How to overcome being a nervous bride :-)

Today I've taken another booking from a bride and groom who HATE having their photos taken.
Over the years I've become somewhat of a specialist with nervous brides (though It is unusual for both the Bride and Groom to be nervous), and I have a special strategy for helping them overcome their nervousness.


Its quite simple really... I meet them often... maybe 3..4..5.. times between booking the wedding and the actual Wedding Day. This means we form a close relationship, I meet the children, mum, mother in law... In fact anyone who is there when we meet up.


My brides know I take (very) weak Lady Grey tea with 1 sugar in a china cup...
 (ha ha ..I'm fussy, what can I say)...


We talk about them, their families, their wedding... all sorts of stuff, It doesn't have to be wedding related. By the time the wedding arrives, you/they are so comfortable in my company, nervousness doesn't come into it.


Today's bride and groom will have a pre wedding shoot which will be fun and casual, with or without children and wherever they like to go. So, it could be the beach, park or just the back garden in summer. I want my wedding couples to be so comfortable that smiling (or not) isn't an issue in their wedding photographs.


If you are worried about having your wedding photos taken, don't despair...
Just give me a ring, buy some Lady Grey Tea and a china cup and we can chat about how to overcome your nervousness... By the way... Milk chocolate digestive biscuits go really well with a cup of tea and lots of wedding talk ha ha.


Here are a few couple of my most nervous brides... 

That was when we booked I must add... By the time the weddings came shyness etc. was forgotten and a good time was had by all.

Have a great week

Sheila


www.dovephotography.co.uk


Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you... Just phone me for a chat.

Blackpool Prom Fayre

This weekend we attended a fabulous Prom Fayre at the lovely Tiffany's Hotel in Blackpool.


The cat walk was amazing with dresses by Dress to Impress (Poulton) & Photographs by...
You guessed it... Dove Photography.


We havent processed the catwalk photos yet, so we thought we would show you a small selection of photos from previous prom seasons.
We have great fun taking our prom photos, meeting you and your friends at your home, getting involved in all the caffuffle of getting ready and all your friends arriving. We then make sure we get some family photos, after all, you look like a princess and an opportunity like that cannot be ignored ha ha!!!
Finally as you get in your Limousine (car or horse and carriage) we will record your fantastic journey in images to remember.

Here is a short video (turn the sound down or you will get caught out at work)

 

If you would like to chat with us about having your Prom photos taken, ring Sheila on

07932685241

Book early as we can only photograph one set of friends per school prom.

 Share the cost with your friends like you do with the Limousine Hire and make sure you have the BEST photos of anyone in your school.

http://www.blackpool-limousine-hire.co.uk/schoolpromlimohire-49.php

http://www.blackpoollimohire.co.uk/

http://www.vicaragecarriagehire.co.uk/about.html

Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year


We are still In January so haven't left it too late to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR...


We have had such a good start to 2012 here at Dove Photography that my feet don't seem to have touched the ground. I am loving the fact that wedding bookings for this year have already surpassed last years. A big thank you to all our customers past present and future, you make me a very happy photographer.


I haven't made any actual New Years resolutions, but I have some goals for 2012 that I want to share..
Apparently (for those of you who believe it) if you write down your goals and revisit them regularly they are more likely to come into fruition.


I want to make Dove Photography the place to have your photos taken because of the amazing photos, but also the amazing customer service.
I want people to be talking about how good their experience with Dove..
I want to make some fab videos that help customers with their posing for weddings and portraits (that could be difficult as I usually end up giggling).
I want to write my blog every week ... (That is a difficult one)..
I want to help make money for 'Brian House' the childrens Hospice in Blackpool. They do an amazing job under very difficult circumstances and need as much help as they can get.
I want my new website to be up and running (which is proving harder than I thought, not everyone is dedicated to customer service...).


Anyway... Happy New Year... Here is a little slide show of some of our weddings this last year 2011


Please just check the sound level, we dont want you to get into trouble !!





Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Prepare for your Winter Wedding

Its getting closer to my favourite time of year... Christmas.... OOOhhh... I get so excited... 
My Christmas cake is in the oven as I write, I am designing my Dove Photography Christmas cards and planning my Christmas shopping.
No bah-humbug for me!! 


This year we have 5 weddings booked around Christmas and New Year, and I for one cannot wait.


However.. Its important to be prepared for your winter wedding.


Here are a few tips (off the top of my head) to help you.


If you want photos outside, book your wedding earlier in the day, In the UK it goes dark in December around 3pm. This can be an advantage if you are having Fireworks, as you don't have to wait until midnight to thrill your guests with an amazing display.
 If you are getting married in the North West try http://www.mdlfireworks.com - amazing customer service and brilliant firework displays.


I know it sounds daft to mention it, but, you need to keep warm, you dont want goose bumps on your wedding images.


