Care Fairies for the little guests

As previously mentioned, we've booked The Care Fairies to provide Childcare services at our wedding. We feel that it's important to share some information about the founder and owner, Lucie Worth, and her company for the benefit of the guests attending with children.

If you are considering childcare facilities at your own wedding, make sure you find out plenty of information about the company before you book and give your guests as much information as possible in advance, they'll want to know who's looking after their children!

Care Fairies was set up after recognising the need for imaginative, fun and uncompromising childcare. After repeatedly being asked to help out at events for family and friends, there was an obvious need and a niche in the market for such a service and from there Care Fairies continues to develop and blossom with their reputation. They have now worked at events such as Corporate events, Conferences, Festivals, Children Centres, Parent Workshops, Weddings, Parties, Music studios and Charity events.

We asked Lucie a few important questions...

What training and qualifications do you and your staff have?

I  have a 10 years experience in Childcare. A BSc honours in Psychology and counselling specialising in modules such as Child development. A level 3 NVQ in Childcare. I have first aid training in the early years and I am qualified to administer the Epipen for allergies. I have undertaken a number of courses over recent years related to Safe Guarding children and working with children with special needs. 

All the Fairies have a Criminal records check, first aid training and a variety of childcare related qualifications and vast experience. Some of these include, NVQ level 3 in Childcare, teachers, trainee teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurse assistants. I personally hand pick all the Care Fairies to ensure they are fully equipped to look after the little guests. 

What age range can you cater for? 

We look after tiny tots to early teens!

What ratio of Children to Carers do you provide?

We do comply to the ratios set by Ofsted and would never have fewer than a ratio of 1 adult to 3 children, however we do tailor each event to the individual requirements and specific needs of the little guests which means we may have more fairies than they deemed necessary by Ofsted. 

How long are you normally present at a wedding and what part of the day do you normally cover? 

The duration and time slot completely varies based on the individual needs of each client, some people like to have childcare throughout the ceremony or reception or wedding breakfast or leading into the evening with a Night-time crèche or a simply babysitting service, or all of the above, whatever the needs we can tailor our service to meet the requirements to ensure the day runs smoothly and the little guests have as much fun as the adults.

What Industry Standards do you have to meet to be able to provide your services?

Care fairies comply with all health and safety regulations and do their utmost to ensure that each crèche has a risk assessment and that all matters are dealt with prior to the event. All the staff have all the necessary checks (such as CRB and references) carried out before they work at a Care Fairies event. Care Fairies has comprehensive liability and employer insurance. 

Do we need to provide any toys or games?

With one wave of our magic wand, (and hour or so of our time!!!), Care Fairies can flutter their wings and transform any room for any occasion into a fully equipped, safe, stimulating and child friendly event. Our mobile crèche service can be located anywhere.

What kind of entertainment can you provide for the children? 

We provide comprehensive childcare age appropriate toys and games, art and crafts, chill out area for the tired guests with books and DVD's, music and dancing, outdoor activities weather permitting, meal supervision if required and chaperone to photos. 

Can you theme the entertainment if required? 

We tailor each event to the individual requirements so if this means themed entertainment that is what we provide!! 

How do you encourage the children to join in rather than staying with their parents?

The environment that we create our Care Fairies crèches is stimulating and fun combined with approachable and experienced staff that are skilled in settling children into the crèche and making them feel comfortable with us. Our main aim is to ensure that the children are safe and happy and have a memorable and enjoyable experience with us which leaves the adults free to have fun with the knowledge that their children are in safe hands

Business aside, what’s your best piece of advice for The Bride & Groom on their Wedding Day?

Enjoy the day, safe in the knowledge all your guests are catered for.

We highly recommend the services of The Care Fairies... get in touch with Lucie for more information or a quote to provide childcare services at your own event!

http://www.carefairies.com/

Blogged Again!

It's been a difficult week so far... but having our Save-the-Date cards blogged by Inspired Celebration has certainly put a smile on my face!

