Upwaltham Barns is becoming one of our firm favourite venues. We had the pleasure of shooting Hattie + Peter’s wedding there in March – with Spring in the air, champagne in the glasses and everyone suited and booted (Hattie in a gorgeous Jesus Piero gown), it made for a fantastic day of celebrating.
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This English country garden wedding is full of the biggest laughs you’ve ever seen – from ceremony to speeches to the first dance, it was a giggle-fest, start to finish. Held at the Olde Bell in Hurley, Berkshire, India and Nick hosted a wonderful easy-going day of genuine and straightforward love and affection for all their family and friends as well as each other. Shooting it was an absolute privilege.
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Mikey started his wedding day with dip in Hampstead Heath Men’s Pond with a group of his best mates and family – an activity I had never photographed before! Luckily the sun was shining and everyone seemed game enough to plunge in the cold water. The rest of the day was a blast from there – fun and modern elements of the day took the form of a reading from Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch during the ceremony, a first dance sung by one of the beautiful bridesmaids, and matching bespoke Converse for dancing (amongst other things!), whilst a more traditional edge was covered by the beautiful surroundings of Camden Town Hall for the ceremony and Gibson Hall for the reception. A London wedding at it’s finest.
I had a little help from a great second shooter called Dawn for the main part of the day, a few of these shots are hers.
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Dress | Stella York at Forever Bridal
Suit | Moss Bespoke
Ceremony | Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall
Reception | The Gibson Hall
Buses | Ensign Buses
Flowers | Amber Rose
Cheese cake | La Fromagerie
After a fun engagement shoot in Paris last January, I was looking forward to seeing Cat and Oli again on their wedding day. Upwaltham Barns is becoming a favourite venue of mine – this was my third wedding there, and as a family-run business they really know how to run a wedding day with the greatest of care, consideration and attention to detail. I think my favourite moment of the day was the kids chanting to lure Oli and Cat outside to have picture taken with them. A super cute bunch.
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Band | www.thedeloreansband.com/index.html
Venue | www.upwalthambarns-weddings.co.uk
Cheese cake | www.finecheese.co.uk
Hair and Makeup | www.the-id.co.uk
Ally is the most organised bride, no, most organised person, we’ve ever met. Her wedding to Paul was our longest standing booking for photography for quite some time, and we also helped make their vision for their wedding invites and later the table plan and a few other bits and bobs for the day, a reality. They got engaged in New York, so the table names were based on their favourite places they had visited, and by contrast their ceremony and reception took place at the very beautiful and classically English Caswell House in the Cotswolds. I’m always super excited by a bride in a tea-length dress as I had one myself (easier for dancing!), and Ally’s was just gorgeous and suited her to a T.
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It’s been a year of firsts for Story + Colour – first engagement shoot in Paris, first Indian wedding, first wedding abroad in Cyprus, first trip to… Peckham. This little dream we had about owning our own business three years ago has really come to life and we’re loving every minute. On top of the international travel, our work has taken us to the Cotswolds, West Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, London, Surrey and Devon. We’ve managed to get our new website up and running which not only shows the photography at the heart of Story + Colour, but also the design of invites and various bits and pieces that we do along side it.
Thank you to every couple who has put their faith in us this year – we cherish each and every one of you and it has been such a pleasure to work along side you and be present on your big day. Your relaxed natures, sense of fun, massive smiles, epic dance moves and tears of happiness have inspired us for the past 12 months. We can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store and look forward to the people we will meet and the places we will visit along the way. Here are just some of our favourite images from 2015.
Happy new year! Laura and Dan xx
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It’s really exciting when someone asks for an engagement shoot in a part of London I’ve not had time to explore. When Victoria and Adam suggested their home borough of Peckham, I jumped at the chance, and was not disappointed. Vibrant and eclectic, we found many interesting locations including the Bussey Building, and the sunny summer’s Sunday morning, made for a great shoot.
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After Jessica and Sandeep’s English countryside civil ceremony on the Monday, I was really excited to see them again and shoot their Indian wedding at Merriscourt in the Cotswolds just a few days later – my first ever Indian wedding. I was looking forward to seeing the rituals of another culture but in terms of shooting the pictures, I couldn’t wait to see the colourful celebrations. And they did not disappoint! With the August sunshine in our favour, one of my favourite parts of the day was watching and listening to the procession of drummers who lead Sandeep to the one of the ceremonies on horseback, as well as the amazing food courtesy of The Clay Oven. Meeting these guys and shooting both their wedding days was a real highlight of 2015.
