Few weeks ago I met up with this gorgeous couple for their engagement shoot at Thornden Woods, in Canterbury really recommend this woodland area especially for dog walks and general exploring. I particularly love this location for engagement shoots. It was a very windy Sunday afternoon so we went for a walk and I basically documented it. It was a lot pf fun and something I always recommend my couples do before the big day ( engagement shoots are included in my full day package)

Holly & Jonny are actually a really cool couple and it was a lot of fun spending time with them and with their wedding next month it was good to go through the timings of the day and find out all the details of what they have planned and organised so far. During the shoot we had a couple of very muddy dogs take a liking to us hence the picture of random dogs we was going with the vibe of look at us with our dogs haha.

We finished the shoot of with them following me to Casa Mia an amazing pizza place in Herne bay! I am actually really hungry typing this thinking of the place!

Cannot wait for their big day in April and one of my favourite venues The Gardens, Yalding Kent.

Sharah & Sam got married on valentines day, the most romantic day of the year at an equally romantic venue, Cooling Castle Barn, Kent.

I met Sharah and Sam 2 years ago when they booked me (top tip book in advance to guarantee your date) they booked a joint package with myself and Andy Bird Videography and instantly I knew they were my kinda couple, we met up a year later for an engagement shoot amongst the bluebells one of my favourite engagement shoots. Sharah & Sam were an amazing couple, utterly gorgeous inside and out and were very happy to go with my creative way of thinking. Sharah’s wedding dress reflected her so well and Sam’s suit equally matched his personality. Sharah wore a pair of Jimmy Choos, which had she of been a size 4 I would of accidentally taken home with me haha! Everything from this wedding had been thought of, styling right through to entertainment!

I am in love with this wedding - can you believe it was in February it was so warm! With perfect light makes me very happy :0) I hope you enjoy the image. If you would like someone like me to capture your day then please get in touch!

Love Carla x

Suppliers list are:

Venue - Cooling Castle Barn

Photographer - Carla Guest Photography

Dress/ veil - Justin Alexander / Bridal perfection

Make Up - Juliette Make up and hair

Florist/ room decor - Danny watchorn designer florist

Bouquet DIY (bride handmade)

Music/live band - Groovezoo

Videographer - Andy Bird

Suits - Marc Darcy

Bridesmaid dresses - Goddiva Fashion

Cake - Vicky at Victoria sponge

Photo Booth & Magician - Juiced Entertainments 

Hair DjL studios 

Over Christmas I was fortunate to document two weddings at Winters Barn. Liz & Tim’s wedding being the last wedding of 2018. Full of Christmas sparkle and joy the whole day was simply a big ball of fun! I love this couple and Liz has been basically my rock before and after her wedding day, she has become what feels like - correction a good friend and I plan to have her and Tim permanently in my life!

The day was a typical crisp winter wedding but to make it even more awesome Liz & Tim had reindeers at their wedding, I never realised how big they was and trust me the saying never work with children and animals applied heavily here these reindeers did not want to have their picture taken unless moss was involved but fortunately I got some super cute shots!

We spent the whole day laughing, full of innuendo’s and I even sung rocky horror show to my gorgeous couple… thats just how I roll. My voice however questionable.

This is the only wedding where I received a gift during speeches which I won’t lie made me well up massively got a big old bottle of gin - yum and some stressticles!

Liz you looked absolutely stunning and definitely a gaga lookalike and Tim worked that top hat and epic beard! Love you guys and I hope you like your sneak peek.

Carla x

Hair and Make up by Occasional and Make up by Marina

Venue Winters Barn

Dj Harry Kilb

Crisp, sunny winters day set the tone for Mike & Zoe’s wedding. The light was glorious. The venue was at winters barn in Kent as always did not disappoint and the added sparkle of Christmas decorations in tow made it eye candy for me! I loved hanging out with Mike and Zoe which really felt like friends hanging out having a laugh at their wedding. We had mulled wine, gingerbread men, all the gorgeous Christmas touches which really made their wedding stunning and I LOVE Christmas so for me it was a really beautiful setup. Zoe looked absolutely stunning and her veil and dress had a real Spanish feel to it, in the morning I ask the question will Mike cry? She was adamant he wouldn’t and I even offered my services of giving him a thud so he would shed a tear but it was not needed as he definitely welled up although… who wouldn’t right??

We basically spent the day laughing and along the way got some artistic, natural photographs of them both who are clearly very much in love and if I recall rightly they have been together for 10 years if not more?!! To top the day off Mike & Zoe became Mr & Mrs Love how cool is that!!

I wish you all the best and look forward to walking the dogs together!!

