Yellow blooms for a beautiful city summer wedding in London – ByChenai Events

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I have such a treat for you today, lovely! We’re filling the blog with beautiful yellow blooms and fabulous city wedding styling ideas from lovely By Chenai and Amanda Karen Photography. The dresses by Monique Lhuillier and Viktor & Rolf (from Browns Bride) are breathtaking – and the fabric backdrops just divine. I hope you love this as much as I do: I will leave you with lovely Chenai who explains her ideas so beautifully.

Glorious yellow Bloomologie blooms and styling by Chenai - photo credit Amanda Karen Photography (2)
I teamed up with Prince Phillip House (3 Carlton House) in London’s St James area to style a mini shoot that would tell the story of a city summer wedding in London.

Working with Amanda Karen Photography and Browns Bride of London (who gave us a Fall 2019 Monique Lhuillier structured ‘Everest’ gown and Viktor & Rolf Fall 2019 gown) we wanted to tell 2 stories against the quite traditional background of the building.  See more...

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The rolling lavender fields of England

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A guest feature by our friends and Essex wedding photographers Amanda Karen Photography

When you think of lavender fields your mind probably instantly wanders to Provence, at least mine does. But time and time again I am reminded of the beautiful, almost destination wedding-esque vibes that we have here in the UK. This was definitely the case when Danielle and Joe wanted to have their engagement shoot in the lavender fields in Hitchin (others are available!)

Beautiful UK lavender fields for engagement photography with Amanda Karen Photography (6)
Now, much like blossom season, lavender season is also a finite period and slightly fickle due to the weather, so we were on lavender alert so that we could pick the right time in the summer. As luck would have it, on the day of the shoot, the weather was perfect and getting there early meant that we had rows upon rows of lavender to ourselves. It was the perfect setting for Danielle and Joe, and actually they used some of the images to complement their wedding décor too, which I always love to see!  See more...

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Hannah & Alex’s relaxed sunflower-filled wedding in Surrey, with Amanda Karen Photography

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Did you see Hannah and Alex’s wedding rehearsal on the blog yesterday? I’m still in love with that pretty sunflower dress… which was a clue to all the sunflower loveliness coming up on English Wedding today! Theirs was a wedding weekend following American traditions but celebrated over two days at Great Fosters in Surrey – and our lovely friend Amanda Karen Photography was there to capture it all!

Pinterest fingers ready my lovelies, for a feast of sunflowers, summer blooms and fairy lights – and one of the prettiest backless wedding dresses I’ve ever seen! Huge congratulations to a happy and amazing couple – Hannah & Alex, you’re so good together and we LOVE your wedding!

Sunflowers, roses and a beautiful backless wedding dress for this gorgeous Great Fosters wedding. Images by Amanda Karen Photography (16)

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk/

“We didn’t have a strict style or theme but I think I would describe our wedding as ‘elegant cheerful’. The only thing my husband and I decided going in was that we wanted sunflowers which to us were so cheerful and when combined with the amazing beauty of Great Fosters allowed our wedding to be both elegant but also have a relaxed cheerfulness that was exactly what we wanted.  See more...

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Hannah & Alex’s relaxed wedding weekend at Great Fosters, with Amanda Karen Photography

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I know so many of you will be having a wedding weekend this summer – it’s THE biggest trend in weddings this year, and a fabulous way to squeeze in a little more precious time with your nearest and dearest. So I am excited to be (virtually) spending this weekend in the company of gorgeous couple Hannah and Alex, who were married at Great Fosters in Surrey and celebrated over two amazing August days. Their wedding weekend is beautifully captured by our fabulous friends and Essex wedding photographers Amanda Karen Photography.

Great Fosters relaxed wedding weekend, photographer Amanda Karen Photography (4)

For the first, Hannah wears the prettiest sunflower dress, as the Saturday of their wedding weekend was for the wedding  rehearsal, then dinner and lawn games! Hannah is American, and rehearsal dinners are tradition over there. We don’t have them here but you can read more about rehearsal dinners here. I love that Alex and Hannah invited Amanda Karen Photography along to both days – they have a wonderful collection of sunflower-filled wedding pics from the Sunday, and more relaxed couple shots from the Saturday celebrations too!  See more...

