Cinderella shall go to the ball...!

Unsung heroes from offices across the South West attended a stunning showcase event in Bristol last Thursday at Brunel’s ss Great Britain, supported by....yours truly!

Secretaries, personal assistants, marketeers and event organisers are regularly asked to do all the work for events, but like Cinderella do not always receive an invitation to attend. And if they do.....there is little opportunity for enjoyment.

The event gave 200 event planners from across the region the chance to see the stunning ocean liner for themselves, without the pressure of work, and to taste fine food and wine. Starting with a champagne reception and canapés on the Promenade Deck, guests were able to experience different function styles throughout the ship and discuss special new packages, designed to make life easier for events planners.

Guests planning to marry also had the chance to discover why the ss Great Britain is Bristol’s most popular wedding venue outside of the registry office, with wedding ceremonies held on the Promenade Deck and receptions in the First Class Dining Saloon.

The team at Brunel's ss Great Britain work closely with a number of key suppliers, including myself, and wanted to show event planners and potential bride & grooms what could be achieved with flowers, modern technology, lighting, furnishings, entertainment and photography.

It was a pleasure to be invited to and be part of such a magical evening....a big thank you to Bronwen, Dagmar and the whole team on board. (I've already taken one wedding photography booking as a result!).

Venetia x

I obviously couldn't chat and photograph at the same time so below are a few pictures from the night taken by Bristol press photographer, Stephen Lewis.

Me (far left) doing what I do best....talking!




Lots of goregous photography products....

Looking at new album ideas....

The great Brunel himself....

Not bad for a stand-in wedding photographer!!

I had a lovely email today from Susie & James whose wedding I photographed on the 20th March. As you may remember the local wedding photographer Susie & James had chosen fell ill and she contacted me in the hopes I was free.

"Everything was just perfect on the day - we couldn't have wished for it to be any better. We were both every happy with your services, you did an absolutely great job. You were very easy to work with and we were having fun (especially with all the kissing you asked us to do!).

I always wanted to be a model but after spending the day with you I think I have decided against it as my cheeks hurt too much with all the smiling..! Thank you so much.

Thank you for a sneak preview on your blog - we were straight on there, having a look.....they are fantastic and we can't wait to see the rest of them. All the best, Susie and James xx"

Thank you both for your lovely comments.....it was a beautiful day and a total pleasure! I'm glad you got back to the States safely and enjoy the decorating!

Venetia xx

Emma & Jason - Coed-y-Mwstwr

As a wedding photographer summers tend to be the busiest time and this June is no exception! It's been a whirlwind of weddings and pre-wedding shoots and I promise to try and post as many as possible.

I recently travelled to South Wales to photograph the wedding of Emma & Jason. The forecast was rain but both Emma & I had our fingers firmly crossed and someone must have been looking favourable on us as the rain held off until we were firmly inside for the wedding breakfast!

Emma's shoes were gorgeous....

....as was her hand-made Swarovski jewellery....

The flowers & buttons-holes were stunning....

The wedding rings were little & large....!!

Jason was very handsome & surprisingly relaxed....

And Emma was nervous, excited & had a few tears (especially when she saw her dasing dad in his military uniform!!)....



After the ceremony & time with their guests I took Emma & Jason off around the beautiful grounds & got some gorgeous pictures of the two of them....







In the right hands even the oddest backgrounds (like this garden shed) can make an amazing backdrop....





A last initmate moment.....



Guys, thank you for making me so welcome, have fun on your honeymoon and I look forward to seeing you when you get back.

Venetia xx

Adam & Claire's destination wedding

I had the pleasure last month to fly to North Cyprus to photograph the wedding of Adam & Claire. Adam & Claire chose a destination wedding as they wanted a beautiful, relaxed wedding in a goregous setting and that's exactly what they got.

They took their vows in a gorgeous ceremony in the grounds of the boutique style hotel the Bella View, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Five Finger Mountains and overlooking the beautiful mediterranean sea.

After a relazing drinks reception, complete with Mojito's and canapes, we took Adam & Claire to the historic Bellapais Abbey for their photographs. The beautiful ruined monastery was a perfect location for some goregous pictures of the two of them and a part of the day that Claire particularly loved.

After a champagne reception and a delicious 8 course hot & cold mezze they boogied the night away to a local jazz band in the grounds of the floodlit Abbey which provided a stunning backdrop. Here are a few pictures...more to follow.

It was a fantastic day.....thank you for inviting us to be part of it. Here are a few pictures.....more to follow.

Venetia xx

P.S Adam & Claire's wedding was organised by Zeckye Yucel from The Discovery Collection who specialise in tailor-made weddings, honeymoons & holidays. Thank you to her and her team on the day for certainly making our jobs easier!