Carla x

Zoe’s wedding dress was from http://www.withlovebridals.com

Mike’s suit was from Red Herring https://www.debenhams.com/women/red-herring

Flowers and decor by Louise at confetti connections

Cake by Billie from sweet darling cakes

Make up by Lauren Elle Bridal Make up

Hair by Lisa from Perfect wedding Hair

The Ceremony, Wandsworth Town Hall

Catherine and Tom got married at Wandsworth town hall which I was completely blown away by, the Art Deco and marble interior was simply stunning and very elegant. We all caught the bus and drank prosecco and had some yummy gummy sweets.

The Wedding Reception - Balham Bowls

The wedding reception was held at Balham bowls club one of my favourite venues at the moment - really rustic, vintage eclectic decor with a strong music vibe. Catherine looked absolutely stunning in her dress!! It was definitely made for her! First dance was pretty cool as well, dancing to backstreet boys - 'everybody' performed by their live band! Got everyone moving.

Enjoy the photos and if you fancy having someone like me documenting your day then absolutely get in touch!!

Emma and Jack booked me last year just before Christmas - fortunately I was available and  especially after Emma told me about her wedding I was really excited and pleased I was free for her day! Emma use to be my daughters school teacher when she lived in Kent. Emma's friend who also taught my daughter recommended me to Emma, I am so glad she did! The wedding was pretty cool arriving in style on a vintage green bus, whilst the groom arrived in style on a red double decker bus. We had prosecco, amazing old school tunes which filled the bus with laughter and cheer as we attempted to sing in tune ha! Heres what Emma and Jack have to say about their awesome day!!

How did you both meet? We met at a party hosted by Chris, Jack's brother and one of my best friends. Our paths had never crossed until then.

Jack can you tell me how you proposed to Emma? Emma has always said that she never wanted to be proposed to as she felt that it was important for a couple to decide together whether they were ready to get married or not, not just the man. So we both woke up one Saturday morning and decided that it was something we wanted to do, then we went from there. Not particularly romantic, but suited us both perfectly.

What made you guys choose your wedding venue? We chose Asia House in the heart of Westminster as it is in the heart of our favourite city and Emma's birthplace. We loved the idea of getting married in the centre of London and then giving our family and friends a little tour of our favourite landmarks (whilst drinking bubbly) on some vintage London buses. For the reception we chose The Balham Bowls Club in Balham, just up the road from Emma's parents home in Clapham. It is a really laid back, quirky venue where the staff were so friendly, flexible and helpful. We wanted our wedding to be relaxed and fun for everyone above anything else and we felt that The Balham Bowls Club ticked all of the boxes for us.

What was your inspiration behind your wedding theme? We had quite a mish-mash of themes. We wanted to include some of our favourite things but in a way that meant the wedding was enjoyable for all of our family and friends. Music is very important to us and we carefully selected music from a range of decades (with the help of our friend Jan) which provoked a feeling of nostalgia. We decorated the room at The Balham Bowls Club with plenty of candles, but for us, the room really had it's own unique character which we didn't want to change.

Our seating plan was a 1939 version of the London Underground map which was a nod to our beloved London, as well as the buses. The tables were named after some of our favourite bands and singers so we used our 45'' records of the artists to mark the tables. The menus were printed on the back of Ladybird book front cover post cards, which we carefully matched to our guests, to much delight (and dismay!). Gin bottles acted as vases for the flowers and the favours were a mixed cd which included some of the tunes played at the wedding.

So all in all, a real eclectic mix! 

What was your first song and why? Our first song was a medley. We started off with a slow dance to La Mer by Charles Trenet as we really love it. Then it cut into The Twist by Chubby Checker (a nod to the sixties). At this point the best men/women and bridesmaids came on and joined in the routine. The medley included:

Misirlou by Dick Dale ( a great tune, a great dance move)

Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush (Emma's favourite song of all time)

Riverdance ( a nod to our Irish family)

Twist and Shout by The Beatles (one of Jack's favourites)

If you could give any couples getting married one tip what would it be? Don't worry or stress about the little things-they really, really don't matter. Above all, enjoy every minute!

Wedding Suppliers

Photographer: Carla Guest Photography

Hair stylist: Lipstick and Curls, Goshka Topolska

Website: www.lipstickandcurls.net

Make up artist: Lipstick and Curls, Goshka Topolska

Website: www.lipstickandcurls.net

Brides Dress: Candy Anthony

Website: candyanthony.com

Bridesmaids dresses: Coast

Website: www.coast-stores.com

Brides Shoes: Vivienne Westwood and Melissa

Website: www.nonnon.co.uk

Grooms Shoes: Marks and Spencer

Website: www.marksandspencer.com

Suits: Burtons

Website: www.burton.co.uk

Florist and Venue Decoration: The Flower Sanctuary Balham (plus a bit a DIY!)

