June 26th 2010. Steve and Carina’s wedding at Ede’s House, Chichester and Duncton Mill

When you get married you’re often told ‘you can have what you want’.

Carina knew she wanted a picnic and ended up with one – under blues skies by the side of a lake. The ceremony itself was at Edes House in Chichester, a wonderful building with loads of atmosphere and a huge lawn behind on which to have a glass of champagne and a few formal pictures, before setting off for Duncton Mill just outside Petworth.

On a day with clear blue skies the location could have been more beautiful – two huge marquees right by the lake, loads of space and no one else around. The lake even comes with a boat and oarsman, so the result was very much the day you dream of.

With thought, time, effort and planning you can have what you want.

What I particularly enjoyed and admired was that Steve and Carina had planned every detail themselves, from the picnic baskets to Steve’s homemade chutney. And I was especially grateful on such a hot day that they chose not to wear ties.

It was a fabulous, unique and relaxed day massively enjoyed by everyone present. Above all it showed that with thought, time, effort and planning you can have what you want.

After an unpromising week the sun shone for Matt and Georgina – a glorious day full of Autumn sunshine giving a warm light as the day progressed.

We started with the ceremony at All Saints, Denmead – a very big thank you to the Vicar and Verger for their help and co-operation – and the light meant I could capture the ceremony without distracting the congregation. Although the low level of the sun at this time of year needs handling with care the colours it gives are simply wonderful.

Farbridge, at the bottom of a valley, was bathed in sunshine and every single guest was outside – pretty good for October 10th. Georgina and Matt also had a magician to entertain their guests, in the form of Dominic Reyes. If you have read my earlier posts you’ll know I’ve been photographing weddings for 15 years. Have I seen it all before? After watching Dominic at work the answer was clearly no, he was just fantastic – and Georgina and Matt’s faces show the reactions he gets, a wonderful addition to a truly memorable day.

Despite dire forecasts Hannah and Adam had a fine sunny day for their wedding.

We started at St.Mary’s Church in East Lavant, with a first glimpse of Adam and Hannah’s wedding car, their very own much loved Land Rover. The breeze added atmosphere to many of the shots, especially the confetti, giving great natural smiles. After the service we moved on to the reception venue, Farbridge.

Farbridge is a purpose built venue near Lavant, just outside Chichester. Because it was only completed recently it has been able to reflect what many brides and grooms are looking for – huge well lit inside space, with a separate dance area where civil ceremonies can also take place, whilst outside there’s plenty of greenery and views across the downs.

Hannah and Adam had a fabulous reception – the inside looked truly wonderful thanks to Hannah’s painstaking attention to decoration and detail, with beautiful displays from Debbie at Country Flowers. Hannah and Adam had always wanted Thai lanterns at their wedding and were looking forward to watching them drift slowly across the Sussex countryside in the night sky. But by this stage in the day the wind was very strong and it seemed like the lanterns might not happen. However the two best men, Munster and Stu, were not to be deterred and overcame the elements to give Hannah and Adam the display they wanted – a great conclusion to a highly memorable day.