WEDDING VENUES

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Ben and Janelle's Wedding at the Coconut Palm Inn in Key Largo, Florida was the first Wedding in over 5 years that I have attended and not taken the photos (and there have been a lot!) I've known Ben since I was 10 months old and he was very insistant that he wanted me to be an usher and not the man behind the camera having watched me work at his sister Susan's Wedding last year where we barely got a minute to chat. It was a little strange but really good to sit back and watch someone else work while I tucked into the complimentary cocktails. Ben moved to the USA some time ago now so we get to catch up pretty infrequently and it was amazing to spend some time with him and the family (old and new).

Unable to completely abandon my camera I did snap a few pictures during our stay, between drinks, and was really pleased to be able to shoot some 'Trash the Dress' pictures with them both the following morning, which was also a first for me. Here are some of my favourite images

Kristina, Jon and Jon's Motorbike were married at the wonderful Broomhill Art Hotel back in November. Yes Jon's motorbike even attended the reception and sat next to the cake beaming at all the guests! The day was filled with fun and emotion and it really was a pleasure to photograph to people so visably in love.

Here are some of my favourites

Amy and Alex were married on the steps of the Artist's Beach House in Whitstable in Kent witnessed by a small group of friend and family. After a mini reception at the house we walked down the promnade to the Loster Shack to meet the rest of the Wedding Guests at the Lobster Shack for Food, Speeches and Dancing! In between I got the chance to spend a bit more time than usual with Amy and Alex on the beach. Amy and Alex were such a lovely couple to work with and after the got over the initial embaressment of being in front of the camera we shot some really fun portraits. 

Below are quite a lot of my favourites

Charlotte and Ciaran were married in Plymouth a good 45 minute drive away from their reception in the Great Barn in Higher Ashton. I have wanted to photograph a Wedding here for some time although whenver I have had an enquiry for it I haven't been available to do it. As a Wedding photographer it's my job to adjust to whatever light I have to work with but it amazes me how many Wedding Venues have such challenging conditions. The Great Barn however is owned by Emma and John Birkin who have a background in stage lighting and despite there being very little natural light in the Barn they have made it a real pleasure to photograph. 

Charlotte and Ciaran are both keen rowers and from what I could gather Ciaran is a rather good one! They had invited a really fun mix of people to their Wedding and the girl who lost out in a drinking game and was forced to drink champagne from her shoe has got to be one of my favourite moments I have captured at a Wedding this year.

Here are some of my favourites

After photographing my friend's Johnny and Katie's Wedding the week before this week a was photographing a good friend of my girlfriend Charlotte's Big Day. Justin and Sarah were married at Huntsham Court and not being satisfied with just one ceremony they walked the entire congregation down from the house to the chapel at the bottom of the drive for a religious blessing. It was the first time I've ever photographed two services back to back and was a really fun and different way to tie the knot. Justin and Sarah now live and work in Kuwait but had organised everything themselves including the catering which comprised of a most impressive seafood spread and bangers and mash for all. Justin did say during his speach that if he heard the expression 'Sahbby Chic' one more time he was likely to put an end to his life but it really was testimony to what a lot of hard work can acheive as the whole day looked beautiful.

Here are my favourites

Johnny is one of my oldest friends so when he and Katie suggested I came to their Wedding as a guest so I could enjoy the day it took a bit of persuding to let me do the Photography! They were married at the stunning St Andrews Church in Sonning and despite a spot of rain as they came out of the church the sun shone throughout their reception at Bix Manor near Henley in Berkshire.

I think sometimes it's a bit harder to photograph Weddings of people you know because everyone is a lot more aware of you and the camera though Johnny's one responsibility for the day, the 'Free Bar', soon dampened the guests awareness and my job got a lot easier. I was also able to take advantage of the 'Free Bar' myself toward the end of the day and was very definitely under the influence of it during the last few pictures where I decided to go back to the car for my camera to snap their final dance.

