After a wedding I generally have a small folder of pictures called “pretty things”.  After Naomi and Richard’s wedding I have a BIG folder full of pretty things.  Like this flower arrangement – in a trug made by one very proud father.  Simple, elegant, beautiful.  Just like the flowers really.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  Let’s start with the dress….

A rather sumptuous Blue by Enzoani from Benjamin Roberts.  Yeah, pretty big….

Meanwhile Naomi was being attended to downstairs.

Now often at this point we would skip forward to what I call the “wow” moment.  You know, the bit where the bride suddenly looks amazing.  Well on this occasion we can’t.  Not because there wasn’t one (trust me – you’ll see later a-maz-ing) but because I was already down at Ratsbury barn.  We were running just the tiniest bit late….

So anyway, flowers…..at the house people were doing buttonholes.

And at Ratsbury Barn, pretty much the same thing was happening….

…and as I’ve said before, there’s a lot of emotion in hands….

I had an email from Naomi a few weeks before her wedding.  It said “Just a couple more details for you…I will be arriving in a gorgeous car; a 1934 Rolls Royce Landerlette”.  Like this.

Yeah.  That’s pretty gorgeous.  But you know the car isn’t the star of that picture.  Not even close….like I said “wow.

Which is pretty much what Richard was saying moments later.

And then that special moment….

As all their friends watched Naomi and Richard get marries at Ratsbury Barn.

Apparently, the rules on photography have changed at weddings recently.  One of the registrars told me that it’s now OK to photograph the signing of the register.  But then she also said “you’d better not make them smudge it”.  So just in case I opted for the long shot.

…before the traditional confetti….

Now I’ve said before that wedding photographers generally grumble no matter what the weather.  And sun can make us grumble more than any other weather type – massive contrast, deep shadows, panda eyes.  But I always play the hand I’m dealt without complaint.  So….10 minutes to take a picture of bride and groom next to their beautiful Rolls Royce in front of an oast house in full sun?  No sweat.  Many people would be surprised to learn that the key to a shot like this is flash.  MASSIVE quantities of flash.  (By the way, did I mention I teach this stuff?)  Not that Naomi and Richard cared.

And of course a little later there was the more traditional, safer option of finding a shady corner.

…and just one picture in black and white this time (very special request from Naomi!)

And then it was time for the speeches.  At our pre wedding chat I asked Naomi the question “just the usual three speeches?”  “Yes, definitely – oh and me too.”

whilst the children got on with being children…

…and boys will, of course, always be boys…

Yes, “crazy socks” was on my shot list….

And then, the first dance of the rest of their lives together….

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