A cathedral and historic dockyard Wedding picture Story

Kristina & Jeremy’s wedding, set near the seafront around some of Portsmouth’s most historic buildings, was that rarest of delight’s, a wedding I walked to from home! I joined Kristina, her bridesmaids, and her wonderful Lithuanian mum, at The Royal Maritime Club, a strategically short walk away from Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard where their reception would be held in the enormous, atmospheric Boathouse 4. Such a clever development of an historic building into a top wedding venue. I then took a wedding car with an advance party to Portsmouth’s Anglican Cathedral in Old Portsmouth for a lovely service and wedding ceremony conducted by no less than a Bishop, an old friend of Jeremy’s family. And living only up the road, I’d had the additional fun of joining close family and friends the previous evening for the cathedral rehearsal. A lovely opportunity to pre-meet everyone, to get a feel for the next day’s events, and to make pictures adding another dimension to my wedding storytelling. I’ve only ever been able to do this a few times and love witnessing a couple’s realisation that their wedding is actually going to happen for real the next day. Do also see Kay and Clayton’s wedding picture story where again I was able to be at a rehearsal.

Kristina & Jeremy emerged from the cool of the cathedral into the sunlight and before long I was riding with them on a tour of the seafront in a vintage old Roller. We stopped for some portraits at Southsea Castle, another great wedding venue I’ve often been to, and from where in 1545 Henry VIII watched his flagship, the Mary Rose, sink to the bottom of the Solent, and then on to their reception in the Dockyard. Everything about Boathouse is large scale. Drinks and delicious nibbles were taken amongst a museum gallery of wooden boats, many hanging above us. Guests could take tours of the restoration projects we looked over filling the ground floor. And then across in to a second glass walled gallery space with picture windows looking out over the harbour and the Solent. And if you can imagine two fantastic voiced, dinner suited comic cabaret singers singing to and dancing with the couple and guests, you’ve come close to the joyful entertainment provided by The Frank and Dean Show. Kristina & Jeremy are clearly a lovely couple who enjoyed every moment of their day. Some of my favourite images are below.