Tuesday 27 April 2010

Sarah and Adam's Wedding

 Sarah and Adam chose a perfect sunny day for their wedding at Hilperton Church on Saturday. I may have mentioned before, but bright sunshine gives wedding photographers an extra set of challenges, and if we could choose the weather it would be hazy sunshine - but we can't !. Sarah's family is quite large, and she has four sisters, so her bridesmaids were already sorted, and they all looked fabulous ! The wedding service was quite moving with Pastor Una playing a large part in the marriage ceremony. Sarah and Adam left the church in an amazing vintage Bentley belonging (and driven) by Adam's grandfather. As we arrived at the Golden Gates at the entrance to Bowood golf and Country club, we stopped for a few pictures. That really is an impressive gateway to the golf club and new hotel. With well over a hundred guests at the wedding, it was quite a challenge to get every one in the right place for the family group pictures, but with a little help we got them done. We finished off with a huge group picture of everyone there. Knowing the right people to ask, I was able to climb out onto the roof to get the perfect shot (sounds dangerous I know - but not really). Everybody there was so helpful and friendly to Ann and myself, and we just got carried away - took far too many pictures !  I forgot to mention that Adam looked the business too and so did his best men and ushers, especially the shy and retiring Nathan ! I could see that everyone was enjoying the wedding breakfast, Bowood always provide first class food. Later in the evening when Sarah and Adam got the disco stared with their first dance, every one was in the mood for a "boogie". I reckon there were some tired folk by the end of the night. What a great wedding ! All the guests can view Sarah and Adam's wedding pictures by visiting www.christopherchard.com       and using the password provided.

Monday 19 April 2010

Liz and Matt's Wedding

Liz and Matt were married at the beautiful village church in Sherston on Saturday. They had chosen probably the best and sunniest days of the year so far, so all their guests were in a great mood. Liz looked amazing and her dress was really special. I don't think she was looking forward to being photographed all day, but I hope Ann and I made the experience less of a scary event. Sherston Church is such a pretty church both inside and out and the vicar,  Eve Pegler even allowed me to unobtrusively take a few pictures from the front of the church, as Liz and Matt made their vows. The reception was at the amazing Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury. Barbara and Ian, the owners have created the most wonderful garden next to the Abbey. Purely from a photographers point of view, there can't be many places in the south west with better photo opportunities - particularly for a wedding. Everywhere you walk, there is an arch or a tree or a seat  or a water feature which is crying out for a bride and groom. I love it ! Even though Liz and Matt were enjoying being among their family and friends, they still gave us enough of their time to capture some lovely images all around the large gardens. They had arranged for a karaoke rock band to entertain everyone during the evening, and the newly weds were first in the queue for the microphones, and when we finally said our goodbyes, the band were still rockin'

 www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk/    is a excellent place to visit, and is well known for the rather eccentric owners AKA the naked gardeners ! (and yes they do sometimes). All family and guests can see all the pictures we shot by visiting www.christopherchard.com    and using the password provided.

Monday 12 April 2010

Lucy and Andrew's wedding

Weddings can be a touch stressful, but Lucy and Andrew's wedding on Saturday at the beautiful St Bartholomew's Church in Corsham seemed to be almost stress free !  Firstly, the spring sunshine made an appearance all day, so maybe that put everyone in a relaxed frame of mind. Perhaps Lucy's renowned organizational skills meant that everything had been thought of. Either way, the wedding  went very smoothly, and everyone there wore a big smile all day, even though some of the guests missed part of the day as they sat in a huge traffic jam on the motorway, and even when the vicar forgot to give Andrew the chance to seal the wedding with a kiss  -  you know, "you may now kiss your bride  ! ! "  Anyway they soon made up for that as soon as they had walked down the isle !  The reception was at the fantastic Lackham Countryside Centre near Lacock. The gardens at Lackham are great, with some great picture opportunities, and lots of daffodils lining the drive up to the house, even if the ground was a little spongy !  Both Mums and Dads were very friendly and helpful, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were great fun. Lucy was a beautiful bride and what a perfect dress !! Andrew was a very lucky groom, and they made our job so easy. Any family and friends can view the pictures which Ann and I shot, by visiting www.christopherchard.com and using the password they were given.