Wow, it’s been 18 months since I relocated to Elmswell and started my path as a Suffolk Wedding Photographer!

Of course, I’ve been a wedding photographer for a lot longer than that, but in South Africa. So to celebrate that fact and to brighten up a grey day I’m going to showcase some of the wonderful brides I’ve had the opportunity to photograph in the last year and a half.

One of the joys of being a Suffolk Wedding Photographer is that you get to meet so many wonderful couples. To be able to share in their happiness and joy on the wedding day is such an honour and pleasure.

November is always a quiet time, everyone is gearing up for Christmas and thinking about presents for their families. However, it’s just a short breather till the wedding season starts again in earnest. Here in Suffolk, a lot of couples get engaged at Christmas and New Year, so in January they start to look for a Suffolk Wedding Photographer and I’m always happy to meet with them to discuss their individual needs.

I hope these pictures brighten up your day!

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending the Best of Bury St Edmunds annual birthday party at the Ickworth Hotel.

Ickworth Hotel is just outside Bury St Edmunds in the lovely village of Horringer. Recently they underwent a change in management and the new team there are doing a fantastic job! All the guests at the birthday bash were treated to amazing canapés and champaign on their arrival.

For those planning a wedding, the Ickworth Hotel is a great place to start – it’s attached to the grand Ickworth House, which makes a stunning backdrop to your wedding photography. The staff, as I’ve already mentioned, are always happy to go out of their way to make sure that everything is perfect for your intimate wedding.

While last Wednesday had nothing to do with weddings, you know me, I love talking about my wedding photography!

Aside from a chance to meet up with other members of the Best of Bury St Edmunds (BOB) group and enjoy a few glasses of bubbly in lovely surroundings – it was also a chance for Miriam Howell, the owner of BOB and Michele Bailey to hand over awards to two local businesses. I was on hand to take some images of the evening.

The main award was for ‘Retailer of the year 2009′, which was awarded to Lily Daly of Lilyo.

Here are Miriam and Michele presenting Lily with her award – also pictured is Abby Hunt of St Nicholas Hospice Care

Lilyo is a shop on St Johns street in Bury St Edmunds which sells, amongst other gorgeous things, hand crafted pearl jewellery.

Congratulations to all those who were presented with awards!

Thank you again to all the staff at Ickworth Hotel.

If you are thinking of having a wedding at the Ickworth Hotel, then I’d love to chat with you about my amazing wedding photography!

When you and your partner decide to get engaged and start planning your wedding, there will be a lot of things you’ll need to do that you’ve never done before – one of which is most likely to visit your local registry office, which in my case would be the Ipswich registry office.

There are a few steps you need to take when having a civil marriage, be it at a registry office, or a licensed venue.

Here is what Advice Guide UK has to say on the procedure for getting married at the Ipswich registry office. Though of course no matter what registry office you use in England, the advice is still the same.

“

Civil marriage ceremonies

You and your partner must give notice of marriage in your local Register Office, whether or not you wish to marry in that district. The Superintendent Registrar or Registrar in Northern Ireland then issues authority for the marriage and you may marry in any Register Office or local authority approved premises in any district.

If either you or your partner is from overseas, special rules may apply when giving notice to marry. If so, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.

In the period between the notice of intention to marry and the ceremony, anyone with strong grounds for objecting to the marriage can do so. Making a false statement is a criminal offence.

In England and Wales, both partners must be resident in England or Wales for seven days before notice is given (on the eighth day). A notice must state where the marriage is to take place. The marriage can then take place after 15 days have elapsed from the date on which notice of the marriage is entered in the marriage notice book. The fee for giving notice of the marriage is £30 per person. There is no requirement for the 15 day notice period if the one of the partners has been issued with a gender recognition certificate and was previously the civil partner of the person who they wish to marry. In this case, notice of the marriage and the marriage itself can happen on the same day.

