Royal Society of Arts Wedding Photography

The Royal Society of Arts just off the Strand in London is remarkable. The building itself has only very recently been fully refurbished, in fact, I believe this may have been the first wedding at the RSA since the makeover.

The finish is exceptional, every room exudes class and the attention to detail is astonishing. Each space offers a unique environment and subsequently atmosphere for events; from the cool and simplistic Tavern where Ross and Louise's wedding reception was held to the breathtaking and classic Great Room for the ceremony which exhibits 'The Progress of Human Knowledge' by artist James Barry, aiding beautiful and creative wedding photography in London.

The later stages of the day took place in equally impressive spaces - the Benjamin Franklin room, with views of the Strand hosted the wedding breakfast and the candid and intimate nature of the Vaults was the ideal setting for the evening reception.

I first met Ross and Louise for their engagement photoshoot which took place in the beautiful Savernake Forest close to where we're based in Wiltshire. It's such a relaxed and neutral environment to meet couples, the images are simply a bi-product of a 40-minute walk and talk, so always have that effortless feel.

This brief encounter really helped me understand what Ross and Louise hoped to achieve through their wedding photography and, from what I understand, they are thrilled with the results:

Allister!!! They're AMAZING!!!!! I love love love love them! You've captured the day just so perfectly. Thank you soooooo much. I can't concentrate on work now!!!

Louise and Ross

Take a look at my London wedding photography below...

Next steps:

Reportage Wedding Photography at Aynhoe Park | Chris & Kate

Aynhoe Park has to be one of my all time favourite venues, right up there with places like Babington House and The Soho Hotel - venues that ooze a very classy boutique style, and effortlessly so. Places like this provide the ideal setting for wedding photography and ultimately play a significant role in the atmosphere of a day.

I last documented a wedding at Aynhoe Park in late 2010 when we had some of the worst snow in recent years. The snow fall was so heavy that no daylight came into the building whatsoever (despite the massive windows!), visibility was down to just a few meters at the worst stage of the day and of course that meant that we couldn't get outside at all.

Take a look at that Narnia themed wedding at Anyhoe Park.

Thankfully, this wasn't the case with Chris and Kate's wedding.  In fact it was probably one of the sunnier days of the year so far. We got to see the stunning exterior, the grounds and sculptures of Aynhoe park - all set in Oxfordshire's stunning countryside. The large rooms really come alive when the natural light floods in too.

Aynhoe's windows are so huge and there are so many of them that there is a consistently good quality of light throughout the day and into the early evening.

Chris and Kate are an incredibly interesting couple and their attention to detail was exquisite. They invited only their closest family and friends to the day which had an 'alternative' feel - breaking many of the standard wedding norms to create a wedding truly unique.

Shortly after their civil ceremony they had friends read poems and play the violin, this was swiftly followed by a very relaxed drinks reception on the lawn. I documented this intriguing day alongside Alexis and together we were really spoilt. I have to thank Kate and Chris for keeping us incredibly well fed and treating us like special guests, we felt privileged. What a great day to document.

Speeches followed the three course meal and afterwards we began documenting the evening reception, this stage in the day had more of a sedate dinner party atmosphere which proved delicate to work in but everyone had become very used to us by then, so we slowed our rate down a little and documented this small chapter of the day, often just feet from our subjects.

I knew their first dance would be a little quirky and I remember Chris being slightly nervous that he couldn't keep up with Kate but they pulled it off perfectly, the 1920's style band were absolutely amazing and really finished off this exceptionally well planned day.

P.S.

Kate & Chris were also kind enough to send me this amazing testimonial in the comments below:

Dear Allister,

We want to send you our very biggest thanks!

Since yesterday we've been poring over your photos, marvelling at everything you captured — especially the sentiments and personalities of our family and friends that show up so beautifully with the quality of every image.

We're also incredibly grateful for the memories of our wedding that you triggered for us…

Some people say that on the day after you're married, you're sure to wake up and feel something has changed and that you've 'become married'. That sounded exciting — and we were certainly all up for it — but things actually remained fairly dream-like and surreal for us until now (in a good way, of course!).

Maybe it was the wild beauty of Aynhoe Park or the Anatolian deserts that followed, but we couldn't fully conjure our wedding to mind… until we saw your photos and the emotions, experiences and feelings of the day gradually started flooding back.

Your photos helped concretise our day and that is something precious beyond measure.

We should say too that everyone at the wedding complimented you and Alexis on the very helpful, friendly and low-profile ways you wove through the scenery, gently gathering images that we know will mean the world to us (and them!) for many years to come.

So many thanks again for your exquisite work!

All very best,

Katie and Chris

Here are just a few of my favourite wedding photographs from this amazing day.

See some more of my Oxfordshire wedding photographer work or go to my Aynhoe Park weddings page.

Wedding Photojournalism at Bury Court Barn | Daniel & Fiona

I documented Daniel and Fiona's intimate little wedding alongside Alexis in the stunning Surrey countryside and at a couple of particularly nice venues. I've had the pleasure of photographing weddings at Bury Court Barn on and off for quite a few years now and so it's always nice to return to document another wedding there.

It just seems to get better with each passing year and the atmosphere of events held there are always incredibly relaxed and fun.

Fiona and Daniel's Surrey wedding photography began at the bridal preparations in the bedrooms adjacent to the barn, the light has always been great to work with in these rooms.

The traditional church service took place at St Joan of Arc in Farnham not so far from the barn and a church run by one of the most refreshing Catholic priests I've worked with - with photography actively encouraged. Their Catholic wedding ceremony was swiftly followed by a relaxed reception in the Surrey wedding venue, Bury Court Barn.

Below are just a few of my favourite reportage wedding photographs from this warm little day.