The Amazing Wedding of Hannah and Dave

A Beautiful Malvern Wedding

Hello there,

I had been waiting for the wedding of Hannah and Dave for so long it seems to me, from the very first time I met the couple I was really excited about this wedding.  First off although I will refer to it as a wedding technically it was an Humanist Ceremony.

This wedding is a prime example of the detail and planning brides put into their big day and why I feel its such an honor being asked to photograph it for them.  I remember talking to Hannah on the day itself and as you will see from the photos the attention to detail that she and Dave put in is amazing – one of the themes of the day was China Tea Cups and Hannah has spent 18 months visiting hundreds of antique shops tracking down individual cups and saucers for every guest.  There was a tie in with Up North the home to British Tea so hence the theme.

Its very rare indeed as a wedding photographer to come across something so totally different an something you have never seen before but Hannah pulled it off – her table plan was a HUGE home made paper machay tea pot with a REAL teabag at in the pot leading up to the persons name – each person took their name place and tea bag off the board to the table then after the wedding breakfast the catering staff went around with hot water and topped up everyone’s tea cup with their tea bag in it and made a delicious cup of tea – NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE – EVER !

Because this wedding was so totally different the blog post is going to be a little different also – its going to be about details and people more than story telling – The wedding took place in the middle of a field, the couple were surrounded by their closest friends and family – the guests then partied away in the field and had the time of their lives.  It was a great wedding from a photography point of view, it was very relaxing, very pretty and full of great and interesting people.

So lets start telling the story

As you may well know I have a penchant for beautiful wedding dresses and Hannah’s was truly magnificent, it was by my favorite designer – Ian Stuart Bridal – You will also know I love my taking photos of wedding dresses and I have a bit of a reputation of going to any lengths to get good shots – It seems that I also have a reputation for hanging dresses in trees etc – well lets dispell that myth right now,

For Hannah’s dress shot I took it in the garden and hung it on a Pagola, not a tree– I dont take dresses outside lightly however the  I was challenged to find a spot in the house that would do the dress justice – Mum’s living room was truly stunning and I could have shot it in the window which provided some of the best views across the Malvern’s I have ever seen but the lighting was just wrong – so I asked Hannah if she would mind me taking it outside – She chuckled and said she had a feeling I would be asking that question and was expecting it. – Without batting an eyelid she said yes – I am sure I could hear MUM’s jaw hit the floor and a huge gulp but Nikki and I treated the dress with all the respect and reverence such a beautiful garment demands and returned it in pristine condition !

As I was saying earlier Hannah planned everything and had a lot of hands on input into the wedding day -  right down to as we arrived she was making the bouquet’s and sorting out the flowers – not the most glamourous photo but one that captures the shear magnitude of the task in hand

while we shot the dress Hannah finished the flowers then started on her makeup – we try to keep out of the way for these moments and shoot them more like a fly on wall so while they may not be the most perfectly posed shots they are a true representationof what happened on the couples wedding day

Well before long it was time for Hannah to pop on that beautiful wedding dress – once she was in it, we went outside for a few shots – I used those beautiful views of the Malverns I was talking about as a background

Then it was time for Hannah to make her way to the field for the ceremony – For the trip she was being driven in one of Dad’s classic car’s – I used it to frame Hannah as she walked to the car

then it was off to meet up with the groom

Take a peek at this – HOW STUNNING is this wedding venue – it has to be the best wedding venue in Malvern IMHO

and just take a look at what the inside looked like – remember pretty much everything you see was done by Hannah, Dave and friends.

The Teapot I was talking about earlier

The name places

The tea cups !

DRINK ME !

The details were not limited to the inside alone, The Tie Dave wore was made specially for him  and I used this as a backdrop to photograph the rings on

and a few shots of Dave before Hannah arrived – here with his best man just chillin

something a little more formal

and here with the boys / escorts for the bridesmaids / ushers

and before long, the bridal car comes thru the gate carrying Hannah and her dad

Then its that magical time, the time where dad takes the bride, walks her down the aisle to meet the man of her dreams – I love the expression in the second photo – I which I knew what was going thru Hannah’s mind at this precise moment

and then the one of the most amazing weddings I have photographed in a very long time

Whenever I am photographing a wedding I always keep my eyes open for something out of the ordinary – and its often children that give you some great images (more kids shots in a little while) – with eveyrones attention on the reader here in this photo, I spotted this young man watching something happening over my shoulder – he was focused so intently on it that I just loved this photo

The balloons played a big part in the wedding and in the photos (as you will see in a while) but it was pretty windy so proved a little bit of a challenge but made for great photos – I kept thinking of The Prisoner TV show  for some reason  Then it was time for the big Kiss and the walk back down the aisle and for the party to begin !

Soon after this I snagged the couple for a few formal shots – well when I say formal I mean some of my more stylized or ‘signature’ type images – I loved this shot

Even dad was getting in on the action

and a few random shots of guests just having a good relaxing time and enjoying the day

And this has to be one of my favorite shots that dont include the bridal party from the day – This young man was a photographers dream – he loved the camera and followed me around for a good chunk of the day

and a few from the more formal photos taken on the day

The shot below was taken as I was taking the photo of the boys above – this was one of the reactions of one of the guests to seeing such a beefy bunch of guys in one place

Then it was onto the wedding breakfast followed by the speeches – as is becoming more and more popular the bride gave a speech, this year I have had 6 brides so far give speeches – something that is taking off I think.

The Best man’s Speech – I have to say this was one of the most entertaining speakers I have seen this year – he had all of the guests attention and got a huge bunch of laughs !

Then it was time for the slideshow followed by the first dance

As you may know (if your a regular visitor to my blog) but I use a lighting assistant for a lot of my wedding photography but generally dont try to get them in the shot – but I think the lights add to this photo

Then it was outside for a couple of special photos – the sun had set a long time ago and with using creative lighting I managed to pull of a couple of GREAT portraits of the couple – The balloons are back and as I said before I think they add something special to the photos

and that was it for us, our part of the day was over – it wast time to let the couple party till the small hours but I couldnt stop myself grabbing one final shot of the wedding venue – what an amazing day I had had, it was really really  fun.  Nikki and I talked about it all the way home and still talk about it to this day – this will always be our Alice in Wonderland Wedding (not that thats what Hannah was aiming for but it has that magical quality to it for us)

Well it just leaves me to say a HUGE congratulations to the happy couple, Hannah, Dave thanks much for choosing me to be a part of your big day – next time your organizing a party on this kind of scale – give me a bell ! – Enjoy married life guys you really rock !

Hope you have enjoyed this look at the wedding of Hannah and Dave,

ciao

dp

David Purslow
Worcestershire Wedding Photographer – Covering the whole of the UK
Phone : 01299 253844
Email: Studio@davidpurslow.com
Website – www.davidpurslow.com