Caroline Alexander Photography Blog

Ruth and David - Hungerford Wedding - Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-12-23T21:48:00.004Z

When Ruth and David (who you may remember from here) first asked me to photograph their wedding in Inkpen near Hungerford I was both excited and daunted by the idea. I am known for my bright natural light photographs, but Ruth and David were planning to get married in December at 3.30pm so that they left the church into darkness, eek :) photographing in the pitch black is not most photographers dream come true but I was excited by the challenge. I started the day with everyone arriving at the church, it was soooooooo cold, I'm not sure I have ever been so cold while photographing. My main memories from this part of the day were the ushers dancing on the spot to keep warm :) (I took a leaf from their book not long after). I wasn't allowed to photograph throughout the ceremony which is always a bit upsetting for me but we did get a few in the church after thankfully. After a few short quick photos inside we left the church into the cold where all their guests were waiting with sparklers.

Then onto the marquee which was by Ruth's parents home in the same village as the church which looked gorgeous and just the right amount of Christmasy. After some brilliant speeches, yummy food and an amazing first dance (which to my surprise I learnt after had not been rehearsed, it was energetic to say the least) we then took some photos of them outside using some winter berries and Ruth's family home.

I had my very good friend and fellow wedding photographer Alex Beckett along with me for the ride which was invaluable.

Secret naughty photo :)

Sarah and Ed - Cripps Barn Wedding Photographs, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-11-14T22:16:00.004Z

I'm really excited to share this wedding with you, this is Sarah and Ed. They got married at Bibury Church in Gloucestershire with quite possibly the nicest/funnest vicar ever. I obviously go to quite a few ceremonies :) but this one really stood out to me, I smiled throughout. After the ceremony they went on to Cripps Barn just down the road, I always feel lucky at Cripps Barns as I really love it there. Even more exciting than just being at Cripps Barn was that we were there at my favourite time of the year photographically, October light = YAY! Although don't let the blue skies fool you, if you weren't in direct sun it was freezing! I think the reason why I loved photographing Sarah and Ed and why I've been looking forward to blogging their wedding will be pretty evident not far into their photos :D

Gemma and Matt - Kingscote Barn Wedding Photographs, Gloucestershire

2011-10-30T22:28:00.005Z

Gemma and Matt got married recently at one of my favourites, Kingscote Barn in Gloucestershire. I met them both for the first time just a couple of days before the wedding which is rare for me as I more often than not I meet people before they book me. Gemma had told me ages ago though that she didn't mind either way as she had complete trust in me and what I do, which for me is pretty much the best compliment a bride to be can give me :) Once I had finally met them and chatted about all that they had planned I started to really look forward to what they were going to do with Kingscote Barn and the prettiness that was about to follow.

The day itself started there with Gemma, her family and best friends getting ready with the help of the lovely Heidi Vince. It was a really fun atmosphere to be in, I had to keep laughing or Gemma's Mum would have set me off crying a fair few times. The love between all family members from both sides continued to show as the day went on. We had the amazing October light (my favourite) throughout the whole day, it was actually one of the hottest weddings of the year for me and suddenly the fact they had decided to have an ice cream kart for their pudding seemed like the best idea ever!

Take a look at ALL the prettiness...

Ruth and David - Pre Wedding Photographs, Hungerford

2011-10-25T02:02:00.002+01:00

Last month I met up with Ruth and David at Ruth's parents home (where the reception for the wedding will take place) to take some pre wedding photographs. This was the first time I had met Ruth and David, I had such a lovely afternoon with them both that I'm now really looking forward to their wedding in December. I'm also looking forward to it as it will be quite the challenge, they plan to get married as it gets dark so will be quite different for me which will make a nice wintery change. For their pre wedding shoot though we went up on to the hills near Hungerford where we got some amazing views and also some amazing weather, we were in a patch of sunlight and could see storms all around us. We then went into an orchard at Ruth's parents home and caught some cool shots just before the storm caught up with us and it chucked it down. Take a look.

