Burgess Photography Blog

I am blogging this wedding much later than planned but a rapidly growing baby has kept me somewhat distracted! As Liz is Beccy’s best mate I am sure she will forgive me! We were really excited to get to photograph Liz and Tony’s wedding. While photographing close friends can have its complications it is also a massive privilege and I love the fact it means we get to spend extra time with them on the day while taking the photos.

Liz and Tony were married at All Saints’ Church in Madeley. In March, when they married the churchyard is at its prettiest as it is full of daffodils, however, a freak hail storm as the bride arrived meant we didn’t get many photos of them. But Liz didn’t let the weather put a dampener on the day and just laughed at the whole situation as we dodged from car to church under umbrellas!

Liz and Tony’s reception was held at Oakley Hall near Market Drayton. This privately owned family house can be hired out for events, it does take a bit of organisation as most elements for the day had to be hired in separately but, as Liz’s parents have their own wine business they knew the right contacts and it suited them well.

We had a fantastic day as photographers and guests – we even had our first evening off from baby duties as Beccy’s parents took Kayla home early in the evening so we could dance the rest of the night away. Congratulations Liz and Tony and all the best for your married life together!

Tony with his two bestmen – Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil – perhaps a reference to the stag do?

The bride and groom outside Oakley Hall.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!

Liz’s mum made the cake which is a tribute to Liz and Tony’s musicality and particularly Liz’s piano playing. In fact a lot of the wedding had a musical theme – friends sang and played piano and flute during the ceremony, a pianist played background music on arrival at the reception, all the tables were named after the couple’s favourite albums, and a live band played in the evening.

Favours and named place settings were combined with these edible gingerbread men. Yummy!

Liz and Tony chose Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding for their main meal but to add a fun twist hidden under the chair of one person on every table was an apron and chef’s hat – that person became the designated carver for the table. Some people ended up with pieces of meat and inch thick!

Gemma and Alex were married and held their reception at Shottle Hall in Derbyshire – www.shottlehall.co.uk   Gemma got ready at Shottle Hall in the morning so just had to sweep down the stairs to the ceremony. After the ceremony we headed outside for a few photos but it was quite a blustery day so we also made the most of the interior decor of Shottle Hall, getting some shots inside where it was warmer. The Orangery at Shottle Hall is a particularly lovely, light room and this is where Gemma and Alex held their wedding breakfast.

Gemma’s bouquet was made up of what can only be described as ‘fluffy’ roses. These unusual roses are only in bloom for a short period of time each year but looked stunning in her bouquet.

The ceiling in the orangery is particularly striking.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Sophie and James had a proper Christmas themed wedding on Christmas Eve. Their ceremony took place at West Bridgford Registry Office followed by their reception at the Larwood and Voce pub next to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – www.larwoodandvoce.co.uk

Sophie and James with their 3 boys, Thomas, William and Oliver.

In keeping with the Christmas theme, Sophie and James gave out boxes of mini mince pies and reindeer christmas tree decorations as favours.

As there was no way of guaranteeing a white christmas, Sophie brought in her own ’snow’!

Helen and Dan held their autumn wedding at the De Vere venue, Wychwood Park. Helen got ready at the venue so it was just a short stroll through reception with her dad to get to the ceremony room. After the ceremony, although it wasn’t raining it was a very cold day so noone wanted to spend a lot of time outdoors. However, this didn’t impact on the photos at all because Wychwood Park is one of the few venues we have worked at where the inside probably has better locations for photos than outside thanks to its contemporary decor – ideal for an autumn or winter wedding.

We loved the animal print on these chairs so wanted to incorporate them in a photo.

With their wedding so close to Bonfire Night, Helen, Dan and their guests got treated to a free fireworks display put on by the people on the local estate.

Rachael and Jim were married at Friars Court in Clanfield, Oxfordshire, on a glorious Indian summer’s day in September. Weddings are arranged at Friars Court by Silver Pear Weddings – www.silverpearweddings.co.uk  The venue is a privately owned house built of pale Cotswold stone and has stood on its moated site for over 300 years.

Rachael and Jim headed off on safari to Africa for their honeymoon which is why their confetti had an animal theme. Rachael made all the confetti by using shaped cutters to cut all the animals out of paper.

There are nine areas licenced for weddings at Friars Court, 3 of which are outside, including the Rose Arbour where Rachael and Jim were married. Rachael and Jim just had to make sure they were standing under the arbour as they exchanged their vows while their guests looked on from the gardens.

We know of a few venues in the UK that afford an ‘almost’ outdoors wedding so feel free to get in touch with us if you want more information.

Rather than a cake, Rachael and Jim had a tower of desserts. They took the American approach of feeding each other some of the Eton Mess!