Harpist

Robert Pacey is a superb harpist whom we often meet at weddings and whom we can thoroughly recommend.

Oxford educated and former Dean of Harris College, Manchester, Robert also has a hugely impressive record as a professional orchestral musician. His musical repertoire at weddings is vast and we’ve heard him playing everything from light classical to modern – ‘Everything from Elgar to Elton John’ is how he once described it.

During the ceremony or as background music at the reception, Robert’s talents add that final touch of refinement and personalisation to your wedding.

For more details look at his web listing HERE

Or why not listen to a sample of his playing?

Contact him direct on 01754 811034

Timings for a Stress-Free Wedding

At Aurora Studio we don’t do stress. One of the things that sets our photography apart from others is just how relaxed and natural-looking everyone is. Yet psychologists tell us that weddings are one of life’s most stressful events. The long build-up, the huge range of details to sort out, the inevitable disputes with parents and the tensions between partners all take their toll in the weeks and months preceding the wedding. So how, after all this stress, can you ensure that you remain chilled-out and radiant on your day?

No doubt about it – TIME is the key factor in avoiding stress. It’s a simple fact of life at weddings that you can’t get enough of it and what you have you must to use wisely. And this means planning ahead.

Work on the basis that no matter how long you think anything will take on the day, it will be AT LEAST double that. Usually more. It’s not just obvious things like going to the loo can take an eternity in a wedding dress, it’s that EVERYTHING takes longer.

Hair and make-up can be a major cause of delays. We’ve attended wedding which started up to an hour late because the hairdresser and/or make-up artist were so slow. It’s not really their fault ( or so we try to tell ourselves) – it’s because they want to do thier best for you. So everything is done that little bit more carefully than at the rehearsal. So the timings you noted at the rehearsal are usually about 50% of the time it will take on the day. Seriously!!! If you don’t get the last shots you wanted with your Mum before you got married, if you don’t get some shots of yourself looking perfect before the wind has got to you, if you don’t get chance to sit down and relax with a glass of something to calm the nerves, if you don’t get to the church at roughly the right time – then you WILL be stressed.

And poor timing at the start of the day will increase your stress as the day progresses. Let’s say that the 30 minutes you allowed for photography at home didn’t materialise. In fact, you aren’t anywhere near ready for getting your dress on by the time the photographer has to leave for church. And by the time you arrive at church you’re 30 minutes late……

What will have happened to the bride looking radiant as she steps gracefully out of the car and smiles serenely at her proud father? (O.K. it’s a cliche but when time allows and tempers aren’t frayed then we see it often and capture some beautiful images). Your pictures are much more likely to show a red-faced, fuming woman in a white dress go cantering less than elegantly up the church path to be bustled into church by a furious vicar who then proceeds to gabble through the ceremony because he has either a) another wedding to see to or b) to rush to the vicarage to watch the football match he’s missing.

And so the day continues. You normally have about 90 minutes at the reception venue to allow you to mingle with your guests, to have some romantic photographs of the two of you and perhaps some more informal ones of you and the guests. It’s a wonderful, stress-free and joyous time. But now, because of thatmissing 30 minutes, you only have an hour. But things are getting worse because you can’t get on. And your Mother is still insisting that the last family shots which should have been taken at the house are taken now. But if you do that then you can’t mingle. or if you do mingle then you won’t have time for the Romantics. But they’re IMPORTANT to you and you WILL do them. But then when you do you’re not feeling at all romantic or de-stressed because you know you have to get back soon for the line-up……….!

You get the point? We’re NOT exaggerating. At all. Not in the slightest. There is a make-up artist whom we consider to be the best in Lincolnshire. She is brilliant at making a bride look her very best and, as part of her service, she comes along to the reception to ‘touch up’ the make-up if it’s needed. She’s fantastic. And she’s a nightmare! For she is such a perfectionist that we have never yet done a wedding in her presence where the bride has got to church on time. Or where we’ve had the opportunity to photograph the bride looking beautiful. They’re usually so late and so stressed by it that they look like they’re about to commit murder. And one wedding she attended was one and a half hours late sitting down for the meal because she had repeated 15 minutes ‘touch up’ sessions with the bride. So even the guests all got stressed!

