Clare & Richard's lovely comments....

"Hi Venetia

Thanks again for being so amazing yeterday. We had the best time. Everyone thought you were fantastic & Elise is totally smitten & was clutching your wedding photography card all night!

Hope you got to Warrington safely & the wedding goes well.

Clare & Richard. xx"

Cornwall was the perfect setting for Clare & Richards wedding and I got some fabulous photographs of their day. They are due to come and see them on Sunday so I will let you know what they think then!

Venetia x

A new wedding photographer.....

Elise & I became firm friends at Clare & Richard's wedding in Cornwall and she was an excellent photographers assistant. She took a photograph of me at the wedding and I promised I would post it on my blog for her. I think we have a budding wedding photographer on our hands.....don't you!?

Venetia xx

Great composition, perfect light and a nice view behind....perfect!

Here are a couple more of the very pretty Elise on the day......

Hannah & Phil's wedding photography

Firstly and foremostly I have to thank Nev for getting me to this wedding. Cornwall to Warrington is a long way by anyone's standards but setting off at 7.30 at night after photographing a wedding wasn't a journey for the faint-hearted. And then, as you other wedding photographers know, there is the crucial task of backing up photographs, clearing memory cards, charging batteries....not to mention the small issue of sleep.

Ah....the ideal solution....employ a driver (well maybe not actually pay him!). He drove, I backed-upm wedding photographs, then I slept and we finally arrived 'up North' at 2am in the morning. The next morning I was a bright eyed and bushy-tailed wedding photographer and ready to start again....I couldn't have done it without him!

Hannah and Phil's wedding was not only another fabulous wedding in another beautiful location with a lovely couple to photograph but an excellent chance to catch up with old friends. Hannah and Phil had seen me 'in action' in the Pump Rooms in Bath as I was the wedding photographer for her sister, Emily. So when the time came for them to tie the knot I was their first choice of photographer (phew!).

They chose the Fir Grove Hotel near Warrington to host both their wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Decorated in a contemporary, boutique fashion with the option to tie the knot in the open air it was a perfect setting for a wedding photographer!

Hannah had really gone to town on the flowers for the wedding and had opted for contrasting colours......it was very dramatic and very beautiful.

It seems that Hannah has 'bagsied' herself a good one too. When I arrived at the house in the morning to photograph her and her bridesmaids getting ready she was almost bursting with excitement. Knowing that she is always late, Phil had secretly sneaked a wedding present of a watch (set 10 mintues fast!!) into the house. And not just any watch. A Gucci watch! I just had to photograph it!

It was a stunning day, with lots of vibrant colours, a beautiful backdrop and lots of lovely people.

Vee xx

Can you guess what it is yet?!?

How's that for thoughtfulness.....

The man himself.....

Hannah had co-ordinated all the wedding flowers perfectly......

With exotic flowers in dramatic, contrasting colours......

The rain held of for the outdoor wedding ceremony....although the registrar looked slightly worried!

Beautiful bridesmaids......

Including Hannah's sister, Emily (I was her wedding photographer!)

Afterwards we nipped off for a few pictures of just the two of them....

He even helped with her wedding dress......this man is lovely!!

Hannah plays in a football team so we couldn't resist this photograph!!

Taunton NCT Pregnancy and Baby Fair

For more about my baby and child photography click here to visit my new blog.

I tend to keep quite quiet about my pregnancy and baby portrait photography as I get most of my work via work of mouth. However, I'm pleased to announce I've been 'persuaded' to be involved in the Taunton NCT Pregnancy and Baby Fair.

The Preganancy and Baby Fair will be the first of it's kind in this area and is being held on Saturday 13th June at King's Hall School, Taunton, Somerset from 10am to 4pm. It will be a great day for all the family with not only lots of exciting exhibitors but plenty of other activities for everyone from mums-to-be to energetic toddlers. The first 200 people through the door will even get a free goody bag packed with exciting information and gifts.

As well as providing all the images for the day, I will be setting up a mobile photography studio offering fun, informal portraits and have donated an all-inclusive portrait sitting plus a host of products for the tombola.

All the details for the Fair are on the poster below but if you want to know more contact Ruth or Beth on tauntonbabyfair@googlemail.com.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Venetia xx

Wow.....

.....the lovely e-mails are pouring in this week....I'm on cloud nine!

"Hi Venetia,

We have returned from our travels at last :o( And I have some crazy jet lag going on so thought I would take the time to write to you!

Thank you so much for processing our wedding photographs, it meant that we could show Jon's sister the full lot before we left Auckland - it really meant a lot to us. We are absolutley delighted with them.

I have managed to show my parents too, before they headed off on their hols, and Sarah and Jo popped round yesterday and they all super-impressed with the photographs!

Next job is to start picking favourites which will be sooooo hard! I am going to give it a go quickly now and see how I get on.....wish me luck!!!

Jx"

Jude and Jon now have the unenviable task of picking any favourite photographs before I start designing their gorgeous, bespoke album. I have a feeling that it will be a task and a half as I struggled with narrowing them down to a few hundred! Good luck guys....!

Venetia x

P.S Here's another one from their day....

More lovely comments.....

I got a lovely email from Sarah and Mark whose wedding I photographed at Cadbury House Hotel at the beginning of May.

Sarah and Mark were both quite nervous about their wedding photography and it was really important to them that they found the right person. They desperately didn't want photography to take over their wedding day to give them as much time to spend with their family and friends.

I posted a few images on the blog last week and got this lovely email from them both.....

"Hi Venetia,

Just to say, the photos on the blog look really lovely! Thank you so much! We all really look forward to seeing the rest- can't wait!

