Mirage Wedding Photography London

Kala & Neil live busy lives in a different part of the world so it was with great regret that we were unable to experience the fun of an engagement shoot with them before their wedding but after having met Kala at The Berekeley for tea a few months back, we knew right away that the wedding was going to be something special.

We arrived well before the ceremony for Kala’s bridal prep and spent a couple of hours between her suite at The Berkeley and around and about covering hotel details, guest arrivals and of course meeting up with her fiancé Neil for the first time.

The ceremony was held in the wonderful Ballroom and was perfectly decorated with a selection of Cala Lillies. It wasn’t long before Kala and her Father appeared ( one of the advantages of getting ready at your venue is that you’re unlikely to get held up in traffic ) and after a short but very sweet ceremony, the newly proclaimed husband and wife lead their guests to a superbly intimate champagne reception just next door.

Shortly afterwards we gathered outside for group shots which we just about managed to complete by the time a surprise Routemaster Bus arrived to add more of that London Vibe to the proceedings. After taking full advantage of this for some more photographs we then spent some time with Kala and Neil around the exterior of the hotel for some fun portraits while their guests were seated for the wedding breakfast.

After what seemed like 5 minutes but was probably nearer 20, we all headed back into the ballroom for the happy couple’s grand entrance to the meal. Speeches were conducted before the meal was served and included contributions from Kala’s father, Neil and his best men which raised a lot of smiles.

Once the meal was underway we slinked off to a cosy back room beside the kitchen which had been prepared for ourselves and the band which would be performing later that evening. A buffet had been kindly laid on for us and we spent some time chatting to the musicians as they arrived and refreshing ourselves for the evening’s festivities. Periodically we would sneak out between courses to take some candid shots of the guests relaxing and generally enjoying themselves which always form a delightful part of the record of the day.

Once the meal was finished, Kala and Neil spent some time visiting the guests at their tables and this was duely followed by the cutting of their cake and from there straight into the first dance with the music provided by the band.

The rest of the evening was spent capturing all the party fun and adding some more little impromtue group shots to the collection.

This was our first wedding at The Berkeley and from what we experienced, we’d certainly welcome the opportunity to return in the near future as it really is a lovely venue. Unlike some of the better known 5 star establishments in town (which we also love for their own unique charm), it offers a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere coupled with a fresh and contemporary vibe while still maintaining that essential air of sophistication. We believe that for her wedding, Kala chose the perfect venue.

A few posts back we covered the fun we had with Laura and Will on their engagement shoot and it naturally follows that we should post a blog covering their wedding – so here it is!

Laura and Will chose Stationers Hall for their Wedding and reception, a location steeped in history and tradition within The City of London, a stones-throw from St. Paul’s Cathedral.

A 3pm start meant that we had plenty of time to arrive early at the venue and cover some guest arrivals and the meet and greets before the bride arrived in a delightful VW Beetle.

After the ceremony we were able to spend some time with Laura and Will around the venue which included a couple of sneaky shots outside St. Paul’s ( thankfully there were no tents to avoid at this time ) before heading back for the drinks reception in the garden and some group shots inside the hall.

As usual we documentary covered the wedding breakfast and collected a great set of candid guest photographs including the speeches by Will, his best man and new father-in-law.

After the meal was over there was a rather funky first dance from the new Mr. & Mrs. Daniels which started off the party in style.

Thereafter we spent the rest of the evening collecting moments and even managed to secure a cool looking sofa for some photobooth type guest shots which were a lot of fun.

All in all, we had a fantasticly enjoyable day and we thank Laura and Will for letting us be a part of their celebrations.

Last year we were priviledged to photograph a lovely wedding at The London Wetlands Centre in Barnes. The happy couple were Toni and Steve and we had an awful lot of fun right the way through from ‘Bride at Home’ to their departure for their hotel.

This year it was Toni’s sister Sam’s turn to tie the knot with her beloved Greg and they chose a very different venue for their wedding, the exclusive Hurlingham Club in Fulham.

Starting with Sam’s makeup and hair in Putney we captured all the buzz and excitement of her preparations and those of her 5 bridesmaids, one of whom of course was Toni who had been responsible for much of the preparation in the week leading up to the big day.

We then made our way to The Hurlingham Club ahead of the bride to photograph her arrival, to touch base with Greg and photograph a few details.

After Sam’s arrival and we had captured a few images of her and her bridesmaids and father and then we got into our respective positions for the ceremony. The wedding ceremony was a brief but touching event and you could feel the love between and for the couple throughout their assembled guests.

The champagne reception followed and we captured some cool shots of the guests just chatting and generally enjoying themselves before we joined Sam and Greg for a few photographs of just themselves.

After the group photographs ( which was a lot of fun, we really enjoy these ) and after capturing the details of the wedding breakfast and the totally amazing wedding cake, the guests formed a receiving line which gave us the opportunity to record some genuinely touching moments. Big hugs are always good!

After speeches we all settled down to eat – Sam and Greg had kindly given us our own small table for two in the corner of the room, for which we were most grateful as not only were we able to sample the lovely food but were also able to jump up between courses and photograph some candid moments between the guests.

After the meal, the cutting of the cake and the first dance followed in quick succession and then the informal part of the day was truly underway, several hours of non-stop dancing and generally having fun, all of which we captured and at the insistance of the groom, became a part of, right up until Sam and Greg’s departure, well after midnight.

In summary then, a wonderful day in the company of a truly lovely and fun-loving couple who’s families, friends and guests made our longest wedding yet certainly one of the most memorable and enjoyable.