Yasmin and Matt | Pre-wedding Photography

Beautiful Life — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:50:08 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Yasmin and Matt in the lovely little village of Saltby, Leicestershire for their Pre-Wedding Photography shoot. The weather forecast was dreadful but we went for it anyway because there’s not long to go until the big day. The rain just about held off, although the drive home was interesting, thunder and lightening and so much rain I couldn’t see! Yasmin and Matt were great, they had already picked out some lovely spots around the village which they thought would make nice photos. All the rapeseed was out in the fields which always makes for a stunning backdrop. I got to visit the church where they are going to be married and its beautiful so it should be an amazing wedding day. They are going from there to Harlaxton Manor which, if you are a regular on my blog you will know I’m always raving about, it is stunning! Yasmin discovered Harlaxton from seeing Alex and James’s wedding on my blog, she fell in love as we all do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures, I can’t wait for the wedding, I can’t wait especially to see the cake which Matt is making himself, it is going to be fab!

Halstead House Wedding Photographer – Catherine and Eamon

Beautiful Life — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:24:56 +0000

Halstead House is a gorgeous farm wedding venue in the Leicestershire countryside. As a wedding photographer you have your favourite places and Halstead House is up there on the list. It’s beautiful, photographically bursting with potential, but what makes it really special is the style in which the venue is run. The wedding at Halstead House was managed perfectly but staff were very low key. It was lovely, you had the freedom to explore the whole farm which made you feel so welcome and relaxed. There was a lovely happy atmosphere, everyone was friendly and helpful. I definitely highly recommend Halstead House if you’re looking for a laid back, country wedding with a personal touch.

When we arrived at Halstead House in the morning, it was so quiet and peaceful, we had a little walk around the farm and then went to find Catherine and the girlies who were getting ready in one of the little cottages there. It was nice to see hairdresser Mel again and have a catch up. Bridal preparations always fly by and it wasn’t long before Shaun and I were heading to the church under some rather ominous black clouds! I’m getting used to this mixed up weather, April showers in May, and a bit of thunder thrown in too! The key is to just run with it, be prepared with funky umbrellas etc. and don’t let it get you down, I used to dread rain at weddings but now I’ve just learnt to make the most of it, it’s all memories! Catherine and Eamon had a lovely ceremony at Our Lady of Victories Church in Market Harborough. Father O’neil was fab, so friendly, which makes all the difference. Guests had fun travelling back to the Farm on an open top bus, did make me chuckle. My car might be poxy but at least it has a roof!

Everyone had a great day, the speeches were very funny, I always love capturing people’s reactions. Catherine and Eamon had put a lot of thought into the day to make sure people had fun. They had table football and pool and a help yourself sweet shop. The place names were pebbles with peoples names painted on them, must have taken hours! The food was delicious (thank you!) the meal was followed by a non traditional cake cutting, Catherine and Eamon had a massive chocolate wedding cake but also a pork pie cake! Congratulations Catherine and Eamon,we really enjoyed capturing your day, hope you enjoy the photographs. Halstead House Wedding Photography by Beautiful Life

Maternity Photography | The Parkinson Family

Beautiful Life — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:15:53 +0000

Its Always lovely to be invited back to photograph a family for a second time and especially lovely when that family is about to have another little person join them! I first photographed the Parkinsons two years ago when they had a newborn shoot for their first baby and now number two is due in just a few weeks. Tracey wanted a maternity photography shoot to capture some bump pictures since she says this is definitely her last one! We had planned an inside shoot since the weather has been so rubbish but the sun came out so we took the opportunity to go out and headed to the woods for a walk. It was sunny but really windy, nightmare hair do day! Little Charis was brilliant and joined in on the action no probs (encouraged of course with a large bag of sweets!) Daddy joined us on his lunch hour making for some great family shots. Next time I see everyone baby will be out, then the real fun will begin! Good luck with everything and see you soon.

Stapleford Park Wedding Video | Lucy & Ben

Beautiful Life — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:07:12 +0000

Today we have Lucy and Ben’s Wedding Video highlight from Stapleford Park in Melton Mowbry, Leicestershire. This was our first Stapleford Park weddings. I always enjoy new venues and Stapleford Park did not dissapoint!

