Sussex Wedding Photographer: Featured in Wedding Ideas

Its not often i find my work featured in wedding magazines these days as i generally have clients who prefer to fly below the radar and, of course i am always happy to be discreet and follow their wishes.

Obviously it great to see your images in "print", especially when it is a very special wedding at a extra special venue, Ashdown Park Hotel in East Sussex.

I was approached to be the photographer for Eliska and Tim by my good friends Sue and Clive professional wedding planners who run Eleganza Weddings. They are always amazing to work with and over the years we have been involved in some superb weddings.

Anyway, Sue has just sent me a link to the on-line version of the article so i thought i would take the opportunity to share it here. to view the article, please click here.

My original blog post can be seen by clicking here.

You can view my wedding portfolio here and follow me on Twitter (@PeterPrior).

For further information about Eleganza Weddings please click here.

Sussex Wedding Photographer: Bows Hire

I just thought i would write a short piece about a wonderful company run by my good friends Toby and Gemma.

They own and run Bows Hire, THE wedding and events decoration specialists. Based in East Sussex the have over 2000 events experience to transform any venue into an artistic masterpiece.

Bows hire cater for any venue, from hotels and marquees to village halls and barns and have a showroom in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, where you can plan your dream styling.

I have had the privilege of covering countless weddings with Gemma and Toby and would recommend them without hesitation.

Here are a couple of images i took at a private masquerade ball we covered together with our friends at Super Event.





Their contact details are below and if you call them after reading this, please tell them about this blog.

Website www.bowshire.co.uk
Tel: 01424 870084

You can view my wedding portfolio here.

Sussex Weddings: Finishing Touches Bridal Makeup

I thought i would introduce you folks to probably the best Bridal Make up artist i have worked with in the South East. I first met Jenny when she was working on a wedding i shot almost 15 years ago and we have remained firm friends ever since. Her work speaks for itself (as you can see from this shot of one of my brides, Abigail) so i thought i would ask her to write a few words about her business for my blog.



Finishing Touches, The Bridal Make-up and Hair Design Specialists have been established in the East Sussex area for many years and to date has 1,000 weddings under their belts.

Jenny and her team are completely freelance and offer the very best bespoke service for beautiful Bridal Makeup and Stunning Hair Designs, fitting for any style of wedding.

Makeup and hair for the bride is a must on her wedding day, this is the most photographed day of her life and probably the most emotional, one moment she could be tearful the next laughing and relaxed.

Your makeup should get you right through the day and also look perfect for the evening, having a Professional Trained Makeup Artist to apply your makeup with good quality products that will enhance you naturally is crucial, this will give your skin a flawless but radiant look covering any slight imperfections you may have.

The Eyes have it ! using colours that brighten and enhance your own eye colour this will create a lovely natural look or for the full on Smokie affect using smouldering darker shades which are so popular right now, you the bride has the choice, we can create any look you desire and make you feel confident and happy to be seen and admired by all that see you on your wedding day.

Please feel free to contact Jenny to ask any questions without obligation, she will be happy to help.

info@ftweddingmakeup.co.uk
www.ftweddingmakeup.co.uk

01323 725483/ 07813 327 356

Sussex Wedding Photography: Who's That Guy?

You can view my wedding portfolio here.

Sussex Wedding Photography: Where You Can Meet Peter

Although we are only in July plans are well underway for 2012 and beyond.

For next year we will be introducing some new, exciting and exclusive products for our clients, taking our wedding photography and client experience to an even higher level.

Our door is always open for clients to come and meet us and experience our stunning albums in the flesh, but sometimes it is more convenient for couples to see us at some of the wonderful wedding venues that have supported us. We enjoy working closely with carefully selected venues and suppliers and we are attending a handful of wedding open days in the next few months.

This will be a terrific opportunity to view, touch and hold our wonderful albums and talk about your plans in a relaxed atmosphere.

Here are the dates for 2011.

Thursday 4th August (6pm-9pm) Wiston House

Sunday 4th September (10am-6pm) Ashdown Park Hotel

Sunday 25th September (12-4pm) Broyle Place

Sunday 16th October (11am-3.30pm) Wiston House

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 01323 486837.

You can view my wedding portfolio here.

Sussex Weddings: Whyte Weddings Bridal Boutique Grand Opening this Saturday

I have just got off the phone from my good friends at Whyte Weddings Bridal Boutique who have been telling me about the very exciting news regarding their new shop in Eastbourne. They are located at 4&5 Station Parade, right by Eastbourne Railway Station.

