Well 2016 was a funny ol'year .. not just for world politics and the loss of so many childhood stars from film, stage and the music industry.. but, as friends know, I too had quite a punishing year in my personal life. I photog'ed another 90 weddings in 2016.. and am so thankful to have been a part of so many lovely days. Love will always pull you through, and I finally found some love of my own. From July'17 onwards I will be based in both Swansea and Hampshire, and will now be covering Wales and surrounding counties with wedding photography.
I wish I could post highlights from all my 2016 weddings, but there are just too many, and with 100 weddings booked for this year time is a little precious. But here are some of my fave highlights from 2016 below:
If you are interested in booking me for a shoot, please do contact me soon - as I get booked up very very quickly. For more details on prices and packages please see my website:
- 2017 is now full, and 2018 is filling fast -
So, where do I start with my 2016 wedding highlights.. I guess with my fave photo from last year. The wedding of Angelina and Shaun, at Southend Barns, was beautiful.. and chillaxed.. and fun. The wildflowers were out, the light was perfect - with skies feisty enough for some lovely mood in the photos - it was just a perfect day :)
Southend Barns has long been one of my favourite venues, and the wedding of Laura and Matthew was equally as fun and beautiful. A bright sunny day, with lovely vintage tones throughout, teapots as vases, and Jamiroquai on the guest-list (only joking, but it sure did look like him haha!)..
How do you follow such a beautiful day?.. with a treehouse wedding of course! Close to beautiful Beaulieu, this fairytale venue is set deep amongst the New Forest trees. I had so much fun photographing this lovely wedding - with campfires, a ceilidh, and that lovely sunlight piercing the treeline..
So, where next? The lovely Tithe Barn, near Petersfeld. The wedding of Natalie and Ben was so lovely .. and so much fun! Ultimate frisbee became the theme of the early evening, and gave me such a giggle while I was taking photos :)
And now to one of my most popular venues, the lovely Skylark in Hampshire. I'm regularly found here photographing weddings and love it! The barn is beautiful, the staff are fantastic, and it has a few lovely spots for photos. I did so many weddings at Skylark last year, but am including highlights from two of my faves below.
Another of my regular haunts for 2016 was the lovely Parley Manor in Dorset.. a stunning venue and wonderful staff - I've had so much fun photographing weddings here over the past few years. From climbing out on the roof to take 'whole wedding party' group photos, commando crawling through the long grass to get those lovely meadow shots, and seeing all the vintage and boho themes used by couples. Below two of my fave 2016 weddings from Parley Manor.
Cowdray Gardens is another venue where I've been spoilt for choice with backdrops for photos - it's overwhelmingly beautiful.. and the perfect place for a summer's day wedding.
My next collages take us back to Beaulieu, for the wedding of the lovely Jenni and Matt at Master Builders. The mix of the moody light and April blossom made for a lovely day.
And on to two more very special days, with lovely light and the most perfect photo opportunities for me. I regularly shoot weddings at Southdowns Manor, but these two days felt particularly special for two lovely couples and their families. In the first one we even managed to get a pre-ceremony shot of the bride and groom holding hands around a door - I felt so privileged to be able to capture the emotion of this moment (so powerful that even I shed a few tears behind the camera).
Next we jump to my favourite winter venue. Sopley Mill is a fantastically well thought out venue, and perfect for that lovely boho vintage look. Below are two of my fave Sopley Mill weddings from last year. The first collage shows the incredible detail Michelle had gone to in making the decorations for her wedding to Alex in February.
The Clock Barn in Whitchurch is another venue I often find myself at for Winter weddings. Below are highlights from the lovely wedding of Taylore and James in October.
From winter weddings we jump to the amazing summer wedding of Sarah and James. Their day started at Basingstoke Registry Office, and led on to a lovely outdoor blessing at Rotherwick Village Hall.
And next on to Old Thorns, another of my most popular venues. I love working here - the wedding team are top notch and the views from the golf course are stunning. I've included highlights from a winter, and a summer Old Thorns day below. Sarah and Tim were married in Godalming, after which we headed back to the hotel for the reception, a spin through the frost in a golf buggy, and then rocked out to the groom's band. Jade and Ashley were married on a lovely July day at Old Thorns - and I cheekily got a glimpse of a few hungover guests the following morning when I came back to the hotel for another wedding hehe!
From the borders of Surrey to Somerset for the wedding of Clare and Nathan. I originally grew up in Somerset, and my old accent makes a sneaky re-appearance every time I'm back :) Pennard House was a lovely venue, for this cosy winter wedding in November.
My 2016 winter weddings included that of Holly and Matt, married at Romsey Abbey, with their reception at East Horton Golf Club. It was a beautiful military affair, with a touch of rain when we got back to East Horton, that gave a lovely moody look to the skies around us. I'm looking forward to getting back to East Horton soon, another fantastic venue with lovely staff.
If we're talking about rainy days I have to mention the wedding of Amy and Dave at the Sandbanks Hotel in Dorset. This was without a question of doubt my favourite wedding of 2016! It 'poured' with rain! You've never seen rain like it! But oh my goodness did we have the most fun EVER! By the end of the day we were all drenched, and I caught a bout of girl'flu the following week - but it was utterly worth it! A big thank you to Amy and Dave for being completely awesome, and the loveliest couple I've ever met! I was fortunate enough to go back to Sandbanks for another wedding last week and came home with sunburn! Such a fantastic place to get married! :)
We stay in Dorset for the next wedding. The Pavillion at The Kings Arms Hotel in Dorset is another of my faves, and regular haunts. I'm normally found here 4 or 5 times a year photographing weddings, each one uniquely different, but all with a lovely vintage edge. I've included highlights from one of my favourite Kings weddings of 2016 - that of the lovely Jade and Nick.
I can't mention lovely couples without including Kelly and Chris, who were married at Bartley Lodge in January 2016. Kelly and Chris have the loveliest family and friends, and we had the perfect winter's day for their wedding. I'm often found at Bartley Lodge for winter weddings - it's wonderfully cosy with warming log fires and a backdrop of the New Forest.
On to the Square Tower in Portsmouth. Run by the lovely Steve and Julia, it's one of my fave places come rain or shine. Below are highlights from the wedding of Cara and Steven, one of my favourite Square Tower weddings of 2016.
From here to jousting wedding parties and bell tents. The wedding of Beth and Adam was a lovely summer fete inspired day.
And on to Laura and Shane's amazing wedding in Middlesex. With ice-creams, doughnuts, a fish'n'chip van, giant balloons and the tiniest prettiest wedding car I've ever seen! Thank you so much to Laura and Shane for including me on their amazing day and for being so lovely.
I'll finish my blog here with highlights from some more of my favourite 2016 days. I wish I could include more, but time is short and I have another 100 weddings to photograph this year :)
Thank you so much for reading my little blog post. I will be posting 2017 highlights towards the end of the year :)
Sarah Elvin Photography - wedding photographer, with a story-telling style available for rustic, vintage, wilderness and rural weddings across Wales - including Swansea, Gower, Bridgend, Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, Brecon - and across the UK - including Cotswolds, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire, The Lake District, Cumbria and Scotland.
