Its the little things...

They say that "Beauty is in the detail" and I think they would be right!
Its often the little things that set weddings apart. A beautiful line of bunting, a table plan made from drift wood, individual jars of sweets and personalised messages.



We are totally blown away by the amount of time and energy that goes into the detail at the weddings we see and have the pleasure of being part of. Each wedding is different because of the couple who are getting married, but along with them they bring their own style, their own ideas and personalities.
Whats your style? What makes you YOU? Do you have a favourite "something" that sets you apart from your friends?
All of these questions can be answered in the way you "do" your wedding décor. Its one of the only chances in your life where you can throw a party that really is all about YOU and the union of you and your partner and all those special things that make your love so special and right.
Dont be shy! Explore and create and get excited about the little things too. That's ok you know!



Individualism can start from the beginning of your planning and can be carried through to the end. Do you have a theme? A special moment? something that can be picked up and carried through into the detail at your wedding?
There are many crafting sites and other websites that provide solely for the little things at weddings. Once your big plans are made... venue = booked, church = booked, photographers(!) = booked, dress = booked ... get on and enjoy making, creating and bringing to life something of who you are in your wedding detail.



Most modern photographers LOVE to capture details at a wedding. They tell the story, they bring together the whole atmosphere and also add something of the day when added amongst photos of you both, your friends and family amidst the celebrations!
Happy dreaming, happy creating and happy making! x

Let them eat cake!

The history of the wedding cake is so deep in tradition...
"Originally they were made of wheat which was a symbol of fertility and prosperity. As a relic of once performed fertility rites, these 'wedding cakes' would have been thrown at the bride. As the wedding cake evolved into the larger, modern version, it became physically impractical to properly break the cake over the bride's head" ( read more here at Maisie Fantasie)

How many of you have witnessed the "throwing of the cake?" Not with the size and pure art that goes into making a cake these days. Although, it would probably make a great photo!
Having a wedding cake seems to be so important to so many (not necessarily the Bride and Groom!), yet they have evolved hugely in the past decade.
Heavy fruit cake, marzipan and icing... thats what many think. Our 2010 weddings have opened our eyes to again such a variety of style and certainly "taste".



Tiered cakes, split tier cakes, cupcakes, chocolate cakes, sponge cakes, "cheese" cakes, fancy detail, simply "edible" ... the options are move diverse that ever before. Certainly making those fruit cake haters amongst us, much happier.



Just maybe tradition doesnt have to play such an important role in the digesting of food anymore? Just a thought.
Whatever cake you have we hope its proper scrummy and a true joy to eat. I will never forget the amazing cake we had at my cousins wedding. Far from traditional, looking like a chocolate bag gathered at the top and the taste... well, that was truly something else! Cake can make great memories too :D x

A look back at 2010 - with a handful of ponderings about planning a wedding.

It was such an honour and privilege to look through the work of so many photographers as they came to their end of the year reviews as 2010 came to a close. We didn't quite get round to doing one in time for the end of the year. Its now the start of a new year with new plans and new excitement for anyone planning their wedding. Its so exciting thinking back to our own wedding (nearly 5 years ago!) and also to the weddings of those we had the pleasure of capturing last year. Thinking about all the little bits and bobs that made each day so individual, the wonderful couples that made their weddings so perfect and totally "right" for them. Each wedding was such a celebration of love and its so exciting thinking that we have all that to look forward again this year with the wonderful couples we will be working with as we "shoot" their wedding days.
As wedding photographers, we get so many questions about photography, but also about different aspects of the day. Over time, being involved in the day (often months in advance) and seeing all the ups and downs, all the nips and tucks and the ins and outs of a wedding day we have picked up some ideas that we thought we would share with you.
These are all things that we have learnt and hope you might find helpful.
Of course, each wedding is different, each happy couple are different, each budget and each dream will be different. We understand that and love that about the diversity of weddings. Over the next few blogs, we will sharing with you just some images from 2010, that we have had the pleasure of capturing, but also some helpful observations and ponders about different aspects of planning a wedding day that is totally right fo YOU!

