A Sunday in August saw me undertake my next wedding photography assignment – photographing the wedding of Caroline & Pasquale at The Swan in West Malling, Kent.
The Swan is a beautiful restaurant (I know – I’ve had the Sunday lunch!) in a small Kent village. The wedding took place in the upper room, followed by drinks in the upstairs bar and then the wedding breakfast in the marquee in the outside dining area. The venue has a very cosy, contemporary feel inside and makes for great wedding photography.
Caroline & Pasquale really made me feel a part of their intimate wedding which had a distinctly Italian feel – my second August wedding with a large Italian contingent! In fact, there were four generations of Italian family at the wedding, which was really lovely to see.
After the ceremony, the drinks reception was held in the upstairs bar due to weather, which meant my trusty 50mm lens made an appearance so I could get up close to the action.
And then onto the wedding breakfast – the bride and groom sat at a table for two rather than a top table, which seems to be a european tradition – I think the hail of sugared almonds must also have been a tradition, but I could be wrong! After the meal, there were some short, but touching, speeches.
While the guests relaxed over chocolates, drinks and coffee, I whisked the bride and groom back inside for some portraits.
And then onto the first dance and party. The bride used to sing professionally, so after the first dance she sang especially for Pasquale – I’m sure he won’t mind me mentioning that a tear or two were shed!
Congratulations Caroline & Pasquale! If you’re getting married at the swan and want relaxed, contemporary photography to record your day, please get in touch!!
All images copyright David Burke Photography 2011
beautiful photo’s dave – as usual. you can really feel the emotion of the day!!
Wonderful shots, David. Do you decide whether to use black and white or colour as you take the photo, or afterwards in post production? Do you find that certain events during the day (eg wedding breakfast or candids) generally tend to suit one style over the other?
Thanks! You do know at the time whether some shots will be B&W or colour, but I mostly decide in post production. Weddings are often a riot of colour, which is great in some shots but does detract from others – for example when the bride and groom are being congratulated after the ceremony, quite often your eye will jump around all the colourful outfits. Removing them from the equation makes your eye focus immediately on the intended subject – the emotional moment. The ceremony itself is often a good candidate for black and white as it gives the pictures a timeless quality, so they will never go out of fashion!
Thanks for the reply, David. And do the same considerations apply with a straight portrait session, or do you agree this sort of thing this with the client before the shoot?
I discuss with the clients beforehand, but as my style shows, I do a lot of black and white, so not really much point coming to me if you want all colour – I need to enjoy my editing as well as shooting 🙂
🙂 Thanks, David