Having lived in Surbiton, Surrey myself for about 25 years since doing my degree at Kingston Poly (in Applied Chemistry would you believe!!!) and moving to live in South Oxfordshire a couple of years ago and continue to be a wedding photographer in Oxford, it was lovely to go back to my old stomping ground of leafy Surrey. The Richmond Hill Hotel has a stunning vista across the famous crescent in the river Thames as it heads down towards Teddington and Kingston. John & Lyndsey were a great fun couple to photograph and despite the weather spitting with rain we managed to get the shots Lyndsey had dreamed of overlooking the famous view. They had two gorgeous little bridesmaids showering them with bubbles all day and I got a lovely shot of one of them, completely unaware of me, blowing bubbles by the window (don’t you just love natural light!). I have to admit Lyndsey gave me a challenge in the evening reception wanting a group shot of EVERYONE inside the ballroom as a big group shot so it was a good job I took my Elinchrom studio flash lighting I sometimes use if the weather is less than kind. I managed to light the huge group perfectly with 2 large softboxes from the stage to get the shots she wanted. Lyndsey looked stunning in a Sassi Holford gown called Maisie complete with cappuchino sash and expertly fitted and purchased from without doubt the finest Design Wedding gown shop around London Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique of Beaconsfield. I know I may be biased as she is my fiance but the fit of her gorgeous designer gowns is first class, she simply refuses to let a bride out of the shop unless the dress fits like a glove on the wedding day. Ellie has just supplied the wedding gown for Suzanne Shaw as featured in last weeks OK! magazine. I feel I know more than is healthy for a man about structure, fabrics, fit and finish of wedding dresses but believe me it helps when shooting brides week in week out and I am glad I do. If any brides out there are reading this, get your appointment booked at Ellie Sanderson to try on some of the most fabulous gowns in the UK.

We had some fun recreating the Beatles’ “Abbey Road zebra crossing” shot with the guys in the morning too and Lydsey dragged her dad onto the dancefloor at the end for some great moves .

I seem to be getting quite a few weddings in Surrey to photograph this year, perhaps it is as I used to do wedding photography in Surrey before I was an Oxfordshire wedding photographer but then again I do get approached to travel all over the UK and occasionally abroad to shoot weddings!

As always please check out my website The Bridal Photographer for Wedding Galleries featuring recent shots from my weddings