Website: www.flowersanctuary.co.uk

Cake: June Bridges (Jack's nan)

Band/DJ: Imagine the Beatles

Website: www.imaginethebeatles.co.uk

Car/Transport Hirer: The London Bus Company

Website: www.thelondonbuscompany.co.uk

Wedding Venue: Asia House followed by The Balham Bowls Club

Website: asiahouse.org      balhambowlsclub.com

This gorgeous couple got married in October at the wonderful venue Etchington Golf Club. We had lots of fun and was able to go off on a little adventure in the golf buggy. Maureen even had a little go at driving which was a little scary as she liked to drive fast over every bump! I was holding on for dear life! Maureen and James love to star gaze so their theme was based around the stars and moon. So I bought some smoke grenades - blue and purple to match their theme and we totally rocked the bride and groom portraits! The sun even came out briefly, but come rain or shine I always make sure we get some lovely candid beautiful moments and the scenery was stunning complimenting the shots. Congratulations guys!

Sally and Julian had what I call the most intimate weddings I have ever documented I have photographed many weddings in Kent but this one for me nailed it. We started off at The Marine Hotel, whitstable, Kent for bridal prep, Sally had her best friend do her hair, make up and even did her gorgeous bouquet. Even thought here was only two people getting ready at the hotel it did not stop the laughter and giggles. Sally was so excited and you could really see it, her eyes lit up and sparkled whenever she spoke about her wedding day. She had two pairs of shoes for the day, my kinda girl! Sparkly gold shoes right up my street! But to sill the deal she had these amazing irregular choice bride and groom shoes - epic!

Her lovely father was equally over the moon, he absolutely adored his daughter and treated her to an awesome wedding transport in the shape of a yellow VW camper van sporting black and white chequered flooring! We managed to get a few sneaky shots by Tankerton slopes before heading off to the tiniest church I have ever photographed a wedding at - it could only fit 50 guests if you are friendly (vicars words)plus their dog. So I spent most of the wedding shooting from the back with limited moving around but it actually worked out ok for me and managed to get some lovely shots of the gorgeous couple during the ceremony. We had a confetti shot which I love doing but this one was extra special as the vicar told the guest it was ok, they instantly thought they could throw straight away and launched the dry petals at Julian and Sally inside the church made everyone giggle and since handing over there USB & Box Sally and Julian both commented on who was the culprit that started the mass confetti launching was! We had lots of laughs and it was wonderful to hear them reminisce about their day after receiving their images. Reception was held at Sally & Julian's house with paella being cooked as we walked in! 

The day was lovely, full of intimate moments especially when we went off for some private shots down at hampton pier. Stunning couple full of colour and love. These two made me feel so warm and fuzzy I had such a buzz and feel very privileged to have been asked to capture their day.

Carla x

Connie and Reece had a super cool wedding, A festival vibe wedding if you will. Bell tents, muddy field, wellies, bunting, ducks and rain it was gorgeous. Even though we didn't have the weather on our side all week it did not dampen anyones spirits.

Connie had her dress made by her very talented father, on the day itself he was in his workshop sewing away making adjustments to the bridesmaid dresses he also created. Connie is a stunning woman naturally but in her wedding dress I was simply blown away by how striking she looked. 

The reception was held at her Dad's place and Connie spent a week away from Reece dressing and organising the marquee and field. You could see on the wedding day as she walked down the aisle both of them were so eager to see each other, Reece kept turning around as he waited for her to walked up the aisle and on meeting him Connie gave him the biggest smooch! The whole day was spent with giggles, love and lots of cuddles. Add some funky music and hilarious speeches and you have yourself a fab wedding.

I loved capturing their day and really did not want to leave. Congratulations guys and thank you so much for your lovely words, I am happy to help and chip in where I can at weddings so it was nice to feel appreciated. :0)

I had the lovely job of photographing these two love birds down on the beach on the the sunniest day and it was perfect. They brought along their little boy Luca and their gorgeous staffy Maisy. Luca was my assistant and he took some very cute pictures of his Mummy and Daddy. The tones in yesterdays session were simply gorgeous and I am a sucker for pinks and blues so it was my idea of stunning!!

I actually feel really honoured to be this couples wedding photographer. They are so excited about me capturing their special and I am too. It's lovely to see a couple who have been together for such a long time and still be completely smitten!!

Heres a few sneaky peeks from the shoot.