In Northern Ireland, a marriage licence is called a marriage schedule. Couples do not need to have been resident in the country before getting married, provided they apply for notice from the General Register Office.

If you and your partner are visiting Northern Ireland to be married and are citizens of a country that is not a member of the European Economic Area, you may need to enclose special documentation.

Couples must submit their completed marriage notice forms and any other relevant documents to the Registrar of Marriages in the district where the marriage is to take place.

It is normal to give eight weeks notice. However, you can give a minimum of 14 days notice, although this may mean that the wedding ceremony will have to be postponed. The registrar will issue a marriage schedule. You won’t be able to get married without this. If you are having a religious ceremony, this must take place within 14 days of receiving the schedule. In addition to this, the schedule must be signed at the religious ceremony by the person performing the marriage.

The marriage must take place within 12 months from the date of entry of the notice (three months if one of you is housebound, detained or resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland). If the marriage does not take place within that time, the process must be repeated.

Procedure for marrying

You and your partner will be asked for certain information when giving notice of your intention to marry. Giving false information is a criminal offence. The information which may be required is:-

• evidence of name and address
• evidence of date of birth
• if one partner has been married before or in a civil partnership, documentary evidence that the marriage or civil partnership has ended, for example, a death certificate or decree absolute. Uncertified photocopies are not accepted. A certified copy of a decree absolute may be obtained from the court which decided the divorce. This can take about a week
• evidence of nationality.

A variety of documents can be used as evidence of the information required, but a passport, travel document or birth certificate is usually sufficient. You should contact the register office where you’re getting married for more specific advice on what they will accept.

People from overseas may be asked to show their passports. There is no legal requirement to show a passport before getting married and instead, they can produce a birth certificate (accompanied by a certified translation if necessary), an affidavit or other personal identity document.

If the registrar believes that a person is entering or has entered into a marriage for immigration purposes, the registrar has a duty to report this to the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency. The registrar must provide the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency with certain information, including the marital status and nationality of the person.

The marriage ceremony in the local Register Office or local authority approved premises will take approximately 10-15 minutes. The Superintendent Registrar or Registrar in Northern Ireland will make a short statement about marriage; you can ask the registrar beforehand to indicate what form of words will be used. It is not possible to use religious words in the civil ceremony. However, the ceremony may include readings, songs or music that contain reference to a god as long as they are in an ‘essentially non-religious context’.

Each partner is required to repeat a standard set of promises. These may not be changed, but may be added to, as long as the additions are not religious. Rings are not required but can be exchanged if the couple wishes to.

After the ceremony, the marriage register is signed by both partners. Two witnesses, who must be over 16, must also sign at the time of the marriage. Witnesses must understand the language of the ceremony and have the mental capacity to understand the nature of the ceremony. Register Office staff are not allowed to act as witnesses.

Before signing the register, you should check the information in the entry is correct. It is possible to get incorrect information in the register on marriage certificates changed if there is proof that the errors were notified at the time of the marriage. When trying to correct information at a later stage, you will have to explain in writing how the incorrect information came to be recorded at the time of the marriage and may need to provide documentary evidence to prove any statements. The process may take a long time.

A fee must be paid for the ceremony. A certified copy of the entry in the register may be obtained at the time of the marriage for a fee. Additional copies may be obtained for a further fee.

For details of the fees, contact your local Register Office or Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your local CAB, including those that can give e-mail advice, click on nearest CAB.”

The Ipswich Registry Office can be found at:

St Peter House
16 Grimwade Street
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 1LP

Open 9am -4pm weekdays

map

If you are planning on having your wedding at the Registry Office in Ipswich and need a photographer to cover your wedding – then contact me today at my wedding photography website.

Allow me, if you will for a moment, to toot my own horn as it were.

One of the most rewarding and wonderful things about being a wedding photographer is that moment when you show the couple their wedding photos for the first time .