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Danielle & Joe’s natural English country garden wedding in Hertfordshire, with Amanda Karen Photography

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Hey lovely! I have another fabulous wedding to share with you today – this one I totally adore for all the pretty styling touches, and for our gorgeous couple whose stunning smiles are making me grin back at my screen today! I love the leafy, foliage-centred stationery and the cute knitted people (my mum used to make these! Anyone else?!), oh and the gloriously light and airy colour palette which just couldn’t be more perfect for a marquee wedding. Photos are by our wonderfully talented friends at Amanda Karen Photography (and Danielle & Joe’s review of one of my fave wedding photographers makes me a very happy wedding blogger indeed!).

Beautiful English marquee wedding in Hertfordshire with Amanda Karen Photography (30)

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk/

Amanda Karen Photography was recommended by someone we knew and I looked on Amanda’s social media and website and knew it was the style I wanted – natural and in the moment.  See more...

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Gifts To Give On The Morning Of Your Wedding

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A guest article with words & images by lovely Amanda Karen Photography

Hello again and it’s lovely to be with you today, particularly as I’m talking about treats and surprises for your wedding day. When you’ve spent months planning every detail of your big day, it’s absolutely wonderful to give a little unexpected gift to your partner on the morning of your wedding. There’s something very special about receiving a meaningful and heartfelt present just before you take your vows and from my perspective as a photographer, I love capturing the moment when these gifts are opened. So, if you’re wondering what gifts to give, here are a few ideas for you (and for your partner!).

Gifts for husbands morning of wedding, image by Amanda Karen Photography (16)

Gifts that can be worn on the wedding day itself are always, and quite rightly, very popular. For brides, a beautiful ‘something new’ is always going to make them smile. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces are lovely gifts that can be worn long after the wedding day as a gorgeous memento. Similarly, cufflinks make a fab groom’s gift, particularly designer brands or personalised designs that give your wedding date and details. Take a look at Not On The High Street for ideas here.  See more...

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Choosing Suppliers Like You, by Amanda Karen Photography

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brilliant wedding advice by Essex photographer Amanda Karen Photography (1)
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A rather fabulous guest article by Amanda Karen Photography

Hello – I’m so happy to be with you today! Thank you, Claire for inviting me along to talk about a really important element of wedding planning – choosing suppliers. However, what follows probably isn’t what you might expect. This isn’t going to be a checklist full of reminders to ask for references and to check social media feeds. Oh no, I’m about to explain why choosing suppliers is really a whole lot more personal than that.

Let’s be honest, there are lots of wedding suppliers out there so how do you choose? If we’re truthful with ourselves, we choose to work with people we like. In actual fact, it goes beyond that – we choose people who are like us.

brilliant wedding advice by Essex photographer Amanda Karen Photography (5)

Have you found yourself saying ‘we absolutely clicked’ or ‘we’ve got so much in common’ about any of the wedding pros that you’ve booked? Of course you have and it’s because, if you’ve done it right, you’ll have chosen suppliers who are like you.  See more...

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Transition of Seasons – timeless London wedding style with Amanda Karen Photography

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Elegant and timeless wedding look for 2019 brides and grooms, image credit Amanda Karen Photography (37)
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Hi lovelies! How is your wedding planning going and are you hooked on Pinterest yet? I’ve spent today falling down random Pinterest holes… it’s not been a mega productive one so far! And the photoshoot I’m about to share with you hasn’t helped at all… there are so many stunning ideas here. We’re talking late summer wedding style – for that brief period of time when the summer begins to fade and wisps of autumn stir the air. A delicate, pastel colour palette still works this late in the season, but tinged with plum tones and darker pinks the look becomes something truly special to work with the earliest days of autumn.

Images are by our lovely friend and sponsor Amanda Karen Photography, with a fabulous team of creative London wedding suppliers at Clissold House in Hackney, London.

Elegant and timeless wedding look for 2019 brides and grooms, image credit Amanda Karen Photography (35)

   See more...

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Moody Nordic Elegance – alternative wedding styling at The Harcourt with Amanda Karen Photography

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Moody Nordic wedding style ideas created in London, with images by Amanda Karen Photography (39)
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I thought we all deserved a little treat this Sunday afternoon, so gather round and snuggle up for an extra special dose of wedding lovely. Our fabulous friend Amanda Karen Photography sent in this beauty of a shoot and I’ve fallen for it hook, line and sinker. The styling is exquisite; the colour palette is fabulous. This is a shoot in two halves: the copper dress takes my breath away and I’d love to see more brides wearing such a bold statement dress… but if that’s not for you then the bridal jumpsuit is unique, different and 100% on trend for 2019! Both outfits are by the always fabulous Charlie Brear.

