Easyjet not granted permission for weddings in the sky. www.wessexweddings.co.uk photographers won’t be flying over Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and Bournemouth.
May 29, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
wessexweddings.co.uk photographers will not be taking photographs of wedding couples coming down Easyjet planes aisles as according to the BBC website…
Airline’s wedding plans scrapped |
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Budget airline easyJet will not be able to offer couples the chance to get married in the skies after a Bedfordshire council rejected the plan. The company applied to Luton Borough Council for pilots to be authorised to officiate wedding ceremonies. But a council spokeswoman said the law did not allow a civil partnership or marriage to take place on an aircraft. An easyJet spokesman said: “Faceless bureaucrats in windowless offices have scuppered the dreams of many.” easyJet’s UK communications manager Andrew McConnell added: “We are of course very disappointed by this news.” The airline said it had received a number of requests from couples hoping to marry in the air and they had hoped to appeal to people looking to get married “somewhere out of the ordinary”. A spokeswoman for the council, which is responsible for registration in the area where easyJet’s London Luton Airport headquarters is based, said: “We would be happy to consider licensing easyJet’s ground facilities at London Luton Airport.” |
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Questions to ask a wedding photographer www.wessexweddings.co.uk offers wedding photography in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Hampshire
May 29, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
To try and make it easier for our potential clients www.wessexweddings.co.uk have put together a list of twenty of the most frequently asked questions and answered them, hoping to show that the services we offer tick all the right boxes.
The first question we get asked is
“are we available for… such and such date?” We have set up an availability page within the website to answer that initial question. Unfortunately if your date is blocked off, we aren’t available. Sorry, but we are now taking bookings well into 2010, our most in advance request being for September 4th 2010. We do not pass on the bookings to other photographers, students or anyone else. When we are booked, we are booked, so if you would like to use our wedding photography services throughout the south west of England but specialising in Dorset and Somerset, get in early. We could be available at short notice, but we are booked for many Saturdays, especially throughout the summer months.
Once you’ve established that we are available, the second question is often
“how much do we charge?”
Check out our pricing page on our website, especially as we have frequent offers. We tried to keep it simple by offering three options, one,two,and three. Simple enough. Basically, they are time related-
Option one is eight hours and is £995
Option two is five hours and costs £795
Option three is for two hours and costs £500.
All of these options are for two photographers, and a CD/ DVD of high resolution images. These prices do NOT include a photo book, album, or prints. We can provide these services but our pricing is geared to offering great value for money photography first and foremost.
Another question is “what are the advantages of two photographers?”
Wedding photographers have to run around, and be in at least two places at the same time. To make that somewhat easier two photographers can actually be at two places at the same time. Our clients particularly like the fact that we can shoot images of the bride as she is getting ready and at the same time one of us can be shooting images of the groom going through his final nervous moments, sometimes in the pub! Our camera’s are time-synchronized so the CD/ DVD we supply you will have all the images shot in time order and bride and groom can see for the first time what their partner and guests were doing. Other advantages of two photographers include back-up, we have a total of six cameras, three flash units, ten or so lenses, heaps of memory cards. If, and its never happened, one of us losses a memory card! then we’ve still got the images on the other photographers memory card. If you don’t use us for your wedding photography ask if your potential photographer can offer a back-up system as good as ours. Having two photographers is especially nice to have if you are looking for natural shots and images that tell the story of your wedding day, rather than only formal images. It’s also more fun for us as there are two photographers, and if it’s fun for us that will come across in the images for you as it’s much easier if it’s a fun and relaxed day for all. Our pricing, see above, is for two photographers and you can see we offer value-for-money photography, especially when you consider you get two experienced photographers. Which leads on to question four…
Question four “How much experience do you have as a photographer?”
Paul has been a working photo journalist for well over twenty years and has supplied photographs to numerous publications throughout the world. John’s background is in publishing but in the last four years photography has become a huge passion. John received first prize in the prestigious 2008 Renaissance Photography Competition.
Question five“How much experience do you have as wedding photographers?”
John and Paul, although living in Dorset and Somerset met each other for the first time on an organized one month trip to Tibet in 2004. We started to work together on photography, and have been offering acombined wedding photography service for three years. We are not jaded old-school wedding photographers that only do formal photography.
Question six “We want a mix of formal shots and informal reportage images. Can you do this?”