As a Suffolk photographer I have a collection of testimonials and reviews from brides and grooms with whom I have had the pleasure of working with. Today I thought I’d share some of these with you.

Sam and Gray

Eleanor and Nathan

Simon and Elaine

I feel that the range and quality of photos that we’ve recieved are first rate, and that we have some great pictures to remind us of our special day.

Julia and Simon

Kirsty and Dave

Visit my website to book me as your Suffolk photographer.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of shooting Sam and Graham at the Angel Hotel Bury St Edmunds.

This was a special wedding for me personally as they were the first couple to book me as their wedding photographer when I moved to Suffolk from South Africa two years ago!

It was a wonderful Spring day back in May when I met them at the Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds…

Sam and Graham had chosen to have a intimate wedding with just their families and a few friends in attendance. Weddings like this have a charm all of their own, quite unlike giant lavish affairs. Indeed, one of their charms is their size.

The Wedding party all met at the Angel Hotel where General Manager Lynn Cowan met them and put them at ease with her efficient service. I always like to see this as it’s one of my own personally held beliefs that every person involved in a wedding should go out of their way to ensure that the couple are as relaxed and looked after as  possible. After all, it’s their big day, so nothing should stop them enjoying it.

The Angel is a registered venue for weddings in Bury St Edmunds. Sam and Graham had chosen to have both their service and reception there at the hotel. The service itself was a wonderful moment with both Sam and Graham looking as happy as can be. After they had signed the registry and received all the guests congratulations we moved to the Abbey Gardens for the wedding photography.

One of the benefits of shooting weddings at the Angel Hotel is that it is right across the road from the award winning Abbey Gardens – a perfect venue for a bride and grooms wedding photos.

If you are interested in hiring me for your wedding at the Angel Hotel Bury St Edmunds, then please visit my wedding photography website.

Of course it shouldn’t feel like a job at all! It’s one of the happiest days of your life and with a few simple steps you can make the planning *almost* pain free…

Wedding Planning Timeline Checklist

Congratulations on your engagement. Now it’s time to go to work and plan the wedding of your dreams. With a little preparation (and a sense of Humour!) there is no need to act like a bridezilla.

Here is a checklist to help you keep your sanity.

9-12 Months before the wedding

* Announce your engagement.

* Plan what type of wedding you want- formal, informal, day or evening, number of guests

* Choose a wedding date.

* Determine your budget- Discuss who is responsible for what expenses before making any plans. You should include your parents and future in-laws in this discussion. Remember to treat them with respect. Any money they provide is a gift!

* Make guest list – Don’t forget to include your parents and future in-laws in this discussion.

* Speak to officiant- Priest, Minister, Rabbi, Justice of the Peace etc.

* Reserve your ceremony and Reception Sites.

6-9 Months Before Wedding

* Select Bridal Gown

* Choose your attendants- Maid/Matron of Honour, Best Man, Bridesmaids, Ushers, Flowergirls, and Ring Bearer

* Choose a Photographer

* Select bridesmaids dresses & accessories (Remember to be Kind and listen to their suggestions and concerns).

* Select a caterer (if needed)

* Hire a band or DJ

* Book your florist

4-5 Months Before Wedding

* Schedule fittings for yourself and attendants (don’t forget your flower-girl)

* Reserve any rental items needed for ceremony and reception

* Finalize guest list

* Order Stationery – wedding invitations, thank you notes, and wedding programs

* Address invitations or hire a professional calligrapher

* Plan rehearsal dinner – set date, time and location. (This dinner is usually given by the grooms’ parents.)

* Arrange for accommodations for out-of-town guests.

* Start planning honeymoon (Groom usually makes these arrangements after you BOTH decide where to go.) Don’t forget to get any passports or travel documents you may need.

* Register for gifts.

