Pierre Richardson Photography

We recently had the pleasure of working with Pierre Richardson Photography

in June at one of our weddings.  

Pierre´s photo journalistic style combined with an eye for art produces some beautiful images that have earned him recognition within the wedding industry and have been featured in many publications and magazines.

I love being able to see what inspires people, particularly anyone in the art industry and Pierre´s inspiration and soul is beach, I can spot this a mile away as it is also mine!

The fact he lives in Tarifa as well is a dead give away and any of his clients that book Pierre for their wedding will also have the opportunity to visit Tarifa, near his fabulous home, for an hour´s beach shoot complimentary with his full wedding photography package.

With all the latest hype on the trash the dress shoots I could not think of a more perfect setting than on the white beaches of Tarifa, with the backdrop of the African continent, for a more romantic place to trash that dress!

To find out more about Pierre Richardson do pop over to his website or his Facebook page and we hope we will see more of Pierre on our blog with some amazing trash that dress photos!

Wedding Cake Designer, Sweet Things By Fi, opens her first cake boutique in Gibraltar

What can I say other than I am so proud of Fi and her latest achievement of opening her first gorgeous designer cake shop, Sweet Things By Fi, in Gibraltar.  

Fi´s shop is a true reflection of her personal style and is a delightful piece of shabby chic heaven and much more importantly filled with gorgeous cakes!

So much thought and design has gone into this beautifully presented shop. 

I have been privileged to have been slightly involved having been sent wallpaper samples to look at, colour swatches, kitchen tile samples and watched Fi as she transformed pieces of furniture with beautifully chosen paint colours and seen her strive through what seemed mountains of paperwork to finally open the doors to present a beautiful showroom to showcase her work and host clients.

 I feel like Fi´s surrogate mother so I am bursting at the seams with pride as I have had watched Fi´s huge talents along with determination start this business from scratch to becoming one of the most talented cake designers here in Spain.  I have to mention at this point the continuing support of her fabulous hubby, Clark, who has been a mainstay in supporting Fi in her business and been an absolute rock throughout. 

I fear I maybe banned from visiting her cake shop due to the fact I steal her cakes, I am sure there will be some sort of Laura alarm system in place shortly attached to every cupcake :(!

Here is wishing Fi every success and if you wish to get in contact with Fi please visit her webpage Sweet Things By Fi.

The gorgeous photos were taken by Marea Thompson of Lucky Girl Weddings and do hop over to Marea´s website too for some wonderful eye candy or to see more of Fi´s shop hop over to Marea´s blog.

Paul Gill Minister of Ceremonies Costa Del Sol

Your wedding day will undoubtedly be one of the most important and memorable days of your life and every last detail will be planned starting with your ceremony.

This is the most important part of your day and it should be a beautiful and meaningful event as you declare your love and commitment to each other sharing your special day with your family and friends.  

It is usually at this point I feel emotional, as do most of the wedding party!

Choosing the right minister for your wedding is so important and you have to ensure you are happy, relaxed and confident with the person who is conducting your special service as it will be etched into your memory for ever more.

We met Paul over 2 years ago, he was already conducting wedding ceremonies in Scotland and an almost retired Oestopath and Physiotherapist who was planning on spending more time here in Spain and who can blame him!  

Paul has a lovely character about him, he is friendly, warm and charming and we were delighted he was planning to spend time here and offer his services as a minister for weddings.

Paul has now officiated many beautiful ceremonies here in Spain over the past two years and here are some of his testimonials from recent couples.

Quote from Charlotte in the Confeti Magazine which featured her wedding

“Our ceremony was conducted by Paul Gill who I felt genuinely cared about our day. He was very flexible and nothing was too much trouble, he really was a delight to work with”.

Thanks for the service we loved it, although it was super hot! You really did make it personal to us and everyone was very impressed, including the photographer.

If any of our friends are getting married we certainly will be recommending you.

We said goodbye to the last of our guests yesterday so it was back to normal today and we are exhausted.

Thanks again for all you put into our special day.

Kindest regards

Sarah

Just want to send a little message to say thank you so much for the wonderful service you held for us on Saturday it was absolutely perfect!