Absolutely. Huge advantage of two photographers is that we can cover both styles, and we understand you’ll almost certainly need some formal shots to keep everyone happy. However, if you only wanted informal images we can oblige after all it’s your day. However, if you only wanted us to just shoot posed formal images then we’d strongly recommend you find another wedding photographer as that’s not what wessexweddings.co.uk is about.
Question seven “Will you personally be the photographer for our wedding/Do you use other photographers for our wedding day photography?”
wessexweddings.co.uk is a two- person team, and when you book us you actually get John and Paul. We don’t (sub)contract out the photography, unlike some other wedding photography businesses.
Question eight “We like your images and you’re available on our wedding day, what should we do next”
The next stage is to arrange a meeting. We like to meet up with all potential clients before we send you a booking form. That way we can find out if your photographic needs can be met by our photography services and that we all get along.
Question nine “Do you shoot in digital/film, and colour or black and white?”
Easy one this. We both shoot in digital, both John and Paul have Canon EOS professional equipment. The digital images are provided in colour but are easily converted to black and white and we usually put a few black and white images on the CD/DVD we send out.
Question ten “Are the images on the finished DVD/CD high resolution and how many shots are there on the disk(s)?”
The disk(s) contain high resolution images (but not RAW files, which need post production).We supply 500 images for an 8 hour shoot and 350 images for five hours. Also without getting too technical both John and Paul shoot all images in RAW which is the highest quality and non-compressed digital files. There is no limit to the number of photographs we take. Some old-school photographers, especially using film would set a limit on the number of shots taken. In this digital age, John and I have over 100 gigabytes of memory cards that’s more than enough.We want to capture the spirit of the day and we don’t worry about how many shots it takes to achieve that goal. Unlike most wedding photographers we actually supply DVD/CD’s with all of our pricing options at no extra cost.
Question eleven “Are the DVD’s moving images/slideshows and do you do videography?”
The DVD’s do not contain moving images. They are still photographs.We don’t supply images with music/soundtrack or images fading in and out to the next shot as the styling/choice is too personal. We do NOT offer videography.
Question twelve “Who owns the copyright, as on some wedding sites they suggest the copyright ownership should be passed to the bride and groom?”
We give you a DVD/CD for you to use in any non-commercial way that you like. The copyright however belongs with the photographers at all times.
Question thirteen “Do you need to be paid before the wedding day?”
We need a 10% deposit to be paid to confirm the date. We only do one wedding a day, so once payment has cleared we block off that date on our availability calendar, and we send clients an invoice 4 weeks before the wedding day for the remainder(90%) of the money.
Question fourteen “Do you visit the venue before the wedding day?”
Yes, we like to do this about a week or so before the big day usually with the bride and groom. We also take photographs of the bride and groom before the wedding day so they get familiar with having their photo taken, and go through any poses, and location for shots, if requested. We also check the venue for any suitable places for shots and to have a plan of action in case of rain/strong wind etc. We also offer a complimentary service for any brides and grooms who would like to use John’s studio located north of Blandford, Dorset.
Question fifteen “We are interested in having a photographer for six hours but your options are for 5 hours and 8 hours. Do we do six hours and how much will it be?” We tried to make the pricing as simple as possible, but they can be tailored to individual needs. We charge an additional £100 per hour added to any option.Six hours coverage would therefore be £795, our option 2 price for 5 hours, plus £100=£895.
Question sixteen “Do you do wedding albums?“ We do not provide wedding albums photo books, prints in any of our pricing options. Initially we didn’t offer this service, however, we’ve been regularly asked by clients to make photobooks. Check out our wedding album section of the website for pricing. If you are considering using a wedding photographer that includes a wedding album in the package be very careful on the kind of album you receive. The price and quality of wedding albums vary tremendously. Another advantage of our pricing system is that you don’t have to pay up front for an album.
Question seventeen ”Do you charge extra for putting our wedding images online?”
Absolutely not. We provide a password protected clients area that you can share with your friends, relatives, guests etc. We usually get this up and running within a week of the wedding day.
Question eighteen “Do you do boudoir photography as I want to surprise my husband on our wedding day with a set of images of me in my underwear?”
We don’t offer a boudoir service as such. However, we are open to all kinds of photo requests. We like to work on ideas that you may have and especially if there is a humorous angle. We offer for example Trash The Dress shoots, and we are working on several ideas with a bride-to-be that involve bicycles and lingerie (her partner is a cyclist). One couple wants us to photograph them bare-footed in their teepee on their wedding day and the arrival of a burger van at 5am the next morning-we’re up for all kinds of unusual, alternative, eco-friendly wedding ideas.
