Arundel Town Hall Wedding Photographer | Emmy & Paul
I first met Emmy a number of years ago when I photographed her mum’s 50th birthday party. I felt very privileged to have been called back to capture this wonderful part of their lives!
As with all my wedding day services, we start with a consultation. This is a great way for us to get together, chat about the day a couple are planning, what their moods, interests and vibes are going to be. I remember meeting Emmy and their baby Isla on a gorgeous sunny day! Fast forward to Autumn and we’re hitting Swanbourne Lake in Arundel for their Engagement shoot. The great part of an E-shoot is that not only do the couple get over the camera-shy state that the majority of the population seem to have, but we go over tips and tricks for looking your best and most natural in-front of the camera ready for the big day. Coupled with a lot of chatter, it’s a great way to all get to know each other better before the wedding.
December rolled around pretty fast! With the candlelight festival scheduled for the same day, we had a bonus of many of the streets being car-free! Arundel can be busy at times with so many scenic spots to take in. Evren (my second shooter) and I headed first for Arundel Town Hall to see how the space was decorated. It was stunning!!
Emmy and Paul totally embraced the Christmas theme, with baubles, handmade decorations, Christmas trees and a huge amount of red to fit the theme. As a regular Arundel Town Hall Wedding Photographer it’s great to see how different couples choose to personalise this gorgeous space.
With the plan being that Emmy was getting ready in the bridal suite at the Norfolk Arms (where they would later hold their reception), Paul had no choice but to stay out of the way. The best place to do this is to settle down in the pub over the road!! This was great for Evren and I as we could flit between the two with minimal disruption to the logistics and timings of the day. The girls were being looked after by Bonnie-Leigh (MUA) & Holly Dormer (hair) while the boys were supported in the best way possible by the bar staff!! I loved seeing the interactions between both groups. I bet Paul never imagined his adult son would be helping tidy his suit on their wedding day. Emmy’s dress: Maggie Sottero from Proposals, Chichester | Paul’s Suit: Moss Bros
While Emmy prepared to put her stunning dress on and greet her father for a first look, the boys took a stroll round the corner to Arundel Town Hall, ready to greet their arriving guests.
With a few final tweaks, Emmy grabbed her bouquet and headed down the stairs for her walk to the Town Hall. Her stunning Christmas themed flowers were courtesy of Manor Farm Nursery and looked striking against her white dress. The rain on the day did nothing to dampen the joy and excitement that all were feeling that morning!
Their daughter Isla had already been taken to the ceremony room ahead of the others and was steadily practising her own poses for the day!! Such a cutie, it’s hard to not let the little ones steal the show!!
I just love the sudden change of atmosphere that happens when the bride arrives to her venue. It’s as if the air knows and changes. Anticipation heightens, people stop chattering! It’s incredible. It was no different on this day as their Arundel Town Hall Wedding Photographer.
While the registrars finalised their checks and details, we had a few moments to capture the girls in the crypt before the wedding, then, just like that, the music starts and all that planning and preparation comes into play.
I love to create a group shot just after the signing of the register, it’s a fail-safe way to get all your guests in one shot before they start disappearing for a drink or the loo!! Arundel Town Hall has such a beautiful interior for this too 🙂
Arundel Town Hall has a wonderful patio area overlooked by the Castle and overlooking the views over the South Downs. A perfect place for some family portraits. We were against the weather on this one, but with some champagne fuel and a stoic ignoring of the wind and rain we got there!! We make sure to use a variety of spots for portraits during the day, but there are always some faves too in venues you know well!
Emmy and Paul had planned to process down the hill in Arundel from the Town Hall to the Norfolk Arms, the driving rain was no deterrent!! These guys were fueled by excitement and love! It was brilliant to also watch the general public get in on the buzz, handing out hot cups of coffee and cheers as they walked by!!
As everyone settled into the dry safety of the reception, Paul paused for some portraits while Emmy re-touched up her make-up after the rain! For someone who “doesn’t like having my picture taken” I think Paul was in his secret element!!
With rain forecast for the rest of the day, Evren and I had planned to use the interiors of the Norfolk Arms to create Emmy & Pauls portraits…. until suddenly a slither of sun appeared! Being totally up for it, out we ran with the newlyweds before the rain started and the sun set! I’m so glad for this short moment because it meant we were truly able to use more of the stunning Christmas scenes in Arundel and the Castle walls themselves. Having the streets car-free was an added bonus!!
As the guests settled into the banqueting hall for their meal and speeches, it was clear to see all the attention to detail Emmy had thought about when dressing the room. From individual place settings made up with a personalised photo and a memory of that person (courtesy of Mum) to Christmas stocking table plans, but also Christmas decorations, candy-canes, Christmas tree napkins and lots of fairy lights!!
The speeches were highly emotional and well received. Then the power point came up and the Best Men took control…. even a personal video from Ainsley Harriott made an appearance! Hilariously done!!
While everybody was eating, I pinched their rings by Taylor & Hart for a moment to take some shots of them within the Christmas Tree! Nothing like using as many Christmas objects in one shoot as possible!!
Next up on the day’s events was the cutting of the cake (by Elaine Celebration Cakes) and the first dance. The band were the incredible Deloreans, these guys really know how to bring the party to your party!
Little Isla was still going strong, captivating the attention of those near her!! With lots of music, coupled with photo props, the dance floor had an incredible vibe!! I loved that everyone just seemed to get into the celebrations regardless of whether they were on the dance floor or chatting in the quieter areas!
Emmy and Paul chose to upgrade their wedding collection to a DUET album by Graphistudio, this encompases two albums within one box. The first is a smaller sized Original Wedding Album with thick paper containing their absolute favourite parts of the day, printed in the highest quality HD techniques. The other is a larger, A3 Primo Book with at least 100 (thinner) pages designed in a more magazine-style story of the day. Containing all those photographs you possibly wouldn’t normally get printed, but you know you’d forget about those moments should you leave them as digital images on a hard drive somewhere. As someone who loves photographs, this option was perfect for Emmy! We designed the box using different textures around their wedding colours and finished the set with woven spines and laser engraved personalisation. A true treasure box of photographic memories.
A superb day for a superb couple!!! Many thanks for having us on your beautiful day. They kindly left us the following review:
“AMAZING. Don’t know where to start. Fiona had been amazing from the very first phone call to helping us timeline our day to our engagement shoot. She made us feel so at ease (Husband hates having his photo taken so was so great for him!!!) She is so friendly and can’t do enough to help. Totally amazing on the day, great photos and photos we didn’t even know where being taken! Just had our wedding album back the photos and the album are outstanding Fiona did everything for us to totally personalise our album. We would totally recommend Fiona to anyone having a wedding wanting an amazing photographer. she’s great 😊”
Lots of love and hope to capture more memories for you in the future,
xX Fiona Xx
Arundel Town Hall Wedding Photographer | Emmy & Paul
