Thomas & Rachel

The wedding ceremony took place in the truly magnificent Town Hall of Eastbourne which dates back to 1884. It has magnificent photographic features with its ornate Renaissance style architecture. From an intimidating clock tower to superb pilasters, protecting elaborate carved wooden entrance doors. Seriously, a photographer’s dream in every sense and features which I found so inspirational when capturing some captivating wedding shots of the day.

For me, the day started at Rachel’s parents’ house at 9.30am. Rachel was admirably calm surrounded by her friends and family and excited to commence with the pre-wedding pampering, ably assisted with a cheeky glass of champagne! The wedding party had their hair done by Cheryl McGroggan, a dream to work with and runs her own mobile hairdresser business! I loved the whole ambiance of the morning. There was a real buzz in the air but everyone was pretty relaxed. It all ensured I was able to capture some lovely warm and emotive shots.

Meanwhile the groom, Thomas, dressed in a slick pale grey suit and blue suede shoes was having his last full English breakfast as a single man with his best man Steve and handsome entourage of ushers.  They all did a sterling job of steadying his nerves before the important ceremony.

Tastefully late, Rachel arrived in a 1930’s Vintage Rolls Royce which purred up to the graceful steps of the Town Hall, greeted by all the bridesmaids adorned in stunning colbalt blue dresses and shoes. Truly captivating colours to photograph against the magnificent back drop of the Hall. 

The ceremony was held in the Council Chamber, a gorgeous oak panelled room addorned with oil paintings. Thomas and Rachel exchanged handmade rings crafted by Clare at Across the courtyard. After the ceremony, conducted in a stunning wood panelled room, the newlyweds, Mr & Mrs Keep, enthusiastically posed for some lovely group shots and then we all set off for the reception.  En-route, I asked the Chauffeur to take a little detour to a beauty spot I had discovered whilst out on my pre-wedding recce.  Just off a country lane sat a breathtaking cornfield enveloped by imposing hills which just begged to be photographed.  An enchanting spot which resulted in stunning pictures of Rachel and Thomas.

The reception hall was in the nearby Village Hall of Selmeston. The entrance was adorned by a waterfall of greenery. All of the flowers for the day were supplied by the very talented Jo from The Little Florist Southsea. The theme continuing inside, with foliage seeming to hop from table to another. A very pretty setting which served as a beautiful back drop for the wedding breakfast and speeches.

It was a glorious day so I took complete advantage of the warm setting sun, a great time to take photos. One of the ushers helped me move a bench over to a good spot and we grabbed some slightly more informal pictures of the day.

The evening kicked off with the band which I captured jamming in the back of their “wagon” ...  cool dudes with floppy hair and a funky 1970’s vibe, perfect to photograph and great fun!

So, will I do it again? Absolutely! What a truly fantastic experience and what an absolute pleasure to be at one of the most important days of a couple’s life. I felt a huge responsibility to get things just right so careful planning with Thomas and Rachel before the event was crucial to the day and it certainly resulted in some fabulous images for everyone to share and cherish. Thomas and Rachel, it was a magnificent day and I wish you all the very best for the future. You are fantastic together.

If you were a guest at the wedding and would like to see all of the images please access the private gallery with your password by clicking the link below.

Here are just a few images from the day...