Tag: best west sussex photographer

Chichester Harbour Hotel Wedding Photographer | India & Russell

I met India & Russell earlier this year when they were on the search for a wedding photographer. After being a couple for many years and well settled into family life with their three children, they felt it about time to tie the knot!

As with all of my couples, the first thing we embarked upon was the pre-wedding test shoot. Here’s a snap below, but the full link to that blog is here, where they frolicked in the Bluebells and Fields of Gold. It was a great morning to get to know one another better and teach India & Russ the finer art of being natural and comfortable in front of the camera

India and Russell had chosen the Chichester Harbour Hotel in West Sussex as their wedding venue. India was getting ready in The Cottage, the cosy 1 bedroom apartment that is adjoined to the hotel, yet independently accessed. While India was busy having her make-up done by Kiri, her daughter and niece kindly offered to help me with the dress photography! This gorgeous, figure hugging gown was from Proposals, a bridal boutique in the heart of Chichester (where I also got mine from over 10 years ago!)

Taking a few moments to see how the men were getting along with their task of getting ready, it seemed they had decided to get ahead of the game and make a start on having a pre-wedding drink or two while going over their speeches… And why not, with the bar perfectly placed between the bedrooms and the ceremony hall, it would have been rude not to!

A lovely day at the beginning of June, the wedding was timed perfectly as the ceremony room had just undergone a major refurb. It looked crisp, fresh and bright! With the chair covers and sashes complementing the peach, sage and fresh green colour palate if the bridal party. A stunning summer blend.

Popping back to see how the girls were getting on, it was incredible seeing India getting into her dress. It was if that gown were made for her. Stunning and slinky, India was every bit the gorgeous bride. While Mum was helping her into those last squeezes of the corset, the girls kept me busy again with some cheeky portraits!

One of the great things about getting ready and married in the same location is that as a Chichester Harbour Hotel Wedding Photographer I can flit back and forth, to and fro between all members of the bridal party. India and Russell’s two sons joined us this time looking superb in their matching suits.

The ceremony was a delight, every chair was filled, family and friends abundant. The happiness and love was clear to see as India and Russell married in front of their nearest and dearest. With a personal poem read out by Indie’s mum that was a real tear jerker…. As a wedding photographer, I’m over 10 years in and I still haven’t yet got immune to the emotional response in me when I attend people’s weddings! It’s a good job I’m hidden behind the camera!!

We took a quick detour with the family to Priory Park, just next door to the Chichester Harbour Hotel. The kids leapt and whooped their way across, thankful for the open space! All the cousins together created a fizzing ball of energy! At times, it could be described as herding cats, but we all got there in one piece for a few family portraits before spending some moments with India and Russell.

While guests enjoyed the bar and caught up with each other, the room at the hotel was swiftly turned around ready for the wedding breakfast. A delicious three course meal that consisted of beautifully presented carpaccio starters, chicken and fish courses and puddings that looked like they stepped out of a culinary magazine. The speeches were delivered before the meal to a room of laughter and smiles.

Making the most of the long summer evening, the guests enjoyed the deck and the outdoor space after the wedding breakfast. India and Russell were keen to take some pictures with their friends who had travelled from near and far to join them on their wedding day. We also caught India’s sisters and their kids playing up to the camera!!

The party soon kicked off in the evening with sounds spinning from the decks by Nick, one of Toast Functions brilliant DJ’s… With a magic mirror photo-booth and jars of sweets available for your own pick-a-mix there was much to do. The first dance was a special moment before they were joined by their daughter and the rest of the guests. Before we left the party to carry on enjoying themselves, we took a short break with India and Russell to capture some final portraits using the original Georgian staircase that dominates the front of this historic building. As a Wedding Photographer at Chichester Harbour Hotel it is impossible to not use their gorgeous features

To complete their wedding collection, India and Russell opted for an Original Wedding Album, by Graphistudio, personalised in white cloud leatherette set into a colour coordinated Design Box in sage grey maple and finished with a pink leatherette internal. A beautiful way to ensure they can look back and hold on to these memories for years to come.

Many congratulations Mr & Mrs Dillingham, it has been a pleasure getting to know you both and capturing your precious memories. I’m sure we’ll see you again as your family grow and new portraits need capturing.

Big love,

Fiona xx

FionaMillsArt | Chichester Harbour Hotel Wedding Photographer | India & Russell

West Sussex Photographer | Natasha & Neale Petworth Park

West Sussex Photographer | Natasha & Neale Petworth Park

Natasha and I met at a wedding fair about a year or so ago. We’ve been back and forth a number of times creating plans, timelines, looking at album ideas and generally getting plans ready for their wedding day. It wasn’t until I met Neale further down the line that we realised that Neale had been Best Man at a wedding I shot some 6 or 7 years ago (long before I started blogging!)