Irrespective of make-up/hairdressing delays, you’ll find that your wedding day needs at least 25 hours in it for everything to be done. Parents will drive you mad. And/or other relatives. They’ll be in your way and interfering when you don’t need them. And when you do they’ll be nowhere to be found. The commonest time for parents to disappear is when they’re needed for the formal photographs ( you know, the ones you didn’t want but THEY insisted you had to have). The five minutes you’d allowed for this turns into 30 minutes as various other people get bored waiting around for your Mother to be found and so wander off for a smoke.

So here are the Aurora tips for avoiding hassle:

1. If your photographer asks you to be ready for 12.00, tell your hairdresser and make-up artist that you must be ready for 11.20 at the latest.
2. Allow at least 30 minutes for getting your dress on and make sure that your bridesmaid or Mother has seen how your dress is fastened at your final fitting. Remember that on the day of your wedding your bridesmaids will probably be wearing false nails and your Mother – even the most competent and accomplished of Mothers – will be an emotional wreck, incapable of lacing up your dress without bursting into tears. So allow AGES for all of this.
3. If it’s a civil ceremony then expect it to start later than it should. For some reason the registrars are never ready. 15 minutes late is about normal. Build in the time for this.
4. Churches usually only have one exit. If you stand by it after the ceremony you will create a slow-moving line-up, greeting everyone as they leave. If you want to do this then allow 30 seconds per guest. If you don’t want this then move well away. It will still take an eternity for everyone to leave church. Allow at least 10 -20 minutes for this, depending on the number of guests.
5. If you’re the sort of bride who likes lots of traditional group photographs then work out how many you want and allow 3 minutes per group. Thankfully, Aurora Studio’s brides never want a lot of traditional groups and we get it all over with in 5 minutes. But I have attended weddings where the photographer took well over an hour to plough his way through the group shots.
6. It usually takes at least 15 minutes for the couple to have confetti thrown over them, walk down the church path, have a sip of champagne and then drive away.
7. Good reception venues always allow either 90 minutes or 2 hours between the bride’s arrival and the start of the line-up or meal. There are good reasons for this and we advise you to follow their lead.
8. If you’re having a line-up before the meal then allow 30 seconds per guest. Remember -120 guests means an hour standing shaking hands! We find that social etiquette is changing rapidly. Even at some very prestigious weddings it’s considered more courteous now to allow all the guests to start the wedding breakfast without this formality. But if you are having a line-up you really do need to build time for it and make sure that the caterers know.
9. Allow at least two and a half hours for the wedding breakfast.
10. ABOVE ALL – look at the timings you now have and build in contingency time. Unexpected things always happen at weddings and, besides, you need time to stand aside from proceedings, to look around you and really savour the fact that ‘This is MY wedding!’

Belle and Bouquet

Everyone has different priorities for their wedding but in our eyes there are three things that should not be scrimped on: the venue, the photography and the dress. The venue, because it is where you will spend your wedding day, the photography because the photographer has a HUGE impact on how much you enjoy your day and will recreate memories that would otherwise disappear with the last crumbs of the cake.

And the dress? O.K. I’m a man who can’t help having a ‘How Much!!!! reaction to women’s clothes but even I have to admit this is wrong when it comes to choosing a wedding dress. It wasn’t until I came into wedding photography some 12 years ago that I really began to appreciate the importance of choosing the right dress. For now I’ve seen them all. The dresses that brides were squeezed into. Or were falling out of. The dresses that had the pliability of corrugated cardboard, the dresses that had to be hoisted up all day. Or simply, the dresses that didn’t suit the bride.

And you know what? If you get it wrong then this will have a HUGE effect on your day. How can you look poised and graceful if you’re having to hoist your dress every few steps? How can you get fantastic photographs if your dress looks like it was left in a crumpled heap the previous night? How can you hope to enjoy yourself if you can’t even breathe?

