Wedding Photos Pittville Pump Room / St Mary's Church, Gloucestershire

Sanju & Francesca - Sept 18th 2010 - St Mary's Church, Prestbury / Pittville Pump Room

Having photographed an engagement session with Sanju and Francesca earlier in the year, it was great to finally get around to their wedding day.  The wedding was very local to me in Cheltenham, and made even more special by the fact their ceremony was at St Mary's Church in Prestbury, where I got married at some 5 years ago now!

The wedding day had an interesting mix of characters with Sanju (and therefore lots of family members) being Indian, making a kinda wedding fusion.  I believe they will be having a full Indian Wedding later in the year, so this part followed the more British customs - yep, flowers, cake, first dance......yada, yada, yada.

Wedding flowers - not sure who provided these (yep I'm officially useless at remembering to ask!) but they were rather lovely - if not provided in a rather large box (at least that's what I thought!).  You could fit a small person inside that!


Francesca's sister - not to be mistaken for Fran, as to be fair they do look quite similar.


How cool is this photo?  I love the way Frans (other sister) fits so neatly in the mirror, literally creating a fourth person at the dinner table.



OK, the cute guy has arrived.


Ta na.....


At this point Francesca noticed her bridesmaid's dress wasn't actually done up!  You'd think they were old enough to dress themselves surely?


St Mary's Church, Prestbury.  Such a cute Church and with some super September light it made for a great wedding.








The nice Vicar allowed photography during the ceremony, which gave me the chance to cover a few angles (discretely) including this from the back of the Church during a hymn.    It's simply one of the best Churches to work in as you have options to walk up either side of the congregation, without needing to use the central isle.  It also has AMAZING light.  


I must have about a dozen super shots from this position at the front of the Church, but this moment with father of the bride is beautiful.






Did I mention the beautiful light inside St Mary's Church - ohhhhhhhhhh yeah.  Signing of the register was brilliant.







Here we have this weeks assistant wedding photographer.  If you are wondering why singing makes you smile so much, it's not the hymns, it's my presence in front of them with a 24mm lens and camera!




Guests congratulating the couple after the wedding ceremony is one of my favourite parts of the day.  everything is very natural, emotions are high, it's just a great time for photographers.


There were A LOT of guests with cameras at this wedding.






I really like this photo.  It has all three bridesmaids in, a mother of the bridesmaid, and also this touching moment with her sister and friend.


The colourful ladies.  The question is.....did they co-ordinate their dresses as they really did work well together.





A very impromptu car shot that just worked out rather well - with the exception of my 'banana' fingers on the door reflection!


Table layouts ready for the wedding breakfast inside Pittville Pump Room.



Kids do the best things for photos.  If I'd asked them to stand here it would no doubt look contrived, but allowing them to just do their thing, they ended up perfectly framed.....even if they are stuffing their faces!






A few wedding potraits around the grounds of Pittville Park.




We even had time to venture down to the lake in Pittville....best of all, not a single soul was around!



It's not often you'll see Pittville Pump Room with no-one out on the grass.  It didn't take long though for a small cute child to join us!




Wedding speeches.  I'm seeing more ipads now too - gone are the days of paper as we enter the iworld!




OK, Dad still used paper.....but some of us are still old school right? (me included!)

Today is 'School of Bakery' - bring on the Flapjacks

I decided quite some time ago I must put more posts on my blog of 'stuff' other than weddings, but really what does one blog about?  
It's a strange world of one way waffle (I write something, as if someone is out there reading it!? - yet here I am at 20:47 sitting in a dark office, with a computer monitor in front of me, not an audience!).  It needs to be interactive I decided, if someone actually found what I posted of use that'd be even better.
So, in Feb 2010 (yes 7 months ago) I started the concept of including recipes on my blog.  I'm no Masterchef, in fact I can't cook, but I do like baking cakes (or did.....it now appears I'm waaaaaaay to busy to hang around in the kitchen for longer than the 3 mins the kettle takes to boil!).  
With flapjacks a simple speciality I thought I'd share a recipe, and photographed the 'making' for which my little helper Daisy did most of the ground work.  (note: cameras, naked flames, hot ovens and a three year old aren't the easiest things to control in tandem - or at least that's my excuse for some average photos rather than 'spectacular'!)


The usual suspects - 250g Oats, 50g Muscovado Sugar, 175g Butter, 140g Golden Syrup.  Calorie count? - yeah, best not to know!!


Chop butter up & melt in pan.


Meanwhile get small child to assist in greasing the baking tray.  Having small child wearing pajamas is optional, but I suggest if you wish to eat your flapjacks for mid morning snack with a cuppa tea, then an early start is inevitable!


Once the butter is melted add 50g of sugar.  "Got no Muscavado" I hear you say - ahhh....just stick something else sugar like in.  Perhaps Brown Granulated - it'll probably work fine! (note: I said 'probably')




Golden Syrup.  Now this is where the three year old assistant really starts to take interest.  It's also the part where taking photos, baking and looking after said three year old becomes quite a juggling act.
Add 140g's of this stuff.  If you ain't got scales, good luck in guessing.  Once added and loads then runs down the side of the jar get three year old assistant to lick it off.  (turn away if you are very concerned over hygiene at this point!)




Last up, pop in some rolled oats - 250g.  Then whack it into the pre greased baking tray and into the oven.



25 (ish) minutes should do the trick, at around 160 degrees.



Eh voila - yummy flapjacks.  NOW, this is the important bit.  When still warm, score them (i.e. line these bad boys the size you've designated one helping is gonna be!), then leave to cool for at least 20mins, before going back in with the knife and chopping them out.  This way they don't all crumble up and you have perfecto flap jackos!

This hear ends my helpful service announcement on baking flapjacks - the least likely thing you'll ever find on most other wedding photographers blogs!