We all loved every minute of our day!

Thanks again

Lisa & Terry

xxx

It was a beautiful and very touching ceremony. Out of all the suppliers/ people involved on the day – you were the only thing we had no worries about. We were confident with your abilities and everyone commented on you afterwards with great compliments. Good job!!!!

You did a lovely ceremony and thanks for you & Pat being part of our day. I wish you well in your role in Spain and hope you have a successful time there.

Thanks and we might contact you for an anniversary sometime!!

regards

Ellen & Martin

Extract from an email from a delightful Bride & Groom

Thank you once again for everything you did on the day, the ceremony was made perfect thanks to you. We would never hesitate to recommend you to other people (in fact we already have!) and wish we could do it all again 

Hope you enjoy,

Love Char & Tom x

Grooms grandfather:- That was the best marriage service I have ever heard by a mile.

If you would like to find out more about Paul pop over to his website or email him on

paul@costadelsolminister.com

Pop Memories Photography Landing from Australia!

It is always exciting meeting new suppliers to the Wedding Industry here and we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sam Wordley, the Owner of Pop Memories Photography.

Australian, Sam Wordley has spent the last decade working as a celebrity portrait, news and feature photographer for magazines and newspapers all over the world with postings in New York, London, Sydney and LA. 

Sam´s images have been published in many of the world’s well known press publications including The Sun, The Times and covers of Grazia and Hello magazines and has even photographed the gorgeous Rhianna! 

In the last few years Sam has concentrated more on Weddings and Portrait photography

and finds the work extremely rewarding  as he loves creating lasting memories.

After meeting the love of his life,  Sam is shortly moving to Spain to be with her, we do love a love story :)

Sam is offering full weddings packages from 1000 euros for his first year here in Spain as he settles in and to gain exposure in the Spanish market. 

If you would like more information and to meet Sam please do contact him on 

email, join his facebook page or visit his website.

Becky Sharpe on Dating and Wedding Photography

We love Becky Sharpe.

Fabulous and funny, Becky is one of our favourite wedding photographers and videographers based here in Southern Spain. 

Becky enjoys life as a mother to her very handsome son Charlie, eats, lives and breathes photography and filming (and chocolate) and to top it all is a witty storyteller.  Becky will always tell you how it is!

Today Becky has shared with us her humorous and, we think, hugely helpful take on choosing your Destination Wedding Photographer, along with some of her fab photos :)

"I was tickled pink to think that choosing your wedding photographer is a lot like online dating. But then when I think about it some more, I think we can take some tips from that…

A few years ago a friend of mine was bewailing his experience of online dating, as he was having no luck. I could not understand this as he is a good looking guy with fun conversation and was looking for a long term relationship.

Isn´t that what women are seeking? 

 So we wrote him a totally new profile – just focusing on the points that women are more interested in (IMHO)… 

A few photos uploaded, and something written that demonstrates he really has a sense of humour – and his situation totally turns around. He could hardly keep up with all the interest he then got.

Being a wedding photographer in Marbella, I realise that much of what wedding suppliers do is similar to online dating – especially in a destination location.

 Essentially, we are showing ourselves to you as you view our profile… oops, I mean website. 

So much like online dating, I am trying to my best to show who I am as well as what I do all on my website. I have to let you get to know me to see if you want to go on a date with me (albeit a photo shoot date!)

This is important because if you, the bride, hire a photographer to document your wedding, you need to like that person. A lot. 

You will be with your photographer more than anyone else (the groom included) on the wedding day. 

So here are some tips to brides choosing their wedding photographer online.

 After all, you want to find a photographer who fits as perfectly as a glass slipper.

Finding your Photographer Online – Sharpe Tips

Top Tip One - Do The Research

Photographers have resources at our fingertips to create an online identity to convey who we are – in our websites, blogs, and other social media like Facebook. 

You might realize you share the same humour, or have similar interests or find a photographer’s point of view enlightening. 

The opposite can be true as well, so be sure to follow up your research with some communication…

Top Tip Two - Email or Telephone

An email to say Hi is always a great start. 

If you find that you only get an automated response from a photographer by email and then you are ignored… how can I say this?! 

