Real Bride Top Wedding Tips…Winner!!

March 1, 2011 By 1 Comment

Just wanted to say another HUGE thank you to all of my last years couples who took part in our ‘Real Brides Top Tips & Favourite Picture’ this year, your contributions were fantastic and great fun to read. But as promised there has to be a winner of the fantastic 12″x18″ canvas, we have held the draw and pulled names from a hat, and the winners are……..

 

CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah and Jon Farrant :-)

 

 

Sarah and Jon were married on the 29th May at All Saints Church in Durrington and then went on to Rollestone Manor near Stonehenge in Wiltshire. To see their Wiltshire wedding story, click the following link – Rollestone Manor Wedding. To see Sarah and Jon’s ‘Real Bride Top Tips‘ click this link – Real Bride Top Tips.

 

Congratulations once again guy’s, let us know your canvas choice asap and we will get it right out to you :-)

 

Best wishes

 

Courtenay

 

Dorset wedding Photographer – Courtenay Photographic Ltd
Filed Under: Country House Weddings, from our brides, Fun Stuff, Other stuff, Rollestone Manor, Wedding Planning, Wiltshire Wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Real Bride Top Wedding Tips

January 26, 2011 By 1 Comment

Today’s Top Tips and favourite picture comes from Sarah and Jon Farrant. Sarah and Jon were married on the 29th May last year at All Saints Church in Durrington and then went on to the lovely Rollestone Manor near Stonehenge in Wiltshire for their reception. To see their Wiltshire Wedding story on our blog click here.

Here is Sarah and Jon…

Hello Courtenay,

Happy new year to you; hope you’re keeping well.
One of our favourite images is This one

A picture of me running back into the marquee!

We chose this one as it captured a moment in our day so beautifully. Rain was a feature of our day (though it certainly didn’t ruin it ) and we love the fact that you celebrated this in your photo. Not the kind of moment friends and family captured on their cameras! I remember feeling incredibly happy as I ran back into the marquee when it started to rain, formal photos done and ready for dinner and this photo will always bring this memory back to me.

Our top tips would be:

1) Money is certainly not everything. We called in all kinds of talents and favours from family and friends and it helped to make our day even more special as most people had a tangible ‘stake’ in it and felt a real part of it.

2) Trust your instincts when choosing a venue and making all your other decisions on the people who will provide services for your wedding. Choose the right people and they will do a good job for you – look for people who care about what they do and you can guarantee they’ll do it well.

3) Invite children - people have their own feelings on this but seeing the young children of our friends and family running around, getting involved and getting excited was definitely one of the highlights of our day.

Whatever you do, make the day your own and enjoy every moment. Good luck!

Thanks Courtenay,

Sarah and Jon

Courtenay Photographic Ltd – Wedding Photographers in Dorset
Filed Under: from our brides, Fun Stuff, News from us., Rollestone Manor, Wedding Planning, Wiltshire Wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wedding Venues & Wedding Albums

November 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

Hey everyone :-)

Check out our new Wedding Venues and Wedding albums on the website! You never know you might find yourself the star of your very own page!

We thought it would be a useful source of information, to see a real wedding at a wedding venue which you might be looking at for your own wedding. Hopefully it will give you a real flavour of what your wedding could look like at your chosen wedding venue.

These Wedding Venues and Wedding Album pages will be forever updating with new wedding venues and wedding albums, so remember to check back from time to time to see new wedding albums and wedding venues.

Hope you enjoy :-)

Best wishes

Courtenay

Dorset Wedding Photographer – Courtenay Photographic Ltd
Filed Under: Cambridgeshire wedding, Castle Weddings, Country House Weddings, County Weddings, Devon Wedding, Dorset Wedding, Essex Wedding, Gloucestershire Wedding, Hampshire Wedding, Hertfordshire wedding, Hotel Weddings, Kent Wedding, London Wedding, Marquee Weddings, News from us., Northamptonshire Wedding, Other stuff, Somerset Wedding, Surrey Wedding, Venue Weddings, Welsh wedding, Wiltshire Wedding, Yorkshire Weddings Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rollestone Manor Wiltshire, Wedding of Sarah and Jon