Question nineteen “Can you provide testimonials from previous clients?”
Yes. If you are seriously considering using our wedding photography services we can also provide telephone numbers of past clients for you to call if you so wish. If you want to see what an actual online site of a recent days wedding shoot looks like it’s also possible for us to supply you with the password of past clients to take a peek. Please understand that not all weddings are the same. Some of our clients have given us an extensive list of must-have formal shots, whilst others had no lists at all. Some clients have a cake cutting and others don’t, so that is reflected in the images we take for each wedding and placed online.
Question twenty (a fabricated question) “You’re providing an exceptional value for money wedding photography service. Two experienced photographers, all high resolution images on a supplied DVD/CD, and you visit the venue, meet up with us, take complementary photographs of us in a studio, you tick all the boxes, what’s the catch?”
There isn’t one. We haven’t tried to be the cheapest wedding photographers, cutting our prices to ensure they are lower than other photographers in Dorset and Somerset on a Google search. We do however have lower overheads than the old-school wedding photographer who has to pay expensive High Street rent for a studio. Whereas John has a studio but it is in a converted garage in the countryside,keeping our costs low which are past onto the client through affordable prices. Perhaps for what we offer our prices are too low, that’s perhaps for you to take advantage of and for us to suffer, but we enjoy what we do. We try to make it a fun day and at the same time try our damn hardest to get the images you want. We don’t do hard-sell, you’ll find that out when you meet us, but we believe that if we offer a quality product and we go the extra mile we will get happy clients who hopefully will recommend us. Another example of us going the extra mile, especially if you are nice to us, is that if space and time permits we have the means to set up a portable studio at the reception venue and can shoot guests posing both formally and informally as the alcohol flows, if you so wish. Again this is another of our complimentary services that we provide. We both have public liability insurance that cover us for millions of pounds just in case one of the guests has too much to drink and knocks over a tripod or something. But if you hire us, it’s your choice as to how you use us for your photography. We can work from your list of your must-have shots, although if you’ve got many requests please bear that in mind when it comes to timing as group shots can take some time to set up. We also like to have some time with just the bride and groom to capture several romantic couple shots in a selected attractive setting.
Hopefully this frequently asked questions/FAQ section of our website has given you a flavour of what we do and has answered any initial questions you may have. However, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions, and as mentioned we meet up with all clients to discuss your photography needs in greater depth prior to any bookings being made. That way you can see us in person to find out if we are singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak, when it comes to your photography requirements.
Couple’s 81st wedding anniversary in Devon. www.wessexweddings.co.uk based in Dorset and Somerset guarantee your wedding photographs will last as long.
May 26, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Couple’s 81st wedding anniversary in Devon. From BBC website…
Britain’s longest living married couple have celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary.
Frank and Anita Milford, who live together in a nursing home in Plymouth, Devon, exchanged vows on 26 May, 1928.
Frank is 101 and Anita will be 101 next month. In February they will break the record to become the longest married couple in Britain.
They say they still have little arguments, but will always have a kiss and cuddle before they go to bed.
The pair, who said there was no “magic secret” to a happy marriage, met at a YMCA dance in the St Budeaux area of Plymouth in 1926 and were married two years later at Torpoint register office.
Blitz escape
Mr Milford worked at Devonport dockyard until his retirement at the age of 60.
The couple stayed in Plymouth throughout World War II.
During the Blitz they narrowly escaped two bombs, including one which fell on their house.
They have two children, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Their 74-year-old son, also called Frank, said the main secret of his parents’ wedded bliss was simply being happy with each other.
“They’ve enjoyed themselves, enjoyed their lives very much but they’ve been always very content with their lot,” he said.
www.wessexweddings.co.uk based in Dorset and Somerset guarantee your wedding photographs will last as long. The wedding photographs we supply at www.wessexweddings.co.uk will last a lifetime, they’ll last longer than the flowers and the wedding favours.
Easyjet wants passenger weddings… www.wessexweddings.co.uk wedding photographers could be flying from Bournemoth, Dorset, Bristol,Somerset
May 25, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
BBC article…www.wessexweddings.co.uk wedding photography takes off -potentially we could have more destination/overseas weddings in the future. We could be flying off from Bournemouth and Bristol on a regular basis. The bride coming down the planes aisle shot could be interesting, and the wedding preparation shots now in the toilet space could be tight, and need a wide angle fish-eye lens. Don’t even think about The Mile-High Club.
