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Funky New Wedding Albums | Wedding Photography

Beautiful Life — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:51:46 +0000

We have two more beautiful Wedding Albums to share with you today, the first is a Finao flush mount album in a funky textured leather called secret garden hence I was dying to take this book outside and photograph it in amongst the flowers but it’s the wrong time of year. Next best thing I went to visit Thrumpton Hall, a beautiful wedding venue in Nottinghamshire and photographed my albums there. Im a great believer in wedding albums being story books, at home on the book shelf or out on the coffee table where people can share and enjoy them together instead of something stored away in the attic and forgotten. At Thrumpton Hall there are hundreds of amazing books, collections of colourful books lining the shelves in the library, books open on display some hand written with amazing pencil illustrations. There were lots of other books just casually dotted around the house where people could pick them up and read them, books about instruments. My secret garden wedding album was right at home amongst the vintage books in the red room.

Our second Album is a Nubuk leather flush mount album from Redtree Albums. I just love this album, I love everything about it., the colour, the embossing on the cover even the smell! This company was started by a photographer making quality handmade books for his clients and now a few years on he sells these gorgeous hand crafted albums worldwide. We will be proud to offer these albums to our customers, the build quality is excellent and the printing second to none (I am very fussy about the colour and the detail when I’m printing anything). Redtree Wedding Albums are available in a range of finest Italian leathers and Japenese silks.

If you would like to come and see our wedding albums in person or you would like any more information about Wedding photography then please contact us on: 01509 505438. A big thank you to Lin and Debbie at Thrumpton Hall for letting me use the house for the photographs, much appreciated.

English Wedding Blog features Alex & James

Beautiful Life — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:27:23 +0000

It was exciting to see the first part of Alex and James’s wedding at Harlaxton Manor featured yesterday on English Wedding Blog. When I found out the wedding was going to be on the blog Alex kindly agreed to write a few words for the post. Shaun forwarded alex’s email straight to Claire at English Wedding so when I looked at the post yesterday I really enjoyed reading it with all the personal details from the brides perspective. Alex and James were such a lovely, fun couple and it was a real privilege to photograph their day. The wedding was very busy but amazingly relaxed, definitely down to great planning. I was so impressed with all the little personal touches on the day, Alex’s Dad wrote a lot of the music used in the ceremony and her mum arranged most of the flowers many of which came from their garden. James’s mum made the wedding cake. Alex and James made the table plan and the table name cards. Alex and James had chosen countries they had traveled to for their table names, they had even photocopied the correct stamp for each country from their parents stamp collections! The top table’s name was kept a secret from Alex until they entered the dining room as the table name was the destination for the honeymoon! Alex’s dress was stunning, the venue was incredible and all the details were finished beautifully but the thing that really stood out was the love that these two shared, not just with each other although that was awesome and James’s speech moved the whole room to tears! but the love from their families and friends also. Part of the reason James and Alex chose me for their wedding photography was because they wanted someone to capture the day as it naturally unfolded as their priority was to have a great time with friends and family. Claire has posted the 2nd part of the wedding this morning so head over to English Wedding Blog and take a look especially if you are in the middle of planning your big day. There are lots of inspirational articles and tips to help you be creative and wedding savvy. Big thanks Claire for featuring our work, it is a privilege as I know you get lots of lovely weddings to choose from.

You can view them here: (English Wedding Blog Part One) and (English Wedding Blog Part Two)

Christmas Wedding | Mary and Ed

Beautiful Life — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:28:17 +0000

A flying visit back to Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire to capture some images of Ed and Mary’s Christmas Wedding. I was only there for the ceremony and photographs afterwards (I did sneak up to get a few pictures of the bride getting ready!) so a short day for me but just as lovely all the same. The great Hall looked awesome with the fire lit and a huge christmas tree centre stage. The christmassy theme was continued later as the guests were served mulled wine and hot mince pies, the smell was fantastic! Ed was hoping for a sprinkling of snow but it wasn’t to be. Mary and Ed left the guests gathered around the fire and braved the cold for a few shots of them outside, Ed carrying Mary over the mud!, so romantic!

Ed’s ring was a little reluctant to go on!

