Worthing Pier Wedding | Maddie + Tim
So this week I finished writing my business plan for 2019-2020! Yes I know you should write it before the end of the year, ready to hit the ground running in January, but my December and January were a tad busy. First there's the 2018 round up blogs and video to produce, which are great to get a good idea of a wedding photographer's style in under two minutes - you can check out my Best of 2018 video here! And second, so many couples get engaged over Christmas, and so many more realise their wedding is less than 12 months away and they haven't yet booked their photographer! So it's almost a full time job responding to enquiries and recommending fellow photographers to those who've left it a little too late.
Anyway, one of the things my shiny new business plan tells me to do is to resume the Wedding Stories Blog, which sadly got a little neglected last Summer with the sheer volume of weddings I had in July and August. So I'm kicking things off with a wedding I've been meaning to blog for a year - Maddie and Tim's awesome ceremony at One Church in Brighton, followed by reception celebrations at Worthing Pier's stunning Southern Pavilion.
My day started with the bridal preparations which were held in my home town of Shoreham-by-Sea. It was a fun, relaxed morning, and lovely to work alongside Kimberley of Kimberley Louise Make Up, a very talented make up artist who I often recommend to local couples. Like a lot of documentary-style wedding photographers, I usually work alone, so it's always good to see familiar faces and work with people you know you can trust and who often become friends over time. It also makes for an extra relaxed atmosphere, which is just what a nervous - and possibly stressed! - bride needs. Maddie didn't seem in the least bit stressed though, and literally beamed her way through their lively religious ceremony, complete with singer and musician friends and a fun, accommodating vicar. This was not a somber affair, with the legalities interspersed with plenty of jokes and laughter from a truly personal and interactive ceremony. After, tea and cake were served to the newlyweds and their guests in the church, and I enjoyed the challenge of capturing each of their 170 or so guests mingling before heading off with Maddie and Tim for the couple photos we'd planned beforehand.
It was mid September, and the weather was a mixed bag, with sun, clouds and rain on the horizon. But we captured the main family photos in the church, just in case, and got lucky for the couple photos, heading first into Worthing's Beach House Grounds and then to the seafront at Goring. The combination of sun and stormy skies is my idea of heaven! I love the drama and saturated colours it brings, and with the evening celebrations not scheduled to begin for a good couple of hours, we had plenty of time. I was very happy to learn at their pre-wedding shoot that Maddie and Tim had hired "Floss" an original 1961 Morris Minor Convertible (from Deluxe Wedding Hire - who also hire out "Candy", a classic VW split screen campervan in the same white/red colours as Floss). The chauffeur obligingly parked up in front of Goring's beach huts for more photos before we headed onto the beach, and after, took the couple back to Worthing Pier. The wedding party arrived at the Pier before the rest of the guests, and we made the most of the simply perfect light for some atmospheric group photos (rainbows even made an appearance!) before heading inside.
The art-deco styled Southern Pavilion comfortably accommodated Maddie and Tim's large number of guests, accompanied by very talented resident pianist David Bennett. And just before settling down for the wedding breakfast and speeches, I headed outside with the couple for a few quick photos just as the sun set on the horizon. It truly was a perfect day.
It has been such a pleasure to look back on our wedding day through Jenny's photographs - she is extremely talented and really captured the feel of our day. Jenny's approach throughout the day meant that we got a real range of shots, from classic poses to natural moments. From first meeting Jenny at our engagement shoot, we knew she was going to be an approachable and fun photographer to have on board!
We would definitely recommend Jenny to any couple who are looking for their wedding photographer - you won't be disappointed!
Thank you Jenny for being so professional and bringing your passion for photography to our wedding day!
Maddie & Tim
I hope you enjoyed the first of a whole new series of real wedding stories I have planned for the blog in 2019. Please do check back in a couple of weeks for the next one!
And if you're reading this because you're planning a wedding on Worthing Pier's Southern Pavilion, please do get in touch! I'll next be photographing at this amazing venue in August, for Sarah and Jason, who are having both their ceremony and reception celebrations in this iconic building, and would love the opportunity to return in 2020!
Bye for now,
Jenny x