Easyjet wants passenger weddings |
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Budget airline Easyjet has asked council officials for permission for its pilots to marry couples on flights. The Luton-based airline said it hopes to combine marriage proceedings with taking newlyweds on honeymoon. It has asked Luton Borough Council for its pilots to be licensed to carry out marriage ceremonies. Easyjet’s Paul Simmons said: “If our request is replied positively, then so-called ‘floating on cloud nine’ would get a new meaning for people in love.” A Luton Borough Council spokesman said: “We have only just received a letter from Easyjet and will be responding in due course. “While there are clearly laws governing marriage ceremonies, we are not yet aware of the full details of what Easyjet are proposing to do.”From May 14, 2009
Article below published in The Times by Carol MidgleyGetting wed on a low-cost flight is plane sillyCouples can French kiss in the aisle while Wind Beneath My Wings is piped through the aircraft |
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Church offers cut-price weddings. www.wessexweddings.co.uk offers value-for-money wedding photography
May 25, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Article from BBC website…www.wessexweddings.co.uk is doing its bit by providing value-for-money wedding photography in the Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire areas.
Church offers cut-price weddings |
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A church in County Durham is holding bargain basement weddings to encourage couples not to let the recession stop them from getting married. Donna Swinney and Alan Davison will be the first to tie the knot for next to nothing at St Hild’s Church, Dawdon. Couples are being offered free bridal wear and an organist - but they have to pay the registrar’s fee of about £50. David Taylor, a trustee of the Christian Fellowship, said: “We want to serve the community.” Mr Taylor, who owns St Hild’s and St Helen’s with his wife Barbara, has 13 wedding dresses and 18 bridesmaid dresses on offer. He said: “We’ve received a good response and some donations already - for us this is a vision realised.” ‘Very excited’ Bride-to-be, Ms Swinney, 29, said she heard about the offer from her mother’s neighbour, who is an organist at St Hild’s. She said: “I always wanted to get married in the church but then my partner lost his job so we thought we’d have to wait a good couple of years. “We’re very excited about the wedding.” The Christian Fellowship Trust bought the church in October after it had stood empty for around a year. Mr Taylor said: “We find that maybe weddings aren’t a priority because of the cost - people are waiting until the recession lifts. “We wanted to change this - whoever wants to use our service can.” |
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Can anyone recommend a wedding photographer…in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire,Devon, Bournemouth, Poole,Bristol, England, Europe,… anywhere?
May 23, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Can anyone recommend/does anyone know a good wedding photographer…in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire,Devon, Bournemouth, Bristol, England, Europe,… anywhere ? If you go on to any wedding forum this is a common question from brides-to-be/ B2B around the world. If you switch the question to “can anyone recommend a car”? then hopefully it’s obvious that the question is too vague.There needs to be a lot more specific questions, type in “questions to ask a potential wedding photographer” in Google for a list to ask, and it’s not only down to the price/cheapest, although that is often the main factor. At www.wessexweddings.co.uk we endeavour to offer a service that ticks all the right boxes- we meet all potential clients, to make sure we get along prior to any bookings being made, we check out the venues before the big day- we are two photographers with professional gear and back-up equipment,and we offer very good value-for-money photography, providing all images on DV/CD. If you want testimonials from our past clients please ask and we can gladly give access not only to view their files but also telephone numbers of happy clients. We go the extra mile to get the images you want.
Here comes the Freecycle bride- green weddings for Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and Hampshire.
May 23, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
The BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour have just done a feature on a bride who received many wedding items from Freecycle. The bride had originally “wanted it all-the whole she-boogie!” but circumstances and then the economic recession meant she had to find an alternative wedding route.
Despite the uniqueness of this brides situation, she is not alone.
A recent poll on the You and Your Wedding magazine website showed that 60% of brides in the UK are reining in their expenses.
Probably not a startling snippet of information considering the current economic climate. According to the magazine, the average British wedding now costs £20,000.
You and Your Wedding’s Deputy Editor Cathy Howes admits it is a big figure.
“It includes all the traditional wedding expenses such as the reception venue and dress,” she says.
“But we also factored in things like tooth whitening, facials, wedding day fragrance, your honeymoon wardrobe - lots of things that might be associated with the cost of a wedding but aren’t all necessary.”
And so obviously there are ways to get change out of such a huge amount. Cathy suggests cutting guest lists as the easiest way to do so, likewise a bride can ask herself whether she really needs eight bridesmaids, to which, as she says: “Probably not!”
