Thursday 4 August 2011

Charlotte and Paul's Wedding at Chaucer Barn, Gresham, Norfolk

Norfolk is well known for its many barn conversions and they are extremely popular places in which to get married but they are not always the easiest places in which to photograph ceremonies.

However Chaucer Barn, situated in the quiet village of Gresham in North Norfolk, is certainly not a run of mill barn conversion.  It has been very sympathetically restored and lavishly decorated throughout to give a boutique hotel feel to the place.  It has won far too many awards for me to list here but when it comes 2nd in The Observer's "top ten houses for a party" and is in The Guardian's "top 5 self catering barns" you probably get the picture!

The grounds at Chaucer Barn are wonderful for photographs and include a very romantic wildflower meadow, a fantastic topiary garden and of course the traditional brick and flint barn.  It is rare to get so many great photo locations in a relatively small area but great for the couple as they don't have to walk too far to get some very different photos.

Well the location was fantastic and the day was made even better by the fact that Charlotte and Paul were a pleasure to photograph.  Whenever I wanted to grab them when a photo op arose they were always more than willing and seemed to enjoy themselves, I am sure they will tell me if I am wrong!  Charlotte and Paul looked great in front of the camera and wouldn't have looked out of place in a Hollywood classic from the 1930's, very glam.

I was very lucky to have friend and fellow photographer Phil Barnes help me out for the day.  Its great having a second photographer at a wedding as they can get some wonderful shots that would otherwise get missed and it helps having another person to cast their eyes over shots and try little tweaks to help get that perfect shot. I know that Charlotte and Paul really appreciated him being there too so thanks a million Phil.

After a great days photography we waited for the sun to set and all the guests were treated to a fantastic fireworks display and the children and adults alike all enjoyed making shapes with their sparklers.  None more so than Charlotte who made perfect love hearts for my 5 second exposures!

Anyway here are a few photos from the day along with a video.

Thanks for looking
Brian
































Rachel and Phil's Wedding - Aylsham and Southern Comfort River Cruiser, Horning

Finally have a chance to catch up on some blogging.

Rachel and Phil were married at St.Michaels Church in Aylsham on a very British Saturday, squalling showers in the morning followed by glorious sunshine in the evening.

They had their reception aboard the Southern Comfort Paddle Boat which operates out of Horning on the Norfolk Broads.

It was a very relaxed evening cruising on the rivers Bure and Thurne and the many people who live on the riverside waved at the happy couple as they posed for some photos.

When we made it back to Horning and disembarked the heavens opened once again but luckily Rachel had enough time to throw her bouquet from the top deck, only to be caught by her younger sister Pippa.

I returned to Rachel's parents the following day to photograph a wonderful garden party they hosted for the newly weds. The sun was shining (most of the time), the gardens looked amazing, the Pimms flowed and everyone seemed to have a wonderful afternoon. I even managed to grab a plate of fantastic food and and even better a bowl laden with strawberries, ice-cream and toppings - yum.

Here are just a few photos from the day and a short video.