Polly and Peter - Isfield, Near Lewes, East Sussex Wedding Photography

2011-10-20T00:09:00.006+01:00

It was such a pleasure to spend my weekend in East Sussex for the wedding of Polly and Pete recently. I had met them briefly at the awesome Zoe and Adrian's wedding back in May and so was over the moon to be asked to photograph their wedding as well. I'd not visited this area before (only Brighton) and it is just gorgeous.
This wedding had such warmth, I really enjoyed spending my time with everyone there and left tired, but on a wedding high. One of my favourite little details of the day was the tuk tuk that was to be their wedding car, funnest wedding transport yet :) The wedding took place at Isfield (Near Lewes) Church and the reception was held at Polly's parents just down the road which is where I started my day with Polly, her best friend and her family. (A big thank you to everyone but particularly Polly's family for making me feel so welcome and looked after)

Two dress pictures yes, but I liked both! :)

(this little dude's for me really)

Megan and James - Purton, Wiltshire Wedding Photography

2011-10-01T00:47:00.006+01:00

Megan and James came to me only a few months ago when they had learned that their original photographer had double booked them!! How horrific, I can't imagine how anyone would dream of doing such a thing. However it turned out well as they then found me :) and luckily I was free on their day, woohoo! They got married in a teeny village called Purton just outside of Swindon in a particularly stunning (and pretty unique) church. It was around the time the weather couldn't make up it's mind whether it wanted to rain or shine some sun on us, thankfully it chose the right times to shine and to rain :)

There were a few awesome places right next to the church so we took off immediately to do a few minutes of photos right there, before we then made our way back to Megan's parents farm, just down the road, where Megan grew up. Here there were even more places to take some photographs so we made the most of that too. I really enjoyed this wedding, everyone was so lovely and so much fun to be around that it was one of those times when I arrived home still with a big smile on my face. Here are some of my favourites:

Their little boy :)

If anyone here present....

This is one of my favourite moments from all the weddings I have done, the vicar had barely said the first line of the vows before James said quickly 'I will', the vicar replied, 'not yet..... he's a bit keen!' :D

When we arrived back to everyone else we heard this little voice shout 'THERE'S MUMMY!!'

Kate and Ed - The Swan Hotel, Bibury, Cirencester Wedding Photographer

2011-09-22T21:35:00.004+01:00

Recently Kate and Ed got married at The Swan Hotel in Bibury near Cirencester. Kate and Ed, although from the UK actually live now in Australia so it was a particularly special time for friends and family to all be together for their wedding. The whole day took place at The Swan from start to finish, I started the day with Kate and her bridesmaids. Poor Kate had, had very bad food poisoning earlier in the week and was still feeling a bit iffy, every brides worst nightmare I would imagine but was surprisingly chipper considering, you'd have never known, I have so many photos I love of Kate from this part of the day that it was a stuggle to choose which ones to share. Also there was Bryony Eaves giving Kate a simple look with a surprisingly ornate up do and Clare Bryce was doing their subtle stunning and natural make up. It was lovely to then venture downstairs to find Ed and everyone in the signet room of The Swan, a room I've only photographed the reception part of a wedding in before and never the ceremony so was great to see it all done up for the ceremony for a change.

My favourite part of their day was the portraits, Kate and Ed were naturals at posing. I don't think they knew or thought they were, but they obviously felt pretty comfortable and so everything they did together looked great, as you'll see... Here are my favourites from their day:

Someone I know that will be pleased to see this is my very good friend Louise (of Cirencester Cupcakes) as in little over a year she will be getting married at The Swan where I will be both bridesmaid AND photographer! Eeeeeek :) can't wait!

Sarah and Alex - Day Two - Cirencester Wedding Photographer

2011-09-13T21:00:00.004+01:00

Today it's part two of Sarah and Alex's wedding, if you missed part one you can see it here. Part two is day two in the celebrations. It involved arriving in 'The General' to another guard of honour, an afternoon of village fete games, an impressive and truly awesome cake competition which was judged and prizes were given, a sun set and a hoe down :) The day was brought together with the help of Ruth from Finesse Planning and made super pretty once again by Caroline Mcshane

I may be a little strange but I reeeeally want the bottle in the top left photo, if you find one like it, buy it! :)

Best hair ever

More pretty

Ever hopeful

The cake judging begins, they tasted every single cake.

I suspect they had help with the judging, see exhibit A and B:

The very serious judging

Sarah and Alex - Day One - Cirencester Wedding Photographer

2011-09-11T19:34:00.004+01:00

Sarah and Alex got married at Stratton Church in Cirencester. Today though, I am going to just blog part one of their wedding, this is because their wedding celebrations took place over two days, that's right, two days of awesome (genius idea)! So part one is day one. I met with Sarah at a little cottage in Coln St Aldwyns near Cirencester where she was getting ready with her two bridesmaids. It was a very calm, relaxing start to the day, Shen Hassan was there to do their hair and Sophie Everett was doing their make up, their calm and friendly nature reminding me how important it is to have people like this around you on your wedding day. Caroline McShane also popped in to deliver the stunning bouquets which featured berries and smelt amazing. Once Sarah was in her dress I left her to meet Alex where he was getting ready at his parents just down the road from the church, they were just finishing their lunch and were ready for the walk down to the church (if you like a man in uniform, you're in for a treat).

