Filtering by Category: East Sussex wedding

Ellie & David - The Darling Buds of May

July 04, 2024  /  Rebecca King

I photographed this gorgeous couple at their wedding in May in 2023 (yes, it’s taken me that long to do this blog). They were married at the stunning Southover Grange Gardens in Lewes. We were gifted a beautiful sunny spring day. The bride and groom looked fabulous, and the colour theme was yellow and purple. The bride wore a very cute mini veil with a big ribbon on it. It looked so pretty, it would have been rude to not have done some lovely photographs from the back.

The bride and groom put aside lots of time for their couple shots, so we did not have to rush. It made the whole thing much more enjoyable, fun and relaxing. Unknowingly, Ellie and David gave me the best ‘Blue Steel’* I have ever photographed!

I love the wisteria at Grange Gardens and I had wanted to photograph a wedding when it has been out for a long time. It has such delicate and pretty flowers, which are such a beautiful colour. They also matched the colour theme. I was so fortunate to be able to photograph them for this wedding, especially as this year they have cut it all back, so it didn’t flower.

I always try to find picturesque natural backdrops and landscapes for my wedding photography. I think it adds so much life and colour. You cannot beat natural light in a beautiful environment.

This wedding was one of my short days that I sometimes do for local weddings in Lewes. I really enjoy these wedding days, and I think it’s a nice service to offer to couples that only want their ceremony documented, and some couple and guest photos afterwards. Ever since the covid outbreak people have been looking at their wedding planning in different ways, and designing them about what they want and not what is tradition. I really believe that your wedding should be a representation of you and what you are about. Don’t get too wrapped up in Pinterst or Instagram, and what other people have. It’s your day, so make it what you want.

*watch the Zoolander movie.

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categories / East Sussex wedding, Lewes, Instagram, Lewes wedding, Photography, Portraits, Spring Wedding, Sussex Wedding, Wedding Photography
tags / wedding hair, wedding veil, wedding bouquet, wedding shoes, lewes, Loved up in Lewes, Bride and Groom, bride, Lewes wedding, wedding dress

Lisa & Trevor - A Glorious Spring Wedding

March 12, 2024  /  Rebecca King

After a very busy wedding season last year, and my season starting early in 2024, I really haven’t had much time to write my blogs. I’m sure you’ve been devastated by its absence (hehe).

This lovely wedding took place in April last year, at the beautiful Southdown Grange Gardens in Lewes. We were lucky as the rain stopped briefly, and the sun even graced us with it presence. The gardens were looking so pretty as the spring blooms were out.

Southover Grange Gardens is the registry office for Lewes. We are very lucky here in Lewes as the building and the gardens are rather stunning, and that’s in every season. I have been blessed by being able to photograph many weddings; maternity shoots and family portraits there. I ended up photographing five weddings there last year, and have already been back there this year.

The gardens are also surrounded by many historic places, so if you wanted to go elsewhere for wedding photographs you could go to the castle or medieval ruins, Lewes has plenty of places for a fabulous photo op.

One of theses places is Keere Street. It is a very historic and steep cobbled road. It was said that King George IV drove his coach and horses down it for a wager. It was on this street that my lovely couple had their ‘first look’. If you don’t know what that is, it is where the couple first see each other on their own, before they walk down the aisle. It’s so they can have a moment for only the two of them. Unfortunately, as everyone was running late we were unable to do it in the gardens, so we made the most of the situation and took the photographs of the ‘first look’ on Keere Street. It was a really magical and emotional moment. It was lovely as their daughters (who were bridesmaids) were there also. There was not a dry eye.

The ceremony carried on in this vein, and it was very moving and emotional. They were a special couple, and everyone in the room thought the same. We carried on the celebrations into the gardens for their couple shots, and some family and group shots.

The bride and groom looked stylish in their matching Kurt Geiger gold adorned shoes. The bride wore a beautiful lace dress and the groom had a fabulous aubergine coloured suit. It’s. nice to see a groom in a different colour suit and being adventurous with their wedding outfit.

One thing on my wedding photography wish lists was to have a wedding with a bus. I love the colour and fun that they bring to wedding photographs. It’s lovely to have all the guests travelling together to the venue.

As it turns out I ended up having three weddings with buses last year, that’s so typical wait for one bus and three turn up!

This was one of those weddings. We all travelled to West Hove Golf Club to celebrate with the newlyweds. There were doughnuts, personalised pink shots. The reception room was decorated in fairy lights and yellow and green balloons, and many photographs of the happy couples life together so far. I try to take polaroids too of the day, so they were added to the many photographs.