June 6, 2010 By 2 Comments

So a bank holiday weekend and the usual threat of some rain, I better be carrying the brollies with me today! I’m off to find Sarah the lovely Bride who is readying at a friends house in Brigsmerton in Wiltshire, not very far away from the very famous Stone Henge. On arrival, I find we have quite a house full, still more the merrier and the rain has also begun to subside which is a bonus, fingers crossed! Bridal preps and usual details done I head off to the nearby village of Durrington and to the lovely All Saints Church, where I find Jon (the Groom) and his family and Best man – a few more nerves here I suspect. Still the rain seems to have completely cleared away now and we even seem to have some blue sky and sunny spells.

Soon it’s time for Jon, family and friends to make their way into the Church and take their places for the forthcoming ceremony. And not too soon either as Sarah arrives outside the Church gates and makes her way up to the Church doors with her Dad and Brother. The music plays and Sarah makes her way down the aisle to Jon and the lovely ceremony begins, hymns and readings and the marriage ceremony itself, then the signing of the registers and its time for Mr and Mrs Farrant to triumphantly make their exit into the …sunshine :-)

Away now to the village of Shrewton (near Stonehenge) and the the lovely Rollestone Manor, which is to be the setting for the rest of today’s festivities. Upon arrival, Sarah Jon and I slip away for a few quiet moments to capture some intimate portraits for their album, whilst the rest of their guests and family make their way to the venue. Soon everyone else has arrived at Rollestone Manor and its time to crack open the champagne and pass round the canapes. Rain makes an appearance again so everyone heads into the marquee for a while. Sunshine shows itself so it’s time to get those important family group shots done, so out into the gardens we go again, pictures done some time to enjoys the gardens before the next shower arrives.

Time to head into the Marquee again,  but this time for the wedding breakfast, then the touching and funny speeches followed by the traditional cutting of the wedding cake. Coffee and cake served and then the call from the DJ to Sarah and Jon to take to the dance floor, everyone gathers around and Mr and Mrs Farrant take their first dance steps as man and wife. Sarah and Jon are soon joined by other couples and then the tempo changes and the serious partying can begin, my time to say farewell. Well we missed the worst of the weather and besides it didn’t affect the celebrations and warmth of atmosphere one bit, another lovely day!

Here are a few of my favourites from the day…

Courtenay Photographic – Wedding Photographers in Dorset
Filed Under: Church Weddings, Country House Weddings, Marquee Weddings, Rollestone Manor, Summer weddings, Venue Weddings, Wiltshire Wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bradley House Wiltshire Wedding of Ilona & David

September 16, 2009 By 1 Comment
So again this wedding is a little different! Ilona and David are in fact already officially (in the eyes of the law) married. But as with all things it isn’t quite as straight forward as that. Ilona is from Russia and because of the UK’s complicated laws on visa’s, marriage licenses etc even though she has been living here for several years, studied here at University etc getting a marriage license was far too complicated nay impossible. So with that in mind David and Ilona completed the legal formalities in Holland, but now wanted to have a more traditional ceremony blessing in the UK with their friends and family, well Ilona’s family would have to come over from Russia anyway.
So the morning of the big day, yet another crisp but beautifully sunny and warm one, fantastic. I traveled over to Bradley House in Maiden Bradley (the Home of the Duke of Somerset) Wiltshire where most of the days celebrations were to take place other than the ceremony itself which would be in Maiden Bradley Church right next door. On arrival I Head straight up to the bridal suite to find the lovely Ilona readying with her Bridesmaids. Now I forgot to say that there was something else a little bit different about today’s proceedings … The title theme of the wedding was DENIM! And when I say denim, I mean practically everything was made from or with or was about denim. Chair covers, napkins, table decorations, name tags, suits, dresses you name it, it was denim! And to top it all off, Ilona’s dress… yes you guessed it, denim. Now not just any ordinary denim, brushed white denim, even the long lacy looking train, and I have to say she and it, looked absolutely stunning, WOW!!!
Time to walk to the church, Ilona and her Bridal party make their way through the ground to All Saints where David was patiently waiting. A beautiful candlelit ceremony followed, some parts in English tradition and some parts in Russian Orthadox. Soon its out into the warm sunshine and a barrage of… bubbles! Fantastic bubbles too, some of the biggest and most colourful I have ever seen.
Then its a short walk through the grave yard back to the grounds of Bradley House and to the waiting Pimms and canapes. Relaxing in the sunshine, good conversation and plenty of laughter. my jobb is so very easy today, no formal photographs required. Just before its time to go in and eat, Ilona, David and I slip away for a few quiet moments and to capture a few romantic shots for the album. then its time to head in for the meal, and that is where I leave today, its been a real pleasure.