The day started with Lucy’s preparations. It was a busy morning with bacon butties cooking, champagne popping and the hair and makeup artist working their magic. Outside the Sun was shining and I headed off to film Ben and his guests as they arrived. Shortly after Lucy made her way up the church path and made her entrance. The ceremony was so lovely. They were pronounced husband and wife and we headed back into the sunshine for the confetti and made our way Stapleford Park Hotel for the reception. Just as we arrived the heavens opened in full force and the it absolutely threw it down. Eventually the sun came out and we headed into the gardens for a bride and groom time. The rest of the day flew by so quickly and everyone had an incredible time. So here’s Ben & Lucy’s Stapleford Park Wedding Video and a few thoughts from the Bride and Groom. Enjoy!

Shaun - Thanks again for shooting our big day at Stapleford Park. We had an amazing time and we really appreciated how good you and our photographer were. We felt very relaxed and it was down to you being so unobtrusive and fun to be around. Ben said when you left, he hugged you! It was like you were part of the wedding party! We’re so pleased with the end result.

It brought back so many memories of our amazing day. Thanks Lucy & Ben

Couples Photography | Deepa and Nick

Beautiful Life — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:23:38 +0000

I have been looking forward to this couples photography and Pre-wedding shoot for some time. Deepa and Nick are a lot of fun and they love props, wer hoo! I love it when couples have ideas and are looking for something a bit different. To me Pre-wedding shoots are all about the couple, their likes, dislikes personal details, their love for each other and their sense of humour. I like to photograph people in a place which reflects this and makes them feel happy and comfortable. Deepa and Nick had arranged to have some giant balloons delivered in Market Bosworth which we were all very excited about, little did we know! They say never work with children and animals but nobody warned us about balloons! It was really windy and these things had a life of their own and a determination to be free (one red one got its wish!) Luckily we all survived to tell the tale and they did make for awesome photographs. Well enough said, hope you enjoy the pictures, now I am looking forward to their wedding later in the year. Come back and have a look as we have some top stuff planned (not allowed to breathe a word!).

Deepa is a vegetarian, much to Nick’s disgust! A vegetarian that doesn’t like veg!

Tee hee! didn’t quite work but very funny all the same!

The one that got away!

On my mad scouting out drives in the countryside I came across a fab vintage station with a really cute little cafe, thought it might be nice to end our shoot here, we were hoping for lovely steam trains but we got ‘shunter day’! lots of ugly engines and lots and lots of train spotters! We had fun anyway.

A big thank you to Deepa and Nick for all your effort and enthusiasm and for being fun and free on the day.

Rowton Castle Weddings | Samantha and Philip

Beautiful Life — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:28:47 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve filmed any Rowton Castle weddings. So it was nice to be back in Shrewsbury for Samantha and Phil’s big day. The day started at a nice quirky hotel with Samantha and her sister as they all got ready. I don’t think I’ve ever met a bride who was so nervous about getting married. After some lovely preparations it was time to leave for Rowton Castle and capture Phil and his groomsmen as they arrived in their A-Team van. It made me giggle when I heard the theme tune for A-Team playing in the background as they drove past. Once the guys had arrived and unpacked it was back to Samantha as she got dressed and ready to walk down the aisle. The ceremony was so lovely. Once they had kissed, signed the register and made their way back down the aisle Samantha was looking much more relaxed. Then we went out into the garden’s behind Rowton Castle where the quartet played and everyone mingled and congratulated the happy couple. The rest of the day was really nicely paced and seemed to fly by. A big thank you to Samantha and Phil for being so lovely to work with. Here is their Rowton Castle Weddings Video highlights. Enjoy!

A few thoughts from Samantha and Phil

1) Tell us about your wedding day at Rowton Castle?

Our wedding had been booked for about 2 years and it was amazing how quickly the date finally came round! We were both very hands on with the planning – luckily we both have very similar taste and we agreed on almost every aspect and detail of what we both wanted from our wedding day. It was really important to us that the venue was perfect for what we needed and we finally chose Rowton Castle after visiting many venues up and down the country. It was simply the most amazing location and perfect for us in every way. It was fantastic to be able to hire the venue exclusively so all our friends and family were able to take over the castle for 24 hours. We were blessed on the day with sunshine and blue skies after a week of torrential rain and floods and we were able to get outside for our champagne reception and photos. Everything about the day was wonderful – it all went so smoothly and it was everything we had hoped it would be and much much more. It was simply the happiest day of our lives.