Not long after, Sarah arrived in a gorgeous Jaguar and made her way into the church filled with family and close friends. They walked out of the church after the ceremony to a guard of honour. This is the first time I have photographed a guard of honour and we were told that the bride has to kiss the final one to be let through, I personally don't know if this is actually true or just a sneaky way to get a kiss off the bride :D After this Sarah, Alex and myself drove down the road to Quenington to take some photographs. This is where I left them for part one of the celebration. Here are some of my favourites from the day.

One of the most random mid ceremony moments for me, the vicar told them to turn to look at me for a photo DURING the ceremony! Lol...

Check back soon for part two which consists of The General, Village fete games, a barn dance and the most awesome cake competition ever!!

Kate and Mark - Kingscote Barn, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-09-04T19:30:00.003+01:00

It was good to be back again at the lovely Kingscote Barn in Gloucestershire, this time it was Kate and Mark's turn. You may remember them from their engagement shoot at Cirencester Park. A mildly worrying start to the day as a lot of rain was forecast but Kate said if the sun was out when we came out from the ceremony then we would go straight into photos, it was and we did and got them all done before the rain started again. In a way it was quite lucky that it rained as it meant I got to photograph people inside and it looked stunning with all the bunting and my favourite green and soft pinks as their colours. Kate's dress could not have been more perfect for her and those shoes, well look at them! And I quite liked Mark's new TVR too :D Here are some of my favourites from their day.

Kate and Ed - Sneak Peak, The Swan at Bibury Wedding Photographs

2011-09-04T01:14:00.001+01:00

A little something yummy from Kate and Ed's wedding from The Swan in Bibury near Cirencester in Gloucestershire. Check back soon for the full post!

Sarah and Alex - Cirencester Wedding Photography

2011-09-02T23:42:00.009+01:00

I'm so itching to blog Sarah and Alex's wedding in full, but to try and ease the itch a bit I am blogging a sneak peek for you. It was two days of awesomeness, I want to tell you all about it but will wait for the full post, so for now, here is a little of what you have to look forward to :)

Day one:

And I promised the wonderful Caroline McShane who is the florist behind all of Sarah and Alex's flowers a sneak peek of her work too :) MANY more photos of gorgeousness from Caroline's work on both days to show you later (yes, there's actual berries in there!)

Day Two (Quick shout out to Ruth from Finesse Planning who brought all of this together)

Come back soon for the full post. Also this weekend I will be blogging a sneak peek from Kate and Ed's Bibury wedding and also the full post of Kate and Mark's wedding at Kingscote Barn so be sure to check back!

Nicky and Alex - Lyndhurst Church, New Forest Wedding Photography

2011-08-31T00:32:00.004+01:00

Recently I got to go back to one of my favourite childhood holiday locations to photograph the wedding of Nicky and Alex at Lyndhurst Church in the New Forst. I LOVE the New Forest (to the point that I think Nicky and Alex found it mildly amusing), I love the landscape, the tall, tall thin trees and the smell of Bracken. I had so much fun photographing the two of them together among some of my favourite things. Lyndhurst Church itself is lovely (although deceptively dark) and has one of the most random/fun Deacon's ever. He went back and forth in the programme but did so with such a great sense of humour that it made it all the more enjoyable. The best thing about him was that he was happy for me to do whatever I liked, to the point where he said he'd move out of my way any time I wanted. I've never had so much freedom, I of course didn't want him to move out of my way, that's not my style, but it's fun to not have so many rules and to have someone care more about what the couple wants than himself (which is strangely pretty rare in the wedding world). The reception took place at The Three Tuns in Bransgore where they have a marquee and a barn. The best thing about Nicky and Alex's day was all the laughing as you'll see.... :)

The Donkey had no encouragement :)

It may have been around here that I sat on something a bit thorny...