It was a beautiful day, and a lovely way for me to start off my 2023 wedding season.

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categories / East Sussex wedding, Lewes, Lewes wedding, Photography, Spring Wedding
tags / wedding hair, weddings, wedding bouquet, wedding shoes, wedding dress, wedding blog, Lewes wedding, Spring wedding

S & A - A Short But Very, Very Sweet Wedding

May 26, 2023  /  Rebecca King

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing this lovely wedding last September. This wonderful couple had been together over thirty years.

It was a small ceremony with only their close family. It took place at the stunning Southover Grange in Lewes. It’s one of my favourite places, especially as it is where I got married nearly twenty-five years ago. It holds a special place in my heart. It was a very rainy day, but that didn’t stop the happy couple and their guests having a few photographs taken in the beautiful gardens. I even took my umbrellas, but they embraced the rain.

It was a short working day for me, but if a wedding is taking place in my home town of Lewes I am happy to accommodate a smaller wedding and work only a couple of hours, so please send a message and I can see what I can do.

Unlike couples from mixed-sexed relationships, these lovely guys were not able to legally become a married couple until 2014, when same-sex marriage was finally made legal. Up until then same-sex couples could only have a civil partnership, and that didn’t happen until 2005!

My pronouns are she/her and I am a proud LGBTQIA+ ally. I am extremely grateful that they trusted me to capture their weddings day.

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categories / East Sussex wedding, Lewes, Lewes wedding, Photography, Autumn wedding
tags / weddings, Lewes wedding, lewes, Southover Grange Gardens

Jackie and Andy - Herstmonceux Castle

November 04, 2022  /  Rebecca King

After a holiday and a case of the flu, I have finally got round to sharing the wedding photographs of Jackie and Andy, who met whilst working for East Sussex Fire Brigade (Thank you for your service).

I first met them in April of this year, about seven weeks before they tied the knot. We had messaged before and we knew of each other, as Jackie’s fabulous daughter is the best friend of my daughter. They girls met outside of school when they were young teenagers, so us mum’s never had the chance to meet each other. When we finally did get to meet, over a cuppa in Lewes, you’d have thought we’d known each other for years, both chatting away about our magnificent children (who are grown women now). We did let Andy join in, telling me of his lovely children and his young grandson. The conversation also went on to their new puppy, and their chickens, as they had bought me a gift of six freshly laid eggs. It’s lovely when you meet your couples and you get on well, it makes everything so much nicer. Remember you have to spend all day with your photographer, so it really helps and makes everything more enjoyable if you like them and enjoy their company.

Herstmonceux Castle was the chosen venue. It is a brick-built moated castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England. I hadn’t photographed a wedding there before so I was very excited. I love going to a new venue and discovering all the new photo opportunities. I knew there were beautiful gardens and that the wedding party would be in the cloisters and enclosed private courtyard. The wisteria had some flowers still in bloom, and the garden was full of country garden flowers of lupins, foxgloves and lavender, to mention a few. There were beautiful colours of pinks and purples and the sound of buzzing bees.

The ceremony was taking place in The Elizabethan Room it is a very intimate and charming room, perfect for a smaller wedding. It is a stone floored room with a grand fireplace, beautiful woodwork, tapestries and an incredibly ornate ceiling.

Jackie and her bridesmaids were getting ready upstairs in another ornate wooden panelled room and Andy was greeting the guests at the entrance of the castle. It’s not everyday you get to greet your favourite people on your wedding day, standing on a drawbridge, over a moat in a medieval castle.

When it was time for the ceremony Jackie, her Bridesmaids, who were her daughter and her step-daughter, made the way to the Elizabethan Room, we all had to negotiate an old wooden staircase. The only problem was it was a bit creaky and any high heels echoed around the room. Thank goodness for the entrance music. I was also really glad I was wearing my vans as they enabled me to climb the stairs quietly to take some overhead shots from a balcony above, and to photograph the beautiful decorative ceiling.

The ceremony was lovely with personalised vows. They didn’t leave a dry eye in the house, even the registrar was in bits. After they became husband and wife it was confetti time, outside the castle on the drawbridge. We then took couple, family and friend photographs in the courtyard, we had limited time as there was a delicious cream tea and plenty of bubbles waiting for the wedding party. So we didn’t get to explore more of the 300 acre estate including woodland, and gardens. I also didn't get to see the peacock I had been hearing calling out all day. I look forward to doing so when I return.