Greek Christening Photography Nottingham | Baby Sophia

Beautiful Life — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:39:44 +0000

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of filming and photographing another Greek Christening in Nottingham this time at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary “Eleousa”. We have covered a number of Greek Christening’s but recently the baby’s have all been boys so it was lovely to see lots of pink ribbons and cute girly clothes all set out on the table. Greek Christening‘s are beautiful events and always lovely to photograph. The Christening ceremony starts with a blessing read by the priest and then the baby is undressed, anointed with oil and baptised in the font. I love the part when the baby is first dipped in the water and everyone waits to see if they will cry! Sophia was very relaxed and enjoyed the whole thing. Sophias Christening was a little different than usual as there were just 14 people there including us, some relatives had travelled over from Greece for the occasion and it was really nice because everyone could get around the font and easy for me, I usually have to fight through the crowds to get the shot! Sophia’s Christening outfit was beautiful and she looked so cute in her pink hat. Anyway, here are some of her christening photos below:

Here’s a few thoughts about Sophia’s Greek Christening from Charoula (Sophia’s Mum)

1) Please tell us about Sophia’s Greek Christening?
Our little baby was baptised on the 27th of November 2011 in Panagia Eleousa at Nottingham. The ceremony was beautiful and our little baby got blessed and officially named Sophia. in the ceremony there was her grandparents Iosif, Fani, Stratos and Sophia, her auntie Ariadni and her godparents Giannis and Eleana. She had an amazing dress on by “Neonato” and looked like a babrbie doll!

2) What was your favourite part of the ceremony?
My favourite part of the ceremony was when Sophia grabbed her godfather by his glasses!

3) Why did you choose Beautiful Life to Film and Photograph your day?
I found “beautiful Life” while i was searching on google. I looked at some photos and videos of a Greek christening they had covered and I knew that I had to book them. Everything was so beautifully done…..and also the experience in covering Greek ceremonies was a must…

Chinese Wedding Photography | Fung & Long

Beautiful Life — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:31:37 +0000

Fung and Long got married in Vegas (how cool!!!) I went down to London a few weeks later to cover their Chinese Wedding celebrations. It was an early start, London looked amazing in the morning mist. A quick breakfast of fresh doughnuts (really healthy I know but who can resist?) and it was time to start taking some photographs. The day started off like all Chinese wedding’s with Long having to “earn” his entry into Fung’s mum’s house by doing various tasks designed to torture and embarrass him and his “brothers”. Its this part of the day for me that makes Chinese wedding photography so much fun. Long and the boys were hilarious, you’ve never heard singing quite like this! Long did claim that the only song he knew was ‘all I want for Christmas’ so first we got a full rendition of this followed by Celine Dion! Then Long das to pay and he finally gained access to his Bride. Fung looked lovely, her Kwa was embroidered with a dragon and a phoenix and she wore Jewellery and shoes by Vivienne Westwood.

Next was a chinese tea ceremony then we travelled in the Limo through central London to Long’s parents house, some of the narrow streets and tight turns were interesting! Fung and Long were welcomed by friends and family and there was another chinese tea ceremony followed by lunch. Megan and I were so well looked after, we ate stew and bread and spring rolls. After lunch Fung got changed into her lace wedding dress that she had worn in Vegas and her amazing Vivienne Westwood ”lady dragon” shoes. With each dress change Fung also changed her hairstyle and makeup. Fung’s makeup was by Jojo @daisukimakeup. The sun was finally out so we took the opportunity for a couple of photographs before crossing London for the reception at the China Boulevard on the river in Wandsworth. We took a few photographs outside before the guests arrived but didn’t stay out too long because it was really cold, we were glad of the little heat packs Fung had given us in the morning. Here are there chinese wedding photos, enjoy!!

Dry rice crispies down in one, yum yum!

Then pass the seaweed no hands, They were so pleased with themselves but do these ladies look impressed? Time for a forfeit, who’s up for a quick leg wax?

More cheating so a forfeit of one arm press ups, then a bunny hopping forfeit for cheating on the first forfeit!

Yes finally the singing, quite a talent I thought singing the whole of ‘My heart will go on’ on just a couple of notes!

The wedding cake was beautiful the cupcakes were made by a Fung and Long’s friend Dionne and topped with cute little retro toys called ‘unazukin’ dolls which Fung said reminded her of them as a couple. There was lots more eating and the evening ended for us with the toasting, where the bride and groom and their close family visit each tableland the guests toast their happiness and give gifts of money.

I always like to ask the Bride and groom a few questions about their day and here are their answers;

1) What was your favourite part of the day? The most memorable moment of the day was probably the tea ceremonies, because we know how important it is to our parents and getting some ‘just us’ time, it felt like Vegas all over again

2) Have you any advice for future Brides and Grooms? My advice for future brides would be don’t stress over the small details, good things will come to those who wait, and for future grooms… Make sure your wife gets fed on the day!

Congratulations Fung and Long, hope you have a fantastic life together and a big thank you to Megan for some awesome work on this Chinese wedding and also to Steve for driving us around london all day, great job thank you!

