As unique as a unicorn

It says on our website that "every wedding is unique" - and, in a fabulous way, that's certainly true of last weekend's photo-fest at Abingdon's Unicorn Theatre. I've never done a wedding in a theatre before, and it was great to feel just a little pushed into working hard against some difficult lighting conditions and some wonderful quirks. The best man was ably assisted in carrying the rings onto the stage by the couple's faithful friend Dash - a handsome black greyhound!

Some of our picks from this week's wedding:

Cool under pressure...

Having fun with the groomsmen - they didn't need much encouragement!

Family and friends can log in to our website to view all the photos from Andrew and Sarah's wedding at www.simplicityphotography.co.uk/secure/andrew_and_sarah
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Saving up for that rainy day...

Meeting lots of new people at weddings every week, we spend a lot of our time talking about that favourite of all British subjects - the weather. If it's a gorgeous, bright sunny day with a clear, cloudless blue sky, guests will often comment on how lucky we've been. I love a good hot summer's day, but (and here I'm letting you into some secrets of our trade) unfortunately cameras don't. If we're not careful and spend a bit of time thinking properly about the right lighting both indoors and out, our overjoyed, happy smiling couple and their guests can either turn an over-the-top blown-out white with no detail at all, or even worse the skin tones flop into a rather unhappy grey. Getting it right, though, is satisfaction itself - a fantastic hard-lit photo in the sun is something very special.

Photography is a curious mix of skill, maths and sometimes just pure chance - being in the right place at the right time does take practice but sometimes you just don't know what's coming! So sometimes it's nice to have the softest light around (i.e. a good overcast cloudy day), so we can worry just a little bit less about light meters and leave us free to focus on what we love about weddings - the people! James and Emma got married in Somerset on just such a day - not much to write home about if you're trying to stay absolutely dry the whole time, but at times it was just lovely weather for their photographs.

A letter of encouragement from one of the many children at the wedding...

It stopped raining at all the right times...

The cake in all its splendour - and some lovely effigies of the bride and groom!

A sneaky candid snap of the bride and groom

Family and friends can log in to our website to view all the photos from James and Emma's wedding at www.simplicityphotography.co.uk/secure/james_and_emma
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A sporty saturday

We do a lot of photography at exceptionally well-planned weddings, with gorgeous locations and perfect caterers, and an organised group of groomsmen to make the day run smoothly. Last weekend's wedding was certainly well-planned, but even more it had what many fabulous weddings have - a touch of the couple's own personality on everything. Tim and Kate got married in Headington, had photos in the fantastic cloisters of New College, Oxford, and had their reception at the stylish University Club.

Louise had a great time in the morning with the very sporty Kate and her bridesmaids, finding out that apparently her wedding day was the first time in 15 years that Kate, usually dressed in tracksuit and trainers, had worn a dress! They were blessed with some beautiful weather, which was in some ways a little unusual for this year...

A shower of colour from the confetti...

Inquisitiveness gets the better of him, whilst he should have been in a group shot...

In the cloisters of New College Oxford

Love at first sight?

Friends

Opportunities for amazing photographs all day - even in the evening!

Family and friends can log in to our website to view all the photos from Tim and Kate's wedding at www.simplicityphotography.co.uk/secure/tim_and_kate
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Wedding across the sea...

Oxford is a fantastic city to be in - people from all walks of life live and work here, and even in the University itself Oxford brings together people from all over the world. Last weekend we photographed the wedding of Tom and Krisztina, from the UK and Hungary respectively, who brought family and friends from seemingly everywhere in the world to their amazing day in St Edmund Hall and St Hilda's College.

Walking down the High Street with cameras round our necks, sidestepping adoring bridesmaids, and leading the happy couple through crowds of Saturday shoppers and snap-happy tourists, was a memory I'll treasure from this summer's wedding season - after all, why use a car when it's such a lovely day outside?

Bridesmaids from above

Walking down Oxford's busy High Street in the height of summer attracted the stares of more than a few tourists...

By the river at St Hilda's...

Enjoying some time away from the crowds in a lush meadow next to the college.

Family and friends can log in to our website to view all the photos from Tom and Krisztina's wedding at www.simplicityphotography.co.uk/secure/tom_and_krisztina
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Where would we be without friends?

Last weekend was particularly exciting for us, as we photographed the wedding of Russell and Josie, some of our best Oxford friends. We get on pretty well...

Way back in the mists of time, when Simplicity Photography was still in its very early stages, and I was getting to grips with building a website and running a business, our reputation was somewhat reliant on the generosity of friends in lending us their time and faces to build up a decent portfolio; and letting us experiment with new and crazy ideas to find a style that we could settle into. The first incarnation of www.simplicityphotography.co.uk featured our portrait sessions with Russell and Josie quite heavily, among other very patient friends!

We've all come a long way since then - the new-look website now has lots of photos of our real clients (!), we've got comfortable working on portrait sessions (although we still experiment and still have crazy ideas); and Russell and Josie have got married. It was an absolute pleasure and honour to photograph their amazing day from start to finish. Some highlights was the dramatic, moody sky in the afternoon; and simply being around so many of our friends and coming home with thousands of shots of really relaxed, happy people - it sometimes helps to be known!

Looking forward to the most important day of her life...

The sky provides a striking backdrop...

The smile...

Ex-housemates and friends...

Everyone!

Family and friends can log in to our website to view all the photos from Russell and Josie's wedding at www.simplicityphotography.co.uk/secure/russell_and_josie
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