They are holding a very special Open Evening this Saturday 9th July where there will be champagne and refreshments. They will also be offering an amazing 20% off to any bride who purchases a dress from them on the night.

The celebrations run from 5pm to 9pm and Theresa, Jodie and their team are really excited about welcoming clients in to their stunning new Bridal Boutique.

I popped into the boutique this morning and have to say that it is a stunning place for any bride to browse for her wedding dress.

I will be around to photograph the evening and will be happy to answer any questions that you may have about your wedding photography.

To find out more give Whyte Weddings a call on 01323 646468 or 01903 237627.

Sussex Weddings: Nigel Harper's Wedding Films

I have had the privilege to work with my very good friend and extremely talented wedding film maker and photographer Nigel Harper on a couple of occasions of late.

Nigel's artistic eye is second to none and combined with his professionalism and personality his skills are always in high demand.

I thought i would share a couple of images i captured of Nige in action at a recent wedding at Amberley Castle as we worked together on a new, exciting venture. Keep reading here for details as they become available.



Nigel has no fear! Captured shooting a knight of the realm!

Grand Hotel Wedding Photographer: Sussex Weddings: Claire and Ben at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne

A couple of weeks ago i covered the stunning wedding of Claire and Ben at one of my all time favourite wedding venues, the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne.

Rightly so, the Grand is the highest rated coastal Five Star Hotel in Britain.



Once again the amazing weather followed us and offered up the perfect seaside weather.

Claire and Ben were married in the beautiful Princes' Room, which always reminds me of a mini Versailles with its chandeliers and detailing.



Following a short drive for some private time, the couple returned to a wall of confetti and followed this with drinks on the putting lawn, the perfect private sun trap!



The brief was for mostly documentary style images but i was given a few minutes to capture some special images of the couple together within the interior of the hotel.

The wedding breakfast was held in the breath taking Compton Room and following opening speeches from Claire's father and Ben, dinner was served. A double act from the Best men concluded the formalities before the dancing commenced.



It was great once again to work with my good friend and toastmaster Stephen Hall who as ever ensured, along with the hotels' fabulous staff, that the day ran smoothly.

And once again it was lovely to see the "art" that is the work of the amazing Joanne of Elegant Stationery.

Here are some more favourite images of the day, all taken on my Nikon D3s.













You can view my wedding galleries here.

Sussex Weddings: New Contact Details

Just a quick heads up to let you know that we will be back open for business from tomorrow, Monday 9th May as anticipated.

BT and Gavin of 24 Box did us proud and got us all up and running on time: thanks guys. There is still quite a bit of unpacking and organising to do but i think we are 80% there after 4 days of hard work.

We are looking forward to getting back to work, speaking to old, current and new clients, suppliers and allied businesses.


Our new contacts details are:

PETER PRIOR PHOTOGRAPHY
271 EASTBOURNE ROAD, POLEGATE, EAST SUSSEX. BN26 5DL.

TEL: 01323 486837 or 0844 4142474

Email: info@peterprior.com

Websites: www.peterprior.com and www.artvisage.co.uk

You can view my wedding galleries here.

Royal Wedding: The First Video of Kate Middleton Walking Down the Aisle.

I has the privileged to work with my very good friend Barry Weare of BW Video Films at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne on Sunday.

During the meal we got talking and he mentioned that he had been approached by a national newspaper who wanted permission to use a film he had shot of a wedding where Kate and Pippa Middleton were bridesmaids, a number of years ago.

To read more please click here.

Sussex Weddings: Katie Cakes

In the latest article about some of my recommended wedding suppliers i caught up with Tania of Katie Cakes and asked her about her wedding cake business.

Katiecakes has been in business for nearly 2 years. I started because of our daughter Katie’s outrageous birthday cakes – other parents started asking, and it has grown by word of mouth.

I love making bespoke cakes. I’m friendly, professional and unflappable. I listen carefully to what people want, and advise them well, it’s a fun process. I really enjoy designing and making all styles – natural or technical, simply stated or detailed, they are all personal.

The cake itself is all home made with great recipes, free range eggs, and the best quality ingredients. I have refined the recipes – I always have plenty of volunteers for testing them. The best selling wedding cake flavours at the moment are lemon drizzle, carrot cake and chocolate fudge cake. My new favourite is apple and cinnamon cake, I will be introducing it to customers soon.



Disclaimer: images supplied by Katie Cakes.

