Flora & Ben’s beautiful French wedding appeared in Signature Weddings magazine…

…as did Emily & James’ wedding in Florence, Italy.

Isla & Ewan’s Scottish wedding was featured in the January issue of Wedding Flowers magazine.

Alexis & Jack’s glamorous Bath wedding can be currently seen in the Feb/March issue of Wedding magazine.

Christian & Phil’s civil partnership at the Gherkin was featured a while back in the summer issue of Pink Weddings, but I only got my hands on the magazine now.

Irene & Benn’s gorgeous London wedding graced the pages of Wedding Nouveau magazine‘s winter issue.

Sarah & Will’s London engagement session was featured in the brilliant Dashing magazine. Although this was technically an engagement session (purely because it took place before the nuptials, rather than a few years after), the article talked about Beloved sessions. I’m always happy to raise awareness of Beloved, so this was perfectly fine by me.

Blush magazine chose a picture from Alexandra & Billy’s Maunsel House wedding (top right) as one of their ‘favourite photos’ in the latest issue…

 …while You & Your Wedding ran a feature on Alex & Billy’s wedding in their March/April issue.

And to end on a different note, also in the latest issue of You & Your Wedding, a pretty little pink & turquoise flower shoot we did with the lovely Steph (will tell you a bit more about this shoot later on).

Oh em gee. I know, I know, by now you’ve probably already heard via Facebook or Twitter that I only went and won the national award for Best Wedding Photographer at The 2012 Wedding Industry Awards event last night. I don’t mean to be regurgitating yesterdays news over and over, but I did think a blog post was in order, just so I can have a lasting memory of what I’m feeling right now. Twitter and FB are pretty fleeting mediums after all.

If you know me, or anything much about me, you’ll probably know how out of place I feel at big fancy events. You might think that’s a contradictory thing to say, what with me being a wedding photographer and all, an occupation which entails attending events on weekly basis. But it’s a completely different ballgame when I have a camera in my hand and my job is to lurk in dark corners without being noticed. You’d think that happily covering a wedding with hundreds of people at places such as the Natural History museum would mean an awards event or two wouldn’t really faze me… you’d be thinking wrong.

The whole day yesterday I was a ball of nerves, driving everyone around me nuts. Hair stylist extraordinaire Severin was very gracious with me and my freakouts while he was creating an amazing hairdo for me, the man has the patience of a saint. I’m so glad I had good friends around me to keep me distracted and in high spirits, or there’s no knowing what kind of exit plan I might have come up with. When I stepped into Cafe dé Paris, and saw the heaving masses (yes! masses I tells ya!) of glamorous people dressed in the most amazing evening gowns and fancy suits, it took mustering up every last drop of my inner zen to not turn around and walk right back out. So. Very. Scary.

But of course that all was nothing compared to the actual awarding bit. You know, the bit where one by one winners are announced and they step into the spotlight on the stage. I actually had my fingers crossed and was muttering ‘not me not me’ under my breath throughout most of it. And then the moment came, and I heard my name… and didn’t quite know whether to pass out or escape. Somehow I made it up on the stage where Damian Bailey and Sarah Hewson presented me with my award, and then kindly made me turn to the right direction so the photographers could get a picture of me from the front, rather than the other way round… Erm.

Here’s a pictures that Susanna took of me picking up the award, trying not to fall on my face.

The good news was that that was the scary bit over with. And as it slowly started to dawn on me that I’d actually won, and was holding an award with my name carved onto it, happiness and pride started to take over. I hadn’t really expected to win, but holding that trophy (I never ever thought I’d be picking up a trophy for anything!) really did make me feel… validated. All the hours I’ve put in, all the pieces of myself scattered around in the form of people’s wedding pictures, all the risks and stresses and striving for perfection; none of it had gone unnoticed. And knowing that is… huge. Throughout the night and today congratulations have been coming in from all over (thank you so much!), each one making it all sink in more.

In the middle of writing this I realised I could finally access the comments that clients who voted for me left. And wow. I am speechless. I could never have prepared myself for how such amazingly beautiful words would make me feel, and have been knocked sideways by the kindness of everyone. Never mind titles and trophies, if the only thing I got out of this experience was seeing those comments, I would have been 100% happy. I am so so touched, and over the moon that so many people feel so happy with what I’ve provided them with. I seriously love you all and feel so privileged to have played a tiny little part in the story of your lives. Just… THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you also to the judging panel who had the hard task of deciding on the regional and national winners, it’s such an honour to be recognised in such a way. I’m very excited that such independent awards, where actual clients have a voice, exist in the UK, and hope they grow bigger and better year by year.

As always, a huge thank you to Susanna, for sharing some pretty amazing adventures with me, and first and foremost for being such an invaluable friend along the way.

And finally, I’d like to give a massive collective hug to the UK wedding industry. I’ve worked with so many lovely people, some of whom I’ve become close friends with, and I’m so happy and grateful of the positive and supportive spirit that most of the suppliers I work and communicate with possess. You all rock!

And as if that wasn’t enough, today I got the news that another one of my images (of Clare & Dylan, below) had gotten an ‘honourable mention’ for emotional content, which, to me, feels like an even greater achievement. All in all, Junebug has made this week pretty special. Thank you so so much!

First up, Katie & John’s beautiful Northbrook Park wedding was featured in the November issue of Wedding Flowers.

Saleema & David’s cool London wedding is currently gracing the pages of the
January (yes, as in next year, funny how that works) issue of You & Your Wedding.

Abi & Simon’s whimsical Surrey wedding was featured in the December Wedding Ideas Magazine.

And last, but not least, Rachel & Ben’s Oxford wedding with an outdoors ceremony
was featured in the October issue of Perfect Wedding.

I don’t generally take part in many competitions, mainly because I never seem to find the time, and also because it always seems like trying to win something for ‘myself’ rather than for my clients. The Wedding Industry Awards struck me as being something different, partly for being completely independent, but mostly because the first round of voting was done by real life wedding clients. That was a huge factor in me deciding to take part, as it felt like it was something we were doing together with the people who are the reason I do what I do.

I’m so grateful to all of you who took the time to vote, you seriously rock. This accolade is as much for all my couples as it is for me – I couldn’t have achieved it without you making the decision to choose me to be your wedding photographer – I will be forever grateful for that! Thank you also to the esteemed judging panel, I am properly humbled and still quite gobsmacked.

Now we’ll have to wait until January to find out the national winner, but honestly, being called ‘Best Wedding Photographer, London and South East’ is (way) more than enough for me! Head asplode.

Jane & Michael’s wedding in Botleys Mansion is featured in the Sep/Oct issue of You & Your Wedding.

Elodie & Vianney’s wedding in France, and Becks & Andi’s in Cornwall, are gracing (the super pretty!) pages of the ‘destination issue’ of Signature Weddings magazine.

Amanda & Mike’s Soho wedding is featured in the August issue of Perfect Wedding magazine

Emily & Owen’s London wedding made it all the way to the exotic pages of Cosmopolitan Bride China.

And finally, Jessica & Alexander’s Finsbury Townhall wedding was featured in the July issue of Wedding Ideas Magazine.