Khamsin and Nick - Wiltshire Wedding Photography, Bishopstone

2011-08-16T18:18:00.003+01:00

Today I have for you the wedding of Khamsin and Nick. They got married at a small church in Bishopstone (With one of the strictest priests I've come across, no photos at all except for Khamsin coming into the church and of their first kiss and that was him being kind apparently) and their reception took place next door, literally through a gate into Prebenoal Farm where they had a marquee filled with lots of lovely little touches that they had obviously put a lot of time and effort into (I particularly liked the balls they had hanging from the giant awesome tree). It was raining all morning and quite heavily at one point in the day as you'll see but other than that we were so lucky, the evening sun was just gorgeous and allowed us to get lots of portraits using the golden sun that us photographers love so much. Khamsin and Nick had also chosen Louise of Cirencester Cupcakes so keep an eye out for those :) So on with the photos...

:)

It's sneak peek-tastic

2011-08-10T17:51:00.004+01:00

Just wanted to show you a little of what is coming soon. Later this week I will be blogging the full wedding of Khamsin and Nick who got married at Bishopstone, Wiltshire. Here are a couple of what you can look forward to:

Also, here are a couple of other sneak peeks while we're here. This is Nicky and Alex who got married at Lyndhurst in the New Forest (where I used to go on holiday when I was little, loved it!)

This is Kate and Mark who got married at Kingscote Barn which you will know if you visit this blog regularly, we caught a little bit of sun on an otherwise wet day :)

Check back soon for all of these :)

Kirsty and Matt - Gloucestershire Wedding Photography, Cripps Barn

2011-08-05T22:07:00.005+01:00

Today I have for you the wedding of Kirsty and Matt who got married at one of my favourites, Cripps Barn near Bibury in Gloucestershire. You may remember Kirsty and Matt from their engagement shoot in Bibury. I've been looking forward to sharing this with you as it was, for me, a pretty perfect wedding day. They got married outside at Cripps Barn which is something they have only just started doing so I think Kirsty and Matt are one of the first (if not the first?) to do this. It was a gorgeous summer day which stayed with us for the entire day which was fortunate as it meant that the majority of the day (and night, as many guests camped in the field next to the Barn) could happen outside. They even had their first dance outside while the amazing Ashmore Acoustics played their song (Stand By Me), a quick word about this acoustic duo, they are amazing, so amazing that I am trying to think of a party I can have just so that they can play at it :) (if I am shooting your wedding, please hire them :D ) The afternoon had a warmth and energy to it that was so nice to be around and that's partly due to the awesome music and partly due to the people who felt carefree enough to dance on the lawn in the sunshine, also picnic blankets to sit on gave a relaxed feel. Not only had Kirsty and Matt decided to get married at Cripps Barn, chosen a fantastic musical act AND an awesome photographer (ha :D ) they had also chosen my good friend Louise of Cirencester Cupcakes to do their wedding cakes and she had really outdone herself, check them out! Kirsty and Matt have very simular music taste to me so I found all of the music themed stuff really fun, their friend had made their seating chart out of band CD covers and had writen the names in the same fonts used for the songs on the actual CD, how cool is that?! These two are completely head over heels for each other and it radiates from them when they are together which is so nice to be around. Anyway, getting carried away, check out some of the photos!

The cake on the top is like a stack of records and the the top one is Stand By Me :)

Even putting one of me up, eek! Taken by Kirsty's lovely maid of honour.

Alison and Simon - Old Luxters Barn, Oxfordshire Wedding Photography

2011-07-29T18:31:00.004+01:00

You may remember Alison and Simon from their fairly recent sunshine filled pre wedding shoot. They got married at Shabbington Church in Oxfordshire, I met Alison at their home in the morning which was just down the road from the Church. The sun shone for them again and one of my favourite moments of the day was their faces as they walked out of the Church in this sun to be greeted by their horse :) We then went onto their reception which was at Old Luxters Barn, Henley-On-Thames which is a Barn (and brewery) pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It's a gorgeous little barn which has a very intimate feel to it which becomes particularly cosy in the evening when all the little fairly lights and pink backlighting came on alongside all the teeny tealights they had around, it was the perfect backdrop to the occassionally crazy (and awesome) dancing that went on that evening. Take a look at some of my favourites:

Lynsey and Doug - Somerset Wedding Photography

2011-07-22T01:41:00.007+01:00

On a very, very rainy Friday night recently I drove down to Somerset ready for Lynsey and Doug's wedding that was the next day. The wedding was to take place at Widcombe Grange which is in Culmhead in Somerset. Their parents had originally rented it out for the weekend to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversairy and Lynsey and Doug realised it would be the perfect opportunity to get married themselves. So they spent the whole weekend there with their family, it had a super relaxed, laid back feel to it which I think is partly due to this.