Here are some of my favourites from their Big Day

Though Chloe and Chris live in London they spend a lot of their time indulging their passion for surfing on the beachs of North Devon. With this in mind Ash Barton Manor near Braunton and only a short drive away from the beach was the perfect setting for their Big Day. This was my second of two Weddings in two weeks at Ash Barton Manor and with a steady supply of alcohol and a rather large box of fancy dress a very entertaining one to photograph!

Over the summer a Wind Farm has sprouted on the Hills above Braunton and Barnstaple which has been the cause of much heated debate amongst the locals of North Devon. Whatever your feelings are about them I find them a little bit entrancing and at Ash Barton you have a great view of them which we utilised as a backdrop for some of the portraits.

Here are some of my favourites

Catherine and Rob are both Physios and met at University in Nottingham. They were married in a Catholic Ceremony at St Mary's RCC in Barnstaple and had their Reception at Ash Barton Manor nr Braunton in North Devon. This was my first of two Weddings in two weeks at Ash Barton Manor and I was intrigued to see what it was like as it is only a stones throw from where I live.

When I first met Catherine and Rob for their consultation last year they had just returned from Hawaii and it transpired that, like many people living in North Devon, Rob and I shared a passion for surfing and also several friends. One of these is the hugely talented Amy Newton who sang at the Ceremony and then again with her Band at the evening Reception. One of Amy's songs is featured on my website and I've been fortunate enough to see her perform on many occasions though her performance during the ceremony absolutely blew me away.

Below are some of my favourites from their day

Nat and Emma were married at Marlyebone Town Hall with their Reception held at Dartmouth House in Mayfair in Central London. I was a little bit nervous about this one as Nat is a Director of Photography / Cameraman who has worked on some pretty major TV Shows and Productions such as the X-Factor and The Royal Weddng. He is also a very good photographer in his own right and with Emma who works as the Producer/Director on the TV show 'Total Wipeout' this was a couple with a real knowledge of visual media. Despite this added pressure they were so much fun to work with and their emails following the Wedding left me feeling quite overwhelmed. 

Their day was filled with highlights but the open top Bus Ride accross Central London and a wander around Westminster were a really welcome change to the norm and just great fun to document.

Below are the emails that they sent me after the Wedding and some of my favourite images from their very special day.

EMAIL FROM NAT

Hi Jamie, as per your suggestion we have just sat down with a bottle of wine and played the slide show of the wedding.  Wow, they are brilliant and finally Emma has shed a tear over the wedding!  I tried on the day but couldn't get that grin off her face!!!

Thank you so much, we can't wait to pass the details on to everybody and share the photos with them.

Favourite photo's?  Too many to say but the photo's on Westminster Bridge and the the moments you captured between Emma and her family in the morning and Emma and I are brilliant.  It seems that everyday I look at other professionals images I learn a little more.  Thank you.

You have captured the day perfectly for us, thank you again.

I hope the slippers and sofa are now well worn in and you feel you are starting to recover from a long summer!

Many thanks mate,

Nat and Em xx

EMAIL FROM EMMA

The photos you took are so lovely, I had a proper tear yesterday! Not even the day did that to me! They tell the story of our day brilliantly, it brings back every joyful feeling looking at them and the composition of your pictures are just great. Your eye for detail and the way you look for different ways to shoot something is such a wonderful gift and one that I envy. Thank you.
 
Again, thank you so very much. You are a very talented man.
 
Em (and mr Taylor as he is now known in our house!!!!) xxx

AND FROM EMMA AGAIN!

Jamie,

I know this has turned into a bit of a Jamie Bott love in but thought I should let you know that my parents came over on Tues night and watched the slideshow with the brilliantly suggested glass (make that bottles) of wine and they were beside themselves. Solid tears for two and a half hours. They are so excited by them and my mum just relived the whole day. Your storytelling is superlative and joy radiates from every image. They were so nervous about the photography not being formal but now just cannot believe how right and brilliant they are. My father thinks you are a genius and I can see how proud he is of us finding such a great photographer to document the day and going with what we knew would capture our day and more.