* Purchase shoes and accessories (Remember to break your shoes in before the wedding)

2-3 Months Before Wedding

* Order wedding cake

* Order party favours

* Order all necessary decorations

* Book all transportation for wedding day (if necessary)

* Buy wedding rings

* Visit lawyer to write any necessary wills or prenuptial agreements

5-8 Weeks Before Wedding

* Purchase gifts for wedding attendants

* Mail invitations (A map to assist your guests in finding the ceremony and reception sites is a nice idea).

* Visit hairstylist to determine what style you want for your hair. (Hint: Never change haircolour or change your style right before your wedding. Any changes should be made at least 3-4 weeks in advance).

* Have a formal wedding portrait taken

* Send wedding announcements to newspapers (if necessary)

* Change name and address on driver’s license, social security cards, insurance policies, and bank accounts

* Reserve wedding attire for groom, ushers, ring bearer (Usually done by the groom).

* Mail invitations to rehearsal dinner (if necessary)

* Obtain marriage license

* Get blood tests if necessary in your state

* Plan a bridesmaid luncheon

2-4 Weeks Before Wedding

* Confirm ceremony details with officiant

* Arrange final fittings for your gown and bridesmaids dresses

* Make final floral selections

* Finalize rehearsal dinner plans

* Confirm details with all service providers – It is a good idea to give them a written list of your wedding day timeline.

* Contact guests who have not yet responded to your invitation

* Pick up wedding rings

* Meet with your photographer to discuss special photos you want taken.

* Meet with your DJ or band to confirm the music you want played

* Remind all attendants (male & female) when to pick up their wedding attire.

* Purchase any special accessories or make-up you want your attendants to wear.

* Determine ceremony seating for any special guests (give the list to the ushers).

* Plan reception seating-write names on place cards.

Hold On….Your Almost Done! Last Week

* Pick up wedding attire

* Figure final guest count and notify cater

* Arrange for “get-a-way” car from the reception

* Review the schedule of events and last minute arrangements with all service providers.

* Confirm honeymoon reservations

* Pack for your honeymoon

Take a Breath…..It’s Finally Here….Your Wedding Day!!!!

* Give rings to the best man and maid of honour (If no ring Bearer)

* Give the best man money to pay the officiant after the ceremony

* Relax and have fun!!! All your hard work and planning has paid off.

Jasmine Macdonald is a web designer of several wedding websites: http://www.fun.createswebsites.com, and http://windsor.weddingwindow.com.

You can visit her daily wedding blog at: http://funweddings.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jasmine_Macdonald

Author: Jasmine Macdonald

via Wedding Planning Timeline Checklist.

—————————————————————–

I always make sure that I work closely with my clients to ensure the photography portion of your wedding is a stress free and happy time (after all, shouldn’t every part of your wedding day be happy?).

If you’d like to find out more about my service then please, contact me at my wedding photography site.

Here is an excellent article from the “weddingsbyzoelingard“‘ blog.

Over the last few weeks as I’ve been checking 2008 and going over each of our weddings with a fine tooth comb, I’ve been considering the traditional timings of group and portrait photography at weddings. Most couples tend to organize for these kind of photos during their drinks reception but there are a number of reasons why this doesn’t work perfectly and so I’ve been wondering whether shooting the bride and groom prior to the ceremony (as is frequently done in the US and elsewhere) is actually a better alternative.

Very often group and portrait photography is the first thing to overrun at weddings and although keeping to time might sound simple, invariably it is not. Following the ceremony, couples are excited to see their guests and reluctant to leave the party just as it’s getting started whilst guests begin to disperse themselves across the venue.  Ensuring ushers get the right people in the right place at the right time can be a tricky exercise (especially when they don’t know who’s who) and asking a friend to bellow out the names of those needed for each shot is functional but can give your wedding a school-trip meets boot camp feel.

