Sunday 29 July 2007

Ian & Wendy's Wedding

Wow - this week has been pretty manic - I had an engagement shoot on Tuesday, then a wedding on Wednesday, then a trip to London with a bunch of photographers Thursday Friday - then a wedding yesterday - PHEW !

Have safely landed back at casa Taylor and am busy processing all of my recent weddings - I thought I would start with yesterday's wedding which was all in 1 location - Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton. The bride & groom were Wendy and Ian. Here are all 3 of us under Wendy's veil :)

I had my trusty assistant, Jan, with me and we got there around midday - there was relative chaos all around but Wendy was calmly getting herself ready in 1 room while the chaos reigned in another. Here are a selection of the images captured during the preps.

Wendy's choice of perfume for the day, Vera Wang ...

Her shoes were delicate and very pretty ...
Wendy twiddling nervously with that beautiful swarovsky bracelet ...
Getting that dress on proved to be a challenge ...

But we got there in the end ...
And, boy, was it worth it - the dress was absolutely stunning !

I used the light from this particular window quite a lot during the preps - after all the dull and stormy weather we had been having it was a lovely surprise to have such sunny weather ... here is a lovely portrait of Wendy just before heading down to get married ...

The ceremony ... well, unfortunately it was one of the 'no photography allowed' sorts so I was asked to keep it to 'the ring exchange' and 'the kiss'. The room was really large and the ceremony room had been sectioned off so I managed to shoot this one above everyone's heads without disturbing the ceremony at all ... a beautiful moment ... Ian looking across at Wendy ...

I usually find the mock-up signing of the register a bit cheesy and so I always look for an opportunity to shoot the actual signing - from far enough away and using the right lens, I can get this without photographing the legal document ... in this case, it worked well - while Wendy is signing, Ian is smiling at his friends ...
Wendy, married ...

We headed off for the formal shots into the large gardens - I always feel like I am keeping guests from enjoying themselves during these shots, but Wendy and Ian really wanted their list of groups, so Jan and I, along with the best man (another Ian) worked through them. I have chosen 1 favourite to blog - I was trying to have some fun with the guys, so I asked them to rugby scrum and I lay on the floor ... the resulting shot !
Next came the meal, then it was my turn again to capture the speeches ... a couple of my favourites - Ian standing up to do his speech and thanking everyone for coming to their wedding, then his best friend being announced and asked to stand and make himself known during a funny section of the speeches involving him !!!

And finally, a few shots from the evening coverage ... casino royale, cinderella, all girls together and the first dance ...
Jan and I had a wonderful time, as did all the guests - Ian and Wendy had the best day of their lives and it showed !

Good luck guys !

Gill x

Thursday 26 July 2007

Ian & Suzi's PWS

Ian & Suzi first met me at a wedding fayre at Wychwood Park last year - they arranged an appointment soon after with me and booked right away - we all got along so well !

They are getting married in August and their reception is at the beautiful Goldstone Hall.

They arranged to take advantage of my pre-wedding shoot offer, which means they also get a photo of their choice mounted in a framed - and the guests sign the frame on the wedding day, rather than a guest book! Ian & Suzi have already picked the spot in their living room where the new framed photo will be going :)

As it was so late in the day, we decided that their living room, with it's lovely natural light flooding in, was a perfect place to do the shoot - besides, Suzi would have felt a bit self-conscious heading out in front of the neighbours and I wanted her to look at ease.

Here are a few of my favourites and the one I think we should frame on the day !

Ian getting ready ... well trained, obviously !
... before showing off his guitar skills (he really is quite good, actually !!)

Then we decided it might be a good idea to get that pesky photographer's information sheet filled out :) - so I watched, and shot, this is Suzi's beautiful engagement ring ...

I love the looks from both the guys here ... this is my favourite of the shoot ...

I love how relaxed Suzi is in this as she is totally cracked up watching Ian do something daft - I just know we are going to get some beautiful shots like this at their wedding, they are such a fun couple !

And of course, after all the laughter, there is always time for a bit of romance ...


Oh, I almost forgot - I think the first one at the very top of this post should be framed - guys? You reading this?? :)

Gill x

Saturday 21 July 2007

So long, and thanks for all the smiles !

Hi all ...

Well, I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. Doesn't time fly when you are busy busy !

So, what's been happening here at Gill Taylor Photography - lots of enquiries coming through so people must definitely be thinking of romance and marriage - even in the middle of all this stormy weather !!! Then of course I had my leaving do from my previous employment (photos to follow) and launching a new range of wedding and portrait albums !

Phew !

So - a post about my leaving do seems appropriate ...

We met up in Wolverhampton mid week, so it wasn't a particularly late one - late enough, mind !!!

This was our meeting point ...
John and I arrived early - we went through that phase you do when you think "is anyone else coming? did they not like me???" LOL - so I treated myself to a bottle of pink champagne and settled in for the long haul ... Here's a closeup of that champagne, just in case you like that sort of thing ...I soon cheared up when my ex-colleagues started to arrive ... john isn't getting too bad at this old photography lark - ha ha ha ...

Speaking of which - here he is - Hubby Johnny !!! :)I think I took Ian by surprise :)

These are our good friends, Adam and Marie - I think I have mentioned them before, but sans Marie - it was great to see them out - their little boy just turned 2 and hard to leave as he is such a munchkin and so I felt very privileged they used up some baby-sitting points for little old me !!! :)

Marie decided to make the most of the situation and ordered a pitcher of "sex on the beach" !! Yowser !

Still, she and my friend Linda seemed to enjoy it !!!

This is our good friend Andy, enjoying a joke and a pint - I love the laughter in his eyes in this one !!!I love this one of Brett - it looks like a great headshot until you notice that it looks like the guy behind looks like he's going to punch him ... talk about bad positioning and timing !!!
I've introduced you to Ross and Jacqui before ... but here they are again :) We all walked over to the hotel some of the guys were staying at and on route we discovered a building with clothes on !! What's that all about :)

Well, that's another chapter of my life over ... on to the next ...

I look forward to catching up with my old colleagues soon :)

Gill x

Thursday 12 July 2007

Steph & Lee's Wedding


I first met with Lee and Stephanie last year - we soon discovered we were all cat crazy and, after many discussions about our beloved kittens, we finally got around to discussing their wedding photography !

Steph decided to get ready at the Hilton in Bromsgrove - the morning started with a nightmare visit to the hairdressers for Steph and all her girls, including her Mum - when I arrived Steph was on her own - but glad of the peace and my calming presence for a while :)

We then headed off to the church - a beautiful old catcolic church in Birmingham - for the service, before finally heading to Steph's father's home where a marquee had been merged with the back of the house - very beautiful !

Here is a small selection of the images from the day ...


Gill x