Why to take your dog to your Wedding

We all adore our furry companions and it's not a surprise that many couples want to include their pets in their wedding day.

Anne & Simon took their beloved Cockerpoo to their hotel Tresanton Wedding...

Let's face it, there is nothing more adorable than a french terrier in a tux! And if dress ups are not your thing, there are so many cute decoartive items you can buy. I've even seen custom made wedding collars or special flower arrangements to be fitted on lead and collar. Make sure you check with your florist though as some flowers are poisonous for dogs. Also any other dress up items should fit perfectly and not cause any discomfort, and ensure that any accessories like bow ties don't come loose and pose a choking hazard to your pet.

ask your florist to add a flower piece for your dog's collar..

matching outfits anyone?

If you're planning to include your dog, there are a few more precautions you need to take to keep your pet safe and happy during the day.

Consider your pet's personality, he can simply be a guest of honour or you can give them a specific role like ring bearer, flower girl or page boy. I photographed a wedding in St ives last year, where George the french bull terrier was the ring bearer of the day and they created a great short film to be shown at the ceremony. I hardly ever seen so many people laughing at a ceremony! The story was the following: It turns out that the best man forgot the rings at the ceremony! So he calls George to save the wedding day. George, lazy as he is, still in bed, gets the wake up call and has to chase through St Ives to get to the venue in time with the rings.. The film was not just funny and a great contribution to the ceremony, but also showed off the surrounding area and St Ives beaches beautifully. George became famous after the wedding as the film went viral on youtube with over 55000 views!

Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXQdKTLPSK8

George the french bull terrier and faithful ring bearer during the ceremony at St Ives Harbour Hotel

But before you give your pet a starring role, think about if this will be an enjoyable experience for him. Even a most friendly and well behaved dog could be overwhelmed by a crowd of guests, so it's reasonable to organise a pet sitter. You can hire them or choose one of your friends who is familiar with your dog. It is just one thing less to worry about.

Make sure you include your pooch in some of the couple portraits. It's usually a great time of day where they can stretch their legs and come along with us for the photoshoot. I love getting them involved, they make some great shots!

At the reception you could include photos of your dog in the decoration, or make wedding favours in tribute to your pooch. I've also seen couples collecting and donating money to animal charities like the greyhound trust, which is a nice gesture and serves a good cause.

some table decoration ideas including your pooch..

With a lot to tick off your 'to do' list, it's easy to forget this simple-yet important step, check with the venue if your pet is allowed. You don't want to show up on the day with your four legged ring bearer in tow only to be told he needs to stay off the property!  

And if you manage to take your furry friend to your big day, what's better than a fresh air dog walk in a beautiful setting to cure the hangover the day after..

doesn't he look pleased to take part at his owner's ceremony at The Green Cornwall Wedding & Events?

Melodie enjoying the day with her pooch at Polhawnfort

A tender moment flowergirl and wedding dog, just adorable…

Becky and Alex enjoying a stroll on Lusty Glaze beach just by themselves with their adorable German Shepperd …

Dog friendly wedding venues in Cornwall:

The Green Cornwall

Lowerbarns

Polhawnfort

Trevenna

Polpier

St Ives Harbour Hotel

Bedruthan Steps Hotel 

Lusty Glaze Weddings 

Knightor Winery

Ellen & Jack's Rustic Farm Wedding at Pengenna Manor & Gelly's Farm

Ellen and Jack got hitched on a beautiful summery day at Pengenna Manor. This 800 year old family home is tucked away in a quiet, secluded valley just three miles inland from the North Cornish coast. The over 300 acres of beautiful Cornish countryside offer great photo opportunities and playground for your outdoor wedding. 

Ellen and Jack were blessed with warm weather and blue skies and could fulfil their dream of an outdoor wedding. The ceremony was followed by Pimm's and Cream Tea, homemade by grandma. 

The reception was held in a farm barn at Stephen Gelly Farm near Lanhydrock, owned by a family friend. They had a lot of work pimping up the reception venue as I heard a few days earlier the barn was still a cowshed! Very impressive what can be achieved with the help of a few friends and family. Ellen and Jack's transport of choice was a beautiful classic Morgan. The decorations were kept in a fitting rustic DIY style. Ellen handmade all the save the dates, invites and wedding favours/name tags, designed the tables and her mum made all of the bunting and the back drop at the barn, and all of their friends and family helped to decorate. Another smaller barn served as help yourself bar with everything you could wish for from spirits, mixers, ales, wine, cider, craft beers and I even found some German beer!  