At Belle and Bouquet in Wellingore you have no worries about leaving the shop with a badly fitted or ill-suited gown. The Info-Blog is only interested in highlighting companies who share Aurora Studio’s concern for quality and for service. And at Belle and Bouquet you really do get both. Their publicity leaflet states that their aim is ‘to offer Lincolnshire’s widest choice of the finest gowns at the best possible prices in the most beautiful and friendly surroundings’.

So that leaves us with very little to add. The range is huge and includes those essential accessories also. I could rave about their Maggie Sottero or Ian Stewart gowns all day (they are FANTASTIC to photograph!) but in a way – a very real way- what you receive when you deal with good wedding suppliers isn’t just a ‘product’, it’s a package, it’s an experience, it’s that warm glow from feeling special and knowing that you’re being well looked after.

And that’s what you get at Belle and Bouquet. Maggie and Simone are simply lovely people who want to do the very best they can for you. The service here is superb and any advice you receive is friendly, professional and objective. They WANT you to look your best and will do everything they can to help you do so.

Over the years we’ve seen many brides wearing gowns supplied by many different shops. We’ve seen many, many wearing gowns from Belle and Bouquet. But we’ve never yet seen one from here who was wearing a dress that didn’t suit her, that didn’t fit her perfectly and that didn’t make her feel special. All the Bride and Bouquet brides we’ve ever met have felt completely relaxed and at ease, simply loving their dress and allowing Aurora to take some fantastic natural-looking photographs of them.

www.belleandbouquet.co.uk

Vanessa and Chris Allison

Rain, hail and snow showers, with a biting Easterly wind. That was the forecast for Vanessa and Chris’s marquee wedding on April 12. Surely nothing could be worse – apart perhaps from being driven to the reception in an open sided trailer, pulled by that most prestigious of luxury vehicles – the Massey Ferguson tractor.

And you know – it was perfect! The heavy shower did materialise, I suppose, but this was well before the ceremony. The wind was bracing rather than biting and the sun shone brilliantly for the rest of the day. And the tractor ride? Brilliant! What could be more fitting following the uniting of these two Lincolnshire farming families? The whole wedding party travelled in it ( or should that be ‘on’ it?) back to Vanessa’s family farmhouse for the reception and it’ll be a journey the young bridesmaids and pageboys will remember for ever.

I’ve been lucky enough to cover many hundreds of weddings now, and it never ceases to amaze me how each wedding takes on a life and atmosphere of its own. And although, the weather was kind, the transport eccentric and Chris and Vanessa’s smiles unceasing the thing that we’ll remember most from this wedding was the fantastic atmosphere that developed – particularly during the wedding breakfast. Sometimes larger weddings can fragment, with guests staying close to their own friends and not really mixing. But not here. There was a huge bubble of warmth and emotion within the marquee. The wine flowed freely, the food was excellent and the guests incredibly good natured. We left feeling content. Not just with the photography, but with the sense that somehow now all was well with the world.

To view all the images from this wedding CLICK HERE

Forest Pines, Brigg

Forest Pines astounds us! This is a phoenix venue if ever there was one. If you’ve heard stories about outdated decor, poor service and a general down-market feel to Forest Pines then forget them. Such stories may have been justified three years ago but not now. Forest Pines has been reborn – and its beautiful!

It should be – over £14 million has been invested in the complex since Q hotels took it over. EVERYTHING has been changed. The entrance – which, with its iron girders on view used to look like a tired old railway station – is now modern and inviting. The foyer and conservatory area have been cleansed of the awful old chinzy furniture. All has been refurbished to the highest standards and brings chique to Brigg.

Weddings take place in the new modern building away from the general hustle and bustle of the busy hotel. The reception rooms are big enough to take the largest wedding party, but can be divided to cater for the more intimate weddings. Now the service is everything you would expect from a well-run, highly professional organization. Eyes are always watching to ensure no-one is left unattended, that empty plates are removed, that details are not missed – that everything goes smoothly and without a hitch. Following the pre-wedding meetings with Julie Nelson, the wedding co-ordinator, Velu, the banqueting manager, takes over on the day and plays his part perfectly. Always unruffled and calm, he works tirelessly in the background to ensure the synchronisation of all the elements of your day. We have covered weddings in many of the top venues around the country and we can honestly say that the level of service here equals them all. In some ways it’s better – there’s none of the obsequious (and blatantly hypocritical) fawning you encounter at places like The Ritz, for example. Here everyone is friendly, courteous and efficient.

