“To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.” – Karen Sunde
This wedding was the first one I ever shot on my own and it couldn’t have been with a better couple. Rachel and Stephen are so genuinely in love with each other, and their wedding was one of the most touching moments I have ever experienced. I’m not even just saying that. Rachel and Stephen should consider themselves so lucky, not only to have found each other, but to be surrounded by family and friends who love and care for them so much. This was so evident on the day, and was such a special thing to document.
I arrived at the Chesford Grange Hotel, where Rachel was getting ready, and was immediately warmly greeted by all of her beautiful bridesmaids along with her mum and aunt.
I love the bow and elegance of her wedding dress, which she picked out from The White Dress Boutique, it really suited her:
Rachel made such a gorgeous bride, everyone was blown away by her beauty.
The bridesmaids were all helping each other get ready, it was so adorable :).
This charming church is where the ceremony was held, St James Styvechale (Church of England):
As soon as I walked in I fell in love with the ambience, it was just so beautiful:
They even had live music, and I was so moved by their performance! All I can say is that Rachel and Stephen have such talented friends:
James West – keys and lead vocal; Michael Bradley – electric guitar; James Williams – guitar; Tim Cousins – drums.
The loose colour scheme of the day was pink and blue, and the bridesmaids really looked beautiful in their dresses.
This was taken right before Rachel’s arrival, everyone was waiting in anticipation:
Finally she arrived on her father’s arm, and her bridesmaids immediately surrounded her and prepared her to walk down the aisle:
How excited does Rachel look? :)
This shot was one of my favourites from the day, a totally natural photo of Rachel and her father looking back at the happy bridesmaids seconds before they walked down the aisle:
The ceremony was so intense and powerful. I was blown away by Rachel and Stephen’s dedication and devotion to God, it was so inspiring. I had to hold back tears, the ceremony was that moving!!!
The music was simply amazing, so spiritual and touching. It made me feel the love throughout the room. It was a beautiful experience.
Rachel’s beaming smile:
Stephen walking proudly down the aisle with his new wife, Rachel:
After the ceremony Rachel and Stephen were bombarded with “Congratulations”:
But I had to quickly gather everyone in front of the church to take a nice group shot ;)
We then headed to Musmajas, which is Latvian for “Our Home”, and shot some beautiful portraits of the bride and groom:
I can’t tell you how in love Stephen and Rachel are, it’s the most adorable thing to watch them together, makes my heart melt.
I love this photo, so romantic:
A few detail shots:
Aren’t these flowers STUNNING?!?! Arranged by The Flower Shop with special thanks to Sally Harris:
Stephen looking handsome and proud:
Rachel looking elegant and absolutely stunning:
Another detail shot, I love the feel of this photo:
They make such a beautiful couple:
And they’re just so adorable together:
Now onto the crazy, crazy groomsmen:
These guys were up for all sorts of photos and were a wedding photographer’s dream team ;)
They were so much fun, and you could tell that they were such great friends to Stephen:
Did I mention these guys were fun? ;)
Plus, they’re such a good looking group – and that always helps for gorgeous photos ;)
Rachel and her beautiful bridesmaids looked so cute all together, I love it:
I love the way they look at each other and make each other so happy:
Beautiful:
It was a perfect day and Musmajas was the ideal place to have the reception:
They decided to have an English tea party and I really love how everything came together:
All of the details were beautiful, but I seriously fell in love with these antique glass bottle flower arrangements:
The vintage crockery was perfect for the occasion and the food was presented beautifully:
And they even used their engagement photos to decorate the tables:
Everyone was so happy throughout the day that it was easy to capture so many smiles:
Check out Stephen and Rachel’s beautiful cake which was made by their very talented aunt, and the wooden dolls were painted by one of their friends to look exactly like them – down to the exact eye colour and details of their clothes. It was so personal, I loved it:
Stephen and Rachel cut the cake together, and couldn’t stop smiling for a second:
And finally, a few messages from their friends and family: (An idea given to me by the fabulous Juliet of Sugar and Spice Photography)
Thank you so much, Stephen and Rachel, for letting me capture the story of your day, I had such an amazing time.
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