The Wedding of Nick & Chelsea Forbes - All Souls Church

James Eldridge January 19, 2018

The wedding of Nick and Chelsea was one that I will remember and love forever. From the moment I first started talking to Nick & Chelsea about their wedding day, I could instantly tell that this couple had grand plans for their special day.

I arrived early in the morning as the bridal party was just waiting around for the make up artist and hair stylist to arrive. The atmosphere was relaxed and jovial. No manic running around or stressed out family members. I loved the fact there was an iPod playing in the background which was filled with and playing classic rock tunes that I loved myself. It always helps make a better environment with music playing. Capturing the goings on of the preparations was a enjoyable and laid back affair, I took the time to capture all the little details that Chelsea and nick had put into a lot of time and effort into. Things like the pendants for flower decorations. Everything had a reason as it was building up a story for the day.

There were unmissable moments between Chelsea and her mum, as well as her dad Paul, as he saw his soon to be married daughter for the first time.

I arrived at the church about 15 minutes before Chelsea and her family arrived. Thankfully All Souls church in Cheriton, was literally a two-minute walk from their house so I didn’t have to go far. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Nick, his best man and his groomsmen. Nick was sporting one of the most stylish wedding jackets I have ever seen. I kind of knew he would be dressed to impress, as the very first time I met Nick a couple of years prior at their friends Charlotte and Glenn’s wedding, he sported a brightly coloured jacket which had bright green and red flowers on it. The mans got style!

The church was packed with family and friends from both sides. Half of Nicks family had even flown over from Jamaica to be there for this special day as well.

The service was filled with hymns and readings, and everyone gave a huge cheer when the happy couple tied the knot of matrimony.

Then came one of the best confetti runs I’ve ever seen. Instead of confetti, Nick and Chelsea opted for bubbles. Yes, you read that right, bubbles. Everyone lined up with bubble guns and bubble blowers and showered the happy couple with tons and ton of bubbles.

From the church we made our way up to the reception, which was being hosted in a field at a local horse riding school. Nick and Chelsea got treated to a surprise when they arrived, by being taking from the gates of the field to their waiting guests by a pony drawn cart.

As soon as you stepped into the massive marquee, I was blown away by all the little details. The theme of the wedding was a circus one. Imagining the marquee was Nick & Chelsea’s own personal big top rolling into town, and they and their guests would all be here to perform the greatest show on earth.

There were lawn games, clown noses, handmade table decorations, a photo booth, they even had their very own snapchat filter specially made for the day. Who even knew you could do that?

After everyone had tucked into some amazing food, it was time for the speeches. Some of the speeches brought loving tears to many eyes. Some others brought fits of laughter. On the whole it was rounding success from everyone involved.

The rest of the day and leading into the night was filled with even more laughter and smiles, some tense games of Jenga, and a first dance that was one of the best I’ve ever seen. All this was accompanied by a backdrop of great music carefully curated by the groom himself.

Nick & Chelsea, thank you again for being some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, it was an honour and privilege to capture your day.

The wedding of Emma & Clive Bates - Casa Bruciata - Italy

James Eldridge January 17, 2018

Last September I had the privilege to be flown to the stunning Italian country side of Perugia to photograph the gorgeous wedding of Clive & Emma.

The venue was a captivating villa that was situated deep in the heart of the Italian countryside right on the Umbria and Tuscany borders. The venue composed of several apartments and two main villas, high atop a hill overlooking a stunning valley of olives groves and scenery that was simply breathtaking. The first day I arrived, everyone was chilling out and relaxing by and in the infinity pool, taking in the unrestricted sunshine. There were plenty of laughs, booze and music to keep everyone entertained. I hung around the pool area for a bit and captured some of the shenanigans that went on. But I also took some time to get myself familiar with the grounds of the villa and start planning shot ideas for the following days wedding.

In the evening there was a hive of activity with the majority of the guests helping out doing decorations, or table menus and prepping food for the massive barbecue lined up for later in evening. And what a barbecue it was! I have never seen so much meat being cooked to perfection on a hot pit before. Emma’s Italian Uncle Bruno was the pit master in charge of all the cooking and hats off to the man, he did a mighty fine job. Everyone applauded the man at the end of the evening and he deserved it. Everyone was saying how beautifully cooked was and how amazing it tasted. I can attest to this as well. I certainly made the most of what was on offer.