Photographic opportunities? We LOVE this place. It’s a dream for us when it comes to getting pictures of the bride and groom alone. The interior decor is so modern, so moodily lit, so sumptuously minimalist (!!!) that it suits our style perfectly. We can’t rave about the photographic opportunities offered by the garden, I’m afraid, but Forest Pines’ decor and interior opportunities shouldn’t let this put you off.

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Like everything to do with weddings, selection of venues is a very personal thing. We love this place. We also love the other good local venue – Hemswell Court. But these are very different places and each has a different appeal. If you like Hemswell then Forest Pines probably won’t appeal. If you like Forest Pines, you’ll hate Hemswell Court. Neither can be said to be BETTER than the other, but one or the other will be better for YOUR wedding. As with choosing a photographer – it’s all about horses for courses: what suits one couple won’t suit another. But this really is one brand spanking new course with huge potential that deserves your further investigation.

Natalie and Martin

Having 40 children ( most under 7) at a wedding is either a recipe for disaster – or for a lot of fun. But Natalie and Martin chose their venue ( Forest Pines) carefully and their guests wisely. So 40 well-behaved children in a spacious building and lots to occupy them simply meant that there was a homely, warm and relaxed atmosphere throughout the day. No awkward, strained silences at this wedding!

And with bridesmaids like these, what could possibly go wrong?

The atmosphere inside might have been warm, but it certainly wasn’t outside. March 22, gale force Easterly winds driving occasional snow showers across the golf course – again at some venues and for some couples this could have been a point of stress. But it takes a lot to phase Martin,whilst Natalie just rose to the occasion and enjoyed herself. Look at how relaxed they are in the photo-session.

All the pictures from their wedding can be viewed HERE

Jenny and Mark

It’s been a cold, wet start to Spring this year and so we expected that all the photography for Jenny and Mark’s March 14th wedding would be done inside the Lincoln Hotel. In fact, we were all incredibly lucky to have beautiful weather to allow us to take advantage of the cathedral grounds for the photos.

Most grooms are more nervous than the bride before the wedding. But not Mark.

Jenny just couldn’t stop smiling!

After the service, nearby Lincoln Cathedral made a wonderful backdrop for photographs. It’s somewhere that Mark and Jenny both love and so was particularly fitting. Meanwhile Joe, the best man, was simply brilliant, looking after the guests and then organising them ready for some informal photographs when we returned. Everything was seemless and good fun. If only all Best Men were like that!

From Melbourne to Market Rasen….via Venice and Paris

What! You haven’t heard of Yervant!!!! Yervant Zanazanian, Armenian born, now living in Melbourne is a photographic God. He is KING. Numero Uno. Lord of Creativity. Look on his website www.yervant.com and stand back in awe. His skills are recognized across the world.The fact that few in the U.K. has ever heard of him speaks volumes about our lack of appreciation of art and skill.

We got to know Yervant via the internet and an international forum for digital wedding photographers. We finally met him when he ran a course in the U.K. a couple of years back and then in October 06 we were honoured to be invited to attend a week’s masterclass with him in Venice. This was fantastic! Truly inspirational – and one of those life-changing events.

With just 13 other photographers from around the world – Mexicans, Americans, Russians, Swedes, Danes – oh and even a Scot – we roamed the streets and canals of Venice with three stunning Italian models whilst Yervant showed us how he works with the light, the shadow, the background and his subjects to reveal their personalities in the most supportive, artistic and emotional manner possible. This was IT! This was what we had been working towards since starting Aurora eight years earlier. Non-threatening, fun photography which oozed sophistication and class yet at the same time said something very personal and intimate about the subjects. Have a look at some of the pics we took and see what you think.

So, that was Venice 06 – a week in Venice learning intensively from the best photographer in the world. But what’s with the the Paris bit in the title?

