Last Friday I had the privilege of documenting the Bristol wedding of Elaine and James. In recent years I’ve also photographed the weddings of two of Elaine’s siblings. It was lovely to know I’d be seeing everyone again! Elaine went to the hairdressers in the morning, so I met her at her flat for bridal prep. She and James had decided they wanted to do something a little unusual prior to their ceremony. Elaine was ready early and as her wedding car was already waiting, we headed off to the nearby Page Park for a ‘first look’. I met James first for a chat then he kept his back to Elaine as she approached. They stood back to back and held hands and then she gave him a quick hug! Elaine then disappeared back into her wedding car without James seeing her – it was very sweet! Elaine & her driver then went to collect her sister and Matron of Honour Chavonne (who is heavily pregnant) and her beautiful neice and bridesmaid Sienna. James, the Best Man Tom and I headed off to the ceremony venue.
The wedding ceremony was being held at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Staple Hill. Elaine was walked down the aisle to her awaiting groom by close friend Richard. They sat on the platform and listened to a lovely bible-based wedding talk delivered by James’s friend Steve. After signing the register, we headed off to the beautiful Ashton Court in Bristol for photos. It was wet and cold but Elaine and James were superstars and braved the weather for some lovely outdoor photos.
The evening reception was held at the city centre Future Inn opposite Cabot Circus. Elaine and James had chosen an elegant black, red & white colour scheme and had the whole sixth floor to themselves! Cocktail hour was at 6pm where drinks were served. I loved Elaine’s wedding announcement placard … made me laugh out loud! 🙂 Entertainment was provided by the fabulous Dennis DeMille, session singer and former Britain’s Got Talent finalist! The newlyweds then sat down to a fabulous cooked meal before cutting the cake. After their meal, we got each table to run to the top table for a quick photo. Dennis announced (and sang) the first dance after which I left them to dance the night away!
A selection of images from Elaine and James’s wedding day are below. Wishing the newlyweds a lifetime of love and happiness 🙂