The day of the wedding itself I was up and ready at 6am before everyone else. I could have stayed in my room and had a lay in, as I knew I was in for a very long day, but I couldn’t fly all the way to Italy and pass up the opportunity to catch the sunrise. Especially one with such a glorious vista. It was definitely worth getting up for. I walked around for a bit and then found a comfy seat to just kick back in and take all of what was before me in. I still can’t believe how deafening the silence was. The only thing I could hear was the occasional birdsong.

Slowly, there was sign of more and more life happening around the grounds. Clive and his best man & groomsman were up nice and early, trying to get the venue decorated with paper balloons, lights and pictures. I finally made my way to the bridal party’s suite and set about doing what I do best, just capturing the days details as I saw them happen. Both the bridal party and the groom's party were probably one of the calmest scenes I’ve ever photographed, everyone was chilled out and just enjoying the relaxed atmosphere that this venue provided. There were heart warming moments between Emma and her two bridesmaids Sarah & Vicky. Clive even received a special gift and letter from his wife to be, reminding him not to be late to the wedding.

The wedding itself was held outside overlooking the magnificent view that everyone had come to love. It was a beautiful ceremony that had a lot of people in tears, including myself at points.

After the ceremony Emma & Clive ran the gauntlet of the confetti run, Clive even managed to get a full holder of confetti thrown at him, box included. Confetti shots are always a favourite part of the day for me. Because who doesn’t love a good confetti shot!

I managed to get 10 minutes just before the sun disappeared behind the hills, to get some stunning images of Clive and Emma just by themselves, around the picturesque venue that was casa bruciata.

The rest of the evening was filled with heartfelt and humorous speeches, a first dance that was stunningly performed by Emma’s bridesmaid Vicky, copious amounts of alcohol and dance moves to boot.

It's always an honour when a couple hires me to be their wedding photographer. An even bigger one when they fly you halfway across Europe for their special day. Even though I worked solidly for a day and a half whilst in Italy, it never once felt like work. Not because I was in the heart of the breathtaking Italian countryside, feeling like it was a free holiday, but because the people I was surrounded by made everything seem like I was a guest there and not just the photographer.

Emma & Clive, thank you again for the amazing opportunity and making me feel so welcomed by your family and friends. Your wedding will be one I never forget.

The wedding of Tom & Vicky - The old Kent barn

James Eldridge January 15, 2018

I had the great honour of photographing the gorgeous couple of Vicky and Toms Christmas wedding at one of my favourite venues The old Kent barn back in November.

I’ve known Vicky and Tom for some years after being the photographer at Vicky’s sisters' wedding back in 2014 and again at her bridesmaid Emma’s wedding earlier in the year. So we were pretty well antiquated with each other by the time it came to their wedding day.

There were lots of little details that made this day really cool. From the friends' tv show inspired wedding cake, to a massive tower of ferrero rocher chocolates as well as the two Christmas trees, beautiful decorated. There was live music from the brides own band , Pussyfoot. Even Elvis decided to show up for a song and a dance.

Sadly Vicky’s father Steve had passed away unexpectedly two months prior to the wedding, and as you can imagine it was still very emotional for everyone. But you could defiantly tell he was still there in spirit. The family had even had beautiful charms made, which were made with and contained his ashes, so he was and will be very much with them forever. The whole day was filled with lots of love and laughter and genuinely touching moments throughout. Moments that even had me in tears. From seeing the reaction of Tom as he saw Vicky for the first time as she walked down the aisle, to listening to the beautiful heartfelt speeches from their family and friends.

One thing out of the many things that I loved from this special day was that I got the chance to be a little bit different and creative with the couple portraits we did. Vicky informed me that she had acquired some smoke bombs and wanted to do something cool with them. With the help of the best man and groomsman sam and Adam, I think we succeeded. Later on in the evening we even braved the cold November chill and took some gorgeous photos around the stunning grounds of the old Kent barn.

