A year of weddings – the moments that matter, with Kent and international wedding photographer Benjamin Toms

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Kent wedding photography, beautiful quality images by Benjamin Toms (8)

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Benjamin Toms is absolutely one of the best wedding photographers I know. Scrolling through his images is one of those things I genuinely treasure about my work as a wedding blogger. They bring me down to earth, focus my thoughts on what’s really important about weddings. It’s the moments of connection, the excitement, joy and happy overwhelm. The quiet, thoughtful shots, and the flashes of brilliant humour. Ben is based in Kent, and photographs weddings all around the UK – his 2017 adventures took him to weddings in Morocco, America and Poland. Ben captures beauty in everyone he photographs – more than that, he sees the character in everyone and it comes across in his images. Looking at the photos I’m about to show you, I can almost imagine how it felt – that moment in time, captured forever. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer in Kent or on planet Earth, you need to grab a cuppa and enjoy these wonderful wedding photos.

Kent wedding photographer Benjamin Toms – best of 2017

Your Guide to Booking Bands and Musicians Abroad

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It’s never been easier to have the wedding YOU want – be that a festival-inspired party, a woodland celebration, an farm or barn wedding – traditional venues are almost a thing of the past! And over the years our appetite for sunny weddings abroad has become more and more apparent. Perhaps our unpredictable English weather plays a large part in that, but for others it could be the sometimes misconceived notion that a wedding abroad is less expensive that a wedding in the UK.

Destination wedding photography Mexico Benjamin Toms (11)

Photo credit: Benjamin Toms – see full feature here

Whilst a wedding abroad can often work out cheaper, many couples do still choose to fly out their favourite wedding suppliers in order to achieve their dream wedding day. As the owner of a live music agency, I’ve had the pleasure of organising a number of live bands and musicians for clients getting married abroad; at first it can seem fairly overwhelming for the couple, but the process needn’t be stressful if you know what to expect in advance. See more...

Gemma and Alistair’s gorgeous outdoor wedding at Millbridge Court, with Benjamin Toms Photography

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Gemma and Alastair are all kinds of gorgeous… and their wedding day has everything: summer sunshine, beautiful details, love and laughter. The giggles begin with the girls getting ready and last all day long. If you’d like a splash of August on your screen this morning you’ve come to the right wedding blog… welcome!

What an amazing place. Don’t you just adore the heather in this image? All of the fabulous photos you’re about to see are by Kent wedding photographer and friend of the English Wedding Blog, lovely Benjamin Toms. Do get in touch…

Benjamin Toms – contact & bookings

Benjamintomsphotography.co.uk
Facebook.com/BenjaminTomsPhotography
@BenjaminToms
Pinterest.com/benjamintoms
Instagram.com/tomsb75

Gemma’s dress is so lovely – the shoulder details are fabulously pretty and her updo goes beautifully with the dress. And oh, the bouquet…. truly, this is a wedding from heaven!

Millbridge Court is a boutique hotel and wedding barn in the Surrey countryside. The barn is beautiful: with delicious light drifting from the skylights and those wonderful beams, hooks and shelves for you to hang flowers or any decorations from – it’s a pretty, perfect space for a wedding. See more...

It’s the weekend… let’s go to Mexico! A beautifully lit real wedding with Benjamin Toms Photography

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Happy Saturday lovely people! I hope you have a wonderful day planned – we’re in Manchester after an amazing concert last night, and heading back on the train to our lovely Lake District very soon. But first – I wanted to show you something really inspiring and gorgeous and fun: a beautifully lit, romantic wedding in Mexico. If you’re lucky enough to have a summer wedding outdoors in the UK, how about some amazing lighting like this to make your evening reception spectacular?!

Benjamin Toms – contact & bookings

Benjamintomsphotography.co.uk
www.facebook.com/BenjaminTomsPhotography
@BenjaminToms
www.pinterest.com/benjamintoms
http://instagram.com/tomsb75

This is a sneak peek from my friend and sponsor Benjamin Toms Photography, who landed an absolute dream wedding photography job last year second shooting for top Mexican photographer Daniel Aguilar.

