Sussex Uni Meeting House Wedding | Kirsty + Greg

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Blogging does somewhat fall off the agenda come wedding season, but in a bid to at least keep things ticking over, I'm squeezing in a new post before my next wedding! Kirsty and Greg have recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary, so now seems a good time to share a few images from their fabulous day. Also, I'm super excited that the lovely Ella, who was one of Kirsty's bridesmaids, has booked me for her wedding to David this September! I'll get to catch up with Kirsty and Greg at their wedding too, which I'm super excited about. Over the course of a wedding - the pre-wedding shoot, the emails, the day itself - I get to know my couples pretty well. Having the opportunity to meet up again is always a pleasure, not to mention a chance to ask them if they've actually printed anything or whether that wedding album/wall collage/photobook is still sitting on their USB in digital files!

Having Sussex University connections, Kirsty and Greg opted to hold their wedding ceremony in the stunning Sussex Uni Meeting House, situated on the University's main campus at Falmer in Brighton. I first met the couple at their ceremony venue as it was new to me and, being on a university campus, I wanted to check out things like access and parking ahead of the day. It wasn't hard to identify the unique round building, covered with windows, but the exterior didn't come close to preparing me for quite how it would look inside. Yes, it's a place of worship with stained glass windows, but there the similarity with a church ends. The interior is simply breathtaking, with a kaleidoscope of colouful windows in shades of yellow, red, green and blue. The light changes constantly with the weather and seasons and I can understand why it's used as place for peaceful meditation for students and staff of the university.

On the wedding day it was bright and sunny, and the interior was awash with colour. My challenge photographically was to strike the perfect balance between rich vibrant colour on the windows with well-lit faces of Kirsty and Greg, their wedding party and guests, plus of course Chris, their wonderfully flamboyant American chaplain. On my earlier recce I had identified the perfect spot for an overview of the ceremony room - up a narrow flight of steps onto a small balcony. At an appropriate point in the proceedings I headed upwards and captured my planned shots - including a 180 degree panoramic comprised of three separate images which I later stitched together in Photoshop.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed Krispy Kreme doughnuts before heading off to Brighton Marina for the couple's reception at Chez Mal restaurant. I stopped off with Kirsty and Greg for some couple photos en route - at nearby Stanmer Park and also a beautiful stretch of the South Downs off the Rottingdean Road. Chez Mal was the perfect venue for the couple's super-relaxed reception - much of the evening was spent in glorious sunshine on the large balcony overlooking the marina. It was also the location for the bridal preparations where Kirsty and her-girl squad enjoyed a large bedroom suite with great decor and views from the balcony.

Not for them the traditional first dance, although they did have speeches before their meal and a very impressive cake! I finished the day scouting out a few places in the venue for some cool fashion-style couple photos with off-camera flash - including a great art wall and fantastic multicolour balloon shaped lights at the entrance. Kirsty and Greg didn't need any persuading to join me and the barman even made them 'fake' blue martinis for the occasion!

Right, off to prep for my next wedding, so I'll leave you with a selection of images telling the story of their day - enjoy!

If you're reading this as a bride or groom planning your wedding, I'd love to hear your plans! I'm fully booked for 2019 but still have a few slots in 2020 so please do click here to get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you :)

Jenny x

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