Friday afternoon’s are perfect for prepping blogs and this Friday is no exception. Today I thought I’d share the beautiful wedding of Joe & Gabbi who were married last May so celebrated their first wedding anniversary a couple of months ago now.

I first met Joe and Gabbi when I photographed their Best Man’s wedding back in August 2015. So it was lovely to be asked to do their wedding too. It’s always lovely seeing past clients and familiar faces.

The Venue

The couple’s chosen venue, The Riverside Inn Hotel is situated in the suburb of Burton-Upon-Trent called Branston. It is situated close to the River Trent and has beautiful views of the river with plenty of outdoor space and seating to enjoy the fresh air. The ceremony room is stunning and well lit with a decorative feature light right in the centre. I’ve covered Weddings at The Riverside a number of times now and it’s always been lovely.

The Wedding Day

Arriving for the bridal preps in time to see Gabbi get her hair and make-up done. There were lots going on the room as Gabbi’s bridesmaids were all getting ready in there too along with her mum. It was such a lovely atmosphere. My favourite part had to be when Gabbi was getting in her dress. She was so relaxed and looked so beautiful the girls expressions showed just this as she did the reveal. Gabbi’s gorgeous fitted dress was from Wed4Less in Burton Upon Trent. Gabbi’s flowers were from Johnson’s Florists and her hair was done by Paula Parkes Hair with make-up by Ashleigh Hughes. The groom and his groomsmen were transported in a stylish black Range Rover from local wedding car supplier Stuart at Capital Limos.

Onto the ceremony, so nice, lovely emotions! Confetti shot time… my favourite then onto the candid guest shots and the selected group photos. Fun times especially the guys who insisted on picking up the groom it’s not usually something I set up but if they do it I’ll photograph it as it’s all part of the story!! Speeches time - funny! There was a tin of ratatouille which had the bridal party in stitches, the groom embarrassed and I simply can’t mention here hehe.

For guest entertainment, close up magician Matthew Ramsell kept the smiles coming as he performed his jiggery pokery so observing carefully and snapping away I still could not fathom out how he was doing these things, so do check out his website here as he is a really lovely guy.

The beautiful wedding cake was made by LoveBiz networking associate Joanna Evans Cake Design whose cakes are simply irresistible, so again do check her out as she is a local supplier to the brides locally.

For the evening we had some party games to warm everyone up by the venue’s resident DJ. From the splits, beautifully performed by Gabbi’s ballet dancing sister Bethany to hoola hooping it was great to document such fun and provide fab memories! The guest participation was fantastic even the bride’s father had a go at hoola hooping but the champion of hoola hoopers that evening had to go to the bride’s mum - she was bloody amazing! As the party got going before the evening buffet began, it was time for the first dance followed by the father daughter dance. As soon as the lights went on for the buffet, that was my cue to leave the bride and groom to continue their party with friends and family. So here is a short slideshow showcasing a selection of images from that day!

A selection of favourite photos from the day too…. thank you for reading, love and best wishes Tracey xx