Alex and James | Harlaxton Manor Weddings

Beautiful Life — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:54:52 +0000

When I first met Alex and James on their pre-wedding shoot I knew I was going to enjoy their wedding, they were so relaxed and fun and they had chosen one of my favourite venues, Harlaxton Manor. The day started at the Griffin pub in the little village of Irnham in Lincolnshire. Just time for a quick pint and then a stroll around the corner to the church. St Andrews Church has a drive leading up to it lined with trees and the floor was covered in conkers. Alex’s Mum had arranged the flowers in the church and they were just stunning. Alex was also getting ready in the village so I was able to photograph her getting into the wedding car (I did have to do a slight jog over the field to make sure I was at the church when she arrived, but nobody saw me so that was ok!!). Alex looked absolutely beautiful and her dad looked so proud as he walked her down the aisle. It was slightly challenging trying to organise the confetti with the bell ringers ringing loudly but we with Megan’s help we got there in the end! When we arrived at Harlaxton Manor for the wedding reception we were greeted with music from Happy Jazz. People had a great time playing croquet on the lawn, some people enjoyed it so much they carried on playing in the downpour! There was another interesting game guests were playing later on involving balancing chocolate on your forehead?! I’ve never seen this one before, made for funny photographs though! The speeches were followed by dancing in the Great Hall and live music from The Good Guys Orchestra. Congratulations Alex and James, it was a real pleasure to photograph your beautiful wedding day at Harlaxton Manor, hope you enjoy your wedding photographs.

Delyth and Mark | Rowton Castle Wedding

Beautiful Life — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:48:25 +0000

You may remember Delyth and Mark from their Pre wedding shoot, they live and work in Zurich but were back in Delyth’s home town in Wales for the Wedding. It was good to be with them again, we really enjoyed filming and photographing this wedding, lovely couple and friendly guests made for a great day. We had arranged to pop in on Delyth at her mum and dads house in the morning before heading to the church, we were a little bit nervous as we blindly followed the satnav down a long twisting no through road but for once we didn’t end up in a field (we went through a phase where this was quite a regular occurrence!) Afterwards we wound our way back through the gorgeous countryside to St Mary’s Church in Llanfair Caereinion for the wedding Ceremony. The guests arrived along with a Welsh Male voice choir who were to sing throughout the wedding service, brilliant, you really know you are in Wales when you hear everyone singing, just slightly different to an english wedding!! Delyth arrived with her dad, big smile on her face, not a nerve in sight! I always love the moment where the groom is waiting to see his bride for the first time and I wasn’t disappointed. The service was followed by tea and cakes in the church hall then on to Rowton Castle for the wedding reception. I made a new friend at this Wedding Jo, she was a star, because Delyth and Mark now live in Switzerland, Delyth wanted quite a few group shots with family and friends who they don’t see very often and Jo organised them all with almost military precision I was very impressed! The atmosphere was lovely with a Jaz band playing and games on the lawn. The day ended for us with the first dance, I really enjoyed this part, the lighting was fab. Anyway, here are a few of their wedding photos from the day. Enjoy!!

Ravinder and Sunita | Indian Wedding Reception

Beautiful Life — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:54:13 +0000

This is the final event from Ravi and Sunita’s Indian Wedding, the reception party held at the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow Hotel. The party started with a Champagne reception in the Atrium which is a very cool room with its own river! The guests where entertained by musicians playing the Sitar and Tabla on a bridge over the water. Canapes were served and there was an amazing display of chocolate sculptures (yes the works of art in the first four photographs are all made from solid chocolate!!) I didn’t see anyone eat any or even have a sly lick, no not even me I was very well behaved! Ravinder and Sunita arrived dressed in amazing gold outfits, the detailing on Sunita’s Sari blouse was exquisite she had it made by Mr Vimal Parmar of Collegian Tailor in Leicester. Apparently most ladies have their Wedding blouses made in India as it’s really rare to find someone with this specialised skill in the UK. Sunita’s cake was made by the Elizabeth Cake Emporium, it was a covered in gold scrolls and topped with roses, leaves and gold berries. Dinner was followed by more chocolate, firstly deserts to die for and then more chocolate brilliance in the form of edible centre pieces for each table, I’ve never seen anything like these before, everyone was wowed! The night ended with dancing. I have really enjoyed photographing all Sunita and Ravi’s Indian wedding events, it’s been a pleasure. So Congratulations to you both and all the best for your future together. A big thank you to all the family, especially Rupa for looking after us throughout all the events.