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White Wedding Dress | Boutique Cholpon
Veil | Boutique Cholpon
Wedding Sari & Chunni | Traditions
Groom’s Suit | Reiss
Groom’s Sherwani | Ladlee Direct
Bridesmaids | Boutique Cholpon
Bouquets | Field Gate Flowers
Indian Ceremony Venue | Merriscourt
DJ, Drummers & Mandap Decorations | Calibar
Transport | Allied Wedding Cars
Horse | Wedding Horse
Catering | The Clay Oven
Videography | Artistic Motion
Summer flashback! A gorgeous evening engagement shoot with Sinead and Andrew in Hyde Park this July.
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We met Jessica and Sandeep in a local burger restaurant when they were searching for their wedding photographer. The plan was for a Hindu ceremony in the Cotswolds, preceded by a small civil ceremony the week before. As time went on, the plans for the English civil ceremony grew, so that Jessica could have a white dress and all the things she had always imagined at her big day. The ceremony took place at Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire, followed by a reception on family land, surrounded by the great outdoors.
There is so much we love about this wedding; Jessica and Sandeep never stop smiling (really), the personal details at the reception that really showed how much effort family and friends had put in to make the day so special for the couple, and the anticipation of the Indian ceremony just four days later, made it one of our favourites.
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This felt like the perfect wedding to share on such a rainy Friday. Sarah and Stuart got married on August bank holiday. It meant a road trip for us from London to Devon, where we found the sun shining! The entire event was held at the Kingston Estate, in Staverton, near Totnes. The Georgian House venue was incredible and the weather kind enough for the ceremony to be held in the beautiful grounds – it even held long enough for the first dance to take place in the courtyard, under the moon and fairy lights. It was a perfect day – any wedding that includes hay bales and blankets gets the thumbs up from us.
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Dress designer | Eliza Jane Howell – Jayne
Bridal boutique | Blackburn Bridal
Bridal shoes | Kurt Geiger
Engagement ring & wedding band | Ana de Costa
Bracelet | Wonderound
Venue | Kingston Estate
Florist | Blue Geranium
Caters | Cru Events
Bridesmaid dresses | Ted Baker
Grooms suit | Austin Reed
Groomsmen | Ted Baker
Videographer | Lucent Films
A highlight about shooting in the summer, is being able to do engagement shoots after the working day as the sun starts to fall across the city. The warm, hazy days produce beautiful light and warm glowing backdrops for my favourite kind of pictures.
Jo + Mikey chose Hampstead Heath for their engagement shoot (and it’s where they actually got engaged!), and we had a great time walking around one of London’s best green spaces, shooting and getting to know each other in the usual relaxed fashion. I love their complementary patterned outfits, the easy summer vibes and ending with a pint in the pub… my favourite way to finish any shoot!
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This summer (remember that?!), Sofya + Jamie had an intimate wedding ceremony at the Mayfair Library in London for close friends and family. It was such a sweet, colourful affair – from Sofya’s floral headdress and dusky-pink knee-length lace dress, to the retro bunting, Mexican piñata, old school photos and dressing up hats at The Stag where the reception was held afterwards. Here are our favourite shots…
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Last year, an old pal got in touch to say he was getting married and could we do the pictures. Of course the answer was yes, but the ‘yes’ was made even sweeter than usual by the fact it meant a trip to sunny Cyprus, where Jukka and Lucia live. We made a holiday out of the trip and stayed a week and we met and got to know Lucia as well as many other terrific people – it was not only a special wedding which we felt privileged to attend, but thanks to all the lovely folk we met, it made for a pretty special holiday too.
Set in the mountain side at the Minthis Hills Golf Club, the ceremony took place at the site’s old Monastery which contrasted beautifully with the reception venue; the modern, light-filled Clubhouse. The wedding had so many fun elements – the coming together of families and friends from different cultures (Jukka is Finnish while Lucia is from Slovakia and they met in London), sunshine, gold buggies, Blue Steel pouts, speeches in multiple languages, a guitar playing groom (My Sharona and Enter Sandman will never be the same again!) not to mention a BBQ to end all BBQs the following day.
Congratulations again guys, we’ve loved picking out this series of photos and reliving the day! Laura and Dan x
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The rain is pouring down outside. The guests are arriving and running from their cars into the pub entrance below. I’m watching from a bedroom window with Helen and her bridesmaids. There are a few worried looks but Helen is perfectly calm, she’s getting married today and that’s all that matters.
The venue is The White Horse near the South Downs National Park, a lovely place with amazing grounds, perfect for a country wedding shoot. Having rained all morning, the rest of the day goes off without a hitch, beautiful sunshine, drinks, laughter and some old school dance moves.