The rain continued all night and when I arrived in the morning it was pretty waterlogged. They were getting married out on a wooden gazebo on a little lake in the garden, it was a bit worrying as it was drizzling in the morning but Lynsey and Doug work for the Met office and assured me it was going to be ok :) and they were right, it turned out to be the most beautiful day! The grass was still pretty waterlogged though but Lynsey and Doug were troopers and didn't let it stop them from getting to the good stuff. Here are some of my favourites from the day.

Clare and Tim - Malmesbury Abbey Wedding Photography - Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-07-11T21:08:00.005+01:00

Today I have for you the gorgeous wedding of Clare and Tim who got married at Malmesbury Abbey. Their reception was right next door at The Old Bell which was also where Clare was getting ready in the morning, while Tim was the other end of the path in a pub :) which meant I could nip inbetween in the morning. It was quite novel being able to run into the Abbey to see what was going on there and then run back to Clare as finishing touches were being done. They had a bit of a sweetie theme and one of the prettiest cakes I have ever seen. We did their couple shots next door to the Abbey in the Abbey Garden (luckily it was not a clothes optional day like the day we had visited previously :) although that could have made interesting photos also...) Some of my favourite portraits to date so hope you like them!

Now I wish I could remember exactly what Tim said here, but it was something along the lines of being a man of few words but nothing is right until it's set in stone...

Sisters - Gloucestershire Portrait Photographer

2011-07-09T02:43:00.003+01:00

I recently met up with three extremely gorgeous sisters on a very bright but very windy day near Thornbury. These three made it all feel pretty effortless for me, always smiling and happy to do whatever was needed which is always going to mean good photos :) The shoot was organised as a present for their parents by Olivia the eldest who I have previously met as she runs Old Down County Park which is about to open as a new wedding venue later this year. I've seen this place mid renovation and I can not wait to see it fully complete as it promises to be stunning! I will be there hopefully later this summer to take some photos for their promotion so watch out for that! For now though, try not to smile while looking at these, I dare you :D

Katie and Chris - Wiltshire Wedding Photographs

2011-07-01T00:36:00.005+01:00

I've been itching to blog this one since, well before I even did it :) Katie and Chris (who you may remember from their recent pre wedding shoot here)got married recently at a little church in Winterborne Monkton and held their reception back at their parents farm just down the road. This is the second time I have photographed at this farm as I did Katie's sister Lydia's wedding there last year. Katie and Chris made it their own and used what used to be stables (I think... or just out buildings...) and it looked just stunning. I knew that they had both been working hard on the details themselves and it really paid off. We'd already discovered the best places to take photographs here on their pre wedding shoot and they both, like me, are fans of the rustic as well as the pretty. Feast your eyes on some of this....

Hannah and Richard - Cripps Barn and Barnsley House, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographs

2011-06-29T23:14:00.005+01:00

Hannah and Richard are two people that are just so easy to be around, so lovely, that I could hang out with them for ages. For this reason I had really been looking forward to photographing their wedding and it didn't disappoint. I had such a lovely day back at one of my favourite local venues Cripps Barn. This time we had the added bonus of nipping down the road to Barnsley House where they were staying on their wedding night for a few photos too, I think the chef at Cripps Barn almost had a heart attack when he found out I was taking them away just before the meal :D but I got them back in time and with 5 minutes to spare! I met Hannah in the morning at a cottage in Bibury with her family and as you will see, extremely stunning bridesmaids.The sun shone from then and through the entire day. There was a real intimate feeling to this wedding, particularly in the evening which I think was partly due to all the entertainment being supplied by friends and family. Something else that was fun for me is that they chose for my very good friend Louise of Cirencester Cupcakes fame to do their cake, check it out, yum!

My new favouritest shoe picture of all time

Lynsey and Doug Sneak Peak - Somerset Wedding

2011-06-28T01:16:00.003+01:00

At the weekend I was down in Somerset for Lynsey and Doug's wedding. It turned from a Drizzley morning to a gorgeous sunny (I got a bit crispy), beautiful day which was perfect as they got married outside. It was a super relaxed day, really looking forward to blogging it for you but for now here's a quick sneaky peak to keep you going.

SWING!!!

Check back soon for more!

Alison and Simon Engagement Session - Oxfordshire

2011-06-23T18:15:00.004+01:00

I really enjoyed my recent engagement session with Alison and Simon. I met them over at their wedding venue (which is Old Luxters Barn, Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire) which is really lovely, we had a walk around to see everything that was on offer and I'm really looking forward to photographing their wedding there soon. For their engagement shoot though we went nearby to a farm where they keep their horse which gave us lots of photo opportunities as you'll see, here are a few of my favourites.

