Filtering by Category: Lewes wedding

Lisa & Trevor - A Glorious Spring Wedding

After a very busy wedding season last year, and my season starting early in 2024, I really haven’t had much time to write my blogs. I’m sure you’ve been devastated by its absence (hehe).

This lovely wedding took place in April last year, at the beautiful Southdown Grange Gardens in Lewes. We were lucky as the rain stopped briefly, and the sun even graced us with it presence. The gardens were looking so pretty as the spring blooms were out.

Southover Grange Gardens is the registry office for Lewes. We are very lucky here in Lewes as the building and the gardens are rather stunning, and that’s in every season. I have been blessed by being able to photograph many weddings; maternity shoots and family portraits there. I ended up photographing five weddings there last year, and have already been back there this year.

The gardens are also surrounded by many historic places, so if you wanted to go elsewhere for wedding photographs you could go to the castle or medieval ruins, Lewes has plenty of places for a fabulous photo op.

One of theses places is Keere Street. It is a very historic and steep cobbled road. It was said that King George IV drove his coach and horses down it for a wager. It was on this street that my lovely couple had their ‘first look’. If you don’t know what that is, it is where the couple first see each other on their own, before they walk down the aisle. It’s so they can have a moment for only the two of them. Unfortunately, as everyone was running late we were unable to do it in the gardens, so we made the most of the situation and took the photographs of the ‘first look’ on Keere Street. It was a really magical and emotional moment. It was lovely as their daughters (who were bridesmaids) were there also. There was not a dry eye.

The ceremony carried on in this vein, and it was very moving and emotional. They were a special couple, and everyone in the room thought the same. We carried on the celebrations into the gardens for their couple shots, and some family and group shots.

The bride and groom looked stylish in their matching Kurt Geiger gold adorned shoes. The bride wore a beautiful lace dress and the groom had a fabulous aubergine coloured suit. It’s. nice to see a groom in a different colour suit and being adventurous with their wedding outfit.

One thing on my wedding photography wish lists was to have a wedding with a bus. I love the colour and fun that they bring to wedding photographs. It’s lovely to have all the guests travelling together to the venue.

As it turns out I ended up having three weddings with buses last year, that’s so typical wait for one bus and three turn up!

This was one of those weddings. We all travelled to West Hove Golf Club to celebrate with the newlyweds. There were doughnuts, personalised pink shots. The reception room was decorated in fairy lights and yellow and green balloons, and many photographs of the happy couples life together so far. I try to take polaroids too of the day, so they were added to the many photographs.

It was a beautiful day, and a lovely way for me to start off my 2023 wedding season.

S & A - A Short But Very, Very Sweet Wedding

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing this lovely wedding last September. This wonderful couple had been together over thirty years.

It was a small ceremony with only their close family. It took place at the stunning Southover Grange in Lewes. It’s one of my favourite places, especially as it is where I got married nearly twenty-five years ago. It holds a special place in my heart. It was a very rainy day, but that didn’t stop the happy couple and their guests having a few photographs taken in the beautiful gardens. I even took my umbrellas, but they embraced the rain.

It was a short working day for me, but if a wedding is taking place in my home town of Lewes I am happy to accommodate a smaller wedding and work only a couple of hours, so please send a message and I can see what I can do.

Unlike couples from mixed-sexed relationships, these lovely guys were not able to legally become a married couple until 2014, when same-sex marriage was finally made legal. Up until then same-sex couples could only have a civil partnership, and that didn’t happen until 2005!

My pronouns are she/her and I am a proud LGBTQIA+ ally. I am extremely grateful that they trusted me to capture their weddings day.

Emma & Lee - A Small Spring Wedding

This lovely couple contacted me just over two months before their wedding day. The bride-to-be informed me there would only be the four of them, the bride, groom, and their children. She also asked if I would mind being their witness, I was absolutely thrilled to be asked.

So on a beautiful day in May the happy couple, their children, a witness they found from Facebook and me all came together at Southover Grange Gardens in Lewes. It was the smallest wedding I had photographed, but it was as wonderful, moving and special as one with a hundred guests.

