Lauren Mitchell Photography – Photography in Hampshire

Dawn and I arrived at the church just after 1300, ready for the ceremony at 1400 . We were greeted by a smiling Alastair and his bestman Andy who were outside greeting guests and enjoying the sunshine. During their wedding pitch, Alastair and Lisa had requested that instead of starting the photography during the Bride’s preparations they would quite like to move that block of time to the end of the evening, this was fine so we were all eagerly awaiting the Bride as no-one had seen her!

Lisa arrived on time in a fantastic pearl blue Jaguar. She was smiling and really looking forward to the whole day. By this time everyone was inside and Dawn was ready at the front of the church to capture the Bride walking in. The ceremony was a lovely occasion, everyone looked so happy. There were readings and hymns and afterwards everyone filtered outside for a confetti shot. After this Andy ushered guests back to the reception, while Dawn and I took the happy couple over the road to some fantastic ruins we had seen while parking…….’I love a good ruin’ Dawn commented!

Lisa and Alastair were so great at posing, they hardly needed any direction so we were able to shoot a number of shots there. The light was fairly tricky as the sun kept on going in and out of clouds (don’t you hate those days!) but we were able to capture some great shots.

We then all travelled to the reception which was being held at Groomes. A fantastic farm near Bordon. There was plenty of scope for photography so we couldn’t wait to start the couple shots again! The wedding party had gathered around the front for drinks so during this time Dawn took candid shots while I went inside the barn to take some shots of the ‘Moroccan themed’ room. We give the couple about 30 minutes with their guests before we took everyone around the back for some group shots. Lisa and Alastair had wanted more candid shots during the day so that’s exactly what we did and kept the group shots to a minimum. Before I start talking about the group shots….let me set the scene. The manager Pete, had already asked me if I needed to take any of the shots from a height and indeed I did, the last shot of the whole wedding party. Pete asked whether I wanted the JCB………well how could I refuse such an offer! So as we were nearing the end of the shots, out comes this bright yellow JCB with a cage in front for me! It was fantastic being so high up…..an experience I’ve not had before I can tell you!!

After this, we took Alastair and Lisa around the farm for a few more couple shots before getting them back for the speeches. After capturing the speeches we stayed and captured the first dance before the band had everyone dancing.

We left the couple to enjoy the rest of the evening with friends and family.

Best wishes to you both

Lauren and Dawn x

We arrived at the couple’s house where Suzanna was on her own doing her make-up and hair, she seemed happy to have a bit of company……. as the other bridesmaids were still at the salon having their hair done.
Teresa and I started immediately with the shoes and flowers. It was a lovely day outside so we wanted to make the most of the light. After shooting the wedding dress and all the girls adding the finishing touches we then took each one outside for their individual shots……We try and make these as fun as possible….no static shots…..its a happy day!
Teresa and I then left for the church which was at St. John’s in Hartley Wintney a fantastic church with lots of shooting potential. We arrived to find guests waiting outside in the sunshine, while Sam was inside chatting to the vicar. After setting up everything inside I waiting outside for Suzanna while Teresa took photos from the front of the church of the Sam and the guests arriving.The ceremony was full of hymns and emotion, but enjoyed by all! We then all headed out into the sunshine for a confetti shot before taking Sam and Suzanna back into the church for a few couple shots. The guests then waved the couple off from the church grounds.
We then all headed to Oakley Hall in Basingstoke for the reception. When we arrived Teresa and I took a quick walk around scouting for shooting locations then joined the rest of the guests shooting candid shots. We were doing well for time so after giving the couple 30 minutes with their guests we started the group shots. We rolled through these at lightning speed thanks to the help of the ushers and bridesmaids. Even Sam commented on how quick the shots were going. We had them all shot in 15 minutes….phew!
Before the wedding Suzanna had seen a shot we had done previously at a wedding which involved the couple, ushers and the bridesmaids so we had to make sure we shot this. We took them all around the front of Oakley Hall away from the hustle and bustle. It involves slow motion and speed, quite a technical shot to get right but we managed to pull it off. We then took Sam and Suzanna down to a corn field and then into the grounds of Oakley Hall for some more couple shots. Both were naturals at posing which was great for us!!
We then had the couple back for 4.30pm ready for their receiving line.
After shooting a staged cake cutting, we left the couple as they sat down to enjoy their meal with their friends and family.
Have a great honeymoon!
Lauren and Teresa x

Well the wedding season is certainly in full swing as we have back to back weddings now for several weeks! We will also be introducing a few new members to our team who will be helping at weddings and learning the ‘tricks of the trade’.

In the meantime though we were at the wedding of Jo and Andy on Saturday, which took place at Greyfriars just outside Farnham. We met Jo in the morning and were greeted by the friendly manager of Greyfrairs, Barry. The Bridal suite was full of ladies busily having make-up applied, hair put up and drinking champagne….of course! To be honest with you, I don’t think Jo would have had it any other way…….

We took shots of the fabulous dress, shoes and flowers before heading out to find Andy and his five Bestmen. The weather was fantastic…possibly a little too hot for the guys but we shot some photos on the steps and in the shade. They all looked the part!

The ceremony was an emotional affair, with tears and laughter all round…..even from Andy. There were some great readings and when the song for the entrance of the Bride was ‘Come Fly with Me’ it certainly set the atmosphere for the rest of the day! Everyone looked like they really enjoyed it especially the happy couple.

The wedding party then filtered outside into the sunshine so we took this opportunity to take candid shots of individuals and groups. I went inside to photograph the wedding breakfast room, while Teresa was still outside capturing the atmosphere. After half an hour we then started with the group shots. Now having met Jo and Andy a few times before the wedding I knew that they didn’t want many group shots so we whizzed through these and had them done in 15 minutes. Much to the relief of the whole party who were slowly baking in the heat.

One aspect of wedding photography that is highly important is knowing when your couple ‘have had enough’. Each couple has their own limit when it comes to their shots which is absolutely fine……it’s their day, a photographer just needs to pick up on this and then call it a day. Because of the heat I knew they both just wanted ‘shade, shade, shade’ so we did up to three couple shots before I said, ‘ok guys, lets stop there’. Remember it’s about quality not always quantity!

We were then staying for the speeches, so after a lovely meal of good old English bangers and mash (thanks Jo and Andy) we then captured the speeches while the wedding party were entertained with stories and t-shirts……..yes that’s right….I said t-shirts.

We left the very happy couple ready to party and ‘let rip’ on the karaoke machine!

Best wishes to you both – it was truly a great day.

Lauren and Teresa x

Well, although we didn’t have a wedding today…the only Saturday for two months…. we certainly weren’t sitting around with our feet up. We had two Wedding Pitches, the first starting at 9am and lasted about an hour each, then we were down into the studio for a product shoot.
Admittedly, a product shoot just isn’t as entertaining as a lifestyle shoot – you just can’t have the same conversation with one! But we managed to get it done in record time for Waitrose.

Then it was back to the office to retouched it, as well sort through the lifestyle shoot we had last weekend. The boys in the shoot were so great in front of the camera!

Roll on the weddings to come!

Lauren