Kate and Mark - Engagement Photographs, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

2011-06-21T21:11:00.003+01:00

Kate and Mark are getting married at Kingscote Barn (which you'll know from my recent wedding post if you follow the blog, so yay :) ) in August. They came over to Cirencester recently for their engagement/pre wedding shoot. I shoot in Ciren Park quite a lot but always seem to find something new to do each time, it's full of possibilities. Looking forward to shooting at Kingscote Barn again soon but for now, here are a few of my favourites from the shoot.

Clare and Tim Sneak Peek - Malmesbury Wedding Photography

2011-06-19T20:58:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I photographed the wedding of Clare and Tim at Malmesbury Abbey and The Old Bell Hotel next door to the Abbey. We were pretty lucky with the weather considering what it has been like this week and it allowed us to go into the Abbey Gardens (famous for clothes optional days as we learnt on our pre wedding meet :D ) for some photographs. I wanted to give you a quick sneaky peek from this part of the day and I am going to leave you with just one as I love it :) check back soon for more!

Donna and Mike - Kingscote Wedding Photographs, Gloucestershire

2011-06-16T01:31:00.006+01:00

I've been really looking forward to blogging Donna and Mike's wedding since I photographed it. Firstly you may remember them from their engagement shoot here, which we did almost a year ago in Cirencester. I left this wedding with such a warm and happy heart, I had such a lovely day with these guys and their families and friends. It really reminds me that although a wedding can be beautiful with all it's little details and personal touches (of which this one had much awesomeness as you will soon see :) ) it's really the people that make the day. There was such a warm, happy energy around all day that it really was just such a pleasure to be around. Donna and Mike were so much fun and are truely lovely, beautiful people! They put all their trust in me, in fact they even told me before the day that they would do whatever I asked as they trusted me so much (wow!) and were willing to give up as much of the day as was needed to get their photographs (although I'm always a pretty fast worker) and so the time we spent together away from everyone was so much fun as I could tell they really enjoyed all of it. This is going to be a pretty epic sized post so sit back and enjoy :)

(One of my favourite bridal pictures I've ever taken I reckon)

Love this, this is just after Donna's Dad gave her away, as he walked back to his seat he joked 'good luck' :D

Totally busted!

So much cool stuff!

Stealing the show with all the cuteness :)

This was quite fun for me as during the bestmens speech they brought out pictures of Mike on a kids tv show called The Movie Game, brought back memories for me too as my school was on that too :)

:)

Kirsty and Matt - Engagement Photographs - Bibury Gloucestershire

2011-06-14T01:47:00.002+01:00

I recently photographed Kirsty and Matt's engagement session in Bibury in Gloucestershire (near Cirencester). They chose Bibury as not only is it very pretty but also because it's very close to Cripps Barn where they are having a musical inspired wedding very soon (yay). I can't wait to photograph that and to share it with you all but for now, here are some of my favourites from their engagement session.

SWAN ATTACK!!! (nearly)

Katie and Chris - Wiltshire Wedding Photographs - Sneak Peek

2011-06-12T20:19:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I photographed the beautiful (and surprisingly sunny) wedding of Katie and Chris at Katie's parents home in Wiltshire. I just wanted to get a quick sneaky peek up so please check back soon for the full post!

Hannah and Richard Sneak Peek - Cripps Barn Wedding Photographs, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-06-07T01:43:00.003+01:00

I have another sneak peek for you :) This is the wedding of the awesome Hannah and Richard who got married at Cripps Barn near Bibury in Gloucestershire. One of the most beautiful venues in Gloucestershire in my opinion. Here are few of my initial favourites but check back soon for the full post!

Katie and Chris's Engagement Session - Wiltshire

2011-05-30T22:31:00.002+01:00

I met up with Katie and Chris at Katie's parents home, I have been there before for an engagement shoot and wedding as Katie is the sister of Lydia who you may remember from here. Chris and Katie's wedding which will also be at the farm promises to be just as beautiful but in a very different way. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do (and the wait is not long, it's only a couple of weeks away). Both Katie and Chris are a fan of rustic things so there are two different types of pretty in this post :)

Donna and Mike, Sneak Peek, Kingscote Barn Wedding Photographs, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-05-30T00:35:00.002+01:00