2) What were your most memorable moments?

Brides Answer:
It was just so amazing to see all our closest friends and family gather in one place to celebrate our special day. My sister Nichola and I really enjoyed being pampered in the morning and having our hair and make-up done. The weather was simply gorgeous we were so lucky that the sun decided to shine! I remember just feeling so happy when I finally got to see Phil at the end of the aisle after all the morning preparations, he looked so handsome and gave me a big re-assuring smile which really helped settle my nerves. It was also wonderful that our beloved dog Marley was able to join the celebrations and we have a beautiful photograph of the three of us together which we will treasure.
I remember the speeches very well, they were fantastic, my sister made me cry with her beautiful words for her big sister. Phil also brought happy tears to my eyes re-calling how we met and what our life together had been about so far. As for the best man Dave – his speech simply raised the roof!

The day was full of happy smiles and lots of laughter – there was a lot of love in that castle that day! I danced all night and our Frank & Dean tribute band were just amazing! As the celebrations came to an end I just remember feeling very tired, but very very happy – it had been the day I’d dreamt about. I was so happy to be finally married to Phil and that the day has been so wonderful and memorable.

Grooms Answer:
My Wedding day will always be remembered to me as the most memorable day of my life! It all started with throwing back the curtains and seeing a bright blue sky outside. I then rang Samantha, and said “Have you seen the weather, this is going to be our perfect day!” Driving up the long pathway to the castle with the best man and Ushers made it all very real from the years of planning. It gave me a heart-warming smile, to know that I was going to shortly marry my soul mate. Getting ready all together in the castle bedroom was a scene I can only describe as FC Barcelona getting ready for a Champions League Final! Everyone was pacing, slightly nervous, but I now couldn’t wait to see my wife!  Watching friends and family arrive, and the room slowly filling up, from front to back, meant that the moment in my life I had always been waiting for was seconds away.Then the piano music dropped and the moment came, the main door opened to reveal my most ‘bestest’ friend ever…I will never forget the smile Samantha had, and how beautiful she looked!! The day then went so quickly, but so much happened!

Having our dog Marley with us at the castle meant our little family was complete. Seeing the guest’s faces and reactions to the best man’s speech was legendary! Dancing the night away with my wife, family and close friends next to me was just so lovely. Sam and I stayed together throughout the whole day and we never left each other’s side. I remember feeling so tired at the end of the night, but this didn’t matter, I had the day others dream of!

3) What do you love about being married?

Brides Answer
I love being Phil’s wife – we are still getting used to calling each other husband and wife – it still makes us giggle. It’s wonderful to know that you have that one true special person in your life with who you can share everything with, good and bad. Phil is everything to me – he is my soul mate. I’m so happy we found each other and the love story that started in Mexico will now last a lifetime.

Grooms Answer
Being married to me is having a best friend for life who knows me inside out and upside down. It’s knowing that in tough times you will be there for each other, and in good times, well they just roll! It’s knowing you may not be able to do things on your own, but conquer anything together! It’s trusting the other person without question, and knowing that they will always be beside you no matter what hand you get dealt with in life.

4) What advice can you give for others getting married?

Brides Answer
Plan and prepare! Do your research and make sure you communicate clearly with your suppliers – we made sure every detail was in place to try to avoid any problems on the day. As for the day itself, it’s true what people say it just goes so quickly – try to relax and enjoy every minute from the moment you wake up. Try to find some time throughout the day to just spend a moment together, just the two of you, to stand back and soak it all in.

Grooms Answer
In marriage I think good advice is taking the time to listen and come up with solutions together!

5) Why did you choose Beautiful Life?
We searched the internet for weeks trying to find a company that could create the video we wanted. It was really important to us that the production standards were high and the video looked professional – there are many many cheesy options out there! After going through many show reels and feeling like we’d never find the perfect supplier we found Beautiful Life. The wedding videos Shaun had created on his website were simply stunning. We loved the ‘fly on the wall’ style and that he offered an intimate but not intrusive style. He made us all feel at ease from the moment he arrived and we hardly remember seeing him at all on the day!

A Very Happy Easter!

