Many congratulations to Kate and Simba who were married at Cockermouth Methodist Church last week. Kate is from Cumbria, Simba from Zimbabwe and the couple met at university in Scotland…they managed to combine elements of all three cultures to create the year’s most improbable wedding!

The stars of the show (other than the Bride and Groom of course) were Siyaya, a Zimbabwean dance band who turned the whole event into a vibrant and joyous celebration – just what a wedding should be. They were also a gift for the wedding photographer – it’s always great to have something unusual to photograph!

The reception was at New House Farm, near Lorton in the Lake District, where Hazel made everyone very welcome, and the clouds did nothing to dampen either the beauty of the location or the mood of the guests!

“What if it rains on my wedding day?” I hear you say… Well, unfortunately I can’t offer any weather control skills,  but I can offer some encouraging advice. As a wedding photographer based in the Lake District I’m used to dealing with rainy days, and although it may not be ideal from the guests’ point of view (makes the canapes soggy) it does actually offer some brilliant photo-opportunities, as you can see from the images above. Some of my favourite images over the years have been taken in the rain, and wellies and umbrellas can really add character to a photograph.

July and August have quite high average rainfall here in Cumbria, so it’s always a good idea to be prepared. White golfing umbrellas are a worthwhile investment (not just because they’re pure and virginal, but because they give a really nice soft light on the faces under them…) and some bridal wellies (yes, they do make them!) for splashing through those puddles.  I remember one bride whose mother made her a white cagul out of a piece of tent liner. It didn’t rain that day, which was fortunate, as it was a slightly peculiar looking garment….

Anyway, my advice is: try not to worry about the rain; your guests will have a great time whatever happens (especially after a glass or two), I’m happy to take photos whatever the weather, and if your dress does get a bit wet… well, were you planning to wear it again?

Do give us a call if you’re worried about this, or if you’d like to talk to us about weddings generally.  Our number is 017687 75850 and we’re always happy to chat.

We’ve been doing loads of makeover photography this year, so we decided to have a competition to win a full makeover fashion shoot at our studios.

All you have to do is submit your favourite facebook profile image, and we will choose the prizewinners.

First go to Simon Anderson Photography Facebook page, and “like” us… then go from the welcome page to the wall, where you can go into “photos” and upload a photo to our page. Upload your favourite profile pic, and we’ll choose a first prize winner and three runners-up.

The first prize will start with hair styling by Mark Anthony of Cockermouth and a full makeover before your fashion shoot, which will include three changes of clothing.  You’ll get a professionally printed portfolio of images (worth around £400!) to remind you of the day, or to help you on your way if you want to go for a career in modelling.

The runners-up will also get a free makeover and shoot, but will receive an A4 print rather than the portfolio.

If you need any help, or want further details on this competition, please email sadie@simonandersonphotography.co.uk or message us on Facebook.

Terms and Conditions: to qualify for entry you must first “like” our facebook page; only one entry allowed per person; all entries must be submitted before 15th June 2011; the judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Like most of the country, we’ve now had almost a month of unbroken sunshine (unheard of for Cumbria!) which has been great for brides, grooms and wedding guests, if not for the poor photographer who struggles with harsh shadows and squinting subjects.

I was driving down the A66 towards Keswick on Friday morning, listening to the news on the radio that 2 billion people were expected to tune into the Royal Wedding on television. All I can say is that the other 4 billion seemed to be all arriving in Keswick for the weekend….

Becca and Dan’s wedding was on the day after, and included quite a lot of red, white and blue detailing and some union flags. I asked whether that was in honour of Wills and Kate, but Becca said she had designed it all over a year ago, before the royal wedding was announced! Still, she seemed pretty unfazed by it all, and the whole event looked fantastic!

After six months or so of faffing around, our new website finally goes live today, and we’re delighted with it. Apart from providing this blog facility, we have bigger, more comprehensive galleries to showcase our portrait and wedding images and links through to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

As a complete technical heathen, I have to say I’m rather confused about the whole thing, but our web designer assures me we’ll never look back…

As well as better picture galleries, the new site also allows us to run regular competitions, and you can find the latest one on our facebook page now. Keep a lookout, because we’ll be giving away quite a lot of stuff over the next couple of months!