This is yet another great Blog for Brides and Grooms to be (and anyone hosting a party for that matter) to scourer for inspiration and ideas...

Take a look at the Save-the-Date card blog post here.

We've been blogged!

What a lovely compliment to wake up to today... Jim from Aardvark Wedding Films has blogged about us!

The Wedding I can't wait to film! 

"I look forward to every wedding I film, eager to see how the couple have made their day special, how the families come together and celebrate, and how the vendors work together behind the scenes to make everything run perfectly. I don’t think I’ve looked forward to one as much, however, as Emma and Ed’s wedding, which I became a part of on Tuesday night. And the day itself isn’t until next July!" ... read more here.

Thanks Jim! Lovely words from a lovely guy!

Wine, Websites, SEO & an Aardvark!

With Ed back working full-time in a kitchen (as Head Chef at The Cork House in Stansted... visit highly recommended!) the opportunity to meet up with potential suppliers is drastically reduced. So, when Jim Cliff of Aardvark Wedding Films said he'd be quite happy to come along for a chat at the end of an evening service (10pm!) we were rather chuffed (I guess the fact that Jim is also a friend of ours assisted in getting him out so late!)! With one late meeting scheduled I quickly set up another with Steve Hooper of UK Wedding SEO for a chat about my website. Thus giving me the perfect opportunity to spend another evening in The Cork House, sample some more of my fiance's fabulous Tapas and have a sneaky few glasses of wine (oh ok... maybe more than a few...).

Meeting #1

My "SEO Dude" Steve decided to keep me waiting (he says he "got lost")... so there I was... "Billy no mates"... sitting in the bar on my own, fiddling with my phone while everyone looked pityingly at me... the only way to console myself, and the thought that I'd been stood up, was of course to have a cheeky glass of wine... Anyway, Steve FINALLY arrived (2nd glass of wine...).

Steve's a bit of a genius when it comes to SEO & websites. The fact that he completely tore my website apart did not bother me (3rd Glass of wine)... there's lots to be improved on! The overall look and feel is fine, it's more a case of how Search Engines trawl through the site, the keywords, the use of pictures instead of text etc... Additionally, the team I currently use to host my website wont allow me the option of making updates myself, I can't have a blog attached to it, and it costs me the earth! So, with Steve's help... I'll soon have a shiny new Wordpress Website which will be SEO'd to the max! Hoorah!

I can't recommend Steve highly enough... get in touch with him!

www.ukweddingseo.co.uk

www.twitter.com/ukweddingseo

(4th Glass of wine) Running a little behind on SEO & Website chat... going off on a tangent as always... and Jim arrived to join the party. The boys chatted video for a while, while Ed delivered some Tapas for me (YUM!), a very late dinner (effect of glass 4, taking its grip)...

Meeting #2

Ed finally finished in the Kitchen, Steve departed and we were onto discussing video coverage of our wedding! With the amount of "stuff" we have planned for our day Jim (Aardvark Wedding Films) recommended a double shooter package... we don't wany anything to be missed and he can't be in two places at once!

Our photographer Hayley Ruth, and her sidekick on the day, will be capturing some amazing shots and "works of art". But to get the real "feel" of the day captured... nothing can beat a video... Having "been there and done it before" I know that we will miss a lot of what's going on as we'll be pulled from pillar to post. We want the opportunity to see what each other gets up to during the morning preparing for the ceremony, the arrival of our guests (in our absense) at the morning reception, the childrens entertainment while we're sitting for the Wedding Breakfast and a whole host of other bits... (mouth tightly zipped).

Basically, we want to be able to re-live the emotion, atmosphere and spirit of the day over and over again. Thanks to Jim we'll be able to do so just by pressing the play button on our DVD...

So, we're officially booked with Jim... and looking forward to "Lights, Camera, Action" at the pre-wedding video shoot and again on 16th July 2011!!!

