According to the vet charity PDSA, 27% of adults in the UK own a dog. So by my reckoning, that means that roughly one in ten weddings in the UK involve one dog owner marrying another dog owner. This raises the question of what marrying couples actually do with their pets during the wedding day itself. While many doubtless call in their local dog-sitter, one couple whose wedding I photographed recently had a rather different idea. When K and J got married at MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel recently, they decided not just to bring their dogs, but to invite their guests to do so too!
The idea worked brilliantly, as all the dogs were extremely well-behaved, and were happy to pose for pictures with their humans....
I particularly loved the rather fetching apparel the dogs were sporting!
Squatting down enabled me to get a dog's eye view of the wedding in progress.
All in all, the wedding was an absolutely wonderful celebration of the couple's love for each other - and their four-legged friends.
I have recently launched Bath Photo Prints, an online shop selling high quality photographic prints of Bath. These are available in a range of sizes (A2, A3 and A4) and are available as standard prints, or on fine art quality paper, giving the 'wow' factor with watercolour style paper and a museum quality finish.
Here's a selection of some of the more festive images.
'When was Bath Abbey churchyard so deserted?' I hear you ask.... well actually, it wasn't, but a super-long exposure makes passing pedestrians vanish, leaving the illuminated Christmas tree standing in glorious isolation outside the Roman Baths.
Above is another shot of the Christmas tree, this time at dawn. Dawn and dusk are the best times of the day by far for photography, and the great thing about winter is that you don't have to get up early to catch the best light!
But Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a snowy scene, and Bath is one of those places that knows how to wear a jacket of snow with style. I love how we just get a glimpse of the nearest bits of Bath here from Alexandra Park, with the distant skyline gradually receding into a blanket of white......
This is just a little taste of the range of the BathPhoto Prints available for order. They'll arrive in protective card packaging when ordered from the website. Alternatively, if you'd like a framed photograph, do please contact me and let me have the details, and I will be happy to arrange supply and delivery for you.
Have a very happy Christmas!
Do it or not to do it?
There is a question!
It's about time to start this small beautiful wedding!
Bride arrival from the Botanical Gardens to the Temple of Minerva.
Smiles and happiness filled up the Temple of Minerva!
Congratulations to the happy couple!
If you are looking for a professional wedding photographer in Bath who is enthusiastic, love working with people, uses nature as the background in her pictures and has lots of new ideas please contact her at [email protected]
If you are still hungry to see more images why not visit her wedding gallery?
I recently went to scout out a Somerset wedding venue: Elmhay Park, near Frome. It's set on the Orchardleigh Estate, home to a lake with an island church and even a golf course. So let's take a look round...
First up is Elmhay Village, a suite of lodges and cottages for guests, set around a fine courtyard (below).
The wedding venue itself (Elmhay Park) is in a fine walled garden, dominated by the light-filled Orangery (below).
Ceremonies can take place in the Italian Garden (below) with a covered space that is open to the outside.
Having done a comprehensive recce of the place, I can say with confidence that there are a number of perfect locations for photographing groups of wedding guests, as well as signature shots of the bride and groom.
If you're looking for a wedding photographer for your wedding at Elmhay Park, do please get in touch. Feel free to send me an email, and I will let you have full details of my Elmhay wedding photography packages.
Hidden away a couple of miles north of Frome is Orchardleigh Estate, with an amazing array of facilities including a church on an island, a helipad, a golf course and the stunning Orchardleigh House, built in the 1850's, and now used as a wedding venue for hire.
Orchardleigh House, Frome, viewed from the south east. Picture by Beata Cosgrove Photography
The main house is hidden away, well off the main road, so you could easily drive past without even realising it's there at all. But when you get in and go down the long winding driveway across the estate (now converted into a golf course) you realise you're in very grand surroundings indeed. The driveway brings you to the north of the house, with its pointed towers being reminiscent of the Scotch Baronial architectural style. The whole house is available for the use of wedding guests, with indoor banqueting for up to 160.
Main approach to Orchardleigh House from the north. Picture by Beata Cosgrove Photography
Standing on the terrace on the south side of the house, you look down over elegant, carefully manicured lawns and towards the lake. You can just make it the lake in the photo below - it's just beyond the cows! If you have to look hard to see it, well that just gives you some idea of the scale of the place!
View towards Orchardleigh Lake, showing the balustrade, a favourite romantic spot for wedding shots of the bride and groom. Picture by Beata Cosgrove Photography
Tucked away behind a clump of trees over on the right, is St Mary's Church, and although you can't really tell from the pictures, the church is actually on its very own island, as you can see here from Google maps. Lots of people dream of being whisked off to a romantic island for their wedding - well, who knew, you can do it right here in Somerset!
The Church of St Mary, on a little island on the Orchardleigh Lake. Picture by Beata Cosgrove Photography
All in all, Orchardleigh is a stunning, romantic location for a truly memorable wedding, and if you're interested, you can browse more of my photographs of Orchardleigh here.
Orchardleigh House, wedding venue in Somerset. Image by Beata Cosgrove Photography