Saturday will see me at my second wedding of the year followed by my third wedding of the year a week later...

It's going to be a busy year but over the quiet season I've had time to make sure I have some fabulous new ways to present great photos to the brides and grooms of the north, so whether you're getting married in St Andrews like these photos


Or you're having some gorgeous family photos like this photo

I'm pretty sure I've brushed up on my knowledge to make them look their absolute best. Now I'm not a huge fan of photoshop and I don't like to see people looking plastic, I reserve pretty much all of my processing for Lightroom which helps me achieve these looks but doesn't actually alter the appearance of anything or anyone. I think one more characteristic of my photography that clients will see this year is that of atmosphere so add that to my already famous emotion and happiness and we're looking at a pretty great year for all the clients of Mandy Charlton Designs

Ok, time for a small list, if you're getting married at any of the following places then please consider me for your wedding photography -

1. Edinburgh Zoo (if I say it enough it's bound to happen, right?!)
2. Longleat Safari Park (not sure if you can get married there but it would be cool)
3. Somewhere completely different to the norm - The London Aquarium maybe???
   
4. An Ancient castle, think somewhere like Urquart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness and Wow.
5. York Minster, yes I'm aiming big but it pays to be ambitious!!

So if you're getting married anywhere unusual then do give me a call and see if I can provide you with all your wedding photography needs and if you book the top 2 packages travel is inclusive.

Ooh and i must just mention, if you're having a small midweek wedding then do enquire about a midweek discount, this is available on all packages upwards from the "Do it your own way package" and you could save yourself up to 20% depending on the day of the week and how much wedding photography you need.
When I checked my google page rank it had dropped from 3 to 2 and I don't know why?????

This and That...

Yep, it's one of those posts where I have nothing substantial to say so I'll just make it bullet points which are hopefully a little easier to digest!!

1. Had a wonderful lunch today at The Badger in Ponteland, Scrumalicious, the duck was superb! The children all had salmon fishcakes, definetly one of the better pubs you can go to with children.
2. Booked an amazing wedding this week at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Very very excited about that one, wonderful couple, amazing location, enough said ;)
3. It's mid January and the wedding booking season has commenced, brides don't forget to book your free consultation by clicking through to Mandy Charlton Designs or calling me on the numbers on the header!! Packages go from £495 up to £1995 so something for everyones pockets.
4. Still haven't heard from any brides getting married at Edinburgh Zoo, please if you're a bride planning a wedding at Edinburgh Zoo give me a call, I happen to think it's one of the coolest places on earth to get married and did you know you can even get married right next to your favourite animals, penguin ring bearers would be so cool!! Don't worry about travel costs, they're all inclusive with the price of the top 2 packages.
5. I finally painted a set of canvases for the livingroom and they look marvellous, it's great to have some more of my own art on the walls.
6. Still haven't made in roads on the redecoration of the hall and stairs, I swear this job is longer than the painting of the Forth Road Bridge!!
7. Spent a couple of hours this afternoon chilling out watching Oceans Thirteen, great movie, definetly as good as the first and thankfully a whole lot better than the second, can't decide who's better looking, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt or George Clooney, who's your favourite?
8. This week we made the choice that we'll do all future grocery shopping at Waitrose even though it's a 40 mile round trip, we'll still go to the local Sainsburys in an emergency. I just can't do Tesco or Asda anymore, we made the choice to eat organic several years ago but with all the recent campaigning by Hugh, Jamie and Gordon Paul and I feel a whole lot better shopping at a supermarket which provides ethical foods all of the time and not just when it suits them. Please also do me a favour and go and sign the Chicken Out petition so that we get better living conditions for the animals who provide our food. I eat meat and I wouldn't go without it but I beleive in respecting the creatures who provide it. Rant over...
   
9. We're having Pheasant tommorrow, I love pheasant and in fact all game birds, i'm planning on introducing the children to them all this year, we've already had guinea fowl, tommorrow its pheasant and then maybe we'll do Quail next week!!
10. Sunday will be spent chilling and not doing a whole lot really :)
11. Last free weekend before the wedding season starts.....
    

