Wedding days. They can be akin to Zorbing; exhilarating for those at the centre, bouncy and at times unpredictable. Lisa & Harlan’s big day was thankfully free of the precariousness of such sport; it was blissfully serene in many respects but certainly had all of the energy at its heart. I took great delight in boarding, alongside their family and friends, the great big sparklingly emotional bubble that carried them through preparation, ceremony and celebration.
Lisa & Harlan were a true pleasure to serve. Their nature shone through and lit everyone (some 250 guests in total!) and everything around them and Lisa’s joyful expressiveness alongside Harlan’s ready smile were treasure trove to a photographer.
The breakfast kindly provided by Lisa’s Mum, Donna, was a welcome bonus too! Thanks Donna :~)
- Not half bad for a back garden view. A view from the back garden I hasten to add, not of.
- Lisa. Animated and decorated.
I was joined on this commission by unobtrusive Dorset wedding photographer Greg Thurtle. I believe Greg is usually the shortened form of Gregory though in this Greg’s case it’s my belief that it’s the short form of Gregarious. Ever busy at being helpful, Greg and I had been meaning to shoot together for some time and despite the fact that he had his own commission to photograph later in the day, he joined Harlan and his Best Man Nick as they got ready to set off for the church, stayed through the ceremony and carried on to the early stages of the reception. It was fascinating to me to see through Greg’s eyes what Harlan was up to as Lisa underwent her preparations; I imagine for Lisa the insights will prove quite potent.
Quote of the day, addressed to me by Lisa’s flower girl after Greg had headed onwards to his late-afternoon appointment: “That other photographer, he’s quieter than you; that’s good.” Unobtrusive indeed! :~)
- Greg’s images above.
- “I’m getting marrrriiiiieeeed!”
The marriage ceremony was conducted at The Church of St. John the Baptist in Bere Regis. It has a ceiling the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Greg continued to document Harlan’s progress as I wended my way across Dorset to join the dots.
- Harlan’s Dad, Harlan. Greg’s images above.
- A beautiful story-telling moment by Greg.
- Up the aisle with Dad, John.
- Back down again, with Husband, Harlan. A great deal did occur in between but photography was not permitted during the service. Greg and I witnessed it all though and recorded it to memory.
- Greg was waiting outside to capture that genuine “We’ve done it!” moment.
- Lisa checks to see if Harlan had actually walked out of the church even taller than he’d been when he walked in. Another great moment documented by Greg.
- While I engaged in photographing people photographing the friends and family group shots (left) Greg probed one of a plethora of moments that added to the visual story of the day (right).
- Cue camera one, me to the left; cut to camera two, Greg to the right. Team shooting can deliver results that are as evocative in capturing the same moment from varying angles as it is for documenting synchronous events in near or distant locations.
- “He’s quieter than you!” indeed! :~p
- Greg’s shot above. He certainly has a consistent eye for peak moments.
Celebrations continued at the Springfield Country Hotel a short distance outside Wareham.
There's no hiding from Greg. Also, this week's answer to the existential crisis of wedding photography. I'm there, in the background.
A fantastic job done, Greg headed onwards for his afternoon appointment and I settled down to a spot of lunch (with thanks to Lisa & Harlan!) before the speeches commenced.
Another unobtrusive Dorset wedding photographer in the making perchance?
The speeches left me speechless. A cracking good set they were too.
I do enjoy framing all those moments of peak emotion that manifest themselves on wedding days whether irrepressible explosions of laughter or simple looks of tenderness; they’re enjoyable to look at and they provide the couple with a strong impression of just how much their family and friends enjoyed the occasion too. At times though it’s quite enriching to follow the progress of connections that manifest themselves amongst groups of people. The story may be uncomplicated but the bonds it is underscored by can be quite significant.
It was lovely seeing how quickly Lisa & Harlan were surrounded by family and friends during their first dance. I felt a little guilty extracting them via the fire exit at the pre-appointed time but we had a date with the nearby Purbeck Hills and an imminently setting sun.
I could quite easily have drawn this feature to a conclusion with the above image. I could quite easily still be there now, it's so beautiful a place, but then I'd not have been able to relate the story of...
... how we had to hitch our way back to the hotel!
(not really :~)
How we found everyone watching television, waiting for Lisa & Harlan's return. Not really :~) Again.
And what an absolutely rocking party they had, driven by the "fiery fiddle fuelled*" tunes of Dorchester based Jigsaw (*a direct quote from their marketing material, and no word of a lie).
If you were a guest at Lisa & Harlan’s wedding then no doubt you had a fantastic time celebrating with such a special couple. No doubt also you’d like to receive notification when the full gallery of photographs from the day is available so do drop me a line via email or feel free to leave a comment below, or indeed no need to be shy of doing both :~)
Fantastic wedding vendors I recommend without reservation:
- Hair: Gemma Davis Make-up: Abbie Atherton – Fantastically friendly service from both.
- Music: Jigsaw Fiery fiddle fuelled fun indeed!
Contact Purbeck wedding photographer Phillip Allen : phill@misterphill.com : 07870 696248
by Phillip Allen
show hide 15 comments
Tony Good - Ah Phill, so glad you managed to sort out your focusing problems after that initial sneak peek shot. Must have been the influence of ‘The Quiet One’ that got you back on track and allowed you to pull another magnificent set of images out of the bag.
Congratulations to the happy couple; I’m sure that they will be overwhelmed by your work, and what a treasure they have to look back on in future years.
All the best
Tony
Joe Sanfilippo - These are stunning! Those sunset shots are beautiful!
Ryan Brenizer - Great job, man. I love all of the quirkiness and emotion, hard not to smile when viewing these.
Steve Koo - This is really great work, Phill! Love all of the emotions, and the sunset shots are fantastic!
Amber - Gorgeous – great PJ work. The couples’ portraits are stunning.
shipra - wow! Stellar coverage of this wedding. So much emotion and energy and JOY in these photographs. I don’t think there’s an image in the set where the bride and groom aren’t all smiles.
matt shumate - Stunning. Stunning. Stunning.
Every time I scrolled down I found a new favorite shot. Not only do I feel like I was there, I feel like I was in the inner circle!
Albert Palmer - Wow – way too many amazing photographs for me to comment on but I really like the one at the end with people sitting in chairs in a line.
Lauren Stockley - Hi Phillip,
great photos from you and Greg they really capture the essence of the day! really good job, can’t wait to see the full gallery.
best wishes
Lauren
Bridesmaid
Lynsey Pearson - Fantastic as always. Love the ‘watching telly’ shot – really brilliant!
Emma Davenport - Great stuff. The shot of all the kids in their chairs is perfect – without a doubt my favourite from the day :)
Jimmy - Splendid candids. Love the boy under the table.
Heather - Lol hitching a ride… good times, I’m sure!I love this set, you really captured the full impact of the day with joy and fun!
sarah - The photos are superb, truely capture what was such a fantastic and happy day!! i dont think there was ever a moment when people werent smiling :-) beautiful pictures of beautiful people!
Emma - What fantastic photographs, that really did capture the beauty of these two gorgeous people.
Shame about the dodgy car that pulled over though!!!
x