Then the rest of the evening was filled with plenty of dodgy dance moves, drinking and eating and some great renditions of some classic tunes, with even the bride kicking off her heels and getting up on stage and belting out a few tunes herself. We even found the time to do a sparkler run, which we may have been a tad cold outside for, but there was enough love in the air to keep spirits up and hearts warm whilst Vicky and Tom ran the gauntlet of sparklers

Tom and Vicky, thank you for letting me be part of your special day. I wish you all the happiness in the world.

The wedding of Jade & Sam Hall - Wet Wet Wet

James Eldridge September 1, 2017

On your wedding day, probably the last thing you want is rain. No one likes the rain, especially on such a special day. But if you live in good old Blighty, there is a strong possibility that you may just have to contend with some from time to time. At the wedding of Jade and Sam, we all had to contend with a little bit of the wet stuff for the majority of the day. But not once did it stop anyone from enjoying the day and enjoying the special day for what it was. A celebration of two people coming together and sharing their love for one another.

From the moment I met the bridal party at a local salon, Salon 13. I was greeted with warm welcomes and a very tasty bacon roll. Even though I had just started a Vegan diet, I put that on hold and enjoyed the generous offer of crispy, greasy bacon for one last time.

The day started off in the beautiful warm sunshine, but with one eye on the weather forecasts, I knew that later on in the day we were in for a change.

Being able to capture some beautiful and cherished moments between Jade and her family as they were getting ready for the wedding was truly a great honour, including a very touching moment when Jades father saw her for the first time, and jade playing with her young daughter Darcie in her stunning handmade dress made by the mother of the bride.

5 minutes before we left for the church the heavens decide to open and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. None the less, with plenty of umbrellas and quick footed people, most of the guests avoided getting too wet.

The Ceremony was held at the very historic St Leonards Church. A very atmospheric and regal church that sits above and looks over the Seaside town of Hythe. It is church that has one of, if not the largest collection of human skulls and bones on display in a crypt that is open all year round to the public. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see it or use it on this occasion. Not too sure it would have made the best backdrop for wedding photos.

After the ceremony, we made the most of the kind offer from the church to use the inside of the church to get the group shots done and a couple of posed shots of the bride and groom as it was still coming down outside.

Onto the reception, we headed just down the road to the Hythe cricket and squash ground where a massive marquee had been erected and decorated with tons of gorgeous handmade bunting and decorations, again made by the brides mum.

Still, the rain came down, yet no one had shown any signs of it ruining their day. People were using massive garden umbrellas the type you see in pub gardens, to get to and from the marquee, so they didn’t end up getting drenched. Although a few of the kids that were there didn’t care about an umbrella and just decided to literally go dancing in the rain. I fear some of those little daredevils might have gotten ill after the day, as that rain wasn’t particularly warm.

As the rest of the day unfolded there was great entertainment in the form of some contests, speeches and games. One is where you were given a little green army soldier toy, like the ones in the greatest film of all time *(in my opinion) Toy Story. Whenever the master of ceremonies played a siren, you had to stop what you were doing and get into the position that your little army toy was portraying. This definitely made for some funny and wacky images and provided a massive laugh for everyone.

Oh yeah, they also had a slow motion capture Photo Booth on hand as well. Hats off to the guy that was running that, he set Jade and Sam up for one of the funniest moments of the day. Having the groom close his eyes and have his new wife give him a massive slap across the face. Seeing it in real time as I took the photo was funny and somewhat painful as well. Jade definitely wasn’t holding back when she swung for poor Sam's face. Watching it back in slow motion was poor comedy gold and I’m sure a memory they will look back on with great fondness. Maybe less so for Sam.

Towards the later part of the evening, we finally got a break in the weather and decided that now would be a good time as any to take 5 minutes away from the party and grab a few more shots of just the bride and groom. We headed to just outside of the venue and onto the banks of Hythe canal, where we were able to use the lit up church that Jade and Sam got married in, earlier as a nice little backdrop, as well as the canal itself.

I had an amazing time photographing this lovely couple’s special day, I was made to feel so welcomed and by the end of the day, I felt like one of the family, rather than just their photographer. It may have rained for the majority of the day, but I think it made for way better images and it actually brought everyone closer in a physical and figurative sense.