It was a special day spent in beautiful historical surroundings with lovely people. It’s why my job is one of the best jobs and I consider myself very lucky.


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categories / East Sussex wedding, Instagram, Photography, Social media photographs, Summer wedding, Sussex Wedding, Wedding Photography, Wedding dress, Lewes wedding
tags / wedding hair, weddings, wedding bouquet, wedding shoes, wedding dress, wedding blog, Herstmonceux Castle, east sussex, East Sussex wedding, Sussex wedding, Castle wedding, confetti, Eastbourne Wedding, Historical wedding

Fran and Martin - Brighton Registry Office and Pelirocco Hotel

September 23, 2022  /  Rebecca King

Where do I start with the wedding of this fabulous couple? Firstly they are adorable, and so wholesome, secondly I had a blast photographing their wedding day, and spending time with their lovely family and friends.

The ceremony took place at Brighton Town Hall in Bartholomew Road. It is a beautiful Greek revival Grade II listed building. The bride and groom were arriving separately. I do love it when the couple surprise each other. It feels very traditional and romantic. The bridal party arrived, but disaster had struck as the sole had come loose off a bridesmaids shoe. Luckily enough at an art gallery up the road a kind person gave me some sticky pads and blue tac to get the shoe through the ceremony. Note to self…add superglue to my wedding bags for next time. Disaster averted and there was time for some pre-wedding photos with the bride and her bridal party. The bridesmaids dresses were a beautiful soft lavender, but all the styles were different to suit each person. The bouquets were a mixture of purple freesias, white roses amongst green ferns and other delicate purple flowers.

The bride wore an amazing white lace and satin dress from Dig for Victory. It was mid-length and had a full skirt with a petticoat, that flew when the bride spun. She was also wearing the most outstanding lace boots, which finished off the ensemble beautifully.

After the lovely ceremony the newlyweds and their guests walked along Brighton seafront, not only for the fantastic photo opportunities, but also to get to Hotel Pelirocco in Regency Square. This is where the reception was being held. Hotel Pelirocco is a boutique hotel with themed bedrooms from a Dolly Parton inspired room to Star Wars and Bowie.

We were blessed with the most glorious weather. Brighton is always at it’s best when the sun is shining. We stopped for photographs in one of the beautiful Victoria bus stops. They are painted in a vibrant sea-foam and are an iconic sight in Brighton. We carried on walking along the promenade and stopped for photographs of the family and friends with The West Pier in the background. I have such a fondness for the West Pier and I am still sad that we lost so much of it, and it was left to become derelict. It still looks stunning sitting in the sea, and makes a wonderful addition to any photograph. I was very happy to be able to photograph one of my favourite landmarks combined with this lovely couples wedding photographs. After all the family and friends photographs were finished, the guests made their way to Hotel Pelirocco. The happy couple and I walked to the beautiful Victorian Bandstand for their couple photographs. I love this point of the day where it’s them and me. They decided to practise their first dance whilst we were there. It was a salsa to Despacito. I’m not sure if it was the Justin Bieber or Luis Fonsi version. It was such a joy to get this advance preview, and I loved taking photographs of them dance with the stunning Seaview, and the West Pier in the background.

After the couple photographs were finished we made a short journey to Hotel Pelirocco. It is a fantastical hotel full of colour and life. It is packed of interesting curiosities, including decorated mannequin doll lamps. I recognised them as being made by Tracy at Dolly Fixtures. She’s a lovely lady who I had previously photographed for Viva Lewes.

The reception was a happy affair with lots of dancing and partying, and the official debut of the first dance.

A delicious buffet was supplied by the lovely ladies at Connie and Cooper Catering. It’s never a bad day when you have a C&C sausage roll. The tasty wedding cake was beach themed with a dolphin cake topper, made by Cloud 9 in Brighton.

I had the most wonderful day documenting this fabulous wedding for two of the nicest people you could hope to meet. I have really enjoyed looking back at their photographs and being able to share them.

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categories / Brighton wedding, East Sussex wedding, Instagram, Photography, Social media photographs, Sussex Wedding, Wedding dress, Wedding Photography
tags / wedding hair, weddings, wedding bouquet, wedding dress, wedding blog, wedding shoes, Brighton, East Sussex wedding, east sussex, Hotel Pelirocco, West pier, Connie and Cooper Catering