Olivia & Jake's Wedding - Dulwich, London

The days leading up to Olivia & Jake's wedding were worrying weather-wise but we were blessed with what seemed like the only non-rainy day in April... phew!

To see their photos please click HERE or click on the photo below and enter the password which Jake & Olivia will send you. Please contact them direct for this password. I am unable to provide.

 

I arrived in Dulwich to find everyone getting ready - lots of laughter and a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone was giggling as Sara Beth helped make Olivia's Jimmy Choos fit comfortably and then it was downstairs for a few photos before heading off to the Church.

Jake and his family greeted guests from all over the World and Leila & Remi charmed everyone with their outfits and broad smiles. Olivia arrived in full sunshine and as she walked down the aisle with her Father I could sense everyone's joy. Jake and Olivia beamed throughout the service and during the signing of the Register Claudia played the violin. It was wonderful to hear it from the vestry and for Jake & Olivia to listen to the last minute with the congregation. Down back the aisle and into the sunshine for some group photos before everyone boarded the Routmaster back to the house. A jazz trio entertained guests during the drinks reception and an impromptu bass performance by Jake's Father really livened things up. The marquee looked stunning and the wonderful blue and yellow theme perfectly suited the Spring feeling. 

I took a few shots of the two of them outside the rear of the marquee before their cut their enormous cake and made their way into the dining area. Huge applause. The speeches were between courses and John went first. He had everyone in stitches throughout and then surprised everyone with aprons and chefs hats for a member from each table. Aha... delicious beef carved at table - always a great idea and lots of fun for everyone involved. Joe Claude and Brad were up next and brought some real southern American hoo-haa to the proceedings - to see everyone rolling and roaring was fantastic. And finally Jake himself, who brought the house down when he announced that at long last he would call John & Vicky by their first names. Huge cheers all around. 

There first dance was followed by official crazy (in a good way) dancing from everybody with some excellent moves from quite a few guests. My last shot was outside the marquee which looked fantastic lit up with a purple light. Everyone was either on the dance floor or in the photo booth as I made my way home from what was a truly wonderful day filled with joy and laughter. Thank you all for making my job so easy and such a pleasure. I hope that I have done you all justice, especially those who travelled from overseas. Have a great honeymoon and I really look forward to putting your album together. E x

Mark & Jackie's 50th Birthday Party - Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Park (East Sussex)

Four weeks ago Jackie & Mark celebrated their 50th birthdays and I had a thoroughly fantastic evening documenting the most wonderful 60s/70s themed fancy dress outfits. Everyone had made the biggest effort and it was really hard not to giggle as I caught people on their arrival.

Simply click on the image below and click on the 'play' button to see their mini slideshow (68 out of a total of 275 photos). Jackie & Mark have all of the images and I'm sure that they are eager to share them all with you.


Everyone was in very high spirits and obviously totally up for a massive night. The atmosphere at Trading Boundaries was amazing - a fabulous place to have a party and the food looked delicious. The dancing began as everyone entered and the sounds of the 60s/70s really put people in the mood. A slideshow of Mark & Jackie's life together was a great touch and old fashioned sweeties complimented the theme.

At 10 o'clock Mark made a speech to great applause and then they blew out the candles before 'Elton' & 'Kiki' brought the house down with their rendition of Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

It was left to Boogie Wonderland to entertain everyone until the wee small hours and I left before I imagine the real grooving let rip.

Thanks for having me along all of you and huge congratulations on an amazing evening. Sorry for the delay in getting this up - it really has been a ghastly few weeks (see below) and thank you for your patience. E xxx

Hello Again!

After a massive 7 weeks off work I am finally back in my office and with electricity at last. I forgot that when a tradesman says 2 to 3 weeks he means 5. If he'd said 5 in the first place I could have rented office space and kept the business working as normal. So I've had 2 weeks holiday (back in January) followed by 3 weeks camping out with (wonderfully patient) friends and finally 2 weeks back at home with carpets up and little if no power.

Combined with this my office move has stalled sadly so to cheer myself up I have bought a lovely new desk and bookcase and today is my first day where I can actually see the carpet in my (temporary) office. At long last I feel like a proper working photographer again. Yippee!

I must admit though that I have learned a few new tricks during my enforced leave including putting up shelves to house my wonderful collection of art and photography books, tiling (at first scary and now quite therapeutic), and using a drill chisel (fantastic fun). I am loving using my new DeWalt SDS drill - any excuse to use it - which cuts through everything so much more easily than my old cordless Bosch number. And I have developed good relationships with the wood cutters at Homebase who have been very patient with me.

The house is looking a lot better now but it is funny what I enjoy the most - a heated towel rail that is massively big for the space but means everyone gets their towel on and there's even room for the bath mat. Luxury.

