Well, to be completely honest we don't quite know where to start, as it has been an amazing 5 months since we sat down and updated the world on our activities! As everyone is all too aware, free time is not always that easy to come by and our first year as photographers has been busier than either of us could have anticipated. Now don't get us wrong, it has been one hell of a ride and we have both enjoyed every single minute of our planning, shooting and editing, but free time to sit and write a blog entry has been in very short supply.
So, what have we been up to in the past few hectic months? Well, we've shot another 7 weddings (all of which had their own unique moments for us to capture), a few engagement shoots (ranging from a traction engine rally to our couple's daughter Nancy needing an outfit change after taking a swim in a puddle!) and a couple of other projects along the way, including some musical theatre, a play, a christening and a dance portfolio. Plenty to keep us busy!
Right, first on the weddings list is Sarah & Keith Bennett, who got married at the Arc in Dover. This wedding posed a first for us, as the majority of the male contingent, including the groom, were decked out in their family tartan, which made for some fantastic shots. The Arc is also a very photogenic building with it's high dome-like roof so this, coupled with the 200+ guests who attended the ceremony, gave us a great opportunity to be creative. We all then moved on to the Hawkinge Community Centre for the reception, which involved a cracking speech from the Bride's daughter, Ellie, and a special Rangers FC cake for the groom (you have never seen a happier man!). We had a great day with everyone there and were thrilled with the final collection of images we were able to hand over.
Next came Amanda & Andy Wilkens. Before we even arrived to shoot their day, we knew we were in for something special as, thanks to Andy's penchant for driving steam engines, the wedding took place on the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex. Amanda & Andy's ceremony took place in the waiting room at Horsted Keynes station, which has maintained it's 1940's theme thanks to a wealth of willing volunteers and this made for some very creative shots of both the groom & best man prior to the main event and the bride's arrival on the back of their own traction engine! After the ceremony, the newly-weds and all their guests piled onto the 'wedding express' and enjoyed their reception meal on the train as it went up and down the line, before heading back to Horsted for a knees-up in the marquee. I feel fairly confident that we will not shoot a wedding like this one for a very long time, but what a great way to get married! Well done to you both!
Then came the start of August, and a trip to Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich for the wedding of Paul and Sam Lenton. Paul and Sam are both good friends and work colleagues of Matt's, as were a chunk of the guests, so this was an extra-special one for us and, with Paul being a keen photographer himself, we were even more determined to get the best shots ;-) We had a fantastic day with both the Bride & Groom and all their guests and, thanks again to the pretty spectacular surroundings at both the Mansion and Masonic Hall, we were able to get some great shots that Paul and Sam love. Congrats to you both!
Anne-Marie & Chris were next on the agenda, who got married at Woodlands Manor in Bedford and what a fantastic day it was. Never has a 12hr day gone so fast! Right from the get-go, everyone was relaxed and excited for the day ahead, which made for some fantastic pictures. Woodlands Manor is also an incredibly photogenic location both inside and out so, despite a brief shower, it made our jobs a lot easier. We got some great images on the day and were able to give Anne-Marie & Chris an album they absolutely love from start to finish. Handing over the finished article and seeing the look of joy on your newly-married couple's faces is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a wedding photographer and it is a moment we both really look forward to and cherish with each couple! Well done you two, you were a joy to be around.
September saw the wedding of Zoe & Darren Staveley at The Swingate Inn, just outside Dover. This was another first for us, as this was our first outdoor ceremony and thanks to the great weather on the day, we got some lovely natural images. Zoe & Darren's children, Kodie & Erica, were never far from the action and the shot of the day came very early on, with Erica crawling out from under Zoe's dress at the perfect moment. This has become our favourite shot of the whole year, so huge thanks to Erica for her perfect timing! We had a great day with everyone involved and are really happy you love the pictures :-)
The latter part of September brought the wedding of Michelle & Ashley Jeffs at St Mary's Church in Bletchley. We arrived early and were greeted by a packed hotel room full of the Bride's entourage in various stages of readiness and set about making our way through the organised chaos to capture some great prep shots. Again, the day seemed to fly-by and before we knew it, it was time for the first dance, which culminated in the best man and ushers breaking out their own unique version of the "We no speak Americano" dance made famous by Neil and the boys from The Inbetweeners! Classic first dance comedy! Well done boys ;-) We had a great day from start to finish with Michelle, Ashley and all their guests and are very proud of the final collection we were able to put together.
Our final wedding of the year was earlier this month in Whitstable at the wedding of Vicky & Chris Dengate. Vicky is the sister of Laura Jeavons, our first bride of 2011, so being in the presence of some familiar faces was a great way to round of our year. After another hearty breakfast at Deb's Cafe (yep, same as Laura & Dave's wedding) we arrived at Vicky's parents' house for the prep shots. Make-up was again provided by the very talented Jess Hawkins (link to her website under the 'Links' section of our blog) and before too long it was time to make our way to the church for the main event. After a lovely service we headed off to Whitstable Cricket Club for the reception and after a very tasty hog roast, some speeches and a first dance, we left the crowd to their evening and headed home to celebrate the end of a very successful first year as wedding photographers.
We would both like to sincerely thank each and every one of our couple's for an amazing first year! We had an absolute blast being your photographers and we hope you had as much fun along the way. We have met some truly wonderful people this year and we are both really excited about getting back into it next year. Over the next few weeks we will both be undertaking some new projects, so stay tuned via;
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ebbage-Photo/119181904825571
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EbbagePhoto
and via our website: http://ebbage-photo.com
for some more coming's and going's.
In the mean time, enjoy the images below and, as always, catch you on the flip side ;-)
Matt & Chris
Sarah & Keith Bennett
Amanda & Andy Wilkens
Sam & Paul Lenton
Anne-Marie & Chris Doe
Zoe & Darren Staveley
Michelle & Ashley Jeffs
Vicky & Chris Dengate
PS: Well done for making it through an epic blog!! Thank you for reading ;-)
