Hayley and James chose the beautiful Stubton Hall right here in Newark for their perfect wedding day.

As you can see, Hayley looked stunning and she’d put so much effort into all the decor that the whole day felt glamorous and sensational. James had a real air of 007 about him, and of course no Bond would be complete without his Aston Martin, so an Aston Martin duly appeared! He also presented one of his groomsman with a live fish as a “thank you” present: the most unique present I have ever seen given on a wedding day.

It was a day filled with fun and laughter too and the guests all seemed to have a fantastic time. Click here or on the photo below to see a sneaky peek of this gorgeous wedding.

Katrina and Kevin had the most stunning wedding day at one of my favourite venues, Harlaxton Hall. The Hall served as the perfect backdrop to this beautiful day. Katrina not only made a stunning bride, as you can see, she also put so much talent and time into designing everything from the seating plan to the cake, which was totally unique and utter beautiful!

The couple had also put so much into making sure the day was full of fun and laughter, from the mock trial during the speeches (Kevin was found guilty of crimes against fashion by a jury of bridesmaids – I’ve seen the photos and this is a fair cop) to the bongo player and glo-sticks, bringing a taste of Ibiza to this Lincolnshire venue.

As if this weren’t enough we were treated to beautiful sunshine and a fabulous sunset. What more could a wedding photographer ask for? It was picture perfect.

I’m really looking forward to sharing their gorgeous collection of wedding photographs with them but, in the meantime, you can find a sneaky peak  by clicking on the photograph below.

As you know, I’m now using Facebook to post pics of my most recent weddings and my blog is feeling a little unloved! So I’m taking a little time today to update things here as I can tell you a little bit more about the gorgeous couples that grace my home on Facebook. Be sure to check it out here.

So let me tell you a little bit about the wonderful wedding I shot at the end of last year, with the gorgeous Sarah and Wayne. They chose Stoke Rochford Hall in Lincolnshire for a really elegant, romantic winter wedding. Stoke Rochford Hall provides the perfect setting for Christmas weddings, with lots of roaring fires and the stunning entrance hall in warm dark wood.

Sarah looked a vision of glamour in her gorgeous antique lace wedding dress, complimented by beautiful vintage inspired hair and make-up. Wayne didn’t let her down either! Looking incredibly handsome in full morning dress.

We weren’t sure what the weather would bring but the sun came out on cue during the ceremony giving us the chance to take some beautiful photographs by the bridge in the grounds of the Hall. That meant taking their group photographs inside, after the meal. The Hall gave us a gorgeous background to these, creating a real “Downtown Abbey” feel!

An elegant day was followed by a really fun evening, with everyone up and dancing. Wayne and Sarah allowed us to spirit them away for a few minutes for some evening photography, allowing us to create some stunning, dramatic and romantic portraits.

I was joined by my usual partner in crime, Paul Saxby, and the other element that made this day so special for us was that it was our first “fusion” wedding.  Sarah and Wayne were presented with a gorgeous DVD of their day incorporating stills and video, all set to their favourite songs and the words of their speeches. The result was incredibly emotional, I think I may have seen a few tears from Wayne!

S

xx

I’ve been cheating on my blog… with Facebook. Facebook allows me to post news, offers and photographs so quickly and easily and it also allows me to hear back from you, so it’s rather taken over the time I should spend blogging.  If you’re interested in all things weddingy, then do join me over there: www.facebook.com/SamanthaHookPhoto

In the meantime, here’s the very lovely Olly and Jen. You can check out their beautiful wedding at Swancar Farm, Derby, just by clicking on the photograph.

S xx

Shalena and John’s day was so much fun to shoot! Their wedding ceremony at South Muskham church was so personal and moving that I had to stifle a bit of a tear myself (I’m soft like that!) Shalena and John just looked so happy!

Shalena looked so gorgeous and glamorous I couldn’t wait to get her and her new hubby in front of the camera. They had a whole team of bridesmaids and groomsmen who were up for some creative photography too, so I just knew we were going to create something special.  Everyone was so brilliant, even following me into the woods to get some added drama into the photographs.  Luckily it was all worth it as Shalena sent me the most lovely email once she received the photographs:

Sam the pictures are amazing!!!! You are so talented! Thank you so so much for capturing our special day! We were both so overwhelmed looking through them all last night!! We will be recommending you to everyone we know! I knew they would be amazing but they took my breath away!

There really is nothing nicer than knowing you’ve played a small part in helping a really lovely couple remember the best day of their lives! I have the best job!

Thanks to Shalena, John and their guests creating such a great atmosphere and being such great sports, we were able to create a fun and unique collection of wedding reportage and contemporary portrait photographs.

It helped too that the venue looked so gorgeous, Kelham House has been totally transformed into a real gem of a wedding venue with a beautiful new banqueting room and stunning grounds. However, my favourite touch was this wonderful sweetie trolley which I was surprised to discover was  made by our groom. Wow, eh? What an amazing job he did.

As ever, I’ll be posting these and a few more on Facebook so do tag yourself in any you appear in!

