As far as weddings go they don’t come much better than this.  Having had an effortlessly relaxed shoot with Hannah & Marc at their Notting Hill engagement shoot (click here to view their images) I was really, really looking forward to their wedding which I knew would just ooze style …after all, they both do!

They chose the beautiful Connaught Hotel in Mayfair as their venue and I headed straight there in the morning to capture all the buzz and anticipation in the suite where the girls were getting ready. I have to say it was all rather calm and chilled, I daresay the Laurent Perrier bubbles on tap had something to do with that!

Their make-up was being expertly applied by Sophie Everett and their hair was being teased and tousled by Roxy Farrier from Jo Hansford’s salon.  After a last minute flurry of activity (its amazing how quickly the last hour flies by)  I had just enough time to grab a serene portrait of Hannah in all her refinery while we waited for the registrar.  Her gorgeous gown was ‘Wild Orchid’ by Caroline Castigliano and her beautiful bouquet of white roses, freesias and gypsophila was created by one of my favourite florists, Mary Jane Vaughan.

Meanwhile, my fabulously talented photographer friend, Tracey Hosey, joined the boys at Hannah & Marc’s place in Chelsea for drinks on the terrace and grabbed some great images of the boy banter before the big event…having built up a thirst filling up some confetti cones with rose petals it was off to the pub next door to The Connaught for some further refreshment…they definitely get an easy ride on the day!

It was really touching to see the admiration in Marc’s eyes (sorry Marc, I did catch them welling up!) as his beautiful bride walked down the aisle and throughout the whole ceremony it was evident how excited, emotional, and overwhelmed they were to be marrying each other…but then that is what its really all about!

After the ceremony, I had some time with Hannah & Marc alone, capturing them enjoying their first few moments as Dr & Mrs.  As this was a winter wedding, the ornate mahogany staircase with fantastic skylight was our preferred location and it didn’t disappoint.  Apparently Ralph Lauren was so in awe of this staircase that he had a replica built in his flagship store on Madison Avenue, so if its good enough for Ralph, its good enough for me!

After some heart-warming and hilarious speeches, Hannah and Marc wowed their guests with a beautiful choreographed first dance and then, thanks to the superb ReCover band, the dance floor was packed for the rest of the night, with some interesting shapes being thrown by just about everybody!

The Connaught is such a stunning hotel, and as they were so willing, I just had to take the couple off in the evening for a few more images.  I couldn’t resist a bit of reshuffling of furniture (which I did put back in the exact spot, I promise) to create ‘The Throne’ in front of the candlelit hallway – don’t they just look like Lord and Lady of the Manor?

While my style is predominantly natural and documentary, if the couple are willing and comfortable I do like to try and set up some dramatic shots that I know will look stunning and add another dimension to their collection of images.  I have to say, these two pulled it off effortlessly!  I love the one at the end in the lift – it seemed like a fitting moment to wrap up and leave them be.  Congratulations Dr & Mrs Cohen – can we do it all over again please?

A special thank you to Tarek Antoine-El Kik and his team at The Connaught for their help and wonderful hospitality both before, and on the day. You are consummate professionals and a credit to The Connaught. I hope to have the opportunity to work with you all again.