 It was a perfect relaxed day with some beautiful people, a wedding I will remember! 

Venue: Pengenna Manor // Date: 19.08.17 // Flowers: DIY // Hair & Makeup: Cornwall Hair and Mua // Dress: Amica Bridal Boutique-Plymouth // Cake: Made by Jack's sister, Bronnie Gibbons //Food: Paul Deakin/Trennick Farm Hog Roasts // Music: Swingololgy // Videographer: Sean White Wedding Films

Best of 2017 Collection

OMG it was a tough decision to make the cut, so many beautiful weddings and moments captured in 2017! So I would like to present you a rather large collection of the best shots from last year. It was a busy year and I have witnessed some beautiful people tying the knot in some incredible places in the south west and further afield. 

Some of you braved the elements just to get some great photos, including torrential rain, thistle fields, dodging sheep poo, climbing up high cliffs and avoiding sparkler burns.. I have witnessed happy tears and raw emotion and of course lots and lots of alcoholic beverages which provided fuel for some wild parties and dancing! I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to have been able to document all your beautiful wedding stories, to meet so many lovely people and to make some new friends along the way.

I also had the opportunity to work with some great talented people in the UK wedding industry. Thanks for all your support, without you I wouldn't be where I am today.

Roll on 2018 for some more amazing adventures! 

Lorna & Chris' Autumn Wedding at The Green Weddings in Cornwall

It's the day I will always remember when it comes to rainy weddings in cornwall.. I was really worried it would rain all day for Chris and Lorna's wedding, but we must have been in a 'magic pocket' as it stopped 9well just drizzled) for a few hours just when we left the church after the ceremony to head to The Green, Weddings in Cornwall for the reception and photos.. Lorna wanted some shots with the Minions in the background as that's where she went quite often in her childhood. Lorna grew up not far from the venue near the moors and the back fields have stunning views to her childhood playgrounds.. And how beautiful is Lorna's father's vintage bristolcar all polished up as a stylish classic wedding car!

Venue: The Green Cornwall and St Sampson's Church, South Hill // Date: 16.09.17 // Flowers: Escential Blooms // Hair & Makeup: Posh & Cosy // Dress: White Orchid Bridal // Suit: Hawkes Bespoke Outfitters // Cake: Marks & Spencer // Music: Stone Roots

Dan & Sally's Rainy Late Autumn Wedding in Cornwall, Cosawes Barton

It rained all day for Dan and Sally's late autumn wedding but they didn't care! The best way to be and wow, what a fabulous day it was full of fun and style. It was my first visit to Cosawes Barton and I must say I fell in love with this venue straight away. Set in 17 acres of Cornish woodland and fields this beautiful historic 17th century estate is a pleasure for the eye and offers endless photo opportunities. Shame about the rain, but we still managed to get out there and get some beautiful couple photos, I'm so pleased Dan and Sally are such a relaxed couple and enjoyed putting their wellies on for the photoshoot.

For the reception entrance, Dan pushed Sally on a wheelbarrow, great fun! I also loved the gin theme going on, the tables were all named after different gins and there was a Gin Mix Bar of course, 'let the celebrations be Gin!' Being a gin lover myself, this really scored some extra points! The main bar was a sailing boat, not just an ordinary sailing boat, but Dan's childhood boat on which he learned to sail. Another lovely personal touch were the framed images in the woodland telling Dan and sally's love story.  They really planned this for a while and most of the decoration was DIY. The cake wasn't your ordinary wedding cake, it was gluten free chocolate brownies covered in strawberries and cream, hence it wasn't your ordinary 'cut the cake' image, which I loved, and did i mention it made your mouth water just looking at the mountain of goodness! 

The highlight of the day was Sally's dad's surprise: he ordered some royal marine drummers just after the first dance! It was spectacular and Sally almost couldn't hold back her tears.

Everything about this wedding was just beautiful, a great example that you can have a blast on your wedding day in Cornwall inspite of the rain!

Venue: Cosawes Barton // Date: 07.10.17 // Flowers: Ruby Alice Designs // Hair & Makeup: TBC // Dress: The Bridal House of Cornwall // Cake: DIY // Event Planner: Jenny Wren Weddings and Events

Wow! Simply Wedding Awards Finalist!

I'm totally chuffed to share this with you! Thanks for all the lovely newly weds who voted for me in the first stage, I loved shooting all your beautiful weddings and your great reviews and support really means the world to me.. Yey! 

