Laura and Paul are getting married in June and so we recently got together for their pre-wedding shoot.

They decided to have their shoot at the very beautiful Stanmer Park, Brighton as since they got together they have enjoyed many a walk around the beautiful woodlands. Both keen cyclists, they have also done a few cycle routes around the park too! Although Laura & Paul booked me last September we had decided to wait till this time of year as Laura really wanted there to be bluebells in the shoot. It was tricky trying to plan the perfect time as they can be quite un-predictable due to the weather but after a few shots elsewhere in the woods we drove to a spot Paul was familiar with from cycling, pulled up and ventured into the woods to be greeted by a sea of bluebells! Yippee! Our mission was complete. We had such a great shoot and Laura & Paul were so awesome to photograph, they pretty much just laughed through the entire thing! I’d like to say that’s because I’m hilariously funny but I think it’s more that they are incredible happy together and so at ease in each other’s company. I’m so, so excited about their up and coming wedding and just had to share some pics from their shoot.

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Gaz & Roo got engaged on Christmas Day last year and what with re-locating cities, new jobs & buying a house they have had a very busy 8 months! So to pull off their wedding in a mere 8 weeks is something that would make other couples drip with sweat in a state of abject panic! But I have to say, the wedding really was a treat for all involved. When they asked me to photograph their festival themed, 1950’s style wedding I JUMPED at the chance! I do love a good wedding….and a good festival for that matter, so I knew I was going to be in my absolute element!

Having just re-located up to Manchester from Brighton, they had decided to hold their festival wedding at Linnet Clough Scout Camp. There were Tipi’s, Star Marquee’s and Bell tents set up for the guests, with an extra special one for Gaz & Roo all set up by the wonderful boys and girls from One-Adventure, and lots and lots of handmade decorations made by friends and family. Even before anyone had started arriving, it had a lovely warm and friendly vibe about it – the perfect feel for a wedding…

As the guests starting arriving, you could feel the anticipation starting to build! Poor Gaz was looking more and more nervous and excited with each passing minute. Normally, I am with the bride before the wedding so it was really nice to see the other side for a change.

The ceremony was, quite possibly, one of the nicest I have had the pleasure to witness. Many, many moons ago, over a few pints of beer, Gaz & his best mate Dave had agreed that they would conduct each other’s wedding ceremonies when and if the time came. Well, the time had come for Gaz so Dave had written the most beautiful ceremony with friends and family contributing funny anecdotes and readings.  One of the things I noticed was how much laughter there was. By having Dave do the ceremony, it made the whole thing so very personal and you could almost feel the pride radiating from Gaz.

The first thing Gaz did after the ceremony was grab a pint for himself and his wife of their own special brew. (Glad they had their priorities straight!) Poor Roo was literally shaking like a leaf but could not stop beaming! After a bit of mingling with their guests we snuck off to get some pictures of the two of them together. This is always one of my favourite parts of photographing a wedding; it’s just after the bride and groom have said their vows, happiness  emanates from them.  And I get to share those first moments of them being husband and wife and capture them forever. It’s a pretty special thing to be part of!

Then it was back to their very swanky bell tent, which had been decked out with a custom made bed constructed using wooden pallets by the organisers, so that Roo could ditch the heels and get her dancing shoes on! Let the party commence!

Just like the ceremony, the speeches were filled with laughter, joy and a few tears. There were lots of embarrassed expressions from Gaz as his best man ditched the dirt and heartfelt emotion from Roo as her dad took to the mic. As the speeches came to an end Roo’s sister sang a beautiful song called ‘if the sun forgets to shine’ which held lots of meaning for both Roo & Gaz. Then they were up themselves for their first dance. They chose Ella Fitzgerald, ‘It’s wonderful’ A song that couldn’t have been more fitting.

So after that it was party time, the newly weds had an awesome live band which truly gave it that ‘festival feel’, followed by their good friend Bex on the decks afterwards. I think the images speak for themselves, you can see from all the smiley faces what an amazing time everyone had. The dance area  was packed from the start to the finish. And I’m pretty sure Gaz & Roo didn’t leave it once! (Except maybe to grab an ice-cream or a cocktail!)

Not all guests were welcome of course; that’s August for you!

Hope you’ve enjoyed looking through these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! I wish Mr & Mrs Haughton all the joy, love and happiness in the world. If you are thinking of having a festival style wedding, please do get in touch. I’d love to hear all your ideas and create beautiful memories of your festival wedding day!

And once more, a BIG shout out to the guys at one-adventure, they worked tirelessly setting up all the tipi’s, bell tents, stages etc….not to mention the epic food and booze – and always with a smile on their faces (mostly – see below); I really can’t recommend them highly enough.

Keep smiling!