Jewish Wedding Photography Dorset

Last week I was asked to photograph my first traditional Jewish Wedding. It was a great experience, full of tradition and realy good fun, these people truly know how to have a great time.

The ceremony takes place under a Chuppa which symbolises the home created and shared by the newlyweds.

Firstly is the Bedeken Ceremony which takes place privately in front of immediate family only,  the groom places the veil over the brides face after checking he is marrying the right bride!

David and the Rabbi Pete Tobias share a joke whilst waiting for Olivia to arrive.

Following her entrance into the Chuppah the bride then circles the groom 7 times, known as Hakafot this indicates that their lives will be forever entwined.

The exchange of the rings is an important part of every wedding ceremony, in a Jewish ceremony the rings are placed on the right hand index finger.

The Ketubah is the beautiful handcrafted marriage contract which is written in both Hebrew and English and declares the equal commitment of both the husband and wife.

The Shevra Brachot are then recited over a shared goblet of wine which seals the marriage union. The end of the ceremony is marked by the breaking of a glass under the grooms foot which recalls the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.

Following the blessings the whole party take to the dance floor for in this case 10 minutes of crazy Israeli dancing, as I say these people reaaly know how to have fun, this ends with the brides and groom being lifted on chairs by the guests.

This was an amazing experience for me as a Wedding Photographer and a real lesson in history and tradition.

I wish Olivia and David all the best in their married lives together with daughter Sophia (what a star she was too!)

Beach Weddings Bournemouth

The end of October saw the launch of beach Weddings Bournemouth, a very exiting new service allowing couples to legally marry on the beach for the first time in this country. The venue has been featured on ITVs Daybreak this week. 

The licence was finally approved for wedding ceremonys  to take place on Bournemouth beach, the first licensed beach venue in the UK. This is a really exiting new option for couples looking for something a little bit different and as a photographer I can’t wait, especially as I am one of the recommended photographers for the new venue.

The booking and planning of the weddings will be undertaken by “Beach Weddings Bournemouth” under the very cable Melanie Kiani from Bellissimo Weddings a very established local wedding planners.

Dorset Wedding Photography ~ Horton Village Hall

Congratulations to Gemma & David  on a beautiful Christmas Wedding on the 23rd December. They choose to have a humanist ceremony at Horton Village Hall with a marquee attached. The whole wedding was very personal and unique and there were some lovely touches. 

Gemma, her bridesmaids and her beloved Grandad (Paps) arrived in style on a steam engine, very fitting for such a lovely rural location even if it was a little chilly!

Dorset Wedding Photography ~ Christchurch Harbour Hotel

Congratulations to Kimberley and Craig on their Autumn wedding at the beautiful Christchurch Harbour Hotel.

Considering the wedding was at the end of October the weather was very kind, it was a really lovely day with a stunning theme of Fuchsia pink and black and as always the Christchurch Harbour pulled out all the stops to make sure the day ran smoothly.

Surrey Wedding Photography ~ Marquee Wedding Photography

Congratulations to Katy and Guy for their wedding on 10th September at Katy’s family home near Dorking, Surrey

An email from Katy on honeymoon  ”Just a little note from malaysia to say thank you so so much for doing such a great job on our wedding day, Guy said he thought that you & Paul were fantastic and very sensitive to his stage fright!  Thanks so much – the photos are wonderful, everyone loves them…..Thank you once again, we are so grateful of all your hard work and the amazing result.”

New Forest and Hampshire Wedding Photography ~ Balmer Lawn Hotel

Congratulations to Rachel and Daryl for their wedding on 3rd September 2011.

It was a beautiful day that started at Daryl’s family home in Boulder in the New Forest where Rachel and the bridesmaids were able to get ready in the beautiful in house beauty salon courtesy of Alison. Rachel arrived at church in a glass carriage drawn by 4 magnificent horses. The ceremony was in St john the Baptist Church in Boulder, in the heart of the forest.

Bournemouth Wedding Photography ~ Hallmark Hotel

Congratulations to Ricky and Jemma who got married at the Hallmark Hotel in Bournemouth on the 11th June . Here are some highlights of their wedding….enjoy!

Ricky and  Jemma  don’t come from this part of the world but decided quite rightly it would be a lovely place to get married so they shipped all their friends and family in from Daventry and  all over England to stay at the Hallmark Hotel and celebrate their wedding with them.

Dorset Wedding Photography ~ Moreton

Congratulations on the wedding of Victoria and Chris on 4th June 2011. Here is a slidehow of some of the many highlights….enjoy!

Vic and Chris and their 160 guests took over the sleepy village of Moreton in Dorset, starting with preparations at the local B&B where the 11 bridesmaids and their partners,parents and other family members got ready. The bridesmaids all walked to the church to the interest of a coachload of passing tourists.

Dorset Wedding Photography ~ Langton Arms, Tarrant Monkton

Congratulations to Claire & Tom who got married at the Langton Arms on Saturday 28th May 2011

It was a beautiful wedding in the village of Tarrant Monkton in rural Dorset. Claire and her family hired the picturesque thatched cottage behind the village pub where they all got ready before walking to the village church. It was a beautiful service followed by a reception in the marquee attached to the Langton Arms just over the road from the church. The marquee was decorated with handmade bunting lovingly prepared by the brides Mum. The food served by the Langton Arms was fantastic ( recommend the Seabass!) The couple then danced the night away with all their friends following a set by Tom’s band. All in all a fabulous day for a lovely couple.

Bournemouth Wedding Photography ~ Miramar Hotel

Cogratulations to Chis and Tanya who got married at the Miramar Hotel in Bournemouth on Thursday May 5th.

Chris and Tanya had a lovely simple, intimate wedding , with just both sets of parents as guests. The ceremony was just as they wanted, fun, informal, intimate and very moving. Even I shed a tear at one point! We then went down onto the beach while their parents chatted back at the hotel. This is always my favorite part to any wedding shoot, the Bride and Groom are happy to be alone and I can get some lovely natural photos of just the two of them.