Benjamin Toms Photography is based in Kent, and Ben photographs weddings around the UK and worldwide. If you’re looking for a destination wedding photographer, then do get in touch with Ben to discuss your plans – he’s an amazing photographer and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet 🙂 See more...

English Wedding Blog sponsor benefits… for wedding suppliers

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I’ve had lots of applications for blog sponsorship recently and I have to say a HUGE thank you to all of the amazing suppliers who support the English Wedding Blog. I find myself explaining to every potential sponsor the benefits of joining us – and I thought it would interest a lot of the wedding suppliers who read the blog if I published those benefits in a blog post.

Wedding photography in Kent by lovely Benjamin Toms on the English Wedding Blog (4)

Photo credit: Kent wedding photographer Benjamin Toms

We do things a little differently here. Blog sponsorship is most effective when your work is published often… so joining our little team of handpicked sponsors means you’re regularly a front page feature on the English Wedding Blog. See more...

Every English Wedding Blog sponsor gets:

An introductory feature post when you join
A banner advert on every page of the blog
An optimised, dedicated page with photos, introductory text, even videos
A listing on my recommended suppliers page
Priority features. Submit a real wedding or styled shoot; I’ll publish it fast
Regular front page news, events and offers

Wedding photo of the week: a beautiful moment

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How many moments of pure joy happen in a single wedding day? Too many to count, or imagine, or dream of, or remember? Weddings are days filled with blissful seconds of laughter, love and happiness. Like this.

Image credit: Kent wedding photographer Benjamin Toms

Photo credit: Benjamin Toms Photography
From Ben’s favourite wedding photos of 2015. Do read his blog post: it’s full of the most beautiful images, glorious moments and shots which will make you laugh out loud, or bring a tear to your eye.

I publish a wedding photo of the week every week on the English Wedding Blog. See more…

Submit your image for next week:

Make sure you’ve Liked the English Wedding Blog Facebook page
Upload an image you love to Facebook, and link to our page from the comments (@The English Wedding Blog)
Check the English Wedding Blog from 3pm Friday to see the winning image!

Are wedding blogs evil?

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I hear so many opinions about wedding blogs, ranging quite fascinatingly from good to bad to even worse. Blogs are powerful; they can make a wedding business (and in at least one instance, have had the occasion to break one). And their influence on brides and grooms, on wedding trends and even spending habits, is pretty strong.

It’s something I try really hard to be aware of. I try never to push ideas onto readers: styling a wedding and finding suppliers should be all about personal choice. I can share things I love, suggest suppliers I admire, but I’d never say you ‘need’ anything for your wedding which is really only optional.

Image credit: Jennifer Sinclair Photography, Hampshire

I love wedding blogs.

I think they’re a harmless dose of pretty, a relaxing and enjoyable read with extra eye candy, and often feature superb advice from real couples alongside expert tips from the loveliest wedding suppliers. They’re a beautiful and helpful place to be! See more...

Rain on your wedding day – 15 awesome tips from UK wedding photographers

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Who missed storm Desmond last week? Oh, you lucky things! I heard some heartbreaking stories and in contrast some really uplifting tales of heroes in floods (Gareth from Aqua Salon – I’m talking about you!) – and one fabulous story of a wedding which came together against all the odds. This week I’ve been thinking about rain on your wedding day. I know a lot of brides really worry: equally I see some incredibly beautiful images on my Facebook feed (and there were LOTS last weekend!) – so I wanted to share some tips to reassure you all. I asked my recommended suppliers and blog sponsors for their best advice.

: Image credit: Love in Focus

Bristol wedding photographer Sandy at Love In Focus:

1. Plan for rain – just in case!

Everyone hopes for good weather on their wedding day but unfortunately there really is nothing you can do about the weather! The good news is that rain doesn’t have to spoil your day if you plan for it and can even make for some really beautiful shots. Don’t worry about your photographer, professional camera equipment is weather sealed and clothes dry! See more...

