Claire Bemister

They say rain on your wedding day is good luck, and it blew in like a gale for Charlotte and Ryan (the luck was probably appreciated given they were also moving house that week)! But even the biggest gust couldn’t blow the cheer out of their loved ones, or the smiles off their faces, and sure enough the sun came out in time to party. They were married at Henley Town Hall, with Marlow most definitely making sure she was not missed out of any key ceremony moments! Charlotte and

Weddings with a relaxed rock vibe? It can be done! In a small pub or hotel room? Definitely! As Jess, stylist from The Italian Dream made clear - choosing a fey key details that really reflect you can make all the difference in creating your vibe for the day. Here, bridal separates enable a relaxed look with easy outfit changes for ultimate personality. And personality is not in short supply with the suit either - it definitely has wow factor and brings that rock vibe to the

I’m going to throw this right back to November 2019, back to glorious bliss! You’ll spot Cat and David around my website, and that’s because their day was misty and magical and full of all the emotions. I was extremely teary during their ceremony readings, that’s for sure. They read an extract from Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), and I am besotted with the imagery and philosophy in it, and they carried this through in details you might not even notice, such as foxes on t

“It’s like raiiiiiiiiin on your wedding day...” Well, it absolutely chucked it down but Jessica and Peter weren’t going to let something as small as a bit of rain, or as large as a global pandemic with newly tightened restrictions get in the way of their day. COVID may have drastically changed their plans, but the most important thing to them was to be married, so that is what they did! Surrounded by their closest friends and family, and having bubbled with them, they were ma

Katherine and Matt had a gorgeous, fun filled and completely personal wedding at Greenacres Chiltern. The only wedding to happen at Greenacres in 2020 (thanks Covid!), you could feel the joy in the air. It was so nice to be able to shoot the getting ready for them at The Crowne Plaza, with hair and makeup provided by the lovely Sam Bushell Makeup and Lisa Murphy Hair and Makeup. I particularly loved their dried flower bouquets. That getting ready together is such a special pa

Remember when weddings weren’t allowed, but then they were, but then only 6 people? Well, Kirsty and Robbie eloped with their parents as witnesses to Reading Town Hall! It was certainly an experience for them in their planning, navigating ever changing rules, and for me it was a new experience to be strictly seated (no standing) in one spot to document the ceremony. But their ceremony was still full of love, still full of emotion, and still the beginning of their marriage. Th

Empowerment. Freedom. Celebrating YOU. That's what we wanted to embody in this very mini, elopement inspired styled shoot! It was the very beginning of the easing of lockdown restrictions after many months, when we were now allowed to meet in groups of upto 6 people outside, and hair and makeup artists were just given the notice that they were able to work again. We decided to see what we could do as 4 very local suppliers (all within 15 minutes of each other, and 3 of us on

I have a lot of love for Jake and Mary! Jake and Mary are both awesome, and I had an absolute ball photographing their day. Getting ready was such good fun, and I really felt like part of the crowd - we had a good couple of hours to cover this part of the day at a relaxed pace and it makes such a difference because all your loved ones are so used to me before we even leave for the ceremony that the documentary images just roll so naturally and with such joy in them that they

It’s typical British weather, isn’t it? You plan everything for a gorgeous glowy golden hour and then a few minutes earlier it just decides to thunder instead! But these folks were absolute champions and well up for all the games and cuddles and having a giggle, which meant we created these amazingly relaxed and playful images which really do sum up this crazy creative family, and the pictures are just bursting with all their natural interaction. You’ll notice a blanket in so

Gabi called me up to say she’d seen my work online and that she and Peter loved how inclusive my website felt, and how did I fancy a jolly across Surrey to photograph their relaxed wedding? I mostly chatted with Gabi over the next few months as Peter was working abroad for large unpredictable chunks of time, and it meant that some elements could end up changing last minute, but their date was set! Gabi told me that she was going to make her own wedding dress, and I was like

So this wedding is a little bit special. It’s my little brother everyone! Adam and Reema met in Malaysia on their year abroad from Nottingham University, and from what I hear from his friends, Adam was smitten at first sight, but Reema made him work for it! Anyway, across continents and years, they made it to their wedding day, and we made it to Dubai to celebrate with them. The intimate ceremony was at Reema’s family home and followed Iraqi traditions with Reema’s entrance l

Tina and Brian met me for a coffee in Guildford and that was when they told me their story. Having been together for years and raising their families together, they were finally having a wedding that really suited them and focussed on the important things in their life - family, friends, and having a truly relaxed good time. Everyone got ready in the cottage, with girls in the top room up the higgledy-piggledy stairs (they must have practiced in their heels, I'm sure!) and th

Jenny and Aaron are incredible. Their day was so packed full and right in the middle of the Devon countryside to be near family. I travelled down early morning with my fabulous assistant/second shooter, Eliza and as we weaved our way this way and that way I was suddenly very grateful to have grown up in countryside lanes myself! I dropped Eliza to Jenny’s bridal prep, and then made my way to find Aaron and the boys for a brief coverage of groom prep. I say brief... when Aaron