Make sure you and your bridesmaids have warm shawls or stoles to put over your shoulders


Try and wear comfortable shoes that keep your feet dry & don't soak up the snow/rain . 
Maybe buy some of those fab wellies that are available nowadays and keep them handy 'just in case'. I have it on good authority that you can now buy White Ugg Boots, now that would be a talking point!!


What about some gorgeous long gloves to keep your fingers warm, and some (lovely) Bridget Jones style underwear to keep the rest of you comfy and snug.


Most photographers (me) take umbrellas as a matter of course, but, make sure you have plenty available for guests. Photos can be really good fun and colourful with some of those golfing umbrellas.


The photos would look cool if all the men wore matching scarves and maybe gloves.. rather posh I think!!!


Whatever happens, make sure you are comfortable with having your photos taken outside whatever the weather... Imagine, you could dance and sing in the rain... throw snowballs if its a white wedding, guests could make a snowman and put the tophat on it... etc...


There is nothing you can do about our wonderful British weather, just embrace it, choose your photographer wisely and most of all.. HAVE FUN!!!


Last year we were snowed under (so to speak) here are a few photos of 2 of last years winter brides.

Best Wishes

Sheila

www.dovephotography.co.uk

Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Getting ready for Christmas presents..competition

Those of you who know me know that I am not the most organised of people, and prefer to be known for my artistic flair. Ha ha.

 Today, I am being organised...
 It's 1 st September, and before we know it, it will be nearly Christmas, my cunning plan is to motivate you all into getting your Christmas portraits sorted out NOW!!!

 This year I'm going to have personalised Xmas cards from Dove Photography, I now have to decide on what image will front my cards. This is tricky for me, as I have so many lovely images to choose from...but... Should it be a wedding photo, portrait, baby? Probably not a Boudoir photo as it will be on someone's mantlepiece for a month... I don't want to upset anyone ha ha I think my best plan is to have a montage of one from each category, with a Christmas feel...

 Now, what would you like on your own personalised cards?
 Maybe the kids, all dressed up for the cold or with a silly hat on.

 Maybe the dog with a silly hat on?
 Perhaps Grandma in her best Christmas outfit...
 Only you will know what will make your family and friends go awww...bless...

 If you are in business, why not personalise your cards with photos of your staff, send them out to your customers as a way of saying thank you, and also reminding them who you are and that you can let your hair down and send a unique personalised card.

 Have you decided what you are giving as a Christmas present?

 Perhaps you could give a 20 x 16 box framed photo of your family,  or a beautiful album.
 Maybe you would like a modern black and White portrait to grace your Walls, or a poster type (Andy warhole style) of the kids for your office or modern study.

 Give it some thought, there are some amazing acrylics, frames, canvas,s available to excite you. Give me a ring if you would like to book a session, or even if you can think of any other themes you could use my photography for.

 I look forward to hearing from you, and reading your comments.
 The best comment on how to use photography in your Christmas present list, gets a free sitting and mounted 20 x 16 print.
 Have a great week.

 Sheila

 www.dovephotography.co.uk 

 PS This is my first blog post from my I pad... I am so excited ha ha x




 Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Wedding in Cyprus

                         Last Friday (10th June 2011) I was in Cyprus shooting a fabulous wedding.

Caroline and Tom have planned this to the last detail for the past 12 months and it showed, everything went to plan and it was perfect.
There is no doubt it helps that the bride is so laid back she is almost horizontal and the groom is mesmerised by her.
They were a joy to photograph as their personalities totally shone through (as you can see on the photos below).

When they booked the wedding, Caroline assured me that her and Tom were up for anything, and that (as a surprise) they were thinking of jumping into the pool as soon as they had finished the wedding breakfast, I couldnt believe my luck.. a trash the dress on the day... whoop woo.

The plans only changed slightly so that Caroline was going to be thrown into the pool by the best man and her new husband, as the groom was concerned about his suit.

I told the guests that Caroline was having some posed photos taken if they would care to watch as they were finishing desert, everyone  laughed and smiled and then ... OH NO...

3 ....... 2 ....... 1   

In she went... the guests couldnt believe it and were laughing and shaking their heads until they realised that Caroline loved it, then they were hysterical...
LETS ALL GO IN went the cry.. sure enough, most of the guests ran to the side of the pool, took off belts, shoes, bags, emptied pockets and ...

 3 ....... 2 ....... 1  

In they jumped (photos to follow).

The guests, bridesmaids, best man, groom... erm groom...what about your suit????? ha ha.. no worries Ill just change...

Caroline dried her dress off in the sun and put it back on later to go to the beach.. WOW!!

Off to the  50s style diner for a strawberry milkshake and some more photos.