The bride looked stunning in her beaded and tulle wedding dress, she purchased it from the online shop ASOS. She had a gorgeous, but uncomfortable pair of sparkly pink Jimmy Choos. She had a bouquet of dried flowers in creams and pinks. She said that she wanted to be able to keep the bouquet afterwards.

After the ceremony we went into the stunning spring gardens for the photographs. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day. Their children were adorable. They were so well behaved and patient with all the photographs. It was a real joy and pleasure to be a part of their wedding story. They even bought me a huge bunch of flowers to say thank you.

The remainder of their wedding celebration was to be spent enjoying the sights and sounds of Brighton over the weekend.

Jackie and Andy - Herstmonceux Castle

After a holiday and a case of the flu, I have finally got round to sharing the wedding photographs of Jackie and Andy, who met whilst working for East Sussex Fire Brigade (Thank you for your service).

I first met them in April of this year, about seven weeks before they tied the knot. We had messaged before and we knew of each other, as Jackie’s fabulous daughter is the best friend of my daughter. They girls met outside of school when they were young teenagers, so us mum’s never had the chance to meet each other. When we finally did get to meet, over a cuppa in Lewes, you’d have thought we’d known each other for years, both chatting away about our magnificent children (who are grown women now). We did let Andy join in, telling me of his lovely children and his young grandson. The conversation also went on to their new puppy, and their chickens, as they had bought me a gift of six freshly laid eggs. It’s lovely when you meet your couples and you get on well, it makes everything so much nicer. Remember you have to spend all day with your photographer, so it really helps and makes everything more enjoyable if you like them and enjoy their company.

Herstmonceux Castle was the chosen venue. It is a brick-built moated castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England. I hadn’t photographed a wedding there before so I was very excited. I love going to a new venue and discovering all the new photo opportunities. I knew there were beautiful gardens and that the wedding party would be in the cloisters and enclosed private courtyard. The wisteria had some flowers still in bloom, and the garden was full of country garden flowers of lupins, foxgloves and lavender, to mention a few. There were beautiful colours of pinks and purples and the sound of buzzing bees.

The ceremony was taking place in The Elizabethan Room it is a very intimate and charming room, perfect for a smaller wedding. It is a stone floored room with a grand fireplace, beautiful woodwork, tapestries and an incredibly ornate ceiling.

Jackie and her bridesmaids were getting ready upstairs in another ornate wooden panelled room and Andy was greeting the guests at the entrance of the castle. It’s not everyday you get to greet your favourite people on your wedding day, standing on a drawbridge, over a moat in a medieval castle.

When it was time for the ceremony Jackie, her Bridesmaids, who were her daughter and her step-daughter, made the way to the Elizabethan Room, we all had to negotiate an old wooden staircase. The only problem was it was a bit creaky and any high heels echoed around the room. Thank goodness for the entrance music. I was also really glad I was wearing my vans as they enabled me to climb the stairs quietly to take some overhead shots from a balcony above, and to photograph the beautiful decorative ceiling.

The ceremony was lovely with personalised vows. They didn’t leave a dry eye in the house, even the registrar was in bits. After they became husband and wife it was confetti time, outside the castle on the drawbridge. We then took couple, family and friend photographs in the courtyard, we had limited time as there was a delicious cream tea and plenty of bubbles waiting for the wedding party. So we didn’t get to explore more of the 300 acre estate including woodland, and gardens. I also didn't get to see the peacock I had been hearing calling out all day. I look forward to doing so when I return.

It was a special day spent in beautiful historical surroundings with lovely people. It’s why my job is one of the best jobs and I consider myself very lucky.


Vicky and James - Piddinghoe Church/Pelham House

What a beautiful spring day we had for this lovely couples wedding. March can have very unpredictable weather, it can be snowy or rainy, but luckily we had glorious sunshine. It was so warm I didn’t need a coat, and that’s a big deal for me.

The wedding ceremony took take place at a 12th century, Grade 1 listed church in Piddinghoe. The reception afterwards was held at Pelham House, a 16th century renovated town house in Lewes. I really had a history lesson that day.