I wanted to share with you a quick sneaky peek from Donna and Mike's wedding that took place at Kingscote Barn in Gloucestershire. I have lots of lovely things to say about these two who are just fantastic but will save them for the full post, so for now, enjoy :)

Zoe and Adrian - Humanist Wedding in Wales, Glangrwyney Court, Crickhowell

2011-05-28T01:04:00.005+01:00

Recently I photographed the wedding of Zoe and Adrian at Glangrwyney Court near Crickhowell (near Abergavenny) in Wales. Zoe and Adrian had booked me without meeting me first so I only met them a few weeks before the wedding, from then on I was very excited about this wedding. Firstly because Zoe and Adrian were both absolutely lovely and full of smiles (see following photos :D), secondly because they were having a humanist ceremony which I have never photographed before but always wanted to. And thirdly because they had a musical theme and encouraged dressing up! The ceremony was awesome, they had lots of music which kept the feeling informal and upbeat. The celebrant read out lots of stories about Zoe and Adrian from how they met to how they viewed each other which was really fun to hear and I could tell all the guests really loved that. One of the best moments for me was when they walked back up the aisle to The Prodigy, I've never seen two happier people! The whole day was super relaxed and ended (for me, not them) with Adrian's band playing a few numbers which went down very well! Enjoy the photos! Special thanks to Marie Man who second shot for me.

I met Zoe at Porthmawr Country House just down the road where her bridesmaids were getting ready.

This guy was full of awesome

They then had a short legal ceremony inside

YES!! (check out the guy bottom left, he has rings in his nose and ears :) punk rock!)

Zoe and Adrian didn't have a traditional first dance, instead everybody just went for it from the word go! :D

Zoe and Adrian - Wedding Photograph Sneak Peek - Glangrwyney Court, Crickhowell near Abergavenny

2011-05-16T23:17:00.003+01:00

I just wanted to get a quick sneaky peek up from Zoe and Adrian's wedding that took place at Glangrwyney Court, Crickhowell near Abergavenny in Wales. It was a super fun, happy, muscial day which I will tell you about later in the full post. For now though enjoy the smiles :)

Come back soon for more!

The Royal Wedding - Caroline Alexander Photography

2011-04-29T23:32:00.003+01:00

I really didn't think I'd be here writing this, yet all day I've been fully absorbed into the Royal wedding that I just have to say something. For some reason on the build up to today I didn't have that much interest in the wedding. I knew I'd watch it but I didn't care about the hype. I turned it on at about 10.30 am then that was it, I've been obsessed all day since. I know it's not very shocking that someone that chose to be a wedding photographer enjoyed a wedding :) but wow, I really loved it.

Where to start, anyone reading this probably already watched it so I just wanted to share some of my favourite moments. My thoughts the whole time were pretty much just with Catherine (Kate, Princess Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, etc). Although actually, the first thought I had when I saw Catherine was not with her, it was with the woman photographing her (worrying, who is that? What is she doing with that flash? I wish I was doing it, etc...). Then my attention went to Catherine, I was just so pleased to see her look so genuinely happy as she smiled and waved at the crowd as she made her way to Westminster Abbey. Then that moment as she got out of the car, WOW! How perfect was that dress for her? It's not something I would choose for myself, far from it in fact, however it was just perfection! And the veil, I don't see that many veils myself but I do love them and Catherine reminded me why. I wonder if I will see more now? And trees! How many trees in ceremonies will we see now I wonder?

I'm not afraid to admit that I welled up as she entered the Abbey with her Dad, he looked so proud and she looked so happy. I was struck by her poise, I couldn't quite believe her nerves of steel, particularly how steady her hands were while William 'placed' the ring on her finger ;) It's not uncommon for me to well up at a wedding, I often do at the weddings I photograph but can hide it behind a camera :D so was quite taken aback when I a tear rolled down my cheek while watching these people I didn't even know.

It was then little moments that really touched me. I loved the little smile that crept onto Catherine 's face as she heard the crowd outside cheer when they were declared husband and wife. The other much bigger smile that was there for just a split second as she obviously caught the eye of someone she knew while she sang. All the crowds cheering as they made their way to Buckingham Palace, that part made me especially proud to be British. There was one moment where the camera was above them and you could see William rubbing Catherine 's hand with his thumb and I thought, aw! Little gestures like that really show how much he loves and cares for her.