Moody Nordic wedding style ideas created in London, with images by Amanda Karen Photography (40)

Talented London wedding photographer Amanda Karen Photography captured every detail in her uniquely beautiful style. We know she’s a huge fan of copper wedding styling so do head over to her gorgeous website and blog if that’s your thing too! You were made for each other…

Essex & London wedding photographer Amanda Karen Photography

www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk
Instagram.com/amandakarenphotography/
Facebook.com/PhotographybyAmandaKaren
Pinterest.com/AmandaKHutch/

Moody Nordic wedding style ideas created in London, with images by Amanda Karen Photography (17)  See more...

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Tropical Inspiration for a Victorian Orangery in London, with Amanda Karen Photography

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Houseplants and tropical wedding styling with www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk (53)
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I’m so in love with today’s style edit from our lovely friends at Amanda Karen Photography. The vibrant green foliage by Cassandra King brings summer to any venue, all year round. The cake by Hayley Elizabeth Cake Design is incredible with glossy leaves and still so very elegant – and the touches of antique gold bring the entire theme together: it’s wonderful.

Houseplants and tropical wedding styling with www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk (9)

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have a bit of a houseplant ‘thing’ going on. I have succulents and ferns, cacti and plenty of palm-tree type things whose names I don’t even know! I’m also a big believer in styling your wedding with the things you love, so the day is beautiful and feels natural, fitting your personalities too. So, fellow plant lovers, here’s how to take inspiration from those tropical houseplants you adore to create a stunning, contemporary wedding style!  See more...

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The rise of the female wedding photographer (go girls!)

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UK female wedding photographers, Amanda Karen Photography (5)
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Guest article by our lovely friend and sponsor Amanda Karen Photography

In the year that we celebrate the hundredth anniversary of women getting the vote, it’s no surprise that female issues are big news. And the same is true in the wedding world too because over the last few years, there’s been a silent revolution going on and it really has shaken things up. I’m talking about the rise of the female wedding photographer.

UK female wedding photographers, Amanda Karen Photography (1)

If you were to rewind ten years and browse wedding magazines and the first blogs, you’d see credits that looked a whole lot different. Male photographers were the norm and female photographers made up just a tiny proportion of those working in the industry. In fact, Claire estimates that when she started this blog back in 2009, around 90% of the photographers out there were men.

Whiz forwards to 2018 and the picture is very different indeed. This split between numbers of men and women hasn’t just changed a little, it’s shifted dramatically and now, 70% of the submissions that Claire receives for these pages are from women with almost 60% of photographers listed in the English Wedding Directory being female.  See more...

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The mildly mystifying worlds of Fine Art and Reportage photography – explained!

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fine art wedding photography explained, with Amanda Karen Photography (6)
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When you’re planning your wedding, it can feel as if you’ve stumbled into a room where everyone is talking a language you don’t understand. There are conversations around dry hire, corkage, guipure, Mikado and so many other things besides. Of course, when it comes to your wedding photography, it’s exactly the same. Fine art, reportage, editorial and fashion… the list goes on. Well I’m here with a language lesson and I’m answering the question – can you have it all?

fine art wedding photography explained, with Amanda Karen Photography (1)

Fine art photography – light and dreamy, often using natural light and also capturing the smallest details of your day in the most romantic images

Words and images by Amanda Karen Photography

www.amandakarenphotography.co.uk
Instagram.com/amandakarenphotography/
Facebook.com/PhotographybyAmandaKaren
Pinterest.com/AmandaKHutch/

Let’s start with the terminology. Reportage photography has been a phrase that’s been used for a while now and it appeared around the millennium to mark out the ‘new style’ photographers of the time. Instead of a limited number of posed photos, reportage photographers documented the day as it unfolded, captured those ‘real’ moments and told the whole story of the day. Reportage is a documentary style, the shots are edited for sure but they’re also a little more ‘real’ and a little more ‘raw’ than other styles.  See more...

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