A wonderfully in love couple....

I had the pleasure to shoot the pre-wedding portrait for Karen & Jon a few weeks ago. They are had both started new and exciting jobs a few weeks before and were feeling a 'distracted' and in need of something to get them excited about their forthcoming 'big day'. We meet at their venue, The Glassboat, chatted about the final plans, discussed everything they wanted from their photographs and generally got all over-excited about what's to come.

Karen in particular is quite shy (although you would never believe it!) and is very nervous about having her picture taken but after lots of reassurance and a practice run with the pre-wedding portrait....she was much happier.

Look forward to your big day guys. xx

A blustery day....!

I was lucky enough to photograph Annika & Phil's wedding at The Park Hotel, Falfield a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the most blustery, wet weddings so far this year, but both of them (& their guests) were absolutely fabulous and we even managed it outside for the big group shot, despite their inital reservations!


The Park Hotel is lovely, little venue and was a first up there for me. Between the accomodating staff there and the wonderful attitude of Annika & Phil we managed to get some beautiful wedding photographs for them. Here are just a few for you.



Venetia x

Patrick & Claire....how cold were we?!

I had a wonderful afternoon down on the Docks in Bristol with Patrick and Claire the other week. We met up to do discuss the final plans for their big day and to do their pre-wedding portrait. We couldn't of picked a colder day if we'd tried but a stop at the infamous 'Buttery' for a cup of tea and some chips to stop Patricks stomach rumbling kept us going. They're a wonderful couple, who are so confident in front of the camera and were up for anything and everything I suggested doing. They wanted quite a fun, funky, edgey look to their wedding photographs so we discussed some ideas, shot some pictures and got some great results....thanks guys for being so much fun!


Venetia x

Annika & Phil...pre-wedding photoshoot

On the subject of pre-wedding photoshoots...here are a few from my shoot with Annika & Phil at their venue, The Park Hotel in Fallfield. We met up there on a very cold winters day, had a catch up about the wedding plans and then went outside to take a few piccies. Annika is very camera shy so this was an essential part of the wedding service for her. She was really nervous at first, but we found a few poses that made her feel comfortable and after a bit of fun & laughter she was felt happy and totally relaxed....and I think this shows in the results.


Venetia x

Pre-wedding photoshoot

As we head towards the summer I find myself meeting up with excited bride & groom's to be to discuss their final plans, last minute details and timings and generally have a good old chin-wag. It's always lovely to see meet up again as for many it's been quite a while since I saw them last and there's always lots to update me on!

It's also the time to do the pre-wedding shoot. This is a complimentary photoshoot where I get to find your 'best side'(!), get some wonderful portrait pictures of the two of you and most importantly get to know you both better. It's also all about you getting used to being in front of a camera, hopefully overcoming any nerves and getting to know me and the way I work better.

Although it sounds daunting and quite formal it's really not. We find somewhere to go (usually your venue), find the best places to take pictures and basically have fun! In the winter it's interspersed with mugs of coffee or hot chocolate but nevertheless despite the weather we still manage to get some great photo's. And you get to pick one 12x8 photograph to have presented in a frame style of your choice....free!

Venetia xx

Sorry.....

I guess the more your doing the harder it becomes to update your blog....but that's when you should be doing it the most! My New Year's resolution is to try and update my blog at least once a week...so watch this space.

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a good Christmas & New Year. Before Christmas was a whirl of portraits, portraits and more portraits...both in the studio and on location. I have posted a couple of my favourites here and, as always, I will be updating my web-site with the best. It's funny - it used to be that the potrait photography 'season' was quite specific and from October through to mid-December. However, in the last couple of years people seem to be booking family portraits, pregnancy & baby portraits...infact all sorts of portraits, all year round. It's wonderful as it means I get to do this type of photography throughout the year!

Before Christmas is also busy with everyone wanting their wedding albums designed and completed to show off to the family over the festive period. I usually get a rush about November of people contacting me with their choice of wedding photographs for the album and seeing whether they can be done in time. I burn the midnight oil to get every one ready on time and have had a bunch of lovely thank-you cards and e-mails from pleased clients...thank you for them.

2008 has started well too. I've already done a few portraits (which I will post here shortly) and have had plenty of enquirires for people looking for a wedding photographer for this year and next. Nearly all have these have been recommendations from Bride & Grooms who's wedding photography I have done previously so THANK YOU everyone who recommends me....word of mouth is priceless to me.

I'm currently going through all my wedding photography from last year and trying to select the best pictures to update my gallery with. It's hard as obviously there are lots of weddings but even worse is the fact that I can't choose between the hundreds I've taken on the day...I like them all! Anyway I will keep going over the course of the next couple weeks and will let you know when that's been done.

Venetia