We've know Jim for approximately a year (yep, he's another local twitter find) and have great admiration for his work. He's a fellow member of The Wedding Partners and has already filmed both of us... take a look at our Showreels... A Bespoke Design and Feed Me Dining.

www.aardvarkweddingfilms.co.uk  |  www.twitter.com/AardvarkFilms

Glass number 5 down the hatch... enough said!

The answer.... find yourself an Ethical Wedding Supplier!

Okay, so I've given you the answer to the question... but what is the question?!?!?

Last week English Wedding posted a Blog entitled "Weddings Have Spiralled Out of Control. Who's fault is it?" which sparked discussion and interest across the Wedding "Tweeter" world. The article is great... it's to the point and thought provoking... take a look here.

At the end of the day, the cost of a wedding is entirely at the discretion of the couple getting married... the amount they want to spend is entirely their own decision... Admittedly, it's VERY easy to get carried away by "wanting" more and more and therefore just as easy to forget what the day is actually about... BUT it's the most important day of your life, you want it to be special and talked about for years to come, don't you?

So to avoid "Spiralling out of control", give yourself an initial brief i.e. decide what's important about your day and have a clear picture of what you want to achieve (without deviating from the guidelines you set yourself). Then, possibly the more difficult & challenging part is finding the right suppliers to help you achieve this...  

BUT (here's the question) do industry suppliers really take advantage when the word "wedding" is mentioned? Sadly, yes... this is the case in some situations! I quite often hear horror stories from my own clients... and occasionally a comment which tars all industry suppliers with the same brush! It's infuriating...

... that's why you should choose an "Ethical Wedding Supplier".

I was over-the-moon to see that Claire (the face behind the blog), had decided to set up an Ethical Wedding Supplier List. To be on the list, suppliers sign the "Pledge" which does not only focus on the cost element of supplying to clients in the industry. It also includes "industry standard" type content... i.e. maintaining respect & intellectual property of other businesses which is an extremely important part of the pledge (many of us are constantly agitated by the copying of designs etc... of other inferior businesses). I didn't hesitate... I was in there like a shot, getting myself signed up and suggesting that others should do the same!

So, when you're looking for a supplier...

• consider the "Pledge" and all that it stands for...
• If your supplier is not on the list at present, dont panic... you should be able to tell if they are "worthy" of being on the list by taking the time to talk to them and question them!
• REMEMBER, just because the product or service you after is expensive it does not necessarily mean you're getting ripped off... take a good look at what's on offer... if you're after quality, you'll be paying for it!

What's the Pledge?

Who's signed the Pledge?

Thanks to Claire from English Wedding for setting a standard!

http://www.english-wedding.com/

Magpies love Sparkles (and Sparklies)

I don't wear much in the way of jewellery, but that doesn't mean I'm not a Magpie! I love sparkly things...especially beautifully creative sparkly things... So, when a group of "sparklies" that I follow on Twitter (yes, I mentioned twitter again... it's a MUST for brides to be and businesses alike) started promoting their new blog about sparkles I was in there like a shot having a look at the collaborative blog... "Sparkles & Secrets" IT'S FABULOUS! A great source of advice, inspiration and above all... a Magpie's dream... stacks and stacks of beautiful sparkles made by some of the country's leading designers!

"Sparkles & Secrets is a new cooperative venture. Several designers have got together to launch a blog aimed to provide information and help in their field of expertise: wedding jewellery and wedding hair accessories. 

The blog will feature many questions which the designers have found are asked time and time again as brides and grooms-to-be try to find out how to choose the perfect jewellery accessories for their big day. They say "this is something people have little or no experience of and so it is difficult. It is something we aim to address and help couples with.

There will be regular blog posts from each member on a wide variety of subjects, a section to ask advice, special offers AND Christmas Shopping made easy for blokes with gift suggestions made by the team!"

http://www.tiarablog.co.uk/

So, who's behind "Sparkles & Secrets"?

7 top industry suppliers, that's who!!!!