That is not a beginning of a great relationship.

If you are looking to communicate with the photographer best suited for you, it’s best to email a couple of times and see how your chosen photographer responds. 

But you will also want to progress to chatting to your photographer too… so, at some point before the wedding, I suggest picking up the phone – possibly as a scheduled call if you are busy, and if your photographer is busy (we are! but not too busy to talk to you!).

Top Tip Three - Read The “About Me” Section

The best pitch a photographer has to capture a bride’s attention is this section on our website. This is our opportunity to let you know who we are and what we’re passionate about. 

As Brits we may not want to be seen to be bragging, but we are using this Biography section to introduce ourselves to you – so you can choose if you want to go to the next stage of our relationship.

Top Tip Four - Ask Away

Don’t be afraid to ask any and every question. 

A professional wedding photographer knows a bride is preparing to draft an all-star team for her wedding day, so you can ask whatever questions you need to ensure you feel good about your decision to book someone.

My friend’s dating worked out really well for him and he is now in a serious relationship as a result. At the end of the day, his profile needed to showcase his best attributes and not leave her guessing about who he was. 

In the same way, if a photographer can put themselves out in a personal capacity — offering a bride to get to know them better — chances are the relationship will be happy, professional and mutually beneficial."

Becky sends you some

WEBSITE | EMAIL | BECKY SHARPE WEDDING BLOG

Christmas In Malaga

 

 

 

This might sound dreadful but in all the years I have lived here I have never visited Malaga.  Usually I have been flying past the city either on route to the airport or to a wedding and have never been a tourist.

 

  We have hosted many weddings in Malaga at some gorgeous venues, including the Castillo de Santa Catalina, which has involved me whizzing through the very hot city centre in the summer at an alarming speed with ribbons, confetti and flowers streaming behind me :) 

 

We are also very much looking forward to planning and designing a fabulous 2 day wedding in Malaga this coming summer which is very exciting.

 

This week, however, I had the luxury of finally being a tourist embarking on a festive  pre Christmas day out with my good friend Loraine who runs Dream Weddings in Spain and our fabulous tour guide Kris McGuirk who incidently is a wonderful wedding photographer by day!  You can see we mix business with pleasure! 

 

I am fortunate to have met so many amazing people through my business who have since become good friends. 

 

What can I say, what a wonderful city Malaga is and I was completely spoilt with two fantastic hosts prepared to show me the sights, lights and tapas bars in Malaga´s city centre.

 

Loraine and I started off by hitting the Larios Shopping Centre and it was a big highlight to visit Primark, aren´t they fab for cosy socks and pj´s plus kids things!!  I had heard about this store but never visited one so was rather overawed by how busy it was!

 

After clutching a few too many shopping bags, full of cosy socks and glittery pink ugg boots for Twinks, Loraine and I then drove into the main city centre to be greeted by Kris, the hostess with the mostess!   

 

Kris then proceeded to whisk us off to many tapas bars with lots of copas de vino involved and the odd break to do a bit of sightseeing, it was amazing, there was so much to see. 

 

Kris truly won the tour guide award dragging us very reluctantly into gorgeous tapas bars and Moroccan tea shops and then proceeded to show us some fascinating cathedrals, churches, the brotherhoods displaying their Christmas nativity scenes along with the stunning processional floats they use at Easter and of course the Calle Larios for some festive Christmas lights, they were beautiful and the street was lined with entertainers and street vendors just like Barcelona. 

 

The day went far too quickly and we ended up at the top of the Marriot hotel on the roof terrace enjoying a very civilised vodka and tonic whilst admiring the rooftops of Malaga, the port with a cruise ship in and being startled by the occasional random firework being set off!

 

What can I say apart from I had such a wonderful day.  I now realise I need to go back to Malaga many times to see all the sights and more of this city and it´s history and do need of course to visit a few more of the wonderful tapas bars!

 

Tonight though I would like to express my deepest sadness at the horrific tragedy that has unfolded in the US, I have cried at the loss of so many innocent victims, it beggars belief to be honest and we send our thoughts and prayers to everyone who is suffering.