I met Holly and the ladies at the beauty salon for a few candids:

Then over to Holly’s house:

The service took place in Carnmoney Presbyterian…

And then to the Dunadry:

Below: having a wee giggle with one of the bridesmaids

     
The following shot was taken during the speeches – a nice moment..

Thanks to Nigel McQuillan who was the second photographer at this wedding…

Down at Crawfordsburn Country Park…(love the umbrella photo!)
  

Any bride & groom who have a VW camper van at their wedding earns instant credibility with me

Talking about cars, looks like Mark’s single-man tax is about to run out…cool cuff-links eh?!?!?

Now for perhaps the most interesting rings picture i’ve ever taken:

Above: really great bridesmaids – I’ll show you a picture of the others later on…

I think the next two photos sum the couple and the day up pretty nicely:

Above: Our final stop at the Ramada, Belfast

Above: The brides house was a very relaxed place. Best of all I found a £20 note under a wardrobe!! (naturally I gave it to the bride)

Above: Fun, relaxed service – pretty much sums up the day

Our favourite VW combi – now sporting a new colour scheme!

Above: The marquee at Breckenhill Estate.

So a great day with Gareth and Kara..they had put a lot of detail into a very many things – including a table tennis table and a table football game. Don’t have room to post all the photos here! You can view the album here

Dimitris holds the record for the customer with the longest and most difficult to spell surname! He’s from Greece and is marrying an Irish girl. Naturally he’s a lucky man!

So here are a few photos:

Above: Capturing the fun and emotion of the day is really important to me. So I like this little picture – I think it captures the moment well.

Above: Glenoe Waterfall. If you don’t know, Glenoe is a little village close to Larne. I think it’s the original home of Mauds Ice Cream – anywhere than birthed Poo Bear ice cream is great in my eyes!

Above: the actual village is quite quaint…

Above: Taken while the bride & groom pose for some guests..

Above: Ballygally. It’s my typical mix of candid photos (right) and semi-posed (left). Helen had a great veil…

Above: First dance with parents watching on…

You can check out the rest of the album mock-up at http://www.peterthomasphotography.com/showalbumphotographs.aspx?folder=triantafyllidis

…and don’t forget to Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peterthomasphotography

Taken in January 2010, at the Galgorm Resort and Spa, Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

1. Walk in Slow motion!
No matter how long the aisle is, walk slowly! I’d recommend walking at approximately half-speed. It may seem slow, but it will give your photographer time to take a few pictures. It will also give your guests (and future husband!) more time to admire you.

2. Organise the Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids usually walk down the aisle first, although there is no set rule. Whichever order you choose, make sure they also walk slowly.

Leave a good space between bridesmaids
Most importantly, think about the timing between bridesmaids. If they are too close your photographer will struggle to take a picture of the middle bridesmaid. As a general rule of thumb, the 1st bridesmaid should be three-quarters up the aisle before the second starts to walk up the aisle. For impact, it is often best for the bride and her father to wait until all the bridesmaids have reached the front.

Think about where they should stand when they arrive
At the rehearsal, have a practice run and make sure the bridesmaids know where to stand when they arrive at the altar. Make sure they aren’t blocking the videographer!

Help the kids
Flowergirls and page boys are great at weddings. Depending on their age, you may wish to have a bridesmaid accompany them up the aisle.

3. Smile!
Enough said!

Just about to go up the aisle! Photograph by Peter Thomas Photography

4. Don’t forget the orders of service!
A minor detail, but you may wish to ensure that whoever is officiating the service has orders of service for the bridesmaids and bride. There’s nothing worse than singing a hymn with no words!

5. And the same applies when you are coming back down again!
All of these suggestions equally apply when the bride and groom are coming back down the aisle. It is often best for the bridesmaids to wait until the bride and groom have completed their journey down the aisle before they start. This means that your photographs won’t have other members of the bridal party in the background.

And finally…
Coming up the aisle is an important but small part of your day. The hints above are just suggestions – if you don’t get time to think it through don’t worry – just walk slowly and enjoy!

Firstly, people often mention ‘The Box’. This little box isn’t special in itself, but I have to say that brides simply love whats inside. Let me explain.

1. 6×4 prints of all the pictures.
I believe that couples should have their photographs in their hands. They shouldn’t have to load up a CD or play a DVD – the good old fashioned way is the best. I print all the photographs (normally 300-350). Brides comment that it helps them when picking their album – its simply easier to pick your favourite photographs when you can put them out on a table and compare. Secondly, after their album is picked most brides put these 6x4prints into a small album of there own.