When planning their test shoot, Natasha said she’d really like to have it at Petworth Park, as it was one of those places they often visit together. I’m all for experiencing locations I’ve not seen before and I’m very glad to have made the trip.

One of the main aims for me when meeting a couple for their pre-wedding shoot is to increase their comfort and confidence in front of the camera (and me!) Wedding days are so busy with your guests all wanting to talk, drink, dance and be with you I would much rather spend less time on the “formal” portraits enabling their day to flow and be enjoyed with minimal interruptions by me. Having this time means I really can spend 10-15 mins here and there on your wedding day creating your portraits as you will have already learnt posing tips and got over touching each other in public (unless you love a bit of a PDA, then you’ll have no probs!)

One thing I loved about shooting Natasha and Neale is that they are sooo comfortable with one another. I often shoot from a distance, so I have no way of knowing what they are saying, but I just loved how much they laugh together!

As a West Sussex Photographer, I cannot believe I had not visited Petworth Park before. The views are incredible. When Neale said there would be deer, I didn’t realise he meant HUNDREDS of deer. Herds of the things, seemingly oblivious to us traipsing through their home trying to capture them in the background. Be warned, with hundreds of deer come thousands of deer-poop (not good for a photographer who likes to lay on the ground a lot!

Natasha and Neale make such a gorgeous couple together. Despite Neales best efforts to not look at the camera EVER he managed a grand job of looking natural and relaxed. Natasha will make the most stunning bride, I cannot wait to see her in her wedding dress as she prepares to marry Neale at Farbridge Wedding Venue this summer.

The other thing I ask couples to practise is *THE KISS* Swooping kisses, lifting kisses, looking-at-each-other-almost-there kisses. They all rock! Not that I’m a secret voyeur, I’m usually looking away or at a safe distance with my long lens, but that newly married kiss you’re gonna do at the end of the aisle in front of your guests is totally worth practising, right?!

This was an ace pre-wedding shoot. I can’t wait for the real deal!

Big love

Fiona xx

FionaMillsArt | West Sussex Photographer | Natasha & Neale Petworth Park

Sussex Wedding Photographer | The House on the Brooks, Pulborough

Sussex Wedding Photographer | The House on the Brooks, Pulborough | Matt & Jen

Earlier last Spring, Matt contacted me to say that he and Jen were planning a wedding. As a West Sussex Wedding Photographer, based near Chichester covering Horsham, Pulborough, Brighton, Portsmouth, the surrounding areas and beyond, we were having the usual conversation about how we would approach the wedding photography. When discussing the planning and the test shoot Matt casually mentioned that they weren’t even officially engaged yet! As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to photograph the live proposal! Check out the blog from that day here.

Fast forward a few months, Matt and Jen decided to get married at a lovely venue called The House on the Brooks in Pulborough, West Sussex. Their theme was a festival vibe with acres of outdoor space and meadows to house the ceremony and marquees. Thankfully, September in Sussex is usually a warm affair!

The main house at The House on the Brooks in Pulborough is gloriously and eclectically finished, with every room themed with different antique finds and quirky decor. From half a boat high up a wall (the other half in the bathroom), a bed framed with French nautical figureheads and a bathroom tiled with reclaimed tiles from an old cathedral which were made using a technique that is now unknown and obsolete. It is well worth a look just for the decor.

Despite getting ready in the same building, Jen managed to remain hidden from Matt! They had asked all their guests to arrive early, and to bring a flower each, which was to be gathered with the others and arranged to create the bridal bouquet. A lovely and creative idea, which I’m sure you will agree made for a beautiful bouquet. Jen looked beautiful in a graceful, Grecian style dress that delicately displayed a small bump housing the mid stages of pregnancy.

As Matt and all the guests filtered up the meadow to get ready for the ceremony Jen stole a few moments with her Father, reading a note from Matt and watching the guests’ journey up the meadow from the view in her room. The walk to the ceremony was a few minutes long, which gave plenty of time to admire the striking landscapes of the South Downs across the fields.

The ceremony was very relaxed, with a close friend of Matt’s officiating. Guests were seated on hay bales and thankfully the weather stayed dry! Children played in the meadow as the formalities begun, while Matt and Jen’s son Stanley tried every tactical technique to avoid photographic capture (well, really he was happily enjoying the freedom of all the open space!)

This venue in Pulborough is a Sussex Wedding Photographer’s dream. The meadow was a great spot to capture some family portraits. Matt and Jen wanted their images to be as relaxed and informal as their day was, so we worked with the hay bales and the surrounding backdrops of rolling hills. Matt also wanted to recreate a picture from his childhood with his dad and siblings. Without the original to refer to relying on the memory of siblings was amusing, but success was made! While portraits were happening, guests relaxed in the marquees with cocktails, giant games, sweet stands and acoustic music. It really did have a warm, relaxed vibe to the day.

