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  • February ... 'twas the month of love!

    Welcome to my second blog of 2024 and one of which I am sooooooooooooo excited to share the platform with my good friend, a wedding supplier and the most incredible Wedding Celebrant I know - the stunning Kelly Hawes! Kelly is an award winning, Hertfordshire based wedding Celebrant that I have known for a number of years now, and I have been truly fortunate to 'share the floor' with her at a number of events and weddings, and when I thought about doing visitor blogs on my website, I knew straight away that Kelly was someone I wanted to ask. We share a lot of the same beliefs and principals when it comes to the wedding world, and I thought this blog would be a perfect chance to share them and the ball of laughter and light that is Kelly, with all my friends, followers and potential couples embarking on their wedding journey. One of the things that Kelly and I are both equally passionate about is the fair and equal representation for all couples - inclusivity shouldn't be a buzz word - it should be an everyday word! And when I asked Kelly if she would like to share some thoughts on this subject for my new website - she was 100% onboard! Grab a cuppa, cop' a squat and take a read .... Pride Ceremonies with Amy Murphy Photography by Kelly Hawes Wedding Celebrant I first worked with Amy on a styled shoot – that’s where lots of wedding suppliers pool their skills and products together to create a pretend wedding.  These are a great source for us creatives to showcase our skills and produce professional photos to use in marketing. Amy invited me to take part in her shoot and sent me lots of details including a mood board for the style she was looking for.  At a time when the majority of shoots and wedding magazines were only showing the stereotypical heterosexual couples in their products, Amy told me she wanted to show case two couples in one day – to produce two separate same sex weddings.  I was delighted to accept – in the online world of marketing it is so important to show your potential couples that you can indeed offer them what they are looking for.  But it’s a catch 22 situation – how can I show pictures of me officiating same sex weddings if they don’t book me in the first place. On the day Amy welcomed me with her huge, beautiful smile, kind personality and a big hug.  We had already discussed some ideas of what to add to the ceremony and photos that would be useful to me, all the while matching her “brief” of the art deco styling. You might have noticed that I managed to coordinate with the flower colours beautifully (this is something I will discuss with you so that I will compliment your day, rather than clash with your scheme). As an Independent Celebrant I work with each and every couple to write something that is meaningful to them; I entwine their unique story within their ceremony and honour their personalities and their love language - by that I mean I will use the same language that they do to describe each other and their love – some of us show love with big public displays of affection, and others with actions such as cooking favourite meals, or sending texts through the day. Amy allowed me to suggest a couple of symbolic elements to the ceremonies; for our male couple I handmade a handfasting ribbon, a plait made of the six pride rainbow colours.  This was used to bind the wrists of Sam and Samuel together meaning that they exchanged their wedding vows with their pulses touching.  Once the vows are exchanged, the couple pull the end of the ribbon  to show that they have indeed “tied the knot”.  A great photo opportunity as well as a beautiful symbolism of joining in marriage. For our female couple, we had them perform a sand ceremony.  Charlotte and Sarah took it in turns to pour layers of coloured sand, and each colour represented a trait that we would wish their marriage to carry for eternity, such as love, trust and longevity.  As you can see the results are stunning, and a beautiful reminder of the ceremony, however the vase also becomes very symbolic of the partnership and those lovely qualities that an everlasting marriage surely needs to survive.  The reason we chose the rainbow colours of the Pride flag also becomes a celebration of equality in love, for all. Amy and I share a real passion for couples to have the day of their dreams ... --- without having to compromise and without having to please other people.  We want them to be authentically themselves, our combined mindset produces a beautiful, relaxed and fun wedding day with every moment beautifully captured; keeping the memories alive forever. And the final word from Kelly ... Amy is a wonderfully friendly and relaxed photographer with a superb attention to the details.  I’m sure you will agree that the results speak for themselves. For me personally, it’s how she makes you feel whilst on the other side of the camera that really makes me rave about the smiley, friendly face that has become a friend. www.kellyhcelebrant.co.uk @kellyhcelebrant Whatever your skin colour, whatever your gender, whatever your religion, whomever you love, you will always be warmly welcomed by me and all of my partners. Love knows no boundaries or limits, neither do we! The amazing wedding industry suppliers and experts who helped me bring this shoot and this message to life:- Venue: Barrington Hall Models: Sam & Samuel Futcher-Adams, and Sarah & Charlotte Grooms Suits: Chimney Formal Menswear Florals & Styling: Bloom In Gorgeous (Flowers by Kim) Brides Dresses: Burr Bridal Ltd Hair Stylist: Bliss Hair & Beauty Makeup Artist: Fabulook Brides Wedding Cake: Mooreish Cakes Wedding Stationery and Signage: Little Button Nose Weddings Celebrant: Kelly Hawes Celebrant On the day Assistant: Vikki Richman – Your Wedding Friend Musicians: Kyle Charter, and Myke Clifford on Sax Videographer & Drone Operator: Gecko Films Top Table Accessories: Kindly loaned from Beth at Miss Carlysle & Co Glassware for Champagne Tower: Bitter Sweet Bartenders Confetti: Your Confetti Model Mum’s: Lisa & Karen Photography Team: Will Hilton Photography and Amy Murphy Photography (Concept, Organisation & Planning)

  • LOOK OUT 2024!!! HERE WE COME!!!