   

From Left to Right (twitter user name also shown):

Kerri Miller of Starstruck Designs @StarstruckTiara

Jane Carter of Beady Eyes Designs

April Browne of Crystal Jewels @Crystal_jewels1

Kerry Brearley of Kerry Blu @KerryBlu

Kelly Scully of Tantrums and Tiaras @Tantrums_Tiaras

Diana Evans of Rose Garden Accessories @RoseGardenAcs

Tracey Phillips of Bridal Designs Wedding Jewellery @BridalDesigns

Wedding without a Roof!

We both come from farming backgrounds (our parents run neighbouring farms) so, how perfect would it be to be able to say our vows in the middle of a corn field?!? Unfortunately English & Welsh laws don't allow open air weddings. The law states that a marriage ceremony venue must have a roof, be moored to its foundations, and be licenced by the local registrar. Outdated nonsense in my view!

So, now you know we're not getting married in a field... but why am I even bothering to share this information with you? Well, today I made a discovery on twitter in the form of @TheAnyCampaign who have set up a web petition to try and convince the government to relax the "no wedding without a roof" laws. As soon as I discovered them, I followed the link to their website and immediately signed the petition. So, if you or anyone you know wants something a bit different on their wedding day, go sign the petition!

http://www.theanycampaign.co.uk/

www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/theanycampaign

If the laws are relaxed us Brits will finally be able to achieve the wedding day that we truly want instead of just drooling over the amazing weddings we see blogged about so often... Here's a few snippets of what we're missing out on...

Style Me Pretty
Photography www.stephaniecristalli.com



Ruffled
Oh, Darling! Photography

 
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Rock n Roll Bride
Photography www.fromagephotography.com



Rock n Roll Bride

Photography www.steepstreet.com



Ruffled
Photography www.jamiedelaine.com



These are just a few snippets... check out these blogs for more inspirational weddings:

Ruffled  |  Rock n Roll Bride  |  Style me Pretty

A Magic Sprinkle of Fairy Dust

For many, the decision on whether or not to invite children to their wedding is a difficult one... it’s also a bit of a taboo subject. But, whatever decision is made, the parents of the children should respect it... there could be many factors which have influenced the final decision.

For us, our wedding day is not only about Ed & I... it’s also about my daughter, Evie. We want the day to be as important and as memorable for her as it is for us so we’ve centred many of our plans round her and feel that the attendance of Children at our Wedding is really important.

To start off with... invitations will be sent to the children being invited to the wedding from Evie, rather than us, asking them to join her for her own part of the celebrations. So when she’s done her “job” for the Ceremony she’ll be off with her friends and family in tow for their own "themed" party... it'll probably be completely "over-the-top", but we don't care & I dare say many of the adults will be wanting a piece of the action!

To help out with the Children's party, we’ve booked The Care Fairies, a great team that provide Crèche facilities at Weddings & Events. They’ll be over seeing the children’s meal and entertainment giving the Parents some time to enjoy adult company and relax, safe in the knowledge that their children are in good hands. We expect the speeches to run without too many interruptions too... I always feel sorry for the fidgety children bored out of their minds at this stage of a wedding!

We’ll be catching up with Lucie, owner of The Care Fairies, again soon... she’ll be providing some information for the parents so they know all about the company in advance (so please don’t panic parents!).

Great advice... “Initial Planning”

Having some great Industry connections is a major plus point when planning a wedding. Not all Brides and Grooms have the luxury of these kinds of contacts at the push of a button, so we’re going to be sharing lots of posts over the coming months from wedding professionals, that are not necessarily directly involved in our wedding, but whose advice and thoughts we value.

Alison Tinlin
Wedding Planner



So kicking off our Wedding Professional Top Tips...

the current “Queen of the Wedding Tweeting World”, Alison Tinlin.

Alison’s company “Plans & Presents” are based in Glasgow, but cover the whole of the UK. Her job as a Wedding Planner is to work with you, providing as much or as little help as you need with your Wedding or Event to get exactly what you want, within your budget. That might be as simple as helping you find a venue, or a supplier you are particular difficulty sourcing, through to Full or On the Day Co-ordination, or anything else in between.

