Mark & Anne-Louise's Wedding at Stanley House, Blackburn

Mark & Anne-Louise were married in February at St. Wilfred's Catholic Church in Preston, and held their reception afterwards at Stanley House in Blackburn, Lancashire.

I was invited to photograph this wedding as I had previously covered the Bride's brother's wedding in 2007, and then I also photographed the Groom's sister's wedding a couple of years later in 2010.

It was good to meet up with both families again, and there were also 3 new arivals!

The day started with preparation photographs where I spent an hour with Anne-Louise.

When I arrived at St. Wilfreds Church in Preston City centre, I caught the Groom arriving in a flashy red E-Type Jaguar!  I photographed Mark, his Best Man and his Groomsmen outside, whilst the guests were arriving at church.

The church itself is like a tardis - if you live in, or ever visit Preston, you really need to check it out!
Before walking down the aisel, I captured the Bride & her Father taking a synchronised deep breath! Mark looked well chuffed when he saw Anne-Louise walking towards him! The wedding ceremony was really nice, and they chose to sign the register in view of their guests.

As we arrived at Stanley House, which sits atop a hill, we ascended into a winter fog! This didn't stop us getting outside however, and capturing their requested group shots, along with some great atmospheric images of just the two of them, whilst the wise guests stayed warm inside the reception area!

The evening was packed with fun as they had hired a great singer/entertainer who had all the guests singing their way through the wedding breakfast.  This was followed up with fireworks, the first dance and then an exceptional London based pianist who created a great party atmosphere.  The Bride and Groom also received a personal call from the Overtones http://www.theovertones.tv/ who were currently on tour..... Wow!

I did manage to steal them for 5 minutes for a cool shot in the dark with the E-Type Jaguar.

Chris & Natalie's Wedding at East Close Hotel, in The New Forest Hampshire, near Christchurch

Chris & Natalie got married in February and held their Winter Wedding at the East Close Hotel on the edge of The New Forest, Hampshire.

I photographed Natalie's sister's wedding in 2010, and so I was delighted when their Mum contacted me to be involved again. It's a real honour when I am booked through recommendation, especially within a family, and so it was great to see so many familiar faces!

The day started with preparation shots at the hotel, where Tracy from Brides Hair was busy with Natalie and her Bridesmaids.

I then used the grounds of the hotel to catch up with Chris and his Groomsmen; Chris was after a definite natural feel to the photographs, and so I kept everything really relaxed.

The civil ceremony in the Gallery Room was lovely - really intimate with 40 guests of close family and friends. Afterwards, and because it was a little chilly, everyone mingled in the private cocktail bar which gave me an opportunity to move around and catch those more natural and informal shots.

Chris and Natalie had specified a few group photographs they wanted, and so I set up some of these inside the hotel, before venturing out into the gardens to brave the cold for a while to capture the newlyweds on their own.

After the Wedding Breakfast and speeches, guests were able to leave a recorded video message for the new Mr & Mrs on a video booth called 'Capture Kiosk', which looked great fun.

After photographing the First Dance, I left the Wedding party to continue in full swing.

I had a great day with you all, and I would like to thank you for inviting me to photograph your Wedding. Congratulations Chris & Natalie, and all the best for the future.

Shane & Mandy's Wedding at Lyndhurst Park Hotel in The New Forest

Congratulations to Mandy & Shane who had their Spring Wedding in March 2012 at The Lyndhurst Park Hotel in The New Forest.

This was a particularly special wedding for me, since Mandy is family, and so inadvertently, the pressure was on (in a good way of course)!!

I initially met up with Shane, his 2 Best Men and Ushers, and wandered over to Boltons Bench Hill for some pre-ceremony shots.

Mandy didn't want any preparation shots, so I met up with her just before the Wedding for some photographs with the Bridesmaids, before heading downstairs to the Mark Ash suite, which was buzzing with almost 130 guests! The ceremony was lovely, with some heartfelt readings from family and friends.

After some group photographs around the grounds of the hotel, and some of the more relaxed and natural documentary style shots, I headed up to the top of Boltons Bench with the new Mr & Mrs Keenan and their bridal party. We got caught very briefly in a light shower of rain, but as is often the case, this made for a couple of great unexpected and natural shots!

After the Wedding Breakfast and some great speeches, Mandy & Shane collared me for some photographs outside as they had spotted an amazing sunset, so we sneaked off to catch the last few minutes of it and were able to get some real romantic images. We also took this opportunity to walk up Lyndhurst High Street for some shots that they had specifically requested to capture the New Forest Village feel.

After capturing the first dance, I clocked off & hit the dance floor myself!!

Thanks Mandy & Shane for asking me to photograph your wedding - I had a great day both as your photographer, and also as your guest! Congratulations to you both, and I wish you all the happiness for your future together.

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!!