Another tip from Cathy: “Fridays are becoming the new Saturday,” because, “in terms of availability, it is a much better thing and for price you’ll be in a position to negotiate.”
A green wedding
Prioritising seems to be the key to cutting costs.
For recent bride Ria Lockie from Brighton, £20,000 was not even an option, being way over her £9,000 budget.
Another concern for Ria was that hers was a green - not white - wedding.
And so for the name tags on the tables, guests’ names were written onto pebbles which she has since re-used in her garden. All the flowers for her big day were grown in her own and friend’s gardens. All the produce was sourced locally too.
Ria’s dress was her biggest expense, but it was by a British designer and made here in the UK.
‘Mad’
“I was very conscious of the fact that I didn’t want a dress that was made in China and shipped from abroad,” she says, feeling that the cost is justified as she is recycling it - by having it altered into an evening dress.
Donated wire butterflies will decorate the donated organza favour bags
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Consequently, Ria’s success at making her wedding both cost-effective and environmentally-friendly has led to her doing the same for others through the setting up of her Ethical Occasions company.
Although it was never Martha’s intention to go green to get married, Freecycle has changed that for her and made her dream of having a big wedding come true.
Looking back at her pre-Freecycle life, she says: “I think I was mad.
“I can’t believe I was actually going to pay thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds to get married.”
The days of the stretched Hummer arriving at the church with eight bridesmaids may be nearing the end. Wessex Weddings Photography, although not offering a Freeycle service, operates a real value for money wedding photography service in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire and further if your very nice. If we find out you’ve booked a stretched Hummer though, we’ll decline the photography booking as we’d prefer, and so would the environment, green, alternative weddings, rather than over-the-top ostentatious displays.
Just found out that you can find TAT in the middle of ostenTATious.
Wedding photography, May 16th East Coker St Michael’s Church, Somerset and Stockbridge Farm Barn, Dorset
May 17, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Wedding at St Michaels Church, East Coker, Somerset
On Saturday John and I photographed the marriage of Emily and Andrew. We began the day by photographing some scenes at the beautiful St Michael’s Church which has a memorial plaque about T.S. Eliot as the ashes of the American poet are at this church. John and I went our separate ways, the beauty of having two photographers is that our cameras are time-synchronized to the second,so when we put the combined images together onto a DVD the bride and groom can get to see what the other was doing at each exact moment. I shot some images of Andrew as he met his friends and relatives at The Helyar Arms a 15th century pub, while John was photographing Emily while she was undergoing her final preparations. After the service, a short heavy downpour got everyone running for transport to take them to The Stockbridge Farm Barn, a short drive away but in Dorset, a few miles south of Sherborne. The barn is a medieval rustic structure and big enough to house the 100 or so guests Emily and Andrew had invited to their reception.
Wedding Exhibitions / Wedding Shows / Wedding Fayres/Fairs in Somerset 2009
May 12, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Wedding Exhibitions In Somerset 2009
June 28th 2009. Love Actually Wedding Fayre at Bristol Zoo.
September 20th, 2009. Tone Leisure Wedding Exhibition. Taunton, Somerset.
October 2nd-4th, 2009. NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW, EARL’S COURT, LONDON.
October 9th-11th, 2009.NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW, NEC, BIRMINGHAM.
Wedding shows/wedding exhibitions/Fayres/Fairs in Dorset 2009
May 12, 2009 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Wedding Shows/ Wedding Exhibitions in Dorset
May 17th, 2009. The Norfolk Royale Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset.
June 21st, 2009. The Durley Dean Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset.
July 5th 2009. The Hamworthy Club Wedding Exhibition, Wimborne, Dorset.
September 6th, 2009. Wedding fayre at Salterns Harbourside Hotel, Poole, Dorset.
September 20th, 2009. Wedding Exhibition at Bennett Water Gardens, Weymouth, Dorset.
OCTOBER 2nd-4th, 2009. NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW, EARL’S COURT, LONDON.
OCTOBER 9th-11th,2009. NATIONAL WEDDING SHOW, NEC, BIRMINGHAM.
October 11th, 2009. Elmers Court Hotel and Resort Wedding Exhibition.Lymington, Dorset.
October 11th, 2009. Wedding Exhibition. Opera House, Bournemouth, Dorset.
October 25th, 2009. The Durley Dean Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset.
October 25th, 2009. The Menzies East Cliff Hotel. Wedding fayre, Bournemouth, Dorset.