I am always enamoured with nights like this one.
An evening at home with my husband, in our little London flat, sat outside under the heater on the terrace, listening to our neighbour’s winter concert, with a bottle of Oyster Bay. Feeling alive and truly grateful for life and love, forever surprised at how sweet London can be.
It’s been a phenomenal start to the year. I am already overwhelmed by what’s in store, but overwhelmed in the best way possible.
One day in Covent Garden, I met a couple quite head over heels. We spoke about their wedding, shook hands and agreed a deal. I would travel out to France for them and photograph their wedding, and they would smile and laugh all day, show me their happy ending. To Provence I went, excited, with those lovely Lavender & Rose girls, so I hope you can see what a perfect day it was, as their beautiful story unfurls.
I am very lucky to be able to photograph weddings such as these. Sweet, intimate and so full of love and smiles. It also happened to be in Zürich, a city I had not visited until July. I think I’m in love with Switzerland.
Getting ready together, they were both the picture of calm…
…with a little edge of excitement.
Swiss civil ceremonies last just fifteen minutes, even when in French and English, which leaves plenty of time for tea and sightseeing on vintage trams…
There is something so special about grandparents. This lady reminded me of my own grandma and squeezed my hand and beamed when she caught my eye. She also had the cutest granddaughter who was not in the least bit fatigued by the blazing sunshine.
Thanh has a passion for all things culinary and gave everyone tiny kitchen utensils as gifts.
Isn’t she just the sweetest little thing?
After our trip to Switzerland, we’ve decided that one day we’ll move to Zürich and have lunch by the lake on Sundays with our new friends Thanh & Yvan. It’s a truly beautiful place; fresh and clean and content.
I still have a lot of editing to catch up on and a few more weddings and portraits to do before the year is out. I’m quite sad to see the autumn leaves on the ground but glad to have time to catch up on things through winter. It’s been a year of big changes, exciting challenges and huge rewards, but there’s a little more on all of that later.
Sometimes when life gets busy, it’s easy to forget, the people and the places, the dusks and the sunsets. Those days through the year when you felt your heart beat, huge smiles from new people you were quite lucky to meet. Be still for a moment, just sit and recall, reflect on the absolute beauty of it all. Life is quite frantic and at times it’s quite sad, but these are the memories that make our souls glad.
This year I’ve been invited on a number of days, with camera in hand and finger ablaze, to witness small fragments of love and sheer bliss, a sum of thirty-eight weddings and they looked a lot like this…
When I first met Esme & Leo, we sat talking about their wedding at a local café in Hampstead and Chris Martin walked in. Cool as anything, they barely noticed as I grinning, went bright red. Esme then mentioned that he was very lovely and that she’d worked with his wife before… his wife being Gwyneth Paltrow. I don’t think I’ve ever met two cooler individuals than these two and their wedding in St Tropez, was of course, the coolest of occasions.
One afternoon with sunshine, a day in late May, I drove all the way to Sussex to photograph a wedding day. Ollie & Mels declared their union be one, so we all came together and smiled in unison. Some words were exchanged, hands were squeezed in delight, it really was so beautiful to watch these two unite. Two families together and a plethora of friends, a party for two people and a dance at the end…
A quick sneak of L&G’s wedding on Saturday at the ever-so-London Haymarket Hotel. I had to steal them outside and away from the crowd for a couple of minutes, before they got hauled back inside for the party!
London wedding photographer
Love the shot A LOT!, but ‘patio heater’, *wags finger* ;)
Love this photo, so warm and gorgeous! I’m thankful too for having met you last year, you’re such an amazing photographer and an inspiration to me! Keep up the fabulous work. x
Beautiful sentiment. We never do that enough. Take stock. Deep breath. Live! x
A wonderful picture! Looks like it was a brilliant night. Best wishes for 2011.
I wish I had a flat to have parties like that! Not quite the same scenario when you are staring out at your downstairs neighbours garden with rubbish and broken trampolines in it ;) You deserve to be here – you are one talented lady and I love your work. Can’t wait to see what you do this year. Mega x
oh I wish I was there.. looks like a beautiful way to spend an evening!
happy new year Chloe!
What a great evening!