Tom & Alicia's Wedding at St Marks Church, Highcliffe & Parley Manor, Christchurch

Tom & Alicia got married in April 2011 at St Mark's Church in Highcliffe, and then held their Wedding Reception at Parley Manor, Christchurch.

Alicia didn't have any preparation shots taken, so I went straight to church to capture Tom and his Groomsmen, both little & big!

Tom didn't want a big 'photo-shoot' Wedding, so I kept things as relaxed as possible, and was able to get some nice natural shots.


The Bridesmaids arrived at Church first, followed by Alicia with her Dad in a beautiful open-topped classic Wedding car.

The Wedding ceremony was lovely, and afterwards, as the weather was perfect, we were able to spend a good amount of time outside in the Church grounds taking some of the requested group shots, and also a number of the more natural, reportage images.



The Newly Weds then headed to Parley Manor, where they were able to have a bit of time and few shots together, before the Wedding Party arrived.

Again, the good weather made it possible for everyone to mingle outside in the grounds of this fabulous venue, and gave me plenty of opportunity for capturing the guests.








Congratulations Tom & Alicia!

Thankyou for choosing me as your Wedding Photographer, and may you have every happiness in your future together!


I am a Parley Manor Partner Photographer.

Andy & Claire's Wedding at St John's Church, Boscombe and The Royal Bath Hotel

Andy & Claire were married in April 2011 at St Andrew's Church in Boscombe, and held their reception at The Royal Bath Hotel in Bournemouth.

I arrived at Claire's parents' house in the morning to capture the Bride & her Bridesmaids getting ready, and then headed to St Andrew's Church to meet up with Andy & the Boys.

Claire then arrived at Church in a classic Wedding car with her Dad.



The Church of England marriage ceremony was lovely, and afterwards I was able to capture a good amount of natural shots of the Newly Weds and their guests.

A Red London Bus had been hired to transport the guests from Church to the reception venue, which looked fab! I love this shot of Claire & Andy hanging off the back!




It was amazing weather, with plenty of hot sunshine and blue skies, so we were able to get most of the group shots that Claire & Andy had requested outside, either at Church or in the grounds of The Royal Bath Hotel.

You can see just how warm the day was by the amount of people on Bournemouth beach behind Andy & Claire.








Congratulations Andy & Claire, and I wish you all the best for your future together!

Andrew Millard

Chris & Abbie's Wedding at The Chine Hotel, Boscombe - May 2011

Chris & Abbie got married in May 2011 at The Chine Hotel in Boscombe. This is a great venue as it allowed us to walk down through Boscombe Gardens to the pier for some photographs after the Wedding Ceremony.

I took preparation shots of Abbie & the Bridesmaids, who got ready at The Chine, and also met up with Chris & the Boys for a few shots before the Civil Marriage Ceremony. Afterwards, we headed down to Boscombe Pier and got a few different shots of the newly married couple.

I stayed to capture the speeches (during which there were both tears & much laughter!) and then through to the First Dance.

A great day, and a big congratulations to Chris & Abbie!!

Wessex Cancer Trust 2011 "Business Come Dancing" Charity Event at the Hotel Piccadilly

The Wessex Cancer Trust, together with the Hotel Piccadilly in Bournemouth, hosted the "Business Come Dancing" charity event on 30th June 2011. Seven local business men and women took to the ballroom floor to compete with their professional dance partners for the 2011 trophy. Companies that participated included Savills, Coles Miller Solicitors, AFCB Bournemouth, Princecroft Willis, HSBC, VS Club, and Inkwell.

The contestants danced for a packed audience and a panel of judges – Peter Scott of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Susanne Hancock, dancer and qualified adjudicator, Lizzie McManus from The Coast & Breeze radio station, and special guest actor Stefan Booth who plays Greg in Eastenders.

The event was a huge success for the Wessex Cancer Trust, raising over £6000 for local cancer patients and their families.

This is the second year that I was asked to support the event by taking photographs of the competitors whilst dancing, and also afterwards during the awards. The photographs are to be used by the Charity in their literature and press releases.

Congratulations to the 2011 winners, Pippa Leech from Savills and her dance partner Daniel Murrell from Debut Dancing, Christchurch, shown below pulling some fantastic moves!

For further information on the Wessex Cancer Trust, and details on the 2012 Business Come Dancing Event, please contact Karen on karen@wessexcancer.org, or check out their website at www.wessexcancer.org

The event has been covered in several press & company articles, including the following: -
The Business - independent magazine for Dorset, West Hants and Salisbury
Coles Miller Solicitors

Wedding Blogs Coming Soon!!

Apologies to all the Newly Weds whose Weddings I have recently covered and have not yet posted on my blog - it has been a crazy month!! I will do my best to get on top of this in the next couple of weeks! Hope everyone is well! Andrew.

First Holy Communion at Our Lady Queen of Peace RC Church

Congratulations to all the children who received their First Holy Communion earlier this month at Our Lady Queen of Peace RC Church in Southbourne.

I attended to take photographs of the children and their families before the service, and also as they were receiving Communion for the first time.

We had a spell of good weather for the day, so all was good on that front, and the service was lovely.

Images are online for viewing & ordering through my website www.millardphotography.co.uk

Sir John Colfox Prom at Haselbury Mill, Crewkerne

This is the third year I have been invited to photograph the Year 11 Prom for Sir John Colfox School, who are located in Bridport Dorset.