Sussex Weddings: Kardelicious

Lisa of Kardelicious is another top notch wedding supplier that i have had the pleasure to work with on numerous occasions the past couple of years.
I love her work and her by-line "Deliciously gorgeous designer bespoke stationery"



I had a quick chat with her for my latest blog article.

How did you start out in the wedding business?

I have always loved making cards for family and friends bust mostly for fun! About 4years ago a work colleague asked me to make her daughter’s wedding stationery and I jumped at the chance. After talking to the Bride about her wedding day and the details of the wedding, I made some samples taking into consideration her colour scheme, style and personality and she was delighted with all of them and found it difficult to choose one style! She received favourable comments from lots of her guests which also helped create a few new clients for me. As they say, the rest is history!

How would you describe Kardelicious?

Kardelicious stationery is totally bespoke and handmade. I find inspiration in dress designs, fabric patterns, jewellery, shoes and handbags – but most importantly, even the most simple of design must be elegant and beautifully made.
All my stationery is handmade using beautiful heavy weight card in various colours and finishes – the clients like to have a wide range of choice and I like to offer it. I use only the best quality of everything – from my silk ribbon, to diamante embellishments and card.

Clients love to have an input into the design which is why the relationship we have is essential – lots of clients have become friends and I now see them socially.

Why do you love the wedding business?

I love meeting new people. I quite often meet Mum and Mum-in-Law too – they come on mass to my studio and have a cup of tea! Soon-to-be-married couples are so happy and eager to get married and to be together – it’s lovely to feel a part of their wedding. I have such wonderful clients and feel proud and honoured to help them create an element of their day which they will remember for ever.

I hope to be designing stationery for many years to come!

Lisa Bibby-Larsen
Kardelicious
01323 893941 – 07957 871065

Sussex Weddings: Elegant Stationery

As a wedding photography shooting all around the country, i get to see first hand the work of all types of wedding suppliers.I also get to meet many folks close up and see how they really operate and how they are as real people.

Over the years this has enabled me to build up a great network of allied wedding traders who i am happy to recommend to my clients
without hesitation due to the quality of their work and customer service.

I am running a serious of features on my Blog about this wonderful group of people and the latest one i am want to feature is the very lovely and extremely talented Joanne of Elegant Stationary.

I caught up with her for a brief chat.

1: How did you get into being a high end wedding stationer?

I have always been creative, I studied Art and worked as a window dresser for a high end store for a few years too. My friend was getting married a few years ago and mentioned how expensive wedding stationery was; I just made a comment that I could do better; so she set me a task ! At that wedding alone I was offered two more bookings. One of them was for Roof Gardens in Kensington and then they called me and asked if I could supply their venue stationery on an on-going basis. So I made a decision to work full time making stationery...and I have never looked back...and Roof Gardens is still a client of mine.

2: What would you say makes your work stand out or is your unique selling point?

Firstly we are a small company, not a large corporate so attention to detail and overall service is very important. We work 7 days a week and long days, so our clients can contact us at anytime through email, phone or facebook and we will respond! Clients are treated as individuals and every wedding or function, no matter how small or large is treated with the same high service.
We work on a bespoke basis, so can create something each client wants, perhaps to flow a theme and a colour scheme throughout. We do not "pigeon hole" stationery into ranges....we make stationery to match each clients requirements and desires and listen to any ideas they already have. Also clients do not need to order a full stationery package, if they just want place cards and a seating plan..that is no problem whatsoever.We spend hours and hours searching the best quality materials (and have wasted loads of money in the process!!). We try to buy as much from the UK as we can, but also import from Italy, Canada and USA. We also have a full showroom near Haywards Heath, West Sussex which enables clients to book an appointment and come and see stationery and all the accessories (we do evening and weekend appointments).
There they can lots of ideas and hopefully inspire them too. They can feel the materials and also have my full attention so we can have a really good chat !

Being bespoke we can also work to budgets without compromising on quality.

3: Are you happy to take on board a client's ideas to produce something unique and individual to their wedding?

Of course we are...the joy of bespoke stationery !:

What areas do you cover?

We cover everywhere as stationery pieces can be made up, photographed and scanned through if necessary.
However, most of our clients are from West Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and London.

To view Joanne's website please click here.

Sussex Weddings: Leo Ferenc of Perfect Day Studios REVISITED

Stephen Hall: Toastmaster

Booking a Toastmaster is often something a couple overlook. However, if you get a good one, it could be the best investment you will make.

Stephen Hall is an excellent Toastmaster and a past President of the Guild of London Toastmasters. I have been fortunate to work with him over many years and we have probably covered in excess of 40 weddings together withouot a hitch.