I'm on the lookout for an old Black & Decker type workbench so please would you let me know if you know anyone who is planning on getting rid of theirs... thanks and I look forward to being back in touch with lots of lovely wedding & portrait clients very soon. xxx

Crispin & Nicky's Wedding - Gravetye Manor & Balcombe Church, West Hoathly

The moment I heard all about Nicky & Crispin's day I knew that I was going to enjoy myself. It was in three parts but in a very unconventional order. Everyone met at Gravetye Manor first for drinks and delicious food and Nicky & Crispin very sensibly opted to have their photos taken before they left for Balcombe Church.

Simply click on the image below and click on the 'play' button to see their mini slideshow. To see all of their pictures, once in the slideshow view, click on the shopping basket.

The atmosphere at Gravetye was wonderful because of all the Christmas decorations and being New Year's Eve everyone was very excited. Nicky arrived with her Mum and Sister with only her dress left to put on as everyone was enjoying drinks nearby. Her entrance was wonderful to lots of clapping and cheers. I then took the two of them on a mini-tour of Gravetye. It was tricky to keep Nicky's dress spotless for the Church but thanks to Emily & Libby we managed it.

The groups were tricky with me having to ask everyone to go next door to the lounge (I felt SO guilty) so that I could take the photos in the bar. Everyone was amazing and I really love the results.

I left for St Mary's Balcombe to find Rev Burton and the Choir enjoying the festive atmosphere inside the Church. They had an earlier wedding so were in high spirits. It was lovely to catch up with them all as the last time I was there was on 5th November. The guests started to arrive and Matthew had me in stiches as he guided Crispin into the Church (see his wonderful hand signalling in the slideshow). The two girls arrived looking gorgeous and were terribly excited to see their Daddy. With everyone inside it was time for Nicky & her Father to make their entrance. Nicky looked stunning and composed even when her eldest started to drag her Grandfather through the door and down the aisle. Who knew that a 2 year old was so strong?!

Even though Crispin had seen Nicky already there is nothing like seeing your bride walking down the aisle towards you. All was well until the final floor grill when Nicky's heel got stuck and caused a few seconds of concern followed by howls of laughter mainly from Nicky. The vicar then announced that no one had ever got stuck before which made everyone giggle even more. How's that for an entrance?!

The service was so beautiful and family-orientated. Jo-Anne & Sophie's readings, the exchange of vows and rings and finally the signing all had a wonderfully light and happy feel. We did a couple of shots to include the girls outside the Church and then Libby and the Guys set up a spectacular confetti run. Just down the road at the Half Moon was our final destination - mulled wine and cake for everyone... perfect.

I left at a very civilised 5pm and arrived home feeling so excited about the day. I loved working with you all and wish you both a long and happy marriage. Keep in touch! x

Jo & Charlie's Wedding - Balcombe & West Hoathly, West Sussex

How lovely to be able to do my first ever 'Uncle Ted' wedding! The 'Uncle Ted Award' goes to anyone offering outstanding assistance during a wedding & Charlie was only the 2nd ever recipient back in 2007. Since then I have photographed Charlie and now Jo a few times and so when they asked me to photograph their day I was absolutely thrilled.

Simply click on the image below and click on the 'play' button to see their mini slideshow. To see all of their pictures, once in the slideshow view, click on the shopping basket and when prompted the password is Jo & Charlie's surname (case sensitive).


While I was at Jo's home taking a few shots of her with Charlie-girl, Liz and Jo's parents Laura was photographing Charlie & his ushers enjoying their pub lunch. All was calm with Jo and I was so excited when I saw her Caroline Castigliano dress as it was stunning and needed it's own hanging rail! Zara delivered lovely bouquets and Antonia did an amazing job on Jo's hair (thanks for your help with the reflector). After a few family photos I left for the Church where I met up with Laura. It was great seeing Charlie's beaming face as he greeted his guests.

Jo arrived with Charlie-girl, Liz and two of the most adorable flower girls ever in the shape of Beatrice & Georgina. Watching them compare shoes and dresses with the older girls was so sweet and seeing them holding hands all the way to the Church was very touching. Jo arrived and took some getting out of the car, everyone trying desperately to keep her skirts off the ground, and managed it safely to the lychgate only for someone to pipe up, 'where are your flowers?' Ooops. A very small delay while they were collected and then Nick walked Jo down the aisle into a packed Church and both her and Charlie beamed when they met at the end.

