Off the road from Poole to Wareham down a lane that winds past heathland and through pine forest lays a somewhat magical estate named Holton Lee, a tranquil place fringed by sea and woodland that infuses one with a sense of peacefulness as soon as foot is set on its grounds. It was this place that Lucy and Steve chose to come together to marry and to celebrate the occasion with friends and family this weekend past.
All the floral arrangements for the day were created by Gina Coleman. Usually I do a great deal more in the way of black and white renditions with my images, in post-processing, but on this commission I delivered predominantly colour. Gina's work was so vibrant and delicious to the eye I couldn't bear to lose its impact in any of my shots.
Steve and Lucy took adjoining cottages at Holton Lee to prepare for the wedding, particularly useful for me as it was a doddle to cover both Groom's and Bride's preparations (10 minutes in the former case and a feature length roller coaster ride in the latter ;~) Steve laces up his lads' red Converse shoes. These guys made for great photographic subjects; most of the time they just went about their wedding day business without acting for the camera but at all the right times they knew when to crack a great smile.
Steve runs through his check list...
... and it's all systems go, at least in the Groom's cottage :~)
Meanwhile back in the Bride's cottage Lucy's brother-in-law Derek, who is to give her away, looks on as she makes her preparations.
Lucy and Steve's little one gets the full matronly treatment. This was taken 30 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to commence (and commence pretty much on time it did). Lucy has her tiara on already and there's plenty of time to go! :~)
And it's time for the curtain opener (and for a new caption writer :~)
The litmus test!
Lucy's Mum is a gem of a lady. She was a tower of strength during the bridal preparations. I love this photo of her; you can see the pride bursting out :~)
Lucy and Steve make eye contact for the first time (that day). Lucy might have been watching him from her cottage window some time earlier but that's not for me to say ;~)
It's really ....... we've ....... we're .......
... yes, you are :~)
When my three and a half year old daughter saw this picture she exclaimed "Daddy! It's a prince and a princess!" :~)
The wedding cake and cake toppers were supplied by Bournemouth based Relish.
Catering throughout the day was provided by Relish. The food was truly delicious and all locally sourced.
Time for the speeches. Lucy and Steve hired a comedian to provide a first round of post-wedding breakfast entertainment but the warm up act here was fantastically funny as well!
And here's the professional entertainer himself! Matt Black, song writer, singer, pianist and last but certainly not least comedian. It was as much as I could do to avoid having camera shake affect all my photos of him. A highly recommended entertainer!
Matt's fifteen year old son Chris Davids turned out to be a star in the making.
Steve and his Dad listen on as Matt Black explains the Norse etymology of Steve's surname, and how its meaning is modified by the Scandinavian interpretation of his forename.
Lucy's Dad presided over the wedding day bar. The bride and groom asked that the following sentiments be shared with guests, friends and family: "This wonderful wedding day would not have gone ahead without Dad's help, it's a shame that in the end it went ahead without him. He would have been filled with love and pride. Lucy was so pleased that he saw her in her wedding dress before he passed away."
It rained pretty much the whole day not that it bothered anyone, and the sun came to bestow its blessing on Lucy and Steve in good time.
And the band played on...
...into the night.
Congratulations Lucy and Steve! And my heartfelt thanks for letting me in to your big day. Your friends and families were good people to spend a day with.
Book the following people for your wedding day; I know for a fact how good they are :~)
- Flowers – Gina Coleman
- Balloons – Party on the Hill
- Catering & Cake – Relish
- Piano Man – Matt Black
- Band – Big Event
- Bar services – Chase Bars
- Photography – Some guy with a camera
- Venue – Holton Lee
- Marquee – Ernest G Hart Ltd.
- Registrars – Dorchester Register Office : 01305 225153 (very friendly folk!)
Contact Bournemouth wedding photographer Phillip Allen : phill@misterphill.com : 07870 696248
by Phillip Allen
show hide 8 comments
Kevan - Absolutely beautiful series, Phill. Balancing the technical demands of multi-location photography with the spontaneity of a moment in a fast moving event is no small feat, and it looks like you’ve got it just right here. Congrats!
Philip To - Great photos! You captured some amazing moments
-Phil
Jez - Very well done, cracking photos and Phils comments are a really nice touch. Phil was a great guy to have around at the wedding, made everyone feel very relaxed when taking the pics
Steve & Lucy - Our wedding day was memorable enough and then Phill delivered these. They took our breath away.
To produce pictures like these, Phill has to go the extra mile and he does it with a passion like we’ve never seen.
A damn fine fella too.
Thanks Phill these are a treasure!
S&L
Fred - Amazing set Phill!
Is it me or is it getting even better every time??
Matt Black & Chris Davids - You’ve truly captured the absolute essence of this wedding. You’re a true pro, Phill, and one with an amazing sense of humour. Chris and I can’t wait to work with you again.
Emma - Just great, Phil. So much clarity and genuinely lovely, relaxed moments! It may be just that I’m a total foodie, but I absolutely love the strawberries n’ cream shots…mmm
Phillip Allen - Kevan: Thanks for the kind words! Indeed it’s a multi-disciplined arena // Philip: Many thanks for your visit from the other side of the pond, and for your compliments // Jez: Likewise thanks for your heartening appraisal of my performance; a truly fantastic set of guests on the day helped make it an easy job for me! // ***Steve & Lucy*** :~) I can’t thank you and your families enough for allowing me to embed myself so deeply in your big day; it fills me with happiness that you are both happy with the results // Fred: Thanks! It’s somewhat like the Muay Thai though significantly more tender ;~) // Matt & Chris: It was a great pleasure working alongside you (despite the fact you made my job tricky at points; I was laughing so much I had to keep a close eye out for camera shake!) I sincerely hope to have the chance to work alongside you again soon // Emma: Thanks! If any of your clients ask for advice on location catering I can heartily recommend pointing them in the direction of Relish; I didn’t manage to try the strawberries myself but was provided with some of their other fare for my break and it was simply delicious (and fuelled me well to the end of a twelve hour shoot!)