England + Italy = PERFECTION

Andy and Silvia's wedding at the New Forest's Rhinefield House was a sumptuous blend of Italian style, the very best of English architecture and the fabulous wedding traditions of both countries. Andy and his family are English and Silvia and her family are Italian and the combination made for a fantastic wedding.

Unlike most English weddings, during Silvia's bridal prep, she was tended to not just by her mother...but her father too. The language of the bride's prep room was very fast and expressive Italian. We had no idea what was being said but it was gorgeous to listen to with such expressive rising and falling cadences and such emotional articulations.

At first it seemed odd, not hiding the bride's father away until his daughter was dressed...but in this Italian speaking prep room it seemed completely natural.

When it was time for Silvia's father to walk her to the ceremony room, he took her by the arm and led her down the gorgeous Rhinefield carved wooden staircase with tapestries on the walls

...and then led her up the aisle of Rhinefield's Great Hall to find her groom.

A sizeable proportion of Andy and Silvia's guests were non-english speaking Italians...

...but despite the proceedings being conducted in english, everybody seemed to know what was going on...

...especially when it came to the occasional stolen kiss by the newly weds.

When it came to the speeches, Silvia's brother did a wonderful job of translating so all the guests could enjoy...

...the touching moments...

...the jokes...

...the laughter...

...the thanks...

...and the joy.

After the bustle of their wedding breakfast, there were some tender moments on the wood-panelled staircase....

...the magnificence of which really showed Silvia's wedding dress at its best.

Most of the day you would never have known that there were so many guests who couldn't speak english because all the guests got on so well and so easily. It was a lovely day at an amazing venue with lots of laughter and joy. 

We wish Andy and Silvia all the very very best for their married life together.

by Steve Dunster

Love, Laughter and a Black & White Cat

Paul and Lucinda had their wedding at the stunning Warbrook House, near Hook in Hampshire. 

The boys looked fantastic in their top hats and tails.

Lucinda's dress was amazing...

...and her hair was perfect.

After their ceremony, Warbrook staff drove Paul and Lucinda to the other end of the pond for some portraits and were kind enough to present them with glasses of champagne and a little food box with scrummy canapés ...

...at which point a black and white cat appeared...and purred and begged and meowed until he got fed...we rather fancied he might have done this before..."ooooh good, a white dress and that can only mean one thing...foooood! (purrrrr)"

After portraits it was then back to the lawn...for croquet...

...and giant Jenga.

Then it was indoors for a fabulous meal and much laughter during the speeches.

After perfect wedding weather all day, there was a gorgeous evening sky...

...and just time enough for a few more portraits on the lawn...

...and a few more on the staircase against the magnificent Warbrook House decor.

Paul and Lucinda cut their wedding cake on the dance floor...

...and were then invited to sit down whilst MC Alan Marshall read out something special about each of them which was both hilarious and, at moments,...very touching.

Then it was time for their First Dance as man and wife. They delighted their guests with a very entertaining and, at times, comic dance routine.

Paul and Lucinda are a lovely couple and at their wedding they had wonderful guests, perfect weather, an amazing venue...but more than that they had love and laughter...and a very grateful black and white hotel cat.

by Steve Dunster

A Wedding Full of Firsts

Weddings are not just emotional celebrations but also historic events, events that are recorded for generations of family historians. Martin and Emily's wedding was all this and more...

...they were the first couple ever to be married in the Hook Life Church.  

When Emily's Dad saw her in her dress for the first time it was wonderfully emotional.

After hugs it was time to go to Hook Life Church for the ceremony...not only a new building and a new wedding venue...

...something else was new...the ceremony was conducted using an iPad...this was a first for us but after the initial shock it did actually look very neat.

Their open top wedding car took them to their wedding reception venue...

...but first they stopped en route at a little village which has meant a lot to Emily and she drives through every day on her way to work. It was a delightful village with a pond...

...and rows of daffodils, the wonderfully welcome first signs of Spring. 

Once at their reception venue, the Hampshire Court Hotel, Martin made sure that in amongst his other responsibilities as groom there was plenty of time for Dad and Daughter high-jinx.

After a fabulous meal it was time for Martin and Emily's first dance together as man and wife.

It was a day of so many firsts...but the most important first was of course that this was the first day of their married life together. 

Emily and Martin were a wonderful bride and groom and we wish them all the very very best for their lives together.

by Steve Dunster

Blessed By Heaven

David and Jassy had their wedding at the church they regularly attend and were very serious about the spiritual side of their commitment. So we were delighted when we were presented with this sky, perfect for shooting a "blessed by heaven" classical portrait - so fitting for David and Jassy.

Jassy's bridal prep went without a flaw. Every detail tended to and perfectly executed. Then it was on to their church by New Forest pony and trap. 

David and Jassy had their wedding reception at the fabulous Bartley Lodge Hotel in the New Forest.

The Bartley Lodge Hotel is such a good wedding venue for so many reasons but not least of which is the way it manages to be both a grand country house and at the same time intimate, welcoming and homely.

On arrival at the Bartley Lodge Hotel, their guests were treated to drinks on the patio and thrilled to see David and Jassy arrive in their pony and trap.

It was an absolute delight to see how close David and Jassy were together.

They had guests of all ages and even set up a Skype link during the speeches for Gran, who was sadly too unwell to attend.

The fabulous grounds included a substantial patio for drinks and socialising as well as beautiful tended to lawns for grown ups and youngsters alike to have fun playing garden games...but the grounds were big enough to also be able to sneak away and steal some moments alone.

After the perfect day, the evening was no less perfect...

...and their evening was even blessed with romantic moonlight.

For their evening celebrations, David and Jassy had a live band and very good it was too, energising the party like only live music seems to.

David and Jassy were a gorgeous bride and groom and they had the perfect day at an amazing venue...they were indeed truly blessed.

by Steve Dunster