Stephen is always calm, professional and a delight to work with. His manner really takes the pressure off the couples, venue and of course the photographer!

I caught up with him at a recent wedding and with this article in mind i asked him how he got started.


I fell into toastmastering by mistake after a chance conversation with a bride to be’s mother in 1989. Then i went on a course with the London Guild of Toastmasters and then worked at Ashdown Park at the opening wedding in March 1994

I went on to ask what areas of the country he works in and has he been booked by anyone famous.

I have worked all over the country (Middlesborough to Exeter) and the usual saying for a toastmaster is ‘have gavel will travel’. I have also worked with many household names most recently HRH The Princess Royal, Brian Blessed, Andrew Marr, Rich Hall to name but a few.

Stephen in action at Ashdown Park Hotel, East Sussex



How do you find the profession after all these years?

I still enjoying weddings after probably 1500 since starting work. Everyone is different and everyone is enjoyable.

To discover more about Stephen, please click here to view his website.

Sussex Weddings: I got a mention on BW Video Films Blog

Last year i was privileged to cover the wedding of Sam and Rebecca at the stunning Ashdown Park Hotel in East Sussex.

At the time i was asked to recommend a few videographers for their wedding and after they checked out my list of quality names, they opted to go with Barry Weare who runs BW Video Films.

I have known Barry for a number of years and he produces top quality wedding DVDs in an professional and totally unassuming manner.

I know that the family were extremely pleased with the collection of images i produced and were equally over the moon with Barry's "film" of the day.

He just brought my attention to his blog where he has given yours truly a mention. Thanks Barry.

Sussex Weddings:The Eastbourne Wedding Fair Images

I have just returned from a wedding up in Bakewell, near Buxton in Derbyshire but thought i would share a few images captured on my compact camera at last weekend's Eastbourne Wedding Fair.

I was fortunate to be positioned close to a number of friends and allied businesses which made for a lot of lighthearted banter.

My stand.





With Leo Ferenc.



Perfect Day Studios





Toby from Bows Hire



Mark from Crafting Gold



Paul Smith's stand (Toastmaster)



Whyte Weddings' stand



Brufords




Carina and Gabi from the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne



Chris Mann, wedding film maker



Deans Place Hotel



Michael from Your Sussex Wedding Magazine



The Star Hotel, Alfriston

Wedding Fair in Sussex: Wedding Workshop at the Yacht Club in Eastboune

Just a quick heads up to say that i will be exhibiting at the Yacht Club at the Eastbourne's Sovereign Harbour on Sunday 16th January.

This is the first fair of 2011 being held in association with my colleagues at the Wedding Workshop, a small group of allied wedding businesses based in Sussex.

The doors open at 11 and close at 4pm. Entry is free and there is plenty of free parking outside.

It would be great to see you all there!

Click here for a local map.

Happy New Year! Wedding Fairs 2011

First of all i would like to wish my friends, clients and colleagues a very Happy New Year! Let's hope 2011 is a great one and much better than 2010.

Just a quick heads up to let you know that we are going to be exhibiting at a number of local wedding fairs over the next few weeks. As a change of tact we are trying to get to see as many South East wedding couples as possible so we have agreed to attend 6 fairs before the middle of March. Details of our February and March fairs will follow once they are formally confirmed with the venues.

This is a great opportunity for couples to come and meet me and see all of my latest albums in flesh on a weekend, whilst be able to get inspiration for your wedding.

Here are the dates and venues and please feel free to email me on info@peterprior.com or call 01323 740741 for more details.

Sat 8th and Sun 9th January: The Eastbourne Wedding Fair at the Eastbourne Winter Gardens

Sun 16th January: Wedding Workshop Fair at the Yacht Club at the Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne

Sun 23rd January: Powdermills Hotel Wedding Fair near Battle

If you would like to make a personal appointment to come and see me here instead, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Paul Smith: Toastmaster

An often overlooked option for your wedding day is a Toastmaster. I only recommend a couple of toastmasters that I've worked extensively with over the years, but a good one is worth their weight in gold.



Paul Smith is not your usual image of the traditional stuffy toastmaster. In fact he is far from it. A qualified member of the Guild of London Toastmasters, Paul has a supreme blend of professionalism, humour and being a genuine human being.

His relaxed outward demeanour, disguises an unparalleled eye for detail, meaning that he takes all the pressure off of you, your venue and even your photographer.

I love working with Paul and the "behind the scenes" banter really adds to any wedding.

To find out more please visit Paul's website.