    To celebrate the start of a brand new year ... well, 32 days in, and the recent launch of my shiny new website (thank you to 33Creative), I thought this would be a great time to introduce yours truly, so here goes .... THIS IS ME ⬆️ ... the person with, and behind, the camera These are the things that I love and that make me who I am! My family ... My friends ... (especially the ones I haven't seen in 30 years, but when we reconnected it felt just like we'd seen each other yesterday)!!! Sunsets ... The sea ... Sunflowers ... Drinking Pimms in the sunshine ... Thunder storms ... The smell of freshly cut grass ... Old photographs ... Special memories ... Making plans ... And my photography ... This is me - Amy - the person with and behind the camera - for those of you whom I haven't had the chance to meet yet, hiya!! Thank you for stopping by! Let me just say one thing before I get into this ... this blog isn't about how I work, my style of editing, the kit I use or what you can expect from me on a shoot day; no, this blog is about me the person, what makes me tick, the things that will provoke tears and laughter, and a little about my 'vibe'. I think its important for you guys reading this to know all of the above, so you can get a feel for if I am 'your' kind of person before we even meet! So, if you're ready, I'll begin ... A good friend of mine said to me recently "Amy, you are sunshine in human form"!!! Ok, so you know I just mentioned the tears ...??? Well, this got a sure reaction of heart strings tugged and tear drops! But, wow, what a beautiful thing to say about another person! I wrote these words down so I could keep them forever to steer me and comfort me on the harder, darker days. A recent client - now a solid friend and business partner - said recently "On the day you were just a sparkle of joy"!!! Direct hit number two! I'm not mentioning these words to brag, no, I'm sharing them because sunshine and joy are two of my favorite things that the world is sometimes lacking! I am drawn to people that glow from within and share their light on all those around them, and in return, hope to share a little sprinkling of my own magic dust along the way! You may have guessed by now that I am a hippie at heart and am convinced that I missed 'my time' in the 60's ... though I happily wear my sunflower headband, converse high-tops and hareem pants on any given day! I am all about making memories ... we only have one life and we need to live it to the absolute max, and make a million memories along the way. My camera roll on my phone is normally full, and my Lumix S5's are never too far away when the moment arises! Here's some fun facts about me that a lot of people won't know ... My favorite food is Italian - pizza or pasta normally My favorite wine is either Pink Moscato Rose' or I am partial to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Tea or coffee - always coffee Favorite season - autumn - the most beautiful colours, and the most breath-taking sunsets A person who inspires me - my good friend, Laura, she is a fellow photographer who has become a firm friend and confidant over the last couple of years; and I proudly declare myself as her loudest cheerleader - no competition between the two of us!! Love it!! Favorite place I've been too - I'm not well travelled (yet) as have always been a bit of a home bird, but I confess that my 'spiritual home' is in the Western Highlands of Scotland - followed closely by my sisters house! My hero's in heaven (yes, I have 3) - my Dad, my Grandma & Grampy - I am sure they are all sat together in heaven, watching over me and those I treasure keeping us all safe! My hero's 'earthside' - my sisters! They are fierce warriors and the most amazing Mummy's! Favorite sport - to watch, rugby Favorite waste of time - jumping in the car, just going 'somewhere' - there's the hippie in me again! Things that make me sad - missing my Dad, my Grandma & Grampy, never being braver when I was younger, the state of the world, and the cruelty amongst humans that seems to come so easily! Things that make my heart happy - being a big kid with my nieces and nephews, unplanned road trips, my brand new tattoos ... I waited a 'few years' to get these! ;-) And last but not least, sharing the gift of my photography with people! This is the short version of who I am and what makes me tick, so if I haven't scared your off - or bored you with my heavy word count - and you may like to have a chat about photography, or anything really, give me a call! I'd love to chat! #iamaphotographer #thisisme #yourstruly #wartsandall #keepingitreal #gettingtoknowtherealme #roystonphotographer #hertfordshirephotographer #cambridgeshirephotographer #amymurphyphotography

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