Who am I?

My name is Kevin Lindeque I have an amazing wife (Terri) and two fabulous children (Sean and Stacey). I love photography and I love life.

We moved from Southern Africa several years ago and set up camp in Lancaster, in terms of photography, its an amazing place, there are great wedding venues in the nearby Lake District and of course Ashton Memorial is only a stones throw away.

When i was just a young boy my dad bought me a film camera...that was it i was hooked, i have been passionate about photography ever since.

What is my style?..Unobtrusive and freindly, some describe me as a reportage photographer others as a creative photographer, all i know is that when i am behind the lens I see things... a moment, a smile, a look, something...anything that will portray the real emotion of your wedding day.

I photograph weddings in Lancaster,Morecambe, Cheshire, Lancashire and the Lake District.& Lancashire.

, Daddy!! its today its today, these were the sound s that greeted me as a opened my eyes to a rainy day in Lancaster.

What was the fuss all about...It was the day to start eating chocolates out of the advent calender, and that got me thinking you see as soon as an important date is marked on the calender, everything in the world revolves around the leading up to that date. I figured that the excitement that my kids felt in leading up to the big day, must be the a 10th of what brides feel when they set their eyes upon their wedding day.

So in keeping with tradition i will post a new tip or story every day in the run up to Christmas. If you are getting married then be sure to keep checking this lens.


Click here to go straight to my website

So he's asked you to marry him......and you said "of course". Congratulations, there must be so many thoughts running through your head!

But first before you do anything else, get the date set, but that may be harder than you think.

Your wedding date is very important; it will be with you forever. You may want to choose a date that is special to either or both of you it could be one of