So, what key pieces of advice can Alison give for the initial stages of planning your wedding?

Prioritise & Compromise

Right at the start of your planning, it is important to sit down as a couple to work out the priorities you both have in respect of your Big Day. You need to decide what elements you really can't do without, and what you are willing to compromise on. It is highly unlikely that you will agree on everything, but it is important that both of you as a couple work together as this will be the most important day of your lives so far.

The Budget & The Date
With respect to your budget, consider any savings you have and how much comfortably you will both be able to put towards the marriage pot per month. Also consider any outside help ie. Family input. Remember that this is your day though, and family money does not automatically mean they get to make all the decisions. With respect to loans and credit cards, this is best avoided if possible as better not to go into marriage in debt, you don't want to be paying it off 5 years down the line.
With respect to a date, this may be a day that is particularly special to you like an anniversary or to commemorate a loved one. Be aware however that a winter/off season wedding, a Sunday wedding or a Midweek wedding will usually bring you substantial financial savings in comparison to a high Summer Saturday wedding.

Help
It is important that you have people helping you that your trust implicitly, and who you know won't let you down, whether it is family or friends [consider this when choosing your Bridesmaids and Best Man].Remember too that it is lovely to involve family or friends in your day if they have a special talent as this can make your day more personal and save you money.

Choosing Suppliers
Personal recommendation is great, but what works for one couple might not necessarily work for you. Take time, research at least three or four companies in each specific category of need. If they are able to send samples of their work then that is great, this works particularly well for stationery, video companies etc.
It is always important to sit down and have a good chat with suppliers you are interested in. If someone is being involved in the most special day of your life, it’s really important that you are on the same wavelength, and you feel that connection with them.

Frustration

Remember always throughout the planning stages that all Brides and Grooms get frustrated. Your planning will have its ups and downs and because it is such an important event, every issue can seem like a giant obstacle to overcome. Remember when everything seems like it is spiralling out of control, that not getting the exact colour of napkins you want is not a National disaster, and what is really important is love, health and happiness.
In view of this, it’s important to take a step back to recharge your batteries. As a couple it’s important to have regular date nights so that you remember the real reason you are getting married in the first place. And it is also important, as the Bride or Groom, to take care of yourselves. So try to take time out one night a week to pamper yourself or have a good night out with your friends where wedding chat is banned.

Get in contact with Alison

Website  |  Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Top 100 Wedding Tweeter

Save-the-Date... the story behind the design

Well, Mr Postman has done his job and successfully delivered all of our Save-the-Date cards, which means we can now reveal some photos and the story behind the design and where the inspiration came from...

So, as you've probably already read... Hayley Ruth (our photographer) met us for an Engagement Shoot when An Essex Wedding Magazine ran a small feature announcing our engagement and requested a photo. When we saw the results of the photo shoot we desperately wanted to share them with the world... but instead, we opted to keep them to ourselves and share the images at a later date in a non-electronic format with our friends and family. So, the idea of using a selection of the images in our save-the-date cards was born.

Initially, we discussed creating a concertina style album and wanted to present it in a format that gave the impression of a leather bound book, or an old styled journal. After deliberating over the possible elements forming a design we decided that individual images enclosed within their pocket would be most feasible and cost effective, and would add an additional element to the design when the card was opened. Our immediate choice for the printing of the images was Moo (I've used them before for clients) and have been impressed with the quality of print and speed of service. It also meant that we could add some details to the reverse of the individual images.

The next task was to create a package that not only gave a bit of a vintage feel but also represented our initial idea of a leather bound book. Using a brown leather effect card, some suede cord and some rather fabulous buttons (which we spent hours trawling the Internet for... and tweeting about!) we managed to create a look that not only fulfilled the leather bound idea, but also the vintage journal appearance. Printing the wording content in Brown Ink in a old style font also helped to achieve this.