Wedding Photography Dorset - Courtenay Photographic

Filed Under: Autumn weddings, Bradley House, Church Weddings, Country House Weddings, Wiltshire Wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guyers House Wiltshire Wedding of Jenna & Daniel

November 3, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Jenna & Daniel married last Saturday at the lovely Guyers House in Corsham (Wiltshire). Because everybody was getting ready in the one place, Stuart was able to catch both the girls and the boys preparations for a change – including the boys looking perplexed by some bunting thay had been tasked with putting up in the courtyard!
Sadly, the registrar did not allow any photography at all during the cermony, but Stuart managed to catch a few of Jennas entrance, and some nice ones together as they signed the register (NB – note to future brides – please do all in your power to persuade your registrar that a few discreet photographs are really essential to you. It’s the most important part of the day, after all, and does leave a sad hole in your album when you don’t have a single image of your vows. Different counties work under different rules, and Wiltshire registrars are often rather strict).
Jenna and Daniel had a brief quiet spell in the gardens with Stuart (the weather stayed fine, thankfully) for some nice romantic portraits before joining their guests for the formals, and then on in to the wedding breakfast.
Everyone had a really wonderful day, and the evening finished perfectly with a spectacular display of fireworks.

Wedding Photographer Dorset – Courtenay Photographic

Filed Under: Country House Weddings, Guyers House, Hotel Weddings, Wiltshire Wedding, Winter weddings Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wardour Castle Wiltshire Wedding of Sarah & Adam

May 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Sarah and Adam have been together for just over 10 years and throughout that time have endured many personal adversities, that coupled with universities, career challenges and just the everyday coping with what life throws at you, they have come through it all and today are stronger together than ever. What shines though all of this is their total and complete love for one another, they are true soul mates, each others better halves. What I love about Sarah and Adam is their ability to laugh through everything and just get on with life, they are a wonderful couple and it was a true privilege to be able to be part of their special day.
Wardour Castle Wiltshire, wow!…. it is a wonderful venue, one I love to shoot at, it has drama, history, romance – it’s just an ideal setting and a photographers dream. The day itself was full of fun and laughter and a few tears, naturally! Sarah spent the morning preparing in the lovely Fleur de Lys Hotel in Shaftesbury, very relaxed and full of her usual infectious laughter. Adam arrived at Wardour Castle in an open topped vintage Landrover, all spruced up and raring to go! Again no signs of nerves, just impatient to marry the girl of his dreams. Sarah finally arrived at the castle and the dream wedding began. Not all of the happy couples guests could squeeze into the small room just off the main Castle courtyard, so a special video link and screen had been set up to give live action to the room next door – as Sarah and Adams vows were finally exchanged, a loud cheer was heard from next door! The next couple of hours were spent leisurely at the Castle before it was time for the couple to leave together in the Landrover to head to their reception which was being held at the Coppleridge Inn in Motcombe Dorset. More champagne on arrival and a few more guests to meet, Sarah and Adam were soon sat down to a wonderful meal. This followed by the touching speeches and a great band to see out the night.
All in all a wonderful day, and for the most part the sun shone too. To Sarah and Adam, thank you for a great day, I wish you all the happiness in the world.

Wedding Photographer Dorset – Courtenay Photographic

Filed Under: Castle Weddings, Spring weddings, Wardour Castle, Wiltshire Wedding Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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