BEAUTIFUL BELLES



Of course... its one of the most exciting things a girl can think about, but also can be one of the most daunting. What to wear!!!! What am I going to wear when I get married?
There are no right or wrong answers. The only answer, is something that you LOVE, something that is in your budget and something that makes you feel like YOU! Magazines are full of dresses for this shape, that shape, this budget, that budget and can be so confusing! Shops and Boutiques are pretty much the same. What we have loved about the weddings we photographed in 2010, is that each bride wore a dress that was so right for them. Some had detail, colour, beading, bows. Some were very simple, but each dress worked for the bride and each bride was truly beautiful. Sometimes you do have to be brave and crazy and try on and explore different options. A bit like dressing up...enjoy every option you try until you find the dress that is for you. Maybe you want to add to or create something totally individual. That can be done too. There are so many options for making your wedding day outfit different to all the others. Some sites I would recommend (and probably will for totally individualising every aspect of a wedding) are Folksy and Etsy... crafting sites, with numerous amounts of beautifully different things. Maybe all you need to make that dress different to the rest is a brooch, ribbon, lace or a flower. Dont be scared to explore and try new things. Its fun!
It may be an old wives tale, but many of our brides have said the same thing "when you find it, you know!" ...We just hope that when you find the dress for you. That your dress is all you have ever hoped for and more and that you feel like the wonderful woman you are x o&c

A truly HOT wedding!

When we recieved the "save the date" card for the wedding of Damian and Katie we knew we would be in for a treat! On what had to be one of the hottest days of the year Damian and Katie tied the knot in Bourneville, Birmingham on 22nd May.
Katie wore a gorgeous Suzanne Neville dress with jewelled shoes from L.K.Bennett. Her bridesmaids wore midnight blue Vera Wang dresses, that were so elegant and looked amazing on them all! One of Damians big "wants" for his day was a VW camper and his dream came true in the shape of a very cool VW from LoveDubWeddings. They also had a stunning Rolls Royce, which quite perfectly matched each other in colour and fitted in with the colour theme of the day. With such a crazy bunch of groomsmen, we thoroughly enjoyed capturing the boys, in fact we are still giggling at the photos of the boys in what looks to be "full flight!" The girls were pretty excellent at posing too, esp the young flower girl! (Thanks Ella, you rock!)
Both Katie and Damian spent so much time and effort to make their day their own and filled it with amazing detail. Their table names were from different beaches around Pembrokeshire and South Wales (which we were very proud of!) They had collected drift wood from beaches and created stunning little easels to place their table names and menus on. All of the wedding stationary was designed and printed by the very talented Sarah Joy. With the orchid design following through all of the stationary, it was then repeated in the table decorations at the reception and in the stunning wedding cake, with orchids adorning the top and hand painted orchids trailing down the icing on the cake. Their reception was held at the Forest of Arden golf club, so we made sure we grabbed a few moments with them in one of the golf bunkers. They even brought a long a deck chair and Damians guitar, which worked as perfect props and again speak volumes about this uber-cool couple!!
We loved this day, in some many ways and loved having the chance to get to know Damian and Katie as we chatted to them in the run up to their day. We have no doubt life is going to be pretty swell for these two! Happy Marriage Mr & Mrs Herbert! x o&c






































































For more of our work please check out www.oacphotography.com and feel free to leave comments, we love to know what you think...it makes us happy! x

A 1st Class wedding!

We couldn't resist showing you some of these photos from a truly "1st Class" wedding we did a few weeks ago. We were honoured and privileged to capturing images for the wedding of James and Rachael Stamp. The wedding was held at a stunning church in the small town of Adderbury, with the reception at the very lovely Great Barn in Aynho, Oxon. There was so much fun, laughter, joy and blessing at this wedding and it shone from James and Rachael's faces all day. We happen to be good friends with this couple too, so it had added special meaning for us, even behind the cameras. I have to admit, I shed many a tear while taking these photos and while processing too. Mr & Mrs Stamp, we salute you! We love you guys and are so incredibly happy for you both, knowing you have one awesome future ahead of you. For all you friends and family of the happy couple you will have to hold on to your hats before you see any more photos as they are on their own private gallery. Hope you have enjoyed a sneak pre-view nevertheless! x

Please check out more of our work here at www.oacphotography.com