Whether or not our guests understood the idea or concept is another thing... but so far we've had an amazing response to them. We were delighted to hear that one of our guests has taken all the images and had them framed... would she have done this if we had shared them with her on Facebook or by email?

If you're interested in hearing a bit more about the design and sourcing of materials, please email.

Save-The-Date's may be landing on a door mat near you!

Please Save the Dates

15th - 17th July 2011

to celebrate the marriage of

Emma Muir & Edward Fulcher

Little parcel's have been posted and will be making their way across the country today, and possibly landing on your door mat! We hope you like them (we've already had some very complimentary words about them)!!! We'll post some pictures and a bit of info about the idea for the design of them towards the end of the week when we know they've been received.

Stay tuned to our blog, as more information will be added for guests shortly here.

If guests have a question in the meantime, please email us.

Formulating a guest list for Brides & Grooms to be is quite a difficult task (often stressful in fact), especially when guest numbers are limited by the ceremony licence of a venue. So, we've sent Save-the-Dates to our "A-List" (gosh that sounds awful...) of guests that we especially want to share our day with.

Ooooo, now it feels official!

Having spent 20 minutes sitting on a rather uncomfortable set of Local Council chairs we were finally met by the registrar and led off to his office... My palms broke into a sweat and I actually felt a bit nervous, not entirely sure why, probably something to do with the fear of being interrogated (and potential uncomfortable questions about the failure of my 1st marriage). But, we were quickly put at ease by "Reg the Registrar" who was jolly and reminded me of a cross between The Fat Controller and Bernard Mathews (I did NOT use the interview technique of envisaging him naked to help settle my nerves... That would not have been appropriate, especially with the future hubby sitting next to me...).

So a bit of a chat (mainly from him about the celebrity weddings he has officiated...) and a few questions later (intimate and probing details about one another.... i.e. Middle name and occupation...) and "Notice of Marriage" has been given and we're all set for the 16th of July 2011 at ....... (ha, you're not going to catch us out too easily!).

By the time we got home an email had arrived from the district council that we're getting married in, together with a whole bunch of ceremony wording and choices to make... So, I guess we'll be on the hunt for some suitable readings soon... We're open to suggestions if you have any...

Tomorrow evening, our Parents are coming round for Dinner (I'll give you one guess as to who is cooking), to discuss SOME of our plans for the day, it should be a great evening, we're really looking forward to it... We don't often get the chance to entertain guests (yep, we're hermits).

B2B

X

Getting Organised... more suppliers booked!

It's been a really busy couple of weeks... no time for blogging, but plenty of time to get some more of our suppliers arranged! We've hooked up with some more of our fellow The Wedding Partners members and got them booked! Yes, we're being organised... we have to (if next spring is as busy as it was this year we'll need to be ahead of the game!). We'll be blogging about them individually later but to introduce you to the latest additions to "Our Suppliers List"...

Matt Carter, Event Pianist.

He's a great guy, and fabulous Pianist. He's busy learning something special for us... We can't wait to hear your version Matt! We'll be catching up with him for a chat soon!

Claire & Sarah, Finn Jordan

Two fabulous ladies... Claire is the whizz with the sissors, tongs and pins and Sarah has the magical fairy wand to sprinkle a bit of beauty dust... We've had brief chat about style etc... so now I'm really excited about the trial... yippee!

Have your Cake & Eat It!

Next on our "to do" list is meeting up with the fabulous Delicia Clarke of Deesigns for Loving. Her Cakes are DIVINE and we have some thoughts about what we're after... which we're sure Delicia can deliver! So, keep you eyes open as we'll be heading her way soon for a catch up, and of course some cake!

AND... why not come and meet Delicia (and us of course) at the Newmarket Wedding Show on the 5th of September 2011. Our stands will be back-to-back (groundfloor under the main staircases)!

Catching up over Coffee & Cake...

Having set & confirmed the date, we needed coffee and cake with our photographer Hayley Ruth to discuss some of the details of the Wedding, so last week we had a good catch up...