This year, the event was held at Haselbury Mill, Crewkerne, near Yeoville. What a great choice; the venue has been purpose built for events such as Weddings, and is also very popular for school proms due to its large Tithe Barn, and lovely surrounding grounds.

The coaches arrived at 7pm, and the party started on the lawns in front of the Barn, with fruit punch being served. Everyone looked amazing; the girls looked lovely and the boys looked really dapper too. I photographed the guests (and some of the teachers!) in the reception area, and then everyone was seated by 8pm, for their meal. About an hour later, the DJ kicked in and the party really started, with everyone on the dance floor - it looked like everyone was having a great night when we left at about 10.30pm!

You were a great bunch to photograph, and I wish you all the very best for your futures!

I have posted a small selection of photographs below, but you can check out the full gallery online, by clicking this link or by following the "View Your Photographs" button on my homepage. Also, it would be great if you could 'like' me on my Facebook Page, or even better leave a comment or write a quick review. Thanks.

Mark & Donna's Wedding at Rhinefield House

Congratulations Mark & Donna! What a great day for their Spring Wedding at Rhinefield House Hotel; the April weather continued to be just fab, enabling everyone to get out and really enjoy the grounds of this venue in the New Forest, Hampshire.

The day started with preparation shots of Donna & her bridesmaids at the venue, and I stayed right through to capture the Newly Weds First Dance.

Donna and her Dad arrived in a traditional horse-drawn cart, and the ceremony was then held in Rhinefield's Grand Hall Civil Ceremony suite. And what a ceremony; it was really emotional, with plenty of joy all round!

Mark & Donna wanted a real mix of traditional and reportage style photography, and so I was able to to achieve this by making use the extensive grounds; the House, the lawns and the large reflecting pool. Mark & Donna went off for a quick walk together through the gardens, and it was then that I was able to capture, from a distance, some real private moments.

After the Wedding Breakfast, I captured the speeches before the Evening Reception commenced, where Mark & Donna had arranged for a Casino for guests to play their hand at. And of course a DJ to party the night away to!

Youth Cancer Trust Donation

Over the past 12 months or so, I've been working with Derek Smith, the Events & Fundraising Coordinator for the Youth Cancer Trust (YCT) in Bournemouth.

The YCT provide free, fun activity-based holidays for young people (aged 14 to 30) suffering with cancer or any malignant disease, from anywhere in the UK and the Irish Republic, or who are patients of any UK hospital. The youngsters can also go on a holiday if they have been in remission for up to five years or are living with the effects of having had cancer as a teenager.

It's a fab charity, and its a real privilege to be involved in helping to raise funds to support the scheme. I had a stand alongside Derek at the Bournemouth Fashion Week last Summer, and also was involved in their Charity 'Ryder Cup' Golf Day & Gala Evening.

As such, Millard Photography has been able to donate £500 to the YCT for 2010 events, and even though I didn't have a big 'charity cheque' to hand over, I still took a trip down to Tracy-Ann House at Alum Chine to present Derek with the money. I really hope to be involved with YCT during 2011, as the work it does is just amazing. See how you can help support the charity here.

Its April!

Can you believe that we've reached April already?! 2011 seems to be flying by, and my busy Wedding season is imminent! I've already covered a couple of Weddings this year, the first being Graham & Michaela on 5th February at Merley House, Wimborne, Dorset

Nathan & Katie on 19th February at The Cumberland Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset

My next Wedding is that of Colin & Laura in the second week of April at the Highcliff Marriott Hotel on Bournemouth cliff top - hopefully the lovely Spring weather we've been having will continue!

March ......

I've covered a few events so far this year, including the 30th Birthday of Pampered Pets, at the Novotel Hotel in Southampton. A great night with Awards, formal and informal photographs and a live band. Congratulations Pampered Pets!

I also recently covered the Hotel Piccadilly Strictly Come Dancing Event with Vincent & Flavia (from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show).

The Piccadilly is the UK’s No 1 hotel for Dancing Holidays, and Terri Flett, the Owner, runs Dance events throughout the year where guests are given dance tutorials by the resident professional dancers, and in this case, by the Stars of Strictly! As part of the Dinner Dance evening, and after the Caberet Show where Vincent & Flavia took to the floor to entertain us all with their amazing dancing, guests were invited to have their photograph taken with the Strictly Stars themselves, and then Vincent & Flavia personally signed their prints. A great night!

Check out Vincent & Flavia's website at http://www.vincentandflavia.com/

Don't Forget Mother's Day!

Sunday 3rd April is Mother's Day - if you're struggling with an idea for a present, how about a Gift Voucher for a Family Portrait? Check out my Photo-shoot offers here.

First Blog!

Hello!!

Welcome to the Millard Photography Blog! I've just set it up (it's taken me ages!!) so keep watching for updates and news of what I've been up to, and also of any special offers and events!

I'm going to try and update every week or so .... this may become tricky over the Summer months as I get busier with Wedding Photography, but I will try my best!

I've recently become a Parley Manor Partner which is exciting, as its such a lovely Wedding venue, and the managers Gwen & Lawney are extremely professional, so I'm really looking forward to working with them. I've been pretty busy over the weekend with a number of consultations for 2012 Parley Manor Weddings, and I'm hoping to arrange some more within the next month or so.

If you are looking for a Wedding Photographer, then please get in touch. I'm based in Bournemouth, Dorset, but I cover all the surrounding areas too, including Christchurch, Poole, the New Forest, Salisbury, and Southampton. I am also willing to travel further afield, so if after looking at my website, you are interested in my natural style, then please do contact me.