Remembering summer days… a nature lovers’ Kent wedding, with Benjamin Toms Photography

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Sometimes you see an image which stays in your mind for the whole day. I get it all the time – looking at the fabulous yellow flowers from today’s real wedding I find myself feeling as though summer has barely begun! (Can you believe it’s November already?!)

An English wedding in Nonington, Kent photographed by Benjamin Toms (1)

I stumbled across a blog by my friend and sponsor Benjamin Toms Photography this morning and simply had to share it with you.

Benjamin Toms – contact & bookings

Benjamintomsphotography.co.uk
www.facebook.com/BenjaminTomsPhotography
@BenjaminToms
www.pinterest.com/benjamintoms
http://instagram.com/tomsb75

Christine and Jon had the loveliest ceremony and romantic marquee reception in Nonington village, Kent – and you’ll love admiring their day on the blog. Here are a few of my favourite sneak peeks…

When Auntie Muriel met the documentary wedding photographer

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With Benjamin Toms

I hope you’ve enjoyed the series of photography advice articles with documentary wedding photographer Benjamin Toms. They all stemmed from a conversation we had a little while ago where I learned so much about wedding photography I simply had to share it all with you… which brings me to one last little piece of advice I absolutely couldn’t miss!

Benjamin Toms Photography Kent

This one’s a little tongue in cheek, but the message is still important…

Documentary wedding photography is storytelling in pictures. It’s never a dull timeline, but more of a journey through your wedding day, captured through the eyes of your guests. You’ll see lots of wonderfully candid photos of your favourite people in the world chatting, laughing, smiling and so much more. This style of photography will capture the spirit of your day like no other.

… and then there’s Auntie Muriel.

Understanding documentary wedding photography with Benjamin Toms, Kent UK (2)

Please note, I have made Auntie Muriel up. Much as JK Rowling invented Harry Potter (but I’m sure he was loosely based on a boy with wizardy tendencies… although I digress) Auntie Muriel is not a real person. See more...

A wedding photographer’s tips for getting amazing couple portraits

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With Kent wedding photographer Benjamin Toms

When I publish a real wedding on the English Wedding Blog I always try to begin the feature with a few key images: a shot of the bride, some gorgeous detail I’ve fallen in love with, and my favourite couple portrait. The combination of these types of images tends to capture the spirit of the day and show off the best photography as well.

Couple portraits especially appeal to me. They don’t have to be posed or formal (and there’s nothing I avoid more than a ‘cake cutting’ shot for the blog!) but I really do love those romantic images: a forehead kiss or a wedding day hug can melt my heart in seconds.

I often hear couples say they worried about portraits – if you’re nervous of having your photo taken then I promise you’re not alone… and all you need is a great wedding photographer to make you feel at ease. You’ll be thrilled with the results, I promise! See more...

Alex and Peter’s beautiful Rochester Cathedral and Barnyard at Gore Farm wedding, with Benjamin Toms Photography

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Remember how beautiful spring was this year? Alex and Peter’s Kent wedding captures the atmosphere of spring in an elegant little bubble… the delicate sunlight just seems to warm their day beautifully. I couldn’t resist sharing this incredible wedding with you today. The locations and images are out of this world.

Rochester Cathedral is a spectacular venue, and Alex’s dress is perfect for the occasion (although I have fallen in love with an image taken in the countryside a little later on…) She looks even more beautiful in the photos from the reception at the Barnyard at Gore Farm.

This is a wonderfully romantic Kent wedding venue we haven’t seen before on the English Wedding Blog, set in acres of orchards, paddocks and woodland. The marquee reception was bathed in natural light and provided a spellbinding backdrop for the wedding dinner, speeches and dancing late into the night.

Images are by lovely documentary photographer Benjamin Toms, who I hope you know well by now… but for those of you who don’t, Ben is a superb photographer and well worth discovering on his wedding photography website: See more...