2. Album mock-up
Relatively unique to Peter Thomas Photography, we spend a great deal of time creating a mock album-layout for you. Its simply our ideas as to what will look good. Its a great start and usually speeds up the process. Of course, you are welcome to change it as much or as little as you like!

3. The DVD Collection
At the moment, the Box includes 2 DVDs. Firstly (and for a limited time only), we are including the actual files on DVD. This allows you to do your own reprints should you wish to. It also allows you to email photos to friends, put them on facebook – whatever you want! Secondly, we include a DVD slideshow of all your photographs to music. Many couples choose a few songs- often the first dance and a few songs that mean something special.

Conclusion
So there you go – you’ve been introduced to The Box! It’s lovely to get something into your hand when you get back from honeymoon. While you choose your album photographs, you’ll still have something worthwhile to show friends and family.

• Increased availability – get married more quickly by choosing a winter date, especially mid-week
• Hotel rates are sometimes cheaper – honeymoons may also be less expensive but you typically have to go further for sun.
• Photographs have a distinct winter feel – with crisp sunlight and beautiful reds and greens
• Getting holidays from work is often easier – especially if you are a teacher

I often get asked about the feasibility of winter weddings, so here’s a brief article on preparing for a winter wedding. With a little thought, winter weddings are absolutely great – indeed I got married on a cold January’s day myself!

1. Wrap up warm!
Many wedding dresses are strapless with short arms – not always so practical for a cold winters day. Brides – look for matching coats or wraps, men – ensure you hire a warm suit. You can always take a layer off should you become too warm!

One brides uses a small coat to good effect (Photo: Peter Thomas Photography, Oct 2008)

2.  Location Location Location
While a professional wedding photographer can make the most out of any location and still produce great results, here are a few ideas for your winter wedding. Often hotels with open fireplaces keep the guests happy and make ideal photograph locations. Between November and February there is a good chance the weather won’t be good, so think about the practicalities of indoor photographs. Is there somewhere for group photographs? Are there any unique features? If you’ve already booked your location don’t worry – a professional photographer can make alot out of very little!

3. Check out the Christmas Decorations
Hotels often put Christmas decorations up early – so be sure to ask what the hotel does for the festive season. I often use christmas decorations as seasonal backdrops for my pictures, but you may regard early november as too early for Christmas! If you are having a civil ceremony in the hotel, be sure to ask about decorations in the room.

4. Timing
After the clocks change in October, there is limited time to get your photographs taken outdoors. As a general rule of thumb, light starts to fade around 3.30pm. Having said that, you might be fortunate and have a nice, bright day. If  you want the majority of your photographs outdoors, its often best to schedule your wedding early. 12 noon is a popular time. In late February/March, you will have until about 4.30pm before the light fades. If an early wedding isn’t possible, don’t worry – your photographer can take a few photographs outdoors and leave the rest for inside. If your wedding is later, you might consider allowing your photographer to attend the ‘brides house’ before hand to get some outdoor photographs of the bride, bridesmaids and parents.

New Years Eve 2008 in Belfast City Centre (photo: Peter Thomas Photography)

5. A Cuppa Tea goes a long way
Your guests will feel the cold too – so why not provide a tea or coffee mid-afternoon. Hot punch can work well during the festive season.

6. Think about the bridal party
You will hopefully be pumped with joy and adrenaline – chances are you won’t feel the cold too much! But spare a thought for your bridal party. Ask your photographer if he/she can take the bridal party photographs first, allowing them to go inside quickly. Don’t have them standing around outside for long periods of time. Be especially aware of page-boys and flower girls. It is often a good idea to bring along normal coats which can be removed for the photographs.

Keeping the Bridal Party comfortable results in great photographs (photo: Peter Thomas Photography, Feb 2009)

7. And finally…
Have a great time!! If I’m your photographer, please feel free to call with any questions or comments. If anyone reading this has other ideas or suggestions, just let me know!

Fabio and Nicola

Fabio and Nicola from Belfast entered our competition at the Kings Hall Wedding Fayre. Little did they realise that they would win our Diamond Package! The prize includes a storybook album and 4 parent books.

I recently met up with Fabio & Nicola, and they were delighted with the prize! The wedding is in May 2010 at Castle Leslie.

Fabio and Nicola look through a storybook similar to the one they won.