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Maggie and Simon - Michelham Priory

August 12, 2019 / Rebecca King

It was such an honour to experience my first Quaker wedding of the lovely Maggie and Simon. They had already married in their home country of Hong Kong, but this was a service for the UK family and friends, even though people had travelled from all over the world to come. It was such a thoughtful and peaceful service, full of so much love. There is much time for contemplation and stillness.
The venue of Michelham Priory was a perfect choice, as it's a haven of calm and tranquility. This beautiful 800 year old manor house and gardens is a beautiful venue with so many wonderful spots for photograph opportunities, from the little bridge to the barn and all the surrounding green spaces.
The weather had been very changeable but we were lucky that it stayed dry for the outside ceremony, drinks and all the photographs. It was quite windy but Maggie took the rain and wind in her stride, It's a good job her hairdresser was so good at fixing in veils, but it did make for some fabulous veil photographs.

The evening consisted of Ceilidh dancing, (like a barn dance) which was great fun and enjoyed by everyone. It was fun to get in the middle of it all to take photos. Also Maggie and Simon had their own dance, which everyone enjoyed very much.

This was a really lovely, funny and happy day to have been a small part of. I met so many lovely people. Maggie and Simon were a lovely couple and I wish them all the best for the future.

See our Facebook page for our bigger album.

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categories / Wedding Photography, Photography
tags / wedding bouquet, wedding dress, Michelham Priory, wedding hair, wedding veil

WedFest - Part 2

August 02, 2019 / Rebecca King

The second part of the wedding celebration for my lovely couple was to be held in a marquee on a family members property. The vibe was to be a less formal occasion than their wedding. It was to be a fun celebration that was titled ‘WedFest’. All the guest were given a wristband and encouraged to pitch their tents and dance until dawn, with the promise of a cooked breakfast on the Sunday morning.

in the run up to the wedding the weather had been drizzly and grey all week, but on the Saturday the sun had his hat on and it was stunning. There were spectacular views over the Sussex hills. The marquee was beautiful, it was festooned with coloured streamers and bunting. There were gift bags full of toys and treats for all the children. There was food to suit everyone, a hog roast, pizza van and cheese table, as well as an ice-cream van, several cakes and a sweet cart. in addition there was a cocktail bar.

As the weather was so beautiful, outside the marquee were other tables and chairs as well as sofas. There was a bouncy castle, giant jenga and other games, as well as space hoppers and hula hoops. It really had a festival feel about it.

The music accompaniment was several acts throughout the evening, like a music festival. The first on the line-up was a relaxed jazz band with smooth tunes, then if your bridesmaid is a singer, it would be rude to not have her perform, following them was an amazing band that performed and when they were on a break there was a Dj set. The evening then continued into the night with dance music and sparklers. It was such a fun wedding celebration to be a part of. I think the couple had thought of everything, the details were fantastic, even down to beautiful flower crowns for the ladies. It was a wonderful fun event to be a part of.

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categories / Wedding Photography, Photography
tags / wedding dress, Wedfest, party, bouncy castle, dancing

WedFest - Part 1

July 30, 2019 / Rebecca King

These two lovely people decided to tie the knot in a quiet ceremony, with only a few family and friends. They choose the stunning location of Ashdown Park Hotel in East Grinstead. It is a beautiful location, with stunning greenery and established trees. There is also a little pond with a fountain. It is a beautiful and peaceful place to get married.

I started the afternoon with the bride and her lovely bridesmaids (who were her cousins), they were getting their make up and hair done whilst drinking champagne and telling stories of when they were younger. It was such a lovely moment to be witness too, it was a real behind the scenes moment. There is such excitement and anticipation, all this on top of wedding day nerves. The bride told me that I helped her to feel calm and relaxed and she was happy I was there. It was such a lovely thing to hear, as the photographer you don’t want to be too much of a presence, you have to be at the front line to get the best shots but you don’t want to impede on the guests day. I like to be a photography ninja, get the best photographs but to not be in the way of anyone.

After the ceremony and photographs, they were having an intimate dinner. The table setting planner was brilliant. It was an illustration of each guest. It was made by Hey Draw Me. The table names were all penguins, because they are the couples favourite animal. They even had the poem ‘Personal Penguin’ read out by the grooms sister during the ceremony. This is why I hand embroidered their USB keyring with a couple of penguins.

This was a two part event, a couple of days later I photographed part two of WedFest…

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categories / Photography, Wedding Photography
tags / wedding bouquet, wedding dress, weddings, newlyweds, Ashdown Park, Wedfest

Viva Lewes - Photo of the Month

May 30, 2019 / Rebecca King

I was very excited as my photograph was picked as Viva Lewes ‘Photo of the Month’ for April’s edition. It’s always lovely to have people appreciate your work. They called it ‘Looking Back’. This refers to the fact that whenever I take my camera out when I walk, I always make sure that I look back because I could be missing a great photograph, but from a different angle. Which is exactly what happened with this photograph.

Something very special and happened after I won. I was contacted via Viva by someone who’s friend had had the bench put there in memorial for her husband, she was also very poorly and her friend wanted to give her the photograph, as a reminder, to help her feel better. I of course obliged and had one printed, I was so touched that I did it for no charge. It was my pleasure to do something special for someone who was having a difficult time.

It’s a very special feeling to think that something you have created will mean so much to someone else and give someone happiness.

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categories / Competition, Lewes, Photography, Viva Lewes
tags / viva lewes, lewes, landscape, frost

Forever Autumn

January 13, 2019 / Rebecca King

I was very fortunate in November to photograph these lovely sisters and their families. I had photographed one of the families before and I always have the most fun with them. This shoot was to be the same jolly, happy, easy going and, as always, with fabulous outfit changes.

The photographs took place at the local Priory ruins in Lewes, (my favourite place). The seasons really change the place. There are so many colours the orange, red and yellow leaves contrasting against the gorgeous greys and whites of the flint and stones and so many textures in the ruined buildings. It is particularly beautiful in Autumn, there are so many different colour leaves, it is just stunning. We were fortunate to have had dry weather, so the children could sit on leaves without any fear of getting wet. A couple of days after the weather turned very windy so most of the leaves had blown off the branches.

I constantly wonder if I did the right thing by leaving my secure office job to follow this path, being self employed is difficult, especially if you’re like me a, ‘Cautious Carol’ that never that never leaves my comfort zone, but when I have experiences like this shoot and I create such beautiful photographs, that my clients love, it makes me very happy and pleased I made the scary move.