Ah yes. Well, there’s a pretender to the crown. Yervant’s not having it his own way, such is the strength of the competion from other Aussie photographers. Last year an America photography magazine had the temerity to rank someone higher than Yervant. And they’re not alone. Now Yervant has to go head to head with the newcomer, the new rock-god of the photographic world, fellow Melbournite Jerry Ghionis. have a look at Jerry’s site and see which you prefer – www.xsight.com.au/

Shockingly good, isn’t it? And guess what? In May we’ve got a full week in Paris on a masterclass run by Jerry. It’ll be exhausting, exhilerating, uplifting and, once again, we’re sure to come back to Lincolnshire with some more Aussie skills to help us stay ahead of the U.K. competition.

Silver Spirit Wedding Cars

“How’s Boris today?” we ask as we wait for the bride to finish her preparations.

“Couldn’t be better,thanks,” replies Graham. “Harvey’s been a bit offish but he’ll be right as rain for the wedding next weekend.” Graham, I should explain, is the owner of Silver Spirit Wedding Cars.

Boris and Harvey aren’t relatives of his, by the way. They’re more important than that. They are two of his prized cars. He has seven in all and swears they each have individual personalities. So, yes, they all have individual names. How could they not!

We like Graham. He’s like us – he has a passion which he wants to share. And it’s the brides who benefit!

His seven beautiful cars allow you to to choose from cute vintage – or large, impressive vintage, through to sleek modern Jaguar, or classic Rolls Royce. And these cars are immaculate: expertly cleaned and dressed with ribbons and bows of the bride’scolour choice, and professionally applied.
The cars’ names actually serve a useful secondary purpose: there can be no mistake when booking. Ideally, Graham and his wife, Ann, like to meet you in person before you book so that you can view the cars, sit in them, decide which one is the best for you, see the ribbons and bows, and flower decorations, and get to know them. This reassures you that this is a very professional but friendly company. If a visit is not possible, then rest assured that the owners are happy to deal with enquiries and questions, and offer advice when required, on the phone.
You know that at Aurora we’re sticklers for detail and for things being just right. We couldn’t recommend a company that didn’t share this ethos. Needless to say, at Silver Spirit all the chauffeurs are very smart in their matching grey chauffeurs’ uniform, with hat, grey tie, and white shirt. They are all experts at looking after you, helping to keep you calm. And after having your complimentary chilled champagne poured for you by the chauffeur into crystal champagne flutes, how could you not chill-out as you can enjoy your drink on the way to the reception.

The hall-mark of ANY good wedding service is in the way they treat the couple on the day. Silver Spirit is a wedding company who genuinely wants you to enjoy your day, and they go out of our way to make sure that is what happens. Everything is taken care of; everything is smooth, calm and professional; everything is incredibly friendly, personal and built around your wishes. What more could you ask for?

Choosing a Wedding Photographer – part 3

So, having read my earlier posts, you know your photographer is qualified, is not an amateur and that his display work is genuine. What next? I WANT to talk about some of the sales-techniques that are dead-giveaways, and should make you RUN, not walk, away.

But I guess that at this stage the more important point for brides is ‘What sort of quality can I get for my money?’

You probably won’t like what I’m going to say. But it’s true for life in general and is most certainly true for wedding photography. You get what you pay for. Pure and simple. I know of local, so-called photographers who charge £200 for wedding coverage. ‘Celebrity’ photographers in the U.K. seem to be charging upwards of £10,000. There’s a photographer in the States who charges £50,000. That’s a huge price differentiation.

So what sort of quality can you expect for your particular budget?

Last year I decided to research a random selection of Lincolnshire photographers to determine just what their rates were and what sort of quality could be expected – based on the sample albums they were showing at Wedding Fairs.

It became obvious that comparison was a nightmare task. ‘Four hours coverage with a forty page album’ could mean one photographer in attendance for four hours and then presenting forty photos in a very cheap album. Or it could mean two photographers taking lots of photos, processing and using post-process digital techniques to emhance them before creating a stunning storybook album of 40 pages – but with maybe 100+ images in it. Even ‘like with like’ comparisons were impossible. There are different build qualities, sizes and paper options for a Graphi album, for example, which means that two photographers offering ‘Graphi’ are in fact offering very different products. And that says nothing about the quality of the images they are presenting therein!