Finally a big thanks to Mr Matt Reid who joined me on the day, helping it all to go swimmingly and taking some gorgeous shots, as always.

S

xoxo

Claire and Ryan are a fun and gorgeous couple who chose to get married right here in Stoke Rochford.

Stoke Rochford is such a beautiful village and boasts not only the stunning Hall but also a beautiful church with the wonderful Vicar, Eric, who performed a perfect, personal ceremony for the couple.

From the moment I arrived at the Hall to meet Claire and her party in the morning, I knew it was going to be a great day, full of fun and laughter and lots to photograph! Claire and Ryan both looked great and their guests were so welcoming and fun, it wasn’t difficult to get some really great shots.

Here’s a little taster of this great day. As ever, you’ll find the whole collection on the Clients’ pages and, if you were part of this beautiful wedding, don’t forget to tag yourself on Facebook!

Hello there!

Well, looks like that was our Summer then! Seems like it’s disappeared all too quickly but what a brilliant summer it’s been for weddings.

I’ve worked with some wonderful, gorgeous, creative, fun and funny couples and have loved every single one of them. The only problem with so many fabulous weddings to photograph has been keeping up with the blog!

There are still some wonderful weddings to photograph this year but over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing with you some of my favourites from this year.

Heather and Daniel’s beautiful day at Sutton Bonnington Hall seems like a great place to start!

Heather and Daniel are such a great couple, full of fun and laughter, so I knew their wedding day would be a really relaxed, happy day.

Their church ceremony in Castle Donnington was so moving and personal and made the perfect start to the day. Heather looked simply stunning: she couldn’t have chosen a dress that suited her better and it’s classic elegance was topped off by a stunning cathedral length veil.

The reception then kicked off in the wonderful surroundings of Sutton Bonnington Hall. Not only was this a picture perfect location, the team at the Hall could not have been more friendly or more attentive and the food was delicious!

Daniel is the first groom I’ve met that has actually serenaded his bride during the first dance, good lad! And with that, the evening really got going.

So the whole day was a dream to photograph, but what made it even more special for me was the fact that Heather and Dan were happy to spend a little time with me and explore the grounds a little, to create some really special images.

Here’s a taster of their magical day:

As ever, you can see more on Facebook or check out the whole collection on the Client Pages

Talking of Facebook, I promised a special offer this month just for my lovely FB friends – well keep ‘em peeled as I’ll be posting details of how to get a beautiful hand-made and most of all free canvas!

S

xoxox

Well it’s been a great week – lots of bookings coming in for next year now, so if you’re thinking about photography for a your 2013 wedding, get in touch soon!

It was also great to catch up with Lindsay and Jonathan to relive their beautiful Tutbury Castle wedding. Tutbury is a picture-postcard perfect village complete with its own Norman castle. Lindsay and Jonathan were married in the village church before begnning a fun-filled reception up at the castle. Their formalities were completed with a historical hand-fasting, just to make absolutely sure their day was one to remember, which was followed by one of the most impressive wedding discos I’ve ever seen.

When it came to photographing the couple, I was so inspired by the drama of the castle ruins. This was matched by some pretty windy but sunny weather and big skies full of clouds, making me come over all Wuthering Heights! Lindsay and Jonathan looked so amazing together (I do like a man in a kilt me) and were happy to spend a little time with me in the evening, allowing us to create some magic together.

You can view their whole collection in the Client Galleries and, as ever, there is lots to see on Facebook, including a slideshow.

See you soon,

Sx

Hello!

Well I’ve got so carried away with Facebook I’d rather forgotten all about my home here! And I’ve actually got quite a lot to shout about. To keep totally up-to-date, please head on over to my home on facebook, just search for Samantha Hook Photography and you’ll find me! There you’ll be able to keep up-to-date with all my recent weddings as well as any offers or competitions – and there’s about to be a biggy, so keep ‘em peeled!

In the meantime, you may notice there have been a few changes around here. That’s because I’m very happy to announce that I’ve just launched the sparkly new BoHo Studios with Paul Saxby. After lots of hard work we now have a gorgeous, big studio in Stoke Rochford where we are busy providing something a bit different in portraits and commercial photography. So do pop over to our website and take a look!

That’s allowed me to concentrate on nothing by wedding photography here so expect a whole new focus on weddings and wedding related stuff (mainly shoes, probably!)

Sam

xoxo

I wanted to share with you some gorgeous work but the wonderfully talented Kathy Johnson at All Bunched Up

Kathy recently produced some beautiful work for the Belton Woods Open Evening, showcasing their beautiful Hawthorn Suite and her inspired table centres, flowers, chair covers and ties, table-plans, sweet tables and decor.

We were lucky enough to have Kathy design the decor for our wedding celebration at Belton Woods and were blown away by how well she understood our theme and how much creativity she worked with; creating the perfect atmosphere through flowers, table centres, lighting and unique decorative touches.

Kathy’s also worked with many of my couples in the past, producing some of the most beautiful bouquets I’ve seen. She’s now a favoured supplier at many local venues and is helping to create some of the most stylish weddings around