Lynsey & Ricky's Cool Colourful Boho Style Wedding at Lowerbarns in Cornwall

Wow! I can't tell you how much I loved shooting this small intimate wedding with such a fun bunch of people and inspiring place :-) Lynsey and Ricky had their wedding their way with a humanist ceremony Lower Barns Boutique B&B and Elopement Weddings in Cornwall. Even though the forecast wasn't so promising, with the luck of the Irish the sun came out just long enough to say 'I do'. This venue really fitted their style, bright, bold and happy. My favourites were the sunflower bouquets by Kelly Ann's Flower Barn and the off white boho style bridesmaids dresses. I think I've never seen all in white bridesmaids.. they were styling' it! 

I stayed with them for 5 hours, a beautiful afternoon filled with fun, good vibes, laughter and true love.

Some of my favourites..

Venue: Lowerbarns // Date: 09.09.17 // Flowers: Ann's Flower Barn // Hair: Makeup by Ione // Makeup: Suzi Winter, Makeupartistcornwall // Dress: Rue De Seine from The White Gallery // Music: Swingology // Caricaturist: Cornwall Caricaturist // Cake: Suzi Humphries Cake Design

Holly & Fred's North Cornwall Wedding with stunning sea views

Holly and Fred were married in St Materiana's church on the North Cornwall coast. The church is not just overlooking King Arthur's castle near Tintagel, it has magnificent views over the North Cornish coast from the coast path just 100 meters from the church. I went there to go for a walk with the dogs the evening before the wedding to look for some good spots for the couple portraits and to speak to the vicar at the rehearsal. To be honest, this day made me worried as the vicar told me I could only be in the back of the church and it's very dark in there! Never a good start, however on the day I could convince her to let me stand a bit closer to the front, still not ideal, but better..

The reception was held at Fentafriddle a few miles down the road another stunning location with fantastic sea views. The evening started with a great atmosphere and I think there was enough alcohol consumed by then to get the dance floor started early!

Here are a few of my favourites..

Venue: Tintagel and Fentafriddle // Date: 02.09.17 // Flowers: Flowers from Bruallen // Hair&Makeup: Makeup by Ione // Dress: Lillian West // Music: Saffron String Quartett, Cornwall Parties

Harry & Nicola's mid summer wedding at Trevenna Barns

Harry and Nicola tied the knot on the 8th of July at Trevenna Barns. I always love shooting weddings at Trevenna, it's such a beautiful venue tugged away in the middle of Bodmin Moors. There are great photo opportunities on the grounds and there is something relaxing about the views over the moorland hills. 

Harry and Nic were lucky as the weather played it's part, so they could have an outdoor ceremony. This wedding was truly about love and you could strongly feel their bond to each other, what a lovely couple! They actually used to have their own wedding photography business for a while, so they really knew what to do and how to act naturally in front of the camera, especially when we went for our private couple portrait shoot.

I'm still waiting for Nic to send me the suppliers list, but I thought I post this beautiful wedding without them for now..

Venue: Trevenna Barns // Date: 08.07.17 // Flowers: Hannah Burnett // Hair&Makeup: Jess Knight // Dress: The Wedding Company // Suit: The Grooms Room // Cake: Kate Rosie Bakes //Band: The Sound

Sarah-Jane and Dave's summer vibes Lusty Glaze wedding

Sarah-Jane and Dave tied the knot on the 12th of August 2017 at the beautiful Lusty Glaze beach Weddings. I was meaning to post this ages ago, but it has been such a busy summer that I'm well behind on my blog posts this year! I was so pleased for them that the sun stayed out all day, especially as we had a lot of rain sinceJuly this summer..feels like autumn started early down here in Cornwall. 

I did their engagement shoot a while ago on Crantock Beach and I knew since then they would be a fun couple to photograph as they are so relaxed and natural together. All of their guests were so welcoming that I felt I was part of the wedding day which always helps to get some good shots. They really were a fun bunch, I loved the surprise sandcastle competition while Sarah-Jane and Dave went for a drive in the VW Camper Van. Some interesting creations there incorporating wedding shoes and other decorative items.. 

The Quest kept their promise to get the dancefloor going and the end of the day was blessed with a beautiful evening light and sunset. Happy Days! 

This wedding is featured on Yourperfectweddingphotographer.com

Ceremony Venue: Lusty Glaze Beach Weddings // Date: 12.08.17 // Flowers: Kelly Ann's Flowers // Hair: makeupbyione // Makeup: makeupbyione // Dress: TBC // Suit: TBC // Cake: TBC //Band: The Quest