Thanks so much for being our photographer on Saturday, the whole experience of having our photo taken was so much more relaxing than we ever thought possible and became a lovely part of our day!

Speak to you soon,

Sarah and Mark x"

It was a total pleasure to photograph your big day and it means the world to me that you are so happy with the results.

Venetia xx

Thank you Sarah.....

......for all your lovely comments. Sarah and Jason booked me to photograph their wedding in 2010 almost a year ago now and she is an avid follower of my blog. It's funny because I write it for fun and I often forget that people actually read it!

I had only just put Clare and Richard's wedding photographs up there when I got this from her:

"Hi Venetia......I love the Cornwall pics, they are really stunning! My favourite one was the panther statue and garter - I scared the dogs by laughing out loud! Love all your pictures, keep them coming. Take care, Sarah. xx

I love your little comments, all the updates on your wedding and I can't wait to photograph your wedding too.

Venetia xx

More about beautiful Cornwall.....

Wow.....it's been a busy week since I was in Cornwall strolling on the beach in the sunshine, the sand between my toes and thanking my lucky stars for such a fantastic job as a wedding photographer. More on the last week shortly but firstly down to the important stuff....Clare and Richard's beautiful wedding.

The first time I spoke to Clare, what hit me most, was how clear she was about the type of wedding they wanted. Both her and Richard were unfalteringly passionate about having a intimate affair that was simple but yet beautiful. And when we met (over a glass of bubbles!) a few weeks before the wedding they still hadn't been swept away by all the 'added extras'. They had planned their wedding in just a few months and had decided to focus on only the things that were important to them....and thank goodness wedding photography was one of them. They had searched long and hard for the right person and by complete luck had been recommended to me....I'm so happy they were!

Clare & Richard chose the stunning setting of The Tresanton Hotel, St Mawes for their Cornish wedding and it was THE perfect location. Nestling on the hill, overlooking the sea and the lighthouse they had stumbled across it a year or so before on the fabulous 'Mr & Mrs Smith' web-site. Having fallen in love with it it seemed a perfect choice for their big (or small!) day. I have to say I love venues that just 'know' how to do weddings, pay attention to the little details and have excellent service and Lucinda and her team couldn't have done anything more.

They had an understated 'British' theme flowing through their wedding with a focus on locally sourced food and drink....even the champagne was from the Camel Valley in Cornwall and Duchy Apple Refresher for any non-drinkers....yummy! Each of the 12 family and friends they shared their day with had a special place in their heart and made it a day to remember for everyone.

Although there wasn't lots of fuss and frills (Clare hadn't even thought about what she was going to wear in her hair!!) the day was gorgeous. It was intimate, simple, beautiful.....and perfect.

Venetia xx

P.S Clare and Richard....thank you for letting me be a part of your wonderful wedding. You and your family and friends really made me feel so much like a guest I was so sad to leave you all. I hope you had a fabulous few days in Cornwall and I can't wait to meet up again for more bubbles and to look through all the photographs!

Clare chose some beautiful pearls to accessorize her simple yet elegant dress.....






Her something 'borrowed' and 'blue' was the garter her Mum wore on her wedding day.....I couldn't resist putting in here....!

The roses were interlaced with gorgeous scented Lily of the Valley....

And this theme was brought into the chairs for the ceremony....

The room had a beautiful dressing room for Clare to get ready in.....

Under the careful watch of her gorgeous neice and bridesmaid, Elise.....

I couldn't resist capturing a photograph of this moment....

The room had the most gorgeous window-seats....perfect for photography....

Richard still managed to look very relaxed (& very handsome) in the moment leading up to the ceremony.....

Clare loves elephants and so he'd chosen a special tie just for her......how thoughtful......

I love this photograph 'peeping' through the door.....

How's that for a face full of love?!

John, their nephew, played a very important role as ring-bearer.....

The cake was beautiful.....

And the Cornish pottery egg-cups made beautiful favours......

While all their guests were happy sipping champagne we nipped off for a few moments to capture some shots of the two of them.....

Under the careful watch of Elise. We became firm friends by the end of the day and I'm sure I may have some competition in the future! Thank you for all your help, Elise, you were the perfect helper for a wedding photographer.....send me that picture and I promise I'll put it on my blog. x

And a few more of Clare.....!

The luckiest girl in the world......

Today I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

I'm in a gorgeous little fishing village near Penzance in Cornwall, staying in a beautiful little hotel overlooking the sea as I type and to top it all I've got a wedding to photograph this afternoon! I've travelled to St Mawes to photograph the wedding of Clare and Richard who chose the Tresanton Hotel as their wedding venue because not only the hotel was beautiful but so was the setting....they were so right....it's gorgeous here!

Yesterday we met up to have a look round the hotel and then headed off to the beach and St Mawes Castle to do some pre-wedding photographs. I spent the rest of the day mooching around on the beach and just 'feeling' the place they'd chosen....it's a small piece of heaven!

I watched the boats bringing their 'catch of the day' in and being a seafood fan headed out to 'find me some of that'! And who did I bump into....Clare and Richard! They invited me to join them and we spent a wonderful evening eating fresh Cornish scallops and drinking a glass of something cool (only the one for me of course....I have an important job to do today!!) It was a great honour to spend their 'last night of freedom' with them and I hope it says a lot about how they feel about their choice of wedding photographer.

I've also got a double whammy this weekend as when I'm done tonight I'm heading back up the M5/M6 to Warrington (yes, you heard right!) as I'm photographing the wedding of Hannah & Phil. Hannah is the sister of Emily, whose wedding I photographed nearly 3 years ago now, so it will be lovely to catch up with old friends.

Wedding photography is never a chore and always a pleasure and this weekend makes me realise how very lucky I am.....

Venetia xxx