The service was wonderful with readings from Simon & Emily, prayers from Andrew, the amazing sound from the army brass quintet & the Church choir of course. The vows and exchange of rings went smoothly with lots of smiles from everyone assembled. After signing the Register they walked back down the aisle and out to be greeted by Millie (along with her very smart bow) in a complete surprise for Jo and their joy at seeing each other was terrific. After the family groups they braved A LOT of confetti and set off in the Old Lady towards West Hoathly and Charlie's brother's home with an incredibly smart marquee ready to receive everyone for a drinks reception and speeches (very funny flags from Nick, Charlie making me scream laughing with his comparison to World leaders of Jo, Jeremy & poor Emily (!), and finally Jeremy with his tales of Charlie's charm from an early age).

We did a little stop off in a beautiful garden and with the help of wonderful Rachel we managed to manoeuver Jo's dress around safely and took some stunning photos. I love that Jo had her boots in the Old Lady all ready for a bit of stomping. Very impressive! [Rachel, thank you, Uncle Ted badge on the way - you were amazing!]

After the delicious meal, it being 5th November, there were fireworks and I was surprised to see that they went on for as long as our village display. How Charlie managed that I have no idea but they were REALLY impressive. Cake cutting (made beautifully by Imogen) was followed by a pretty impressive first dance (lots of giggling) and then the whole marquee fell onto the dance floor and were highly entertained by the Co Stars.

I managed a last shot in front of the marquee (always a good one for the last page of the album) and it looked great with the fairy lights and Charlie & Jo laughing as they had been all day.

Thanks so much for having me there as a part of your day and for the delicious food and lemonade. Laura & I had a wonderful day and we both wish you a very happy future together and please keep in touch with all of your news. It was great to see you today and I'm so pleased that you had an amazing honeymoon. x

Christmas Portraits - BOOK NOW!

Family Location Photoshoots

Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th November 2011

9:30am / 10:45am / 12:00pm / 1:15pm / 2:30pm

Starborough Manor, Marsh Green
Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5QY

www.starboroughmanor.co.uk

Cost: £50 (normally £100)

Photos will be put online by Friday 18th & all orders must be made and paid for by Wednesday 25th to guarantee collection by Christmas

OR

Family Studio Photoshoots

Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th November 2011

9:30am / 11am / 12:30pm / 2pm / 3:30pm

True Studios
51 Barns Court, Turners Hill Road
Crawley Down, West Sussex RH10 4HQ

Cost: £50

Photos will be put online by Friday 25th & all orders must be made and paid for by Wednesday 30th to guarantee collection by Christmas

For questions or to book please contact:

Emma - 01342 811631 or 07769 167260 - emma@emmaduggan.com

Gav & Babs' Wedding - Chiddingstone Castle, Edenbridge (Kent)

Gav & Babs got me excited from the moment we met because not only do I love working at Chiddingstone Castle but Babs had chosen a gorgeous Vera Wang dress. It was also really fantastic to follow their wedding blog which gave me a great insight into their family and friends.

Simply click on the image below and click on the 'play' button to see their mini slideshow. To see all of their pictures, once in the slideshow view, click on the shopping basket and when prompted the password is Gav & Babs' surname (case sensitive).


I arrived at the beautiful Starborough Manor B&B to finally meet the two Charlies and Babs' wonderful Parents. It was a really great vibe because of all of the lovely space and I was thrilled to see that the B&B had a ballroom - perfect for photos. Charlie F proved a real whizz with my 2nd camera which was hysterical to watch. The flowers arrived and were quite simply stunning. When Babs was finally dressed I am so pleased that I had a few minutes to take a few shots of her and her Parents before I rushed off to Chiddingstone Castle.

Gav, Jon, Chris, Kai & Dominic were at the beautiful Orangery along with family and friends all excitedly waiting for the bride's arrival. The car arrived and the cameras all went crazy as Joseph walked Babs down the aisle. Wonderful readings from Charlie F and Chris and an emotional exchange of vows and rings before the Registrar announced that they were husband & wife. Cheers all around & lots of impromptu hugs and kisses before they ran the gauntlet back down the aisle to be absolutely covered in confetti. Little Dominic got right into the middle of the confetti cloud and screamed with delight - one of those classic moments that I will remember for years to come.

After some group and couple photos everyone took their seats for what I later learned was a delicious meal, elegant tea ceremony and finally some dancing into the night. Special thanks to Martin for helping me with the couple shots, and vitally to Joseph for helping me with the reflector. It's the first time the Father of the Bride has helped me and it was brilliant.

Thanks for having me with you on your day and to the two Charlies, Agnes, Jon, Chris & Kai who made it really easy and fun. Dominic was a delight and made the day very special too. And finally to Nathalie and the Team at Chiddingstone who were amazing to work with - it's a very special place anyway but you made it perfect.

Wishing you both a happy & healthy future together and do keep in touch with your news. E x