So what I offer below does not claim to be comprehensive. All photogarphers come with different approaches, products, skills and price packages. But this is a 2007 snapshot of those Lincolnshire photographers I looked at and the personal judgements I made about the quality of their work and albums.   In some areas of the country, photography will be cheaper: in others it will be more expensive. Aurora Studio, like many Lincolnshire photographers, find that we are often asked to shoot in places such as  London, Essex, Oxford or more affluent areas because our prices are so cheap in comparison.

If you are looking for basic coverage then these prices will not apply. As an attempt at standardisation I have quoted for comprehensive coverage with two photographers in attendance and an album included in the price.

Sub-£1000. Expect an amateur or someone who has almost no photographic skills. Poses will be either stiff and wooden or you will receive ‘reportage’ – a collection of snapshots your Uncle Bob could have taken. If an album is included it will probably be of poor quality. Prints (if any) could well have been made cheaply at amateur outlets such as Asda or Boots. Burnt out dresses and green or magenta faces proliferated through the work I saw in this price bracket.

£1000 – £1500.  Expect MUCH better pictures than in the first group, with more awareness of posing/lighting/composition etc. A slightly better quality album is included here. If you want half-decent photos but aren’t really bothered and your budget is a bit tight then this is probably the place to look at. Just don’t expect real quality.

£1500 – £5000. A huge step up.  Expect quality. DEMAND quality as the price rises. Within this price bracket you should get 2 photographers, coverage until the end of the speeches and professionalism at every turn. Whereas lower-priced photographers may well have cut corners with poor equipment and often no backup gear, in this price bracket EVERYTHING in my opinion should be duplicated and all equipment should be of the highest standard. If the photographer is a qualified member of an organisation such as the M.P.A. or B.I.P.P. (see article 1) you can also have the peace of mind his insurance will bring.

As the price rises there will be increasing amounts of post-production to ensure that each image is as perfect as possible. Design times for albums increases exponentially – a cheap album can be designed in 30 minutes, a truly exquisite one entails several hundred hours’ work. Album quality overall bears no resemblance to that of cheaper offerings. At the top end of the scale expect images to be printed at the best labs in the world ( i.e. Australia) and albums to be of exquisite quality – possibly hand-made. The photography itself will be increasingly outstanding, with not just the obvious skills of lighting control, composition, exposure etc, but the PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE for you and your guests will be greatly superior. Scruffy/bossy/obnoxious photographers still exist, but they are comparatively rare in this price bracket. Expect the photography to enhance the day, not to detract from it. The photographers’ people skills will ensure a pleasant day in which the photography plays a very enjoyable part. With this level of photography you can expect to feel pampered on the day then receive an album to be proud of for the rest of your lives.

Over £5000 – Actually, there tends to be a gap between £5k and £10k. People who want to really lash out on the photography want to REALLY lash out. They want a ‘known’ name to photograph them and they’re prepared to pay for it. Only a handful of ‘celebrity’ photographers charge over this amount. I would gladly pay this sort of money for the likes of Yervant Zanazanian or Jerry Ghionis to photograph me. Their work is excellent, but frankly some of the other ‘names’ produce work which is often no better than that paid at a slightly lower level. I would LOVE to name the celebrity photographers I feel are in this category but, hey, the lawyers are rich enough without me giving them another libel case. Often though, as with all things at this sort of level, the ‘product’ you are buying is kudos. The kudos of having a particular photographer attend your wedding. In a very real sense the quality of his work is secondary.

Of course, nothing to do with wedding photography is as simple as that. There are a whole lot of photographic bodies pushing photographers into raising their prices before they are ready. Last year I went around the NEC National Wedding Exhibition and came away thoroughly disheartened for Brides to Be. I saw a few outstanding photographers who were well worth what they were charging, but I also saw at least 5 photographers there charging over £3000, yet the standard of their work SHOULD have put them in the sub-£1000 bracket. Price isn’t ALWAYS a reliable indicator. You do need to use your discretion and judgement also.

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