Then later as they walked onto the balcony and Catherine said 'wow' as she saw the crowd for the first time. I loved both of their reactions to the crowd cheering their kiss, it was like embarrassment mixed with amusement mixed with a little bit of pride. I especially love that photo that is floating around of the little bridesmaid holding her ears with a grumpy face on in front of the couple as they kissed :) then one of my favourite little moments was when the couple walked back into the palace and Catherine looked round one last time with the most beautiful smile, it felt like she really connected with the crowd in that moment. Then that car!!! That was the icing on the cake for me, that Aston Martin, how cool was that? It was such a nice touch which really showed their personalities to us, yet another little thing that warms them to us. It's little things like that in the weddings that I photograph that I love, the little bits of themselves the couples put into their day that I really enjoy.

The one thing that I would have liked to have seen from them was a little more energy. I felt like I could see the excitement inside of them but it was like they felt they couldn't release that and I really felt for them. I think there were snippets of it on the balcony but I know they probably only let that show around family which is a shame as I think everyone would have loved to have seen that. I also was amazed at how in control they seemed, they both seemed comfortable with the whole process and what they were doing (I guess they had rehearsed a lot). On weddings that I photograph I really enjoy being there to support my couples, often I think it is comforting to my brides in particular to have someone there like me, a friendly face that has experienced this many times that can guide them if needed and reassure them that everything is going ok. I can't imagine going through that wedding today without being able to turn to someone for that.

I'm not usually one for pouring out personal thoughts like this in such a public way, especially on something that would be so open to criticism, yet since I watched the ceremony I've found myself watching everything there is to watch and clicking on everything there is to see, I can't get enough and I felt I had to share this. Really what it comes down to is that I love seeing people in love. This is why I love what I do, I never fail to get excited by it. The other day I met with one of my couples that are getting married this August (hello Sarah and Alex) to hear about their wedding (which sounds amazing! seriously!) and they asked me if I ever get bored of weddings and I said that I can towards the end of the season. Ever since I said that I wanted to take it back as it really wasn't what I meant at all, I can get bored of running a business (that admin, the accounts, the dull stuff) but I NEVER get bored of a wedding, or of photographing a wedding. I just love everything about it, the dress, the shoes, the JOY, the love, the fun, the details, the music, the families, the celebration of people. I really am very lucky and I can't wait to start showing you some of this years weddings, I've got a corker coming up :D

And as I hate to have a post without photos, here are a few of my favourite wedding photos that show why I love weddings!!

Ok, so I got a little carried away there :) but can you see why I love it so much?

Portrait shoot in Cirencester - Gloucestershire Portrait Photographer

2011-04-26T14:05:00.002+01:00

I'd like to share with you a portrait shoot I did just before Christmas, you can tell by the snow on the ground :) These were two lovely sisters that wanted to do something nice for their Mum at Christmas. And what do Mum's love more than photos of their babies? Well, nothing :) The light was absolutely gorgeous on this particular day, winter really can be a beautiful time when the sun behaves. Here are a few of my favourites from this session.

See that dog? That dog was flippin' massive! Much bigger than me (which isn't hard I know) and it ran all the way over to me and gave my lens hood a nice big lick, ew!

Recently Featured! Rock My Wedding, Gloucestershire Wedding Photographer

2011-04-14T15:13:00.004+01:00

Recently I was featured once again on the awesome Rock My Wedding blog. It was Helen and Matt's wedding which you would have seen here in the Autumn of last year. They did a great job and said some lovely things which is pretty cool to hear as you can imagine :) They featured it over two days, if you would like to go take a look part one is here and part two is here.

And one of my favourite images from the wedding to give you a sneak peak :)

A little bit of portraiture :) - Gloucestershire Portrait Photographer, Cirencester

2011-03-02T00:46:00.004Z

Hello everyone! I can't quite believe how fast this year is going, we are already in March now and I have been a very naughty blogger this year! It's been a bit of a crazy few months for me, I moved at the end of January (not far don't worry, and business address is still the same) so that and the settling in has taking up a huge amount of my time. I've also been taking a little bit of time off for me :) I didn't stop last year from March to December, I just took about 4 proper days off in the whole of that so felt I deserved a bit of downtime for the quietest time of year for a wedding photographer. However, I am also a portrait photographer. I don't usually post much portraiture on this blog but I thought I'd post some sessions that I have done recently to give you a little look at some of the things I have been doing.

This is a family shoot, you may recognise someone in the photos from here. This was Lisbeth with her family, we did the shoot in the same park that we started Lisbeth's shoot with Lizzie in as it's such a great versatile place to photograph in, something for everyone.

I'll be back very soon for some more portrait fun (And a little wedding here and there :) )