My day started at Pelham House, as the bride and her squad were getting ready there. Pelham House has a separate building where you can do this, away from all the preparations for the celebrations later. Claire from Modern Vintage wedding hair and make up was finishing off the brides make up. The beautiful lace fitted wedding dress from WED2B in Brighton was hanging up, and sparkly shoes were scattered everywhere. The two adorable flower girls were all ready in their powder blue floral dresses. They were angels all day, and were brilliant at having their photographs taken.

When everyone was ready we all made our way to the Church, grabbing the stunning exotic bouquets on our way. They were made by Lily’s Florist in Peacehaven.

Piddinghoe Church is a beautiful church, It has a stunning bell tower, stained glass windows, and a lovely vista of the River Ouse. And on this day the churchyard was full of daffodils.

When we arrived everyone was waiting in the church, except for the couple’s beautiful children, and the bridesmaids. They went in first, with the bride following on the arm of her very proud father.

The sun shone through the stained glass windows and it filled the church with soft dappled light. It wasn’t the best for photographs, but it does make the church look beautiful and serene. It was a traditional church service with hymns and a lovely reading, read by the brides aunt. After the service, it was outside in the Spring sunshine for Confetti throwing, and the group and newlyweds photographs.

I like to start off with the photographs of everybody, and then smaller groups until you get down to it being the happy couple and me. This way not everyone has to hang around, groups can go and make their way to the hotel or get a drink etc.

I think it’s important that the couple have this quiet time. It’s their first moment that it’s only them (and me) since they tied the knot, all the stress, all the planning has built to this moment, and now it’s over. It’s now time to relax, have fun and enjoy being with your loved ones, and celebrating this happy event.

After the photographs at the church were finished, and some Champagne was drunk (not by me), we left to go to the reception at Pelham House in Lewes. We had such warm weather that everyone was able to have drinks outside on the terrace. The bride had a brilliant idea of a picnic hamper that was filled with (non messy) food for all the children. This liminal space after the wedding ceremony and before the wedding breakfast can be a bit of a chore for the young ones, but it wasn’t for these little legends as they spent the time having fun by repeatedly rolling down the slope in the grounds. I’m sure there must have been plenty of grass stains to get out of some very pretty dresses. All the children were so well behaved and they were a pleasure to be around.

I then briefly took the couple away from the drinks and canapés for photographs on the sweeping staircase inside the house. We did what every couple that gets married there did and took photographs on the beautiful picturesque windows at the top of the stairs, above it on the ceiling has a striking hand-painted trompe-l'œil mural.

My couples like me to also take natural and candid photographs of their guests enjoying their day. It is a nice contrast to the more posed group and family shots. I do enjoy taking these photographs as everyone is relaxed and enjoying themselves. This enables me to focus on the guests. Everyone always makes such an effort and care with their wedding outfits, so it’s nice to be able to take the time to appreciate them, as sometimes on the day the couple are too busy to notice all of those details. There were some fabulous outfits at this wedding. The grooms mother was a particular favourite of mine. She looked outstanding in a royal blue dress with a red hat and matching red shoes and bag. There were some other fabulous outfits, from a silky emerald green dress to a brightly coloured floral suit. They were a very cool group of guests. Unbeknownst to me the at the time (until I looked through my camera lens) that the guest list was even cooler than I had originally thought as Liam Gallagher from Oasis was one of the guests. He was sporting an aubergine suit with a bouclé brown coat. If only we could all be as cool and iconic!

It was soon time for the wedding breakfast, speeches and cutting the cake. The bride had some how found the time between, three children, two jobs and organising a wedding to make a three tiered, multi flavoured wedding cake. Not only did it look stunning it also tasted delicious.

It was then the disco and the first dance, which the couple were dreading. It’s funny how traditions at weddings can make you do something you feel uncomfortable about. I think nowadays that it is your big day and you should choose what traditions to take forward and do, and what ones you want to leave behind. You need to feel as relaxed and as happy as you can. If you can’t make your wedding day about you, when can you?!

I had a thoroughly wonderful day at this wonderful couples wedding, I had taken lots of beautiful photographs, had some delicious food, I’d been given a big bag of flying saucers and fizzy cola bottle sweets to take home, and I met lots of lovely people including a rock star. If Carlsberg did weddings…