The last part of this blog post...read on!!

So we get through the posed shots ok, well about 80% of them and that’s not bad considering. I have to mention the last shot this is where I take a group shot of absolutely everybody at the venue. It’s at this point Aunty Mary realises that even she can’t take a snap if she is in the line up. So she sheepishly comes over to me with her tail between her legs (or rather camera between her legs) and asks “when you have taken your shot would you take one with my camera for me”. Well I say “yes sure, I would love to” - that makes my day! Well group shots done and Aunt Mary is now happily skipping off to the bar in the knowledge that she has that final group shot of absolutely everybody (well actually everybody’s feet).

Anyway it’s off to the reception to get the Studio set up. Its 2.30, now with no food since Mcds, but we have to get the studio set up. Dawn gets her table set up and we are all set for the evening. All the guests are called in for the wedding breakfast – it would make more sense to be called the wedding meal or dinner but because it’s the first meal as a married couple they call it the wedding breakfast. We go to the bar and order some coffee and a sandwich, out come our laptops to back up the images so far and to process a few to display on Dawn’s table.  With this done, we have a well earned half hour break - time to slip off those new shoes – ahhh bliss!

We go back to our table, now in a little adjoining room, so we can hear the proceedings. Coffee is just being served so Nick and I go in the dining room in readiness for the speech and cake cutting shots. I love doing the speech shots – I also record some video. The beauty of that is my Nikon SLR also does HD video. No one realises that I am recording video - they think I am just taking images, but when they see the video they are usually very pleasantly surprised. The speeches vary from wedding to wedding - I do find they can be very amusing. I think the most shocking yet funny opening line was by a best man earlier this year he started with,   “Good after noon ladies and gents, I have to say that I was worried that I was going to forget my lines today, but I have been to the bathroom and done them”, with this he snorted the back of his hand.  Well there was an awkward silence for a few seconds then thankfully a burst of laughter from the crowed. I threatened to use this line at my daughter’s wedding, but I don’t think I should - I think she would string me up - he was a brave man.

Again it’s back to our table to backup images once again. The only images to get in the bag are the bride and grooms first dance.  Nick continues shooting most of the night –guests, dancing, kids playing ect.  Meanwhile, Dawn and I start the studio. By this time Lisa, my daughter, has arrived to help Dawn with the printing. The first thing I have to do is get Lisa a huge mug of some fresh and very strong coffee - trust me you don’t want to work with Lisa if she hasn’t had her coffee fix - but that’s another story Bless her.

It’s a bit slow to start, but it soon gets going with a steady stream of customers viewing the images from the day and having their photos taken in our studio. It’s about 10.30 now and the guests are starting to get, well for want of a better description, a bit "happy", if you know what I mean!  We are all feeling the strain now, not to mention killing feet, back, legs, and all the other pains. So we decide to call it a day but all in all it’s been another very successful day for all.

For the bride and groom it’s nearly the end of a perfect day and the start of hopefully a wonderful honeymoon and life together.

For us it’s the end of yet another very enjoyable wedding and the start of another week’s worth of processing and preparing the package for the happy couples return.

Happy Days

By Paul Foster dpp

With thanks to all from Paul and the team:
-    My wife Dawn
-    My daughter Lisa
The Saturday boy, Nick of Warrick Photographics who we work in partnership with