A Beautiful Wedding in My Home Town of Shoreham-by-Sea
Ever since I first started photographing weddings I've wanted to capture a ceremony at St Mary De Haura in Shoreham-by-Sea. Not only is it a beautiful Norman church situated in the heart of my home town of Shoreham-by-Sea, but it's a place that holds many happy memories: my children (now 12 and 14 and towering over me!) attended the local church of England primary, and have sang or performed in the church on many occasions.
So when I first met with Carly and she told me that their wedding was to be held in St Mary's, with the reception just round the corner at La Galleria restaurant (another favourite!), I was excited! What with the couple's own children, plus many of their guests' little ones attending, the day was to be family-orientated, with Carly and Mark requesting simply candid photography - no static posing and lots of photos of the kids. From my own experience I already knew that Reverend Ann would be fantastic with the children and would conduct the ceremony with a beaming smile and touches of humour. It was indeed a truly lovely ceremony, as the images show, with the children sharing the reading, and the solemnity of the traditional wedding service punctuated with plenty of laughter.
Carly and Mark arrived and left the church in glorious sunshine, with the Spring showers (well, actually heavy downpour!) obligingly holding off until all were safely in La Galleria. While the adults ate, I grabbed a swift slice (or was it a whole pizza? Hmm...) of pepperoni then headed upstairs with the kids to capture them playing and dancing. The helium balloons and pole in the centre of the room proved a huge source of entertainment and I set up a couple of lights to add atmosphere and depth to the images.
My day ended with some wonderful speeches. These were personal and truly moving (no internet-found clichés!) and had everyone alternatively reaching for their tissues and throwing their heads back in raucous laughter, myself included.
A lovely, lovely day that while informal, was simply beautiful. Thank you to Carly and Mark for writing this lovely testimonial:
"We found Jenny to be friendly, professional and flexible to our requirements, allowing us to have the photography tailored to our needs. Her photos told the story of our wedding day perfectly, capturing all of the little details and the emotions, providing us with a truly fabulous set of photos for us to cherish. They are quite simply amazing!
Jenny is extremely talented and was able to take the photos without ever interrupting the flow and enjoyment of our day. She made everyone relax and so you almost forget that she was there. This was especially important to us as we wanted our photos to be informal and reflect the tone and feel of the day. Jenny was able to engage with the children and she quickly put them at ease, resulting in wonderful and natural photos. Our photos have received high praise from everyone who has seen them and we would strongly recommend using Jenny Rutterford Photography."
As I write, I'm headed off to Suffolk for another wedding - only this time I'm exchanging my sensible shoes for heels and even wearing make up! Yes, I'm a guest for a change. And no, I'm not taking my camera. Oh, OK then, maybe just a little point-n-shoot...
Until next time,
Jenny x
