Service with a difference in West Sussex

Three Crowns, Wisborough Green

It's always great to be a part of a happy event such as a wedding, but to see Rebecca and Lewis, a couple who have been together for so long finally tying the knot, it just seemed so right.

The day began at the Welldiggers Arms, Low Heath, Petworth, where Rebecca, Lewis, their parents, the bridesmaids and Groomsmen got themselves ready. A great venue with new chalet style accommodation.

As usual, there never really is enough time, but Rebecca didn't lose her cool and there were plenty of helpers.

The boys were ready in good time. Just saying..

The first service was held at Horsham registry office followed quickly by a trip to the Three Crowns at Wisborough Green.

At the Three Crowns they erected a lovely marquee, ready for the EXTRA service and the reception. The stunning cake was home made and covered in edible photographs of Lewis and Rebecca going back several years to when they first met. 

There was a Doc Marten theme in that both the groom and best man Tom (an ex American footballer) wore them, but the unexpected surprise of seeing their lovely daughter also wearing a pair, brought on a bit of happy emotion from Lewis..

The hilarious additional service was conducted by Rebecca's uncle, Taylor..

After the formalities, time for a quick group shot

Then just time for a few shots with the bride and groom before returning to the venue

Eventually Ellie gave in, which meant it was now time for the grown ups to get into

full swing with an excellent live band called 'Strobe'.

A fab couple who looked so happy on this special day. It was such great fun to cover this wedding for you guys. Enjoy the rest of your lives together x

Will you marry me?

Members of the Mid Sussex Triathlon Club are expected to perform the marshalling functions whenever we host our own local triathlon event here in Burgess Hill.

This year however, apart from assisting in the first hour or so of booking athletes in during the early morning registration process, I was let off lightly.

I had been asked by Steve 'Mac' (race director) to bring my camera gear and to take some shots of the event, so that we'd have plenty of material available for both future event promotion and to assist in the design of our new website, being done by Mike Hook.


Mid Sussex Tri Club prides itself on being friendly, even though we take the sport seriously. The sport has grown immensely over the last few years and the club membership is at it's highest ever.

This year's event completely sold out and plenty turned up to support their friends and family who were competing.


           

We rely on lots of volunteers to be out on the course to marshall.

There are always lots of 'goodie bags' given away and trophies to be won at our annual event too.

As a photographer I'm always on the lookout for something unusual, but someone came up to me and hinted that it might be a good idea to remain in the finish line area for a little while. So I did and what was to follow was very emotional indeed. Just as Dani, Brighton Triathlon Club's No 49 finished her race, she was met by her boyfriend Harry, who imminently became her fiance!........

 And so this years Mid Sussex Triathlon was a little more successful and eventful than usual!

  

  

Wedding Entrance Music

It can be a difficult task in choosing what music the bride should enter to. The right piece of music can evoke a special mood and act as the perfect beginning to a ceremony. Here are some useful tips in picking the right music for your special day.

One of the first things to consider is that the entrance of the bride doesn't usually last a long time, so if you pick a 3 minute song, you may only hear the first minute or so. Therefore, if you do have a piece of music you would really like to hear the full length of, then it is advisable to use if for the signing of the register.

In terms of the various styles of music to choose from, there really are many options. You could pick something that is special to you, whether it is a piece of classical music like Pachelbel's Canon, or a pop song that could signify the first time you and your partner met. However, you could simply pick some music that you feel is suitable for the occasion, or ask friends or family members for their advice.

Another important point to think about is what instrument(s) you would like to hear your music performed on. Your favourite jazz standard might sound a bit odd with a string quartet, or a heavy rock classic might struggle to work on the piano. This happens more often than you may think and although most people will probably not notice the unusual choice of instrumentation for a certain song, it is advisable to seek the advice of the musician(s) you decide to employ for the ceremony, to make sure everything is as perfect as it should be.

String quartets are sometimes used for the wedding ceremony, playing mainly classical repertoire with the occasional pop song. However, a cheaper and more flexible option could be to hire a pianist for your wedding entrance music. A pianist will usually have a wider repertoire than a string quartet and you will find most styles of music can easily work on the piano. Another advantage of a pianist is that he or she can be used for the reception as well as the ceremony, and depending upon their level, they should be able to play many different styles of music, to cater for all tastes.

Martyn Croston is a  pianist available to perform quality music at any wedding or party in London and the home counties. Click HERE to visit his site for further information

Vintage Themed Wedding Photography

Kev & Helen

A lovely vintage themed wedding at Southover Grange, Lewes.

The bride & groom (Kev & Helen) for this wedding were actually friends of mine (and still are!) and I'm never quite sure if that adds to the stress or not. They actually invited me to their wedding a little while ago and asked if I'd like to take my camera along with me to take a few snaps. Well, any photographer out there will hopefully agree with me when I say you really do need to be either one thing or the other ie a guest chilling out enjoying the bucks fizz, or the photographer, poised ready to pounce at any opportunity to capture that special moment in time that is guaranteed never to be repeated.

Anyway, Sue my wife was not going to pass up the opportunity of getting dressed up in vintage garb, so the next few weeks comprised mainly of her buying dresses from charity shops, frilly gloves from ebay and me hitting vintage shops in places like the 'Needlemakers' in Lewes, East Sussex, where I found a smart waistcoat.

Sue looked great in her outfit, together with black fascinator. I eventually found a quality vintage suit, and the thing I most looked forward to about this wedding was wearing my treasured gold pocket watch in my waistcoat! This had a special place for me, as it had been given to me by Jack, Sue's dad and my friend - a short time before he had died.

We operate pretty much as a husband and wife team. Sue is that extra personal touch who really connects in a special way with the wedding party. She understands the bride's needs and little idiosyncrasies, enhancing her experience immeasurably.

I've even seen her running around as an extra helper, doing all sorts of things just to help keep everything stress free. But she is also a great sounding board for me when we bounce around creative posing ideas.



Kev and his brother Doug his best man, were wearing kilts and Helen looked fantastic in her dress.

The lovely gardens in the grounds gave us some stunning options for a few eye catching  shots.  

The church blessing and marquee reception was planned for the next day. This was going to be covered photographically by another friend, so Sue & I reverted to plan A - bucks fizz mode!!

However, the one thing I managed to do in the meantime was to process my favourite image of the couple and to mount and frame it, ready to present it to them at the reception the next day. To say they were pleased was an understatement. I love to see peoples faces when they love their images - it makes it all worthwhile... :)