazing wedding day:



Well done, Joanne and Daniel. I hope you really enjoyed your day - I know I did. See you both again soon,
David