I'm not sure I have ever seen a group of girls smile as much as Phoebe and her bridesmaids. It probably sounds a funny thing to say, as you'd assume that most brides and their bridesmaids smile lots on wedding days, and you'd be right, but these girls were next level happy. Perhaps it was because they were all either sisters of the bride or the groom. They were all clearly ecstatic about Phoebe & George getting married and were loving and laughing through every minute of the day. It was a beautiful sight that I'm sure made lots of others smile throughout the day, including myself.
Phoebe & George's ceremony was at the church just around the corner from her parent's house, and it was where her sister had gotten married too, so there was a lovely family connection. After the ceremony, we took over the road outside the church temporarily to give them a confetti blessing using rose petals that Phoebe's sister had been making for the previous 6 months. Then after lots of hugs & handshakes, everyone made their way over to Hampton Court House - Phoebe and George travelling in a classic Mercedes and the majority of their guests in a Red Routemaster bus.
Hampton Court House is a stunning 18th century building that sits on the edge of, and looking out on, Bushy Park in London. It currently houses a co-educational independent school & has also been used as a location for movies and photoshoots of bands such as Oasis. The building itself really is striking, but it's the views across the park which I absolutely loved. And, I was so pleased that we had the opportunity to go into the park for a few photos.
I had a great time photographing Phoebe & George's wedding and loved my first experience at Hampton Court House. It was also lovely seeing Laura & Samuel again at the wedding - a couple whose wedding I photographed back in 2015. Hopefully I'll see them and Phoebe & George at another wedding in the years to come.
Here are a few photos from their day and some words from the lovely couple about themselves.
How did you meet, & how did you become engaged?
"We met at work whilst we were both Trainee Solicitors. We got engaged in Rome #wheninrome!"
How long did you take to plan your wedding?
"We got engaged in May 2018 and started to plan the Wedding around June/July 2018 and got married the year after so on and off about 12 months."
What made you choose your wedding venues and how did you decorate them?
"We fell in love with Hampton Court House as soon as we saw it. We loved how special the venue felt and also how beautiful it looked inside and outside. We had flowers and lanterns and also had personal touches like photos of relatives on their wedding days and an illustrated Order of the Day."
What inspired you to style your day the way you did?
"We were lucky with both the Church and Hampton Court House that they were already so beautiful, but our main focus was just to keep any decorations as personal as possible."
Who gave you away / walked you down the aisle? And did you walk down the aisle to a particular song?
"My Dad gave me away. We walked down the aisle to the Canon in D. It was incredibly special!"
Did you have any readings? If so, what were they and why did you choose them?
"We had three Readings which were read by family members and close friends. We had a religious reading and then two other readings being The Art of a Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson and The Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton. We felt it was a great combination of seriousness and lightheartedness."
Please describe your wedding breakfast and the reasons behind it?
"We had Salmon, Lamb and then a trio of desserts. We served a giant cheesecake and pork pie cake in the evening to keep all the dancers going! We had two gin cocktails and also served Aperol Spritz after we won a competition and received free Aperol for the evening reception. We had two kegs of beer from Twickenham brewery where we live."
Did you provide wedding favours? If so, please provide details or what and where you sourced them
"We had small pots of honey for each guest which was sourced from the bees that the mother of the bride keeps at Kew."
What was your favourite part of the day and why?
"We loved every minute of the day and couldn’t pick one moment! It was so special and worth all of the planning!"
What led you to choose Nick from Parkershots as your photographer and please can you comment on the results?
"We heard about Parkershots through one of our friends. We contacted several photographers but Nick suggested that we facetime and we both agreed that he made us feel relaxed and at ease, which is what you need on your wedding day! Nick was very helpful with suggestions for the running of the day and the good times for photographs but was in no way overbearing and let us make our own decisions. The end products are fantastic and we would certainly recommend him."
If you could impart any words of wisdom to a bride to be planning her marriage and wedding day, what would they be?
"Make sure you enjoy every second as the day flies by very quickly and take some time to be together on the day."
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
The Suppliers:
- Bride’s gown (Designer and boutique) – Louise Bentley at Boa, Richmond
- Shoes – Rainbow Club
- Veil / Headpiece – Borrowed
- Perfume – Tresor Midnight Rose, Lancome
- Hair Stylist – Kayla Valentina Hair
- Make-up Artist – Rakhi Wanderlust (Instagram)
- Florist – Steph at Fairynuff Flowers
- Rings – Smith & Green, Hatton gardens.
- Venue – Hampton Court House
- Cake Maker – Marks & Spencer
- Caterer - Acclaim
- Bridesmaids Dresses – Hobbs
- Groom / Groomsmen suits – Reiss
- Entertainment – Vivid Band and Stevie Pomme
- Transport – Red Routemaster
- Wedding Photographer – Parkershots
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