Back in late December it was time for my third UK wedding of the year. Snow, travel and Luton airport are never things you want to hear in the same sentence but with only a 7 hour delay I finally made it to the UK.

I actually met Alex several years ago when she was a bridesmaid at Katy and Stu’s wedding in Tikitano and jumped at the opportunity to document her day with Steve, family and friends at the really stunning Brocket Hall.

After all of the prep we headed to Alex’s local church for a lovely ceremony and I even managed to negotiate “Stand at the back and take very few pictures” to ” I have come a long way and would like to take a few more”.

Brocket Hall  is a real gem of a venue and the absolute perfect setting for a wintery wedding, after drinks by the open fire in the drawing room everyone was treated to the amazing culinary delights and service it has to offer. By the time I left I think everyone was just getting warmed up on the dance floor and I gather everyone partied long and hard into the morning?

Huge thanks to everyone, it was so nice to see so many familiar faces and be made to feel so welcome. Big thanks to Katy & Stu and the twins for accommodating me and the homeward journey went with out a hitch ( just about ).

Really hope you enjoy the images and thanks again for inviting me over.

To view the Slideshow please click HERE.

J

There is always something that little bit extra special about a destination wedding. I am not sure what it is, but weddings held over a couple of days give guests more time to get to know one and another and have a vibe that is always very special. This year has been an amazing year with some lots of travel and of my 40 weddings this year, 37 of those were in different locations which is something I really enjoy.

Christina and Aaron got in touch with me back in early 2010 about their plans and story behind their Barcelona Wedding. Aaron’s parents met in Barcelona and were also married in the Basilica de Santa Maria Del Mar. (Anyone having visited Barcelona will definitely know this incredible cathedral).

One of the great things about destination weddings is the pre-dinner or cocktail parties the evening before.  Christina and Aaron’s party took place in the Dominicas de la Presentación which was where Aaron’s mum attended school in her childhood – what a wonderful place for friends and family to sample Catalan canapés.

I guess the only possible “what if?” with a wedding in Barcelona in November might be the weather, but Saturday was the perfect day. All of the preparation took place in some funky apartments in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona, close to Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar. A big thanks to Jennifer for her shooting skills and her ” wedding emergency ” sewing kit which, yet again, saved a grooms man!

For a documentary wedding photographer the Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar is an amazing place to shoot – the sheer size of this cathedral is incredible and Jennifer and I were very lucky to be able to shoot with little restriction. After the ceremony we managed to explore some of the back streets in the Gothic quarter before making our back to Masia Egara, another beautiful venue in the outskirts of Barcelona.

After some very touching speeches, fine dining and great wine the party began.  I have been fortunate to have documented some Filipino weddings in the past – photographing the dancing is one of my favorite parts and Christina and Aaron’s wedding did not disappoint.  Wow, these people can certainly dance…. and dance….. and dance – there is no stopping!!

A big thanks to Christina and Aaron for inviting Jennifer and myself to Barcelona to document their celebrations.  It really was a perfect wedding!

If you have a spare 10 minutes and would like to view the slideshow from the day then please CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW. ( may take a minute or two to load, but worth the wait )

Thanks to Christina and Aaron and family and friends for being the perfect hosts. A very Merry Christmas and happy holiday to you all.

J

BIG THANKS:

Second shooter Jennifer:  JJ Wedding Photography

Wedding Planner extraordinaire Clare : Barcelona wedding  

Hair and Makeup by Catrin: Absolutely Gorgeous Barcelona 

Awesome video: Ensu

Venue Masia Egara: Masia Egara

Back in November it made a pleasant change to work very close to home. I have known Jose and Jo for a few years and Jo is a long time friend of Dee and is also my Spanish teacher ( very brave ). After a wonderful ceremony with lots of tears at the Finnish church in Fuengirola everyone made there way to the reception at Suave by the sea. One question Jo and Jose did not have to worry about was the entertainment with Jose and friends supplying the fantastic music throughout the evening which was accompanied by the Photobooth which produced its fair share of amusing images!

It is not very often I get the chance to invite clients to the house to view the images for the first time and it really makes this job the best hob in the world when you can see peoples reactions for the first time, surface to say there was not a dry eye in the house.

Hope you enjoy a few of my faves.

J x