The 2008 Wedding Photography Booking Season....

Has commenced!

Yes things have really been getting busy and it's looking like it's going to be a bumper week of consultations meeting with new and interesting brides for both the 2008 season and now of course the 2009 season. My 2008 is starting to look like a busy one and it's kind of weird knowing what I'll be doing on certain dates in 2009, especially when I think I never used to know what I would be doing from one day to the next!

Anyway in preparation for a busy year I have recently bought myself (or the house) a Coffee machine, a Slow Cooker and now I've gotten myself a really nice personal organiser! Am I all set, well I think I am!!

Brides if you're looking for my contact details and to see more of my portfolio for all your wedding photography needs then click through to Mandy Charlton Designs

The Journey home from Scotland...

After the wedding in St Andrews we jumped straight in the car to head home not knowing at all what the condition of the roads would be, the day before when we had driven up some parts had heavier snow than others. Anyway we stopped at the Forth Road Bridge, near Edinburgh where I took some shots, it's my favourite Bridge.This is the rail bridge which is currently being renovated.

and this is the road bridge which I love driving accross.
Further on things started to look snowy

But being that it was the Christmas break most of the roads were very quiet.

You can see a couple more photos of the Forth Road Bridges if you click through to my Flickr page.

We made it home in 3 and a half hours and I've spent the rest of the weekend catching up on various tasks ready for the start of the week.

This week sees me with a couple of consultations and January is already looking busy in that way so if you want to book consultation for all your wedding photography requirements then do click through to Mandy Charlton Designs unless of course you're not with in driving distance and then we'll just have a telephone consultation!

Sandra and Mark are Married! - St Andrews Scotland 04/01/08

Sandra and Mark married at the town hall in St Andrews Scotland in a delightfully intimate ceremony, Sandra is from South Africa and came all the way to St Andrews for her wedding, she and new husband Mark love their golf and with Mark originating from Scotland there couldn't be a better place.
I was honoured to not only photograph the wedding but also to have been Sandra's other witness, along with her sister Paula. This is a wedding I'll remember for a long time to come. After the short ceremony Sandra and Marks wish was to have as many photographs as they could at the historic sites in St Andrews so pretty much thats what we got up to over the next couple of hours.

Running to keep warm at St Andrews Cathedral!

Down by a rather stormy chilly sea front.

With Sister Paula.

In the Quadrangle of St Andrews University.

Delightfully Vintage

One of my favourites which really deserves to be seen to it's full effect on a huge canvas, it's the home of golf, on the old course.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish Sandra and Mark a long and very happy marraige.

So if you're planning on getting married somewhere gorgeous, I love to travel, I'm now available in Scotland, England and Wales so don't hesitate to call whether you're in Fife or Buckinghamshire, Yorkshire or Gwynedd. To book your consultation click through to Mandy Charlton Designs

Hands up, who just got engaged?

Go on, I need to hear about it...

You lucky lucky ladies and gents, all showing off your spangly new jewels and hopefully planning your weddings.

Well you'll be delighted to know that I now travel to weddings all over mainland UK, so if you're in England, Wales or Scotland (though not Ireland because ferries and airplanes are too scary) then you can give me a call, Travel is inclusive with the Gold and Platinum packages and with the bronze, silver etc Travel will be added on at the exact costs, nothing extortionate, I promise!! :D

2008 and 2009 are going to be great years to get married, trust me, I know these things! So Brides of the North, Brides of the East, south and West if you want a photographer who thinks that wedding photography is the most exciting thing on the planet, if you want a girly lady who loves all things wedding planning, if you want a woman who knows what a woman wants to look like on their wedding day then you can click through to my website Mandy Charlton Designs and book yourself a consultation, only 1 small spot, 2008 prime dates are just about all gone and 2009 prime dates are already filling fast so be quick, I really would hate you to miss out!!

Oh and for anyone into social networking I'm now on Facebook and Myspace, both are accessible from the side column.