You have made the family so happy. Thank you. Now I get to do it all again with my sister tonight and yet another bottle of wine! Let's see if she can beat mums record of tears actually falling by the third photo!

I will let you know when the stuff arrives in my hands.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Em & Nat xx

Charlie and Matt's Wedding was a triumph for Weddings where the couples have turned 'event planners'. Matt is an architect based in London and when several landscapers told him that it was impossible to flatten an area in Charlie's Parent's garden, which is set on a steep hill near Axeminster in Dorset, to erect the marquee he took it upon himself to hire a digger and do the job himself! In fact every detail right down to Charlie's dress, which she made herself, was very much a DIY affair and after what I gather was an awful lot of hard work it looked absolutely beautiful!

Having registered their marriage on paper in the week before Charlie and Matt had a Humanist Blessing in the Garden and though their vows were a tad rain affected the atmosphere was not dampened and true to character the sun burst through the clouds apologetically as the ceremony finished. The event was catered by the wonderful Piglet Cottage and the guests partied on with a fireworks display well into the night. The whole event was a pleasure to attend and document.

Here are a selection of my favourites

Like my Wedding the week before Lauren and Steve were also married at Broomhill Art Hotel. This was the week of the London Riots and several of the guests including Steve and Lauren had been affected by the disruption. It seemed fitting, therefore, that we should shoot some portraits on the 'tennis court' which has been turned into the post apocalyptic vision of artist Mike Role for his piece 'Welcome to the Third Millennium' I can safely say it was definitely one of the most bizarre environments I have ever shot Wedding Portraits!

While watching the Royal Wedding earlier in the year Jen had joked that she would like to have a fanfare of Trumpets at her Wedding too. Unbeknownst to her Steve had arranged for the Bridal Party to welcome them into the Wedding Breakfast with a fanfare of kazoos. Her face was priceless!

The rest of their day was filled with fun and laughter and a small amount of rain didn't dampen the guests enthusiasm one bit.

Here are some of my favourites

Jen and Marc were the first of two Weddings in a row at the lovely, and truly unique, Broomhill Art Hotel. Though based in Reigate Jen and Marc had been so taken with the Sculpture Gardens and laid back atmosphere of Broomhill when they visited that they decided that it was the perfect location for their nuptials. The sun shone all day and we had great fun exploring the Gardens and finding some portraits.

Here are some of my favourites.

Over the past few years I have shot the Weddings of several of James and Sian's friends and it was really lovely to see so many familiar faces at their Wedding. Sian works for Corbis Images, one of the largest picture agencies in the World, and deals daily with some pretty major Fashion and Celebrity Photographers so it was a real honour that she thought I cut the mustard.

Their reception was held at the Leander Club in Henley, though the guests were treated to a private drinks reception on the Thames aboard a Mississippi Style Steam Boat, before we even made it inside the World's most famous Rowing Club.

There were so many highlights from Sian and Jame's day that I should probably just let the pictures do the talking.

Gareth and Harriet's Wedding was held at the Clock Barn on Tufton Warren Farm near Whitchurch in Hampshire. Harriet works with Paul whose Wedding to Jo I shot last year and who I think I probably owe several bottles of wine to as quite a few of my Weddings this year have come through recommendations from him.

Though I probably say it every week, Harriet and Gareth were a really lovely couple and though they were admittedly not huge fans of being photographed they soon forgot I was  there and got on with the task of enjoying what was a truly excellent day.

One of the highlights for me was during Gareth's speech when he recounted the phone call he had made to Harriet's Father to ask for her hand. On answering the phone her Dad had responded "Gareth who?" Gareth replied giving his full name and surname and was still met with a blank response - probably not the best of starts to the conversation but it did give him some good material for the speech which was met with rapturous laughter and and embarrassed look from his new father in law.

The day must have gone well because the following morning I had a phone call from Lee who is engaged to Gareth's sister Lorna. I'm now booked for their Wedding next year too!

Here are some of my favourites