Click here to view more of Sunita and Ravinder’s Previous Events

Sunita and Ravinder | Indian Wedding Photography | Kelham Hall

Beautiful Life — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:27:21 +0000

You may remember Sunita and Ravi from their engagement photographs in the vintage clothes shop and Ravi’s Sangeet at the May Fair Hotel in London. It was great to see them again and a real privilege to record their Indian Wedding day. After a bit of a crazy start (the whole wedding party, guests and us stuck in traffic for about two hours!!) everyone eventually made it to Kelham Hall in Nottinghamshire and their Hindu Wedding got underway. The day started with the ‘tying of the Sehra‘ a ceremony where the Grooms sisters prepare him for the wedding and tie a veil of pearls over his face. This ceremony took place on the coach, it was really funny, I was perched on the drivers seat with Shaun squeezed in next to me to record the action! Ravi then made a spectacular entrance on a Asian white wedding horse called Rachel!! It was fab! Then we ate the first meal of the day prepared and served by the lovely Jush Events, it was great to work with these guys again, they managed the day brilliantly. Kay was a star organising all the group photographs, no mean feat I can tell you!

Kelham Hall is a really interesting venue with lots of different spaces all with a completely different feel and decor. The room where the Hindu ceremony was held had a big domed ceiling and as the Groom entered the sun shone through the windows at the top and created a haze in the room, brilliant light for photography. The mandap was beautiful, I was really impressed with the guys setting up and their attention to detail, it was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. Sunita got ready at Kelham hall, she looked beautiful. A to Z Gifts in Leicester is where Suntia got her jewellery from. It was custom made by Dipen the designer and owner of the shop who incorporated Sunita’s particular ideas. Sunita was collected by the Mama’s (Sunita’s mums brothers) who are responsible for giving her away. The Mama’s put on all the brides bangles which have to go on a particular way because they are wide at one end and thinner at the other. After half the bangles were on Sunita noticed they were the wrong way around and they had to start again!

I asked Sunita and Ravi what their favourite memory was from the day and they both said it was when they saw each other for the first time in the Mandap. Ravi said he hadn’t seen Sunita for a few weeks as she had virtually moved back in with her parents to organise the wedding! They said they couldn’t stop staring and smiling at one another! The ceremony was beautiful and both Sunita and Ravi made their vows to each other, Sunita made some promises about looking after Ravi and always preparing delicious and nutritious meals! thank goodness this wasn’t in my wedding vows I think I burnt about three sets of pans in the first couple of weeks!! Anyway enough chat, enjoy the wedding pictures!

A horse with a sweet tooth!
Instead of having family pictures in the mandap Sunita decided to have these pictures taken outside which worked really well. Often the mandap is quite dark and it can be difficult to get good pictures of large groups. Sunita and Ravi left in a really funky 70′s car, being a girl I only noticed the cool lemon colour not the make but apparently it was a Citroen DS. I think it cost Ravi a few notes to take Sunita away but she’s definitely worth it. Congratulations to you both, hope you have a brilliant life together.

I asked Sunita and Ravi a few questions about their day and here are their answers

1) What do you love about being married?
It has been pretty hectic since, so we haven’t had a chance to find out! We’ll keep you posted.

2) Any advice for future Bride and Grooms?
Yes, relax and try to take it all in.

3) Why did you choose beautiful life to capture your day?
We had a clear idea of what we wanted and you were it. We love the fly on the wall concept. Each photo has its own depth and captures the privacy and intimacy of the moment. Some of the Wedding Suppliers used by Ravi & Sunita

Some of the Wedding Suppliers used by Ravi & Sunita

Mandap by Creative Mandap
Asian White Wedding Horse by Wedding Horses

Jewellery by A2Z Jewellery
Car Hire by Citroen DS

Turben by Vikram Jadeja

Grooms outfit by Ziggy Studio

Catering by Jush Events
Wedding Photography by Beautiful Life

Wedding Video by Beautiful Life

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Ravi’s Indian Sangeet ⎪London May Fair Hotel

Beautiful Life — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:20:15 +0000

This is the first of three events from Sunita and Ravinder’s Indian Wedding. Megan and I travelled down to London to the May Fair Hotel to photograph Ravi’s Sangeet. The party was held in the Crystal room, the detail was beautiful, I especially liked the lacquered walls which glistened in the candle light (want one!) The doors throughout the hotel were fab too, I want to know who’s hand made the handprint in the metal, very intriguing. All in all the perfect setting for an evening of champagne, dinner and dancing, a great party.

Traffic light marshmallows, what more could you want?! I am with the little girl in the next picture, puddings galore, how would you choose?