What a fantastic wedding... Thank you Caroline, Tom and all your family and friends for making this one of the most exciting weddings I have ever been to, oh, and for inviting me and Jonathon to Cyprus to be your photographers.

Sheila & Jonathon

www.dovephotography.co.uk



Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and the whole of the Uk, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Beautiful Red Spanish Wedding Dress

Well, I've finally got around to blogging about my lady in red... Janine.

Janine and Jamie got married in November 2010. What a fab young couple, they arrived from Spain to celebrate their wedding with family and friends. When I got to the hotel, Janine ushered me into the bedroom with strict instructions not to say...             WOW!!! 

I must say, I thought, Ive seen lots of beautiful dresses and they are all wow, so what is different about this one...

I went into the bedroom and immediately said...WOW... ha ha... Ooops sorry Janine, I couldn't help myself!! She had kept it a secret from everyone except her mum, not even the bridesmaids knew about this gorgeous red wedding dress.

Needless to say, Janine looked amazing, and with her fabulous bubbly personality she totally suited the red, I couldn't have imagined her in any other colour. Both Jamie and Janine are entertainers, and entertained us all on their wedding day. Everybody enjoyed the whole day, and by the end of the proceedings, I felt that I had made new friends. Thanks Janine, Jamie and both of your lovely families

Sheila.x

www.dovephotography.co.uk


Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and Bristol, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

Asian Wedding Fayre, Haans Hotel Blackburn

This weekend I attended my first Asian Wedding fayre with Dove Photography Blackpool. I took my beautiful Asian wedding album with me and I'm glad I did, it got lots of attention, 


At first the wedding fayre seemed slow, but, as it went on until 7pm it didn't really matter, and gave all the exhibitors time to chat and get to know each other. I can honestly say, I have never been to a fayre before where everyone was so friendly. 


In true Sheila fashion, I went around ooohing and ahhhing at all the glorious materials, stroking (sad I know) and touching the amazingly colourful and embroidered fabrics as I went along.
I was next to a lovely couple who own http://alishbaexclusivdesigns.com/  they sold fabulous fabrics in packs to make a dress, leggings and shawl.. I was drooling over the textures and colours, and the fact that you could have an outfit made for less than £50 in total.. wow!!!
 On the other side was  www.simplychocolicious.co.uk her homemade white chocolate and mango chocolates were amazing, and I savoured a few (lol), then spent the rest of my money on choccies for my mum for mothers day. Those of you who know me know that there is less than a 50/50 chance of those chocolates lasting till mothers day!!!
I also met a wonderful lady with 4 children like myself who was just lovely. She oozed personality, love of business and family values, we got on like a house on fire.. :-) She definitely needs a mobile website and some social media help, I'd love to see her succeed in her chosen business,  so I'm going to see her next week www.socialmediabuddies.co.uk 


 I'd like to thank all those people I chatted to and hope to see you on Facebook.


Have a great week


Sheila.xx




Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle &Corporate Photographer.
Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and Bristol, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad...Asian weddings abroad, I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...

www.dovephotography.mobi
www.dovephotography.co.uk

Wedding Fayres in Blackpool 10% off Wedding Photography

This weekend is soooo busy... I am attending a wedding fayre at The Devere Hotel Blackpool, and The Villa in Wrea Green with The Wedding Place of Blackpool http://www.weddingplaceuk.co.uk/ .

For those of you who dont know, The Wedding Place is Blackpool's One stop wedding shop, we supply virtually everything you need for your wedding except the clothes (and there are plenty of Bridal Dress shops nearby).

Dove Photography _ Contemporary reportage & traditional Wedding Photography at its best.. (As seen on TV's Michell Roux's service)

Me helping The bride on Michell Roux's Service programme

Wedding at The De-vere Hotel Blackpool

www.dovephotography.co.uk

Kerry Blu                      Tiaras and bespoke Wedding Jewellery
www.kerryblu.co.uk

Weddings by Design  Table decorations, chair covers

Flowers by Sonje      Amazing Wedding Flowers individually designed for you.  

Peri Designs              Scrumptious wedding Stationary for your special day

Gees Cakes                Beautiful Wedding Cakes at a price you can afford

Little House Of Cupcakes Gorgeous cupcakes for your wedding

Wedding favours are available and lovely pressies for your bridesmaids and ushers

Why not tell your friends and everyone you know who are interested in weddings, come and see us at The Wedding Fayres, we would love to meet you.

Sheila

http://www.facebook.com/Photosbydove


Blackpool Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer Phone Sheila. 07932685241 Phone Dove Photography for your Portrait sessions, Wedding Photography in Blackpool and Bristol, Commercial Portraits; Baby Bump/maternity portraits.... Special occasions like Parties, Christenings, Birthdays. Getting Married abroad... I will come to your Evening Reception and record your Wedding Celebration for you...