Taking time for some photography before the ceremony not only means you bypass all of these problems but you also gain some significant benefits:

•    You’re photographed looking your absolute best, sans smudged eyeliner and crumpled buttonholes.
•    You get to spend the entire of your drinks reception chatting to your guests and soaking up the atmosphere rather than watching from afar as all the champagne gets guzzled.
•    Your drinks reception will be more relaxed and enjoyable as you’ll be free from the worry that you need to get those all-important shots before dinner is served.
•    You’ll get better photographs. Not only can you dedicate longer to getting some really creative images, without the pressure of time you’ll be more relaxed so look better and happier in the shots.
•    Your drinks reception needn’t be hours long in order to accommodate a long photo session; you reduce the risk of bored guests and a flat atmosphere.
•    You get the chance to start celebrations early, spending some quality time with your closest friends and family before the ceremony.

The major drawback to scheduling photography prior to the ceremony is that the first time you see each other won’t be as the bride walks down the aisle. However, this needn’t mean loosing the magic of seeing each other for the first time and does in fact have its own advantages. Seeing each other prior to the ceremony means you get the chance to talk to each other, calming your nerves and giving you the chance to really soak up the ‘we’re getting married feeling’ without being distracted by the wedding planning or ceremony proceedings.

Meeting each other before the ceremony needn’t be a negative thing either – you can make it into a really special moment, perhaps meet somewhere really special or get the chance for 5 minutes alone.

——————————————-

Good advice there.

I’ve have shot a number of weddings where the classic images were shot before the ceremony. Obviously it’s not everyones cup of tea, but if you are worried about the timing of your wedding day, it’s something to consider when discussing your plans with your wedding photographer.

It’s always at the forefront of my mind, that the bride and groom should be as relaxed as possible on their big day. Please give me a call or drop me a line if you have any questions about hiring a suffolk photographer.

Seeing as the wedding season is taking a little bit of a breather, I thought I’d talk about some of the venues it’s been my privilege to shoot weddings at here in wonderful Suffolk.

I’m going to start off with the Grange Hotel in Thurston – A wonderful late Victorian house (well, I say house, it’s more of a mansion!) in the Tudor style, which is a very popular wedding venue here in Suffolk between Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket.

I’ve shot a number of weddings here recently and I’ve always found the staff at Thurston Grange very helpful (essential in ensuring your wedding day goes without a hitch!) and the venue is both intimate and grand. It’s got all the airs and graces you would expect from a grand country house, but with a personal touch that I know many brides like. During the summer, the doors are thrown open and your wedding guests can enjoy the wonderful garden, and in the cooler months, there are wonderfully appointed rooms inside where they will be entertained in style.

Thurston Grange is also a licensed wedding venue which means that you can have all of your wedding under one roof if you like. For those of you who aren’t getting married in a church, this can be a Godsend. English law requires that venues are licensed to have civil marriage ceremonies performed on their grounds and Thurston Grange is an approved wedding venue.

Click here to see more of my work as a Suffolk photographer.

I’ll leave you with some images taken from recent weddings I photographed at the Thurston Grange Hotel.

No doubt by now you’ve visit tons of bridal sites, read hundreds of magazines and been confronted by a whole heap of hints and tips regarding hiring your wedding photographer.

They are all full of tips about what your photographer should do on your wedding day, but offer scant advice as to what they shouldn’t do. There is one very very important thing that no proper wedding photographer should ever do under any circumstances at all.

Take over your wedding.

You don’t want a photographer who will treat you and your guests like cattle, you want someone who works in conjunction with you to create beautiful images on your wedding day.

It’s one of my proudest claims that I often hear from couples who use my services that their guests didn’t even know a professional photographer was at the wedding. I like to work around all the events and moments of the day, not stage manage them to suit my needs.  Some photographers feel their role at a wedding is to create some sort of universe where they are the centre and everything revolves around them. You very rarely hear magazines and websites warn against this type of photographer who can spoil your day.

From the first moment you contact me with a view to shooting your wedding photos I make it my number one priority to set you at ease, not only with myself but with the process of hiring a professional wedding photographer. Something most of us will only do once in our lifetimes.