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Venue |The White Horse, Chilgrove
Florist | Zelie at The Homegrown Flower Company
DJ | Matt Terris , After Dark Productions
Marquee and chair hire |South Downs Marquees
Dress | Emma Elizabeth Bridal
Bridal hairpiece | Prissy Marilla
If an engagement shoot is any measure of the wedding then Kali and Thom’s wedding was going to be fantastic. With a 1920’s theme and set in the Farringdon’s Artisan restaurant and bar it wasn’t going to disappoint. After Kali and Thom had made their vows at Islington Town Hall, everyone jumped on a Routemaster bus for a quick drive through London (seeing some of the new James Bond film being shot near St Paul’s), the route ending at the Artisan where fun, food and dancing was had until the early morning.
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It was cloudy and on the brink of rain when I met Kali and Thom but that wasn’t going to stop us. After all it is January in England – it’s not like we weren’t expecting it. We made our way through Greenwich Park and up to the Meantime Museum, where we experienced a coffee/football incident that almost ended the shoot! But after a quick timeout, we head back down to the Greenwich Market and then on to Kali and Thom’s favourite pub, The Cutty Sark. Both of them are so sweet and easy-going it felt like walking with a couple of good friends, so it’s no surprise I’m very much looking forward to their wedding in April this year.
For me as a photographer, shooting an engagement shoot in Paris is a big deal and a definite high point in the life of Story and Colour.
Unfortunately, my only experience of Paris is from at least 12 years ago, so we took our lead from Cat and Oli who had already planned our route, starting of course at the Eiffel Tower! We then wandered the Parisian streets and eventually made our way up to MontMartre, with the most amazing views of the city and then devoured a well earned cup of coffee in the artist square.
Cat and Oli were great to work with and the whole day felt more like hanging out with friends rather than being on a shoot.
Set in the beautiful Gate Street Barn with the sun shining I could tell this would be a great wedding.
Hearing the wedding ideas on their engagement shoot a few months back, I was excited to see how things had panned out. I knew Arber was a comic book fan (sorry, Graphic Novels) and if you look closely, there’s a really cool comic book theme running through out the day, from the confetti cones to the table plan. It was all so well thought out and really added that personal touch that makes a wedding unique.
2014 has been an epic year at Story + Colour and I couldn’t think of a better way to end it than with Emma and Tom’s beautiful barn wedding at Upwaltham Barn. Going through these photos I can’t help but smile, it was such a happy day, everything was just perfect. The sun was shining down and with small bursts of beautifully atmospheric rain and clouds, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Well, 2014 was certainly a whirlwind! Our year was jam-packed with absolutely beautiful weddings, and we felt so lucky to have been a part of each and every one – it has been such a privilege. Before 2015 kicks off with our first wedding in a couple of weeks, we wanted to share a round up of 2014 with some of our favourite shots – a great big thanks to all of the brides, grooms, friends and families for the excellent content! Lots of love and best wishes to all of them for the new year – and to all those due to get married this year too! Laura and Dan xx
It was only when walking up to the poppy filled moats of the tower that I realised I have never been here before. Anyone who reads newspapers, watched the news or been anywhere near social media would have seen the sensation that is the poppy display and here it was, right in front of me, quite a sight! I hadn’t taken a picture yet but the day was already off to an amazing start.
The chapel in the Tower is reserved for Military ceremonies only and today was one of only 16 weddings this year (like it wasn’t already special enough!). I had a chance to run round the grounds before capturing Courtenay take the 100 yard walk from her room across the tourist filled square over to the chapel. Heads were turning, cameras were snapping, I even got asked to move out of the way, sorry!
Having the opportunity to shoot a wedding at the Tower of London really was a privilege and something I’ll never forget. Sharing that with such a great couple like Courtenay and Rob was just perfect and I’d like to say a very big thank you to them both! Guys, you are very cool and I’ll be seeing you in Cyprus next year!
Jane and Andrew had a relaxed, informal wedding at their local registry office in Hertford, and then celebrated with an English tea party themed party in their back garden… and this is no ordinary garden. Their unique venue gave them the ability to decorate to their heart’s content – full of twists, turns, different zones and wobbly paths, it was the perfect setting.
There were so many little touches it is hard to describe them all – hopefully the photos do this – but some of our favourite bits were the stable bar, the wardrobe of pashminas for the ladies once it got chilly, the window sills of the house crammed full of blooms (Jane is a florist and did all the flowers herself), the illustration portrait booth (amazing!), the picnic baskets monogrammed with their last initials which were used for the kid’s meals and finally, the band who were fantasticly atmospheric, playing underneath the trees as the sun went down.
