Wedding of Emma & Andy Compton Acres

It's always lovely when a couple come to us through a recommendation from a previous client, in fact we are lucky that most of our couples come to us this way and Emma and Andy were no exception to this. A wonderful sunny day (at last!) arrived at Emma's house just before she returned from the hairdressers - soon the house was full - bridesmaids, make-up artists, Mum's and Dad, oh and of course me! The house was full of laughter as the girls prepared and everyone seemed really relaxed. Off to the venue - The Italian Villa at Compton Acres in Poole Dorset, a lovely venue and one we attend fairly frequently. Stunning gardens which definitely need the weather to be good to appreciate their beauty, friendly staff and a wonderful contemporary building for the service and reception. I found Andy with his best man Nathan (whom I also know very well as he is a manager at the Haven Hotel in Poole another venue we attend regularly - small world!) and also his guard of honour. Andy was considerably nervous, but looked very smart in his uniform, a stiff drink helped a little!
Emma finally arrived with her entourage in a stretch limousine and Andy finally got to see his beautiful bride as she processed down the aisle towards him on the arm of her very proud Dad. The service was very emotional and touching - at last they were married!
Canapes and drinks in the gardens, a beautiful meal, hilarious and touching speeches and a really great band to see out the night.
The whole day was a fantastic event, the sun shone from beginning to end - Emma and Andy are a really lovely couple and deserve all the happiness in the world

Wedding of Francesca & Tatton, Combe House

Francesca and Tatton finally sealed their love with a civil ceremony in the beautiful Combe House Hotel - A wildly romantic grade 1 Elizabethan manor in Gittisham, the very heart of the Devon countryside. After the civil ceremony, the Bride and Groom and all their guests, climbed aboard a vintage bus and made their way down to the parish church St Michaels for a blessing ceremony. This was a lovely idea and really added a little something extra to the days events. Its not often that you see a Bride and Groom in all their finery, entering a church together! The whole day was a real family affair, very relaxed and lots of fun. Even the weather behaved itself - well okay there was the occasional April shower (mostly in the morning though) to dodge, but for the most part the sun shone which just added icing to the cake. The families had taken over the whole hotel for the weekend, so there was no need to rush, the wedding breakfast was spread out over several rooms of the hotel and the couple moved from room to room eating a different course in each. A great idea and a fantastic way of making sure they could give all their guests proper attention. After the speeches in the Great Hall, Francesca and Tatton kicked off the evening festivities with their first dance followed by riotous dancing to a fantastic Ceilidh Band. What a great day!

Wedding of Nerys and Pete, Athelhampton House

Now I love Athelhampton House, nestled in the heart of the Dorset countryside just down the road from the historic Tolpuddle (apt name as you will see). Once the home of Anne Boleyn, now a beautiful location for the perfect wedding. Wonderful architecture, stunning gardens, with pyramids of Yew and flowers to compliment all seasons. All thats needed to make the recipe perfect (apart from a loving couple of course!) is the gentle beams of delicate spring sunshine. Well that's an ideal of course, but what we had last Saturday was far far from the ideal (I think you will get the general idea from the theme we have running through the few taster images we have below - Umbrella anyone?), High winds and torrential rain, and then some! All day and all night it pelted down, with exception of a ten minute lull to at least allow a few outside images, even then it was cold and the brolly was never far away. Nerys and Pete are a lovely couple and their love for one another and their family and friends was evident from the very start, so no matter the rain and wind the occasion was a warm and happy one.

Francesca & Tatton E-Shoot

Nerys & Pete E-Shoot