The trick to getting the best wedding photographs you can is to be comfortable with the photographer. If he or she is a bossy boots who wants to dictate everything, then no matter how good they are, they are going to rub you the wrong way, and an unhappy bride is NOT what we are after here!

The rapport I have with my clients is one of the things that helps set my work apart from other wedding photographers in Suffolk. I make sure that you are at ease with the process of having your pictures taken and I can promise you that I will never treat you or your guests like cattle.

You wedding is a once in a lifetime event and you should enjoy every moment of it, including having me take wonderful images of you and your loved ones enjoying the day.

Something brides quite often ask me is – ‘what happens if it rains on my wedding day?’

Now that Autumn is upon us and soon we will be in the winter, the weather is playing more of a role in planning for your wedding day. While everyone knows that the “Great British Summer” isn’t exactly the most stable of weather periods, people are less worried then about the chances of it being rainy on their wedding day.

Brides are naturally worried that if it rains on their wedding day that they won’t have any good images of their happy day. After all, we generally picture sunny days and blue skies when we think of outdoor wedding photography.

A ‘proper’ professional will be able to answer any concerns you might have regarding the weather and how it will effect your images. Part of a professionals skill is to take conditions that aren’t all that favourable and turn them to the bridal couples advantage.  I have shot some wonderful images at weddings when the light has faded behind a huge cloud, or the wind has picked up and the rain has come down. Rather than throw my hands up in horror, I use the weather and create images that have a wonderful mood and feel to them.

A good example of this is rain.

I think it’s safe to say that most brides (if not ALL brides) would prefer it if it didn’t rain on their wedding day! The natural reaction is to move indoors and forget the outdoors photography. Granted, if the heavens have opened and it’s raining the proverbial cats and dogs, it may be a good idea to seek some shelter, but if it’s a light rain – crack out the brollies, chuck on some wellies and before you know it, you’ll have pictures from your wedding like no other! Another thing to consider is that after it has rained, colours are so much more vibrant – especially during autumn when the leaves are those wonderful shades of reds, yellows, golds, and oranges.

Just last week I was shooting a wedding at the Bury St Edmunds registry office here in Suffolk and the weather played a part in creating some amazing images.

Emily and Rory had booked me to cover their wedding. It was a lovely intimate affair, just themselves, family and the kids. For those of you who don’t know, the registry office in Bury St Edmunds is behind the cathedral and looks onto the Abbey Gardens. An amazing mix of wonderful trees, a whole range of buildings from Norman, Tudor and Victorian times and of course the Abbey itself. All in all, a perfect venue for wedding photography.

Unfortunately the weather decided that it was going to treat us all to a dull, grey day with persistent drizzle.  Not exactly the most ideal conditions that any bride has ever wished for. I knew that the weather was going to be like this all day so I arrived at the venue about an hour before I was supposed to to scout around and see what alternative plans I could make for the bride and grooms wedding photos.  Obviously I could shoot pictures indoors at the registry office, but I did want to try and incorporate some of the awesome backdrops into their album.

Taking that little bit of extra preparation paid off as I wandered around a corner that I hadn’t been round before and found an absolutely awesome Victorian doorway and staircase. Perfect as it was not only a fantastic setting, but also afforded the bride and groom some cover from the incessant rain while I shot beautiful pictures of them. Luckily my camera is what’s called ‘weather sealed’ – i.e it won’t freak out by being rained upon – unlike most lower end cameras, and I can be drip dried

When we got round to moving outdoors for the wedding photos, it was still raining, so I took Emily and Rory to my new ’secret’ venue along with some umbrellas and we got to shooting. It was great, the doorway and staircase framed them perfectly, the alcove kept them dry (no bride wants to have her hair get wet!) and the brollies provided a fun prop for them to play with.

All in all, a success.

If you’d like to know more about how to get the best wedding photographer in Suffolk, clicky click!