The guests dined in an adjacent barn, where they cut the cake and made time for speeches. The newlyweds had requested a picture with Matt’s best guy mates and Jen’s best girl friends. The girls behaved in a most decadent manner, while the boys, as you would expect, got a little silly!

The party carried on with a live band, a fish and chip supper being delivered and more cocktails from the cocktail bar. The marquees, lights and much of the surrounding decor was set up by Mat’s best man Simon Horn who happens to run a company called After Dark Productions (I would highly recommend their work). It really just cried out for an ‘After Dark’ kind of shot (see what I did there?!!) Matt had also set up a photo booth area for the guests to amuse themselves with after a few cocktails. After finishing for the night, Matt insisted Lee and I grab a cocktail and strike a pose for the team…. after stalking them with our cameras for the whole day, we could hardly refuse, could we!

Matt and Jen finished off their collection with a contemporary wedding album. The Young Book by Graphistudio ticked all their boxes. Handmade in Italy, the box was finished in a soft, faux black leather while the book was covered in a sage grey maple that offset Matt’s tie and suit to a tee. A fabulous way to collect and treasure their wedding day memories, and just in time for Christmas some Parent Copies were added to their order too.

Quite lucky they planned ahead with the presents as Baby Flora was born a few weeks early on the 16th December. A superb early Christmas present.

As well as being a Sussex Wedding Photographer, I also capture Newborn & Bump to Baby sessions so I had the pleasure of meeting her for a shoot at 14 days old. I will share those images in a later blog, but for now, here’s the happy family.

Many congratulations Mr & Mrs Terris! Thank you for having us along on your journey.

Fiona xx

FionaMillsArt | Sussex Wedding Photographer

West Sussex Photographer | Autumn Portrait Sessions

West Sussex Photographer | Autumn Portrait Sessions.

As a wedding and portrait photographer based in West Sussex, I feel very lucky to have some beautiful local landscapes to choose from as my backdrop to a shoot. From beaches to woodland, open fields, castles and cities, the list goes on. One of my favourite times to shoot is definitely Autumn. Being very visual by character, the vibrant transformations nature goes through during the Autumn captivates me every time! Just this morning, as I was driving along the South Downs to meet a client, I was easily distracted by the rolling mist traversing through the hills and valleys with shocking reds and auburns peeping through the last of the green.

I love that look as Eva realises who’s responsible for all the leaves falling on her!!

As I am currently in the middle of an Autumn Portrait Promotion (click here for details) I jumped at the chance to do one right on my doorstep in Hotham Park. John and Inna and their family of three children came geared up and ready to play. The day was mild and clear and colours vivid! John being a very popular wedding and portrait photographer himself had his trained eye tracking the light pockets and dappled spots with me! (Trust me, it’s almost impossible to switch that gift off!).

Mixing kids with fallen leaves, open space and their parents for company is just asking for fun and laughter. Mikey, Georgie and Eva took great glee in playing and leaf bombing, jumping and swinging. Children were born to play, and they just love it if their parents are playing too, they almost forget they’re on a photoshoot!

Part of the joy of being a West Sussex Photographer covering weddings in West Sussex and portraits is seeing families experiencing fun times together. Being able to freeze those moments in a picture to be treasured for years to come, reliving those warm, happy memories.

To take advantage of the current Autumn Portrait Session, do get in touch 🙂

Worthing Maternity Photography | Becky & Darryll | Bump to Baby

A fine, warm Sunday afternoon proved to be a fabulous setting for a Worthing Maternity Photography shoot. Becky is a brilliant make up artist & beauty therapist so while chatting via a mutual wedding client we touched on her then secret pregnancy, and her desire to have a Bump to Baby shoot. Becky didn’t have a hard time convincing her partner, Darryll, that pregnancy photography was a necessary rite of passage for an expecting mum! We chose a lifestyle maternity photography session as it enabled us to get more creative and touch on who they are as a couple in their familiar environment, which in this case was Worthing, right on the seafront.

Becky had set up a Pinterest board full of her likes and dislikes for her Bump to Baby shoot, and as always, we use that as a starting point from which we brainstorm ideas and get down to the nitty gritty of the Worthing Maternity Photography session. Using their home first we were able to take some beautiful shots (and some more fun ones) in what will be the baby room.

As the lovely golden hour was setting in we took a stroll towards Worthing seafront passing a putting green on the way. As Darryl is a keen golfer (and Becky a golf widow) it was befitting to use this as a backdrop!

Worthing seafront was pretty quiet, a perfect time for those warm light pregnancy portraits. I fell in love with the symmetry of the sun shelter, a great frame to personalise their images.

A quick dip in the wet sand before we headed back to their home for one last picture!

Becky looks absolutely stunning at 31 weeks pregnant, they are going to be such lovely parents! I cannot wait for the end of November to meet their newborn and continue with the baby photography session.