Beautiful Life — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:56:05 +0000

The Foulds family are always at their happiest eating chocolate and making a mess so easter was a blast! Having worked the last three easter weekends I had a whole heap of fun to catch up on with my kids. I had planned a whole weekends worth of cooking, sewing, painting, numerous egg activities and of course lots of chocolate eating! It was a bit of a challenge to document the proceedings as well as manage two kids, raw eggs, paint and food colouring but here we are, easter in the Foulds household. I even managed to feature in some pictures thanks to my talented ten year old!

My baby being as inventive as ever!

and she said she couldn’t sew, she was very pleased with herself!

These were the happiest eggs ever!

Bunny bread! not the most successful outcome but fun all the same!

Dad’s Easter breakfast!

Slightly better than the bunny bread, bunny crepes, very tasty! The girls like to share all big moments with Grandma and Grandad via facetime and Easter breakfast was no exception!

Barbie - Not quite the Easter Bunny but still very cute!

After breakfast it was time to head out for a quick easter egg hunt in the snow!

A balding bunny!

Shaun should have been helping me take photos of the kids – instead he found a flying squirrel

I hope you all had a great Easter.

The Foulds Family xxx

Muslim Wedding Photography by Beautiful Life

Beautiful Life — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:33:53 +0000

As a husband and wife team we can provide muslim wedding photography for both sides of the family. If your wedding requires segragation then we can offer both male and female photograhers to capture your day. Together we can capture your muslim wedding naturally and sensitively. We have filmed and photographed many islamic weddings throughout the UK and fully understand how to best photograph these beautiful events. If you have any more questions or would like to talk to us further about our Muslim wedding Photography packages then please give us a call.

Asian Wedding Videography at Chesford Grange Hotel

Beautiful Life — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:17:11 +0000

A few weeks ago we shared Paula and Satish’s Stoneleigh Abbey Wedding Video. Today i’m thrilled to share their Indian Wedding Video from Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwickshire. I love Asian wedding Videography as every wedding is always different and unique. The day started with me filming the bridal preparations whilst my videographer Nigel filmed the Groom. Everyone was nice and relaxed and once dressed they both wore a Topor (Indian Headgear) which looked amazing. Satish and family accompanied by a Doll drummer met up with Paula’s family outside. They led Satish inside to the Mandap. Paula followed shortly after and made a stunning entrance. In the background friends and family blew seashells very loudly whilst guests cheered the couple as they met. I so wanted to have a go. The room was filled with so much excitement and anticipation. Their Indian was lovely. I especially enjoyed the part where they threw yellow rice over each others heads and looks amazing in their wedding video. Then the wedding reception got underway with some nice Indian food. The night finished with a fantastic firework display.

Asian Wedding Videography | Chesford Grange Hotel

A huge thank you to Nigel for filming with me for the day. Here is Paula and Satish’s Wedding video highlights from their day at Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwickshire. Enjoy!

Wedding Video Highlights London | Great Portland Street

Beautiful Life — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:10:46 +0000

Being a husband and wife team means we get to cover lots of weddings together. We were thrilled when we got asked to film and Photograph this lovely Wedding in London. We’ve worked with this family several times before so it was lovely to be invited back for what was to be a beautiful wedding. You may remember a few months ago Joy shared their wedding photos (Wedding Photos - Part 1 & Part 2) and today it’s my turn to share their London wedding Video Highlights. We started filming and photographing at the Bride’s parents home in Highgate Village, London. The house was bustling with activity, flowers arriving, make-up and hair stylists busy at work. The Brides dad escaped to the garden to put the finishing touches to his speech. the weather was beautiful. We set off in the sunshine to capture the Groom and all the guests arriving at the Great Portland Street Central Synagogue where they had their Jewish Wedding Ceremony, which was really beautiful, amazing to watch. After the ceremony we headed off to Regent’s Park for a speedy portrait session with the happy couple and then headed to their wedding reception at the Victoria Miro Gallery. After some very energetic dancing the wedding breakfast took place actually in the gallery amongst the amazing work of artist Grayson Perry. After the speeches we all made our way outside for the Bride and Grooms first dance. Everyone had a great time.

A big thanks to Tom for carrying all my equipment around London on the day and here are their Wedding Video highlights. Enjoy!!

Wedding Video Highlights | Central London Synagogue