The Wedding of Shelley & Bassem

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to shoot the amazing wedding of Shelley and Bassem.  During out initial meeting I asked the couple where they were getting hitched, they said they were getting married at The Swan Hotel in Bibury in the Cotswolds.  I love Bibury, infact I love all of the cotswolds but The Swan is perfectly placed right on the river and makes for a truly spectacular wedding venue.  A few months later we had the engagement session on a beach which was great and I knew then that Shelley and Bassem would make for great photos.  They were so natural together and more importantly so in love, its really nice to see two people connecting on such an emotional level.

Anyway, back to the big day.  Shelley and Bassem were getting married outside in the garden at The Swan, this is so great as outdoor weddings in the UK are few and far between so it was a great experience  They also asked that we take a little time out to take advantage of the area to get a ‘few’ signature style images for the walls etc.

Take a peek at just how beautiful the Swan Hotel in Bibury looks

As I pulled up I noticed to the left of the blue sign an open window, then all of a sudden, Shelley poked her head out and yelled me a big hello ! – It was quite funny because the room Shelley was in had an amazing view over Bibury but also of everyone coming to the hotel.  So with Shelley set about 8 feet back in the room she was safe from prying eyes yet she still had a great view of people arriving.  Later when the dress was going on we had to be careful to make sure no one saw, I wanted as much natural light because it makes for much better photos so we kept Shelley away from the window as much as possible and NO ONE saw her before the wedding.  Chalk one up for Shelley.

The inside of Shelley’s room

and Shelley sitting having hair and makeup done as I arrived

One of the reasons I love natural light is you can use it to create some great effects, I love this shot, Here Shelley’s makeup artist (amazing makeup artist) Heidi Herkes – www.heidirherkes.com was spraying body spray and then Shelley was walking through it.

and the reaction to me snapping away like a made man – I took 5 shots in around 1/2 second to get the perfect patten of mist – Shelley feeling like she had been ‘Papped’ burst into laughter

A short while later, Shelley was putting on her earrings when her grandmother arrived – I loved gran, she gave me a special wave but I cant put it on the website just incase it offends anyone– in the slideshow however it got a great laugh.

well with a bunch of photos in the bag so to speak, I left the girls to a drink of bubbly and went out for  a few detail shots and to get pics of the garden which was just being setup.  I aked Shelley if I could take her engagement ring to grab a nice pic of it.  I love the little detail shots.

The garden at the Swan Hotel, Bibury – this is where the wedding service took place

then I went back up to Shelley’s room as time was getting close – Shelley was just putting on her dress and Mum and Nan were helping out.

One of the people who kind of slide under the radar is usually the father of the bride, you always get some nice photos of Dad as its a very special day for him, but normally they dont make the blog, well today I thought I would share one with you.

Then it was downstairs for the wedding, here I met up with Bassem who was looking very excited

and as the guests arrive, gran gives me another wave, this time I can show you

and then before you knew it, it was time for the bride to make her entrance – I love the features of the Swan hotel, directly opposite the gate to the garden is a doorway that looks like it came right out of  an old Greek mansion.

and as Shelley is walking down the aisle I turned and grabbed a shot of Bassem looking totally awestruck by the appearance of his bride, I am sure I could see a tear in there somewhere

The Wedding

it really was the dream wedding, from a wedding photographers point of view, a stunningly beautiful bride, a good looking groom, amazing light, an out door wedding and the red carpet – simply stunning.

Shelley and Bassem didnt want too many formals (something I dont shoot a great deal of) but we had around a dozen or so, while taking a big group shot, this little lad decided he didnt want to be in the photo but rather than just run off to one side, he made a beeline for me – naturally I just kept snapping away – this is one of those happy accidents that you often get and its one of the reasons I LOVE weddings, you just cant script them.

then after the formals, I left people to their own devices and just did a bit of reportage style shooting or as some people prefer to call it, Documentary style wedding photography.

The youngsters having a little fun

and I just love the intimacy of this image – Bassem and his mum

Then while the guests had canapes and a few drinks, I took Shelley and Bassem off for 15 minutes to grab a few images around Bibury

Then it was time for me to zip inside and shoot a few details before the guests when in for the wedding breakfast.

The Dining Room at The Swan Hotel

each table had amazing centerpieces

Following the wedding breakfast were a few short speeches

After the speeches were finished the wedding party went outside while the staff at the Swan turned the place over and got it ready for the evening guests.  We had about an hour and during this time I grabbed the happy couple again for another 10 minutes of bridal portraits – this time it was getting close to dusk so the light was amazing.

Here I should say a HUGE thanks to Bassem and Shelley for being such troopers – I asked Shelley if she minded being thrown over the bridge in her amazing wedding dress – dont try this at home folks !

and then this is the one I posted the other day and is one of my favorites from the whole day

after we got back to the Swan, I snapped a few shots of couples and friends and workmates of the bride and groom

then before you knew it, it was time for the couples first dance as man and wife,

My wedding photography covers Bridal Preparations to First dance PLUS 10 minutes – I always stick around for a couple of songs after the first dance, you get some great images of guests having fun

It just leaves me to say a HUGE congratulations to Bassem and Shelley.  Thanks for letting me be a part of your day, its such an honor to be chosen by a couple to capture the memories that will last them a lifetime.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at their day,

ciao

dp

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer

http://www.davidpurslow.com

Studio Line:  01299 253844
Cell Phone: 0759 007 6666