We had never photographed a wedding on a historical ship before so we were delighted to be asked to photograph Shaun and Emma’s wedding on HMS Warrior in Portsmouth. The ship launched in 1860 and was powered by sail and steam and was the most powerful ship of its time. Even today it has a ‘wow’ factor as you climb on board.
Teresa and I started at Shaun and Emma’s house in Southampton, and were greeted with laughter and lots of smiling faces, the dog and the budgie! Emma was just having her hair done by Annette of Elegance Bridal Coiffure so after setting up and capturing a couple of these we photographed all the shoes (yes there was even some converses in there!) and the gorgeous dress. Everyone was in high spirits and it was really great to be a part of it. Teresa opened a bottle of champers for Emma who had moved up stairs to start on her make up…….as time was ticking on and we wanted to make sure we arrived in Portsmouth in good time before Shaun arrived, Teresa and I left and headed to HMS Warrior.We drove through the base, passed HMS Victory along the way and had a privileged car parking spot right alongside the ship. After being greeted by a sailor we headed towards the ceremony room to drop off the gear before heading back up to see Shaun greeting guests at the entrance. After about 20 minutes we could see Emma in the distance….or rather hear Emma being driven in a bright red Ferrari. It looked and sounded amazing. Emma and Shaun had decided before the wedding that they wanted to see eachother and have a few moments together they headed down to the lower deck for the ceremony.
The ceremony room was in one of the rooms where there was a great deal of guns…….I’ve never had to share my space with a massive cannon before and Teresa was almost dangling in the ropes to get the best shots further down the room! Shaun and Emma were smiling throughout and all their guests were enjoying the ceremony too.The weather was glorious so after this everyone ventured onto the top deck for drinks and the group shots. It was slightly challenging trying to round up everyone when the deck was as big as it was but Teresa did a fantastic job of collecting people while I took the photographs. After this we walked around the desk and off Warrior taking Shaun and Emma photographs. It was so much fun and they absolutely loved it!……being able to photograph the couple surrounded by the fantastic features on board Warrior was truly a delight, one of my aims of wedding photography is to capture the essence of the location as well as the couple and this give me that opportunity. As time was ticking on, I went downstairs to photograph the cake, and wedding breakfast before the guests started to arrive.
After the meal they had the speeches and these were hilarious. The Bestman had out done everyone by having banners made displaying Shaun from all walks of his life…..even without his famous moustache! Although the sun had long gone and it was pretty dark on the deck we managed to capture some great shots and the cake cutting.
We left the couple as they were drinking and dancing with their guests.
Have a wonderful time on honeymoon!
Lauren and Teresa x
HMS Warrior: http://www.hmswarrior.org/
Hair: http://www.elegancebridalcoiffure.co.uk