... Hayley kindly agreed to take part in our first Wedding Pro Interview... so here's some advice for future Mr & Mrs' and an insight into why we love Hayley and want her to "shoot" our wedding...

Hayley, how did you find your way into photography?

I have always loved photographs and was often found as a child using up someone else’s film. My grandparents bought me my first camera and I later inherited my grandfathers SLR camera, it wasn’t a digital camera back then. I loved film and still do, however technology and client demands mean I use digital now. But nothing beats the excitement of getting your film back from the lab and seeing the results! After an ever increasing number of requests from Family, friends and friends of friends for wedding and relaxed portraits, I decided to leave my career behind me and set up my own full time business.

How would you describe your style?

My style is about relaxed natural images that have a timeless style. I am always looking to provide my clients with images that express them as individuals, not giving them images off a recipe card of wedding images must haves. I spend time with each client exploring their venue and talking about the style of images they like, so their images will be unique to them.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Firstly and without doubt my clients! They all have their own fabulous personalities and they each inspire me in different ways to create something for them. Understanding their day, choice of theme, colours, venue, stationary, dress and other details all give me inspiration to deliver a unique set of images. But I don’t just rest on my laurels, I actively seek inspiration from lots of sources. I spend a lot of time with other photographers understanding how they shoot and why they compose shots the way they do, can often spark ideas for me. TV and films, are another great source, looking at camera angles, lighting and colour are great. The recent Sherlock series was exciting as they used a tilt and shift camera which gives some really unusual perspectives. Sometimes I find it in the most unlikely places so I don’t restrict myself or have a set recipe for finding inspiration.

How do you bring out confidence in front of the camera with shy clients?

I spend time with my clients before the wedding at a pre wedding meeting and pre wedding shoot. This allows me to get to know them and really understand how they feel about photography. Why they might not like it and what bothers them about themselves in photographs, but most importantly to get to know them better. It also gives them chance to get to know me so I am not some random stranger on the day with a huge camera! A client recently told me that what made them feel so at ease, was the way I talk with such passion about what I do and their day and the fact it was more like taking a stroll with a friend than having their picture taken. For me that was a huge compliment, you are most relaxed with your friends and that’s a huge step to getting great natural images. I also like to make it fun, natural laughter is a great calmer. Understanding that you don’t need to be stiff and uncomfortable in front of the camera is a huge relief for most people.

What do you think the single most important element to catch from the day is?

Ooh this is a tough one! For me a wedding day is filled with beauty and magic that emerges effortlessly, and I feel it’s my role to capture that magic in the most authentic, unobtrusive way possible. There are so many important elements to the day. The excitement of the bridal prep, the nervous groom, the groomsmen and ushers teasing the groom, the ceremony (When officials allow photography), the beaming smiles when they are finally married, the look between bride and father as he talks about her with love, the look between the new husband and wife as he shares his heartfelt thoughts in a speech, the natural tears of joy and laughter of a wedding day. How do you choose which one is the most important? To me they all are and should be captured with no interference.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give a Bride & Groom in preparation for their day?

I have two:

1. As hard as it might seem, try and relax and enjoy your day. It will pass really quickly and you don’t want your lasting memories to be of stress and tears, but of love and laughter with your family and friends. Do it your way and don’t worry what anyone else thinks, it’s your day and it will be the best day of your life.

2. Take your time to find your suppliers and don’t feel the pressure to make a choice. Ask for time to consider what someone is offering, don’t feel you have to book on the spot. Choose suppliers you like and get on with. Listen to any wedding horror story and it’s usually got the hallmark of an uneasy relationship with a supplier all over it, if you aren’t sure at the time, there is usually a good reason, listen to your instincts.

What are you looking forward to most about our wedding?

All the bits I can’t talk about!! :o) I think the surprises that you are planning are going to be fabulous and create some real excitement to the wedding. Capturing those moments and seeing them for myself, it’s all very exciting and I really can’t wait! (Is it really 11 months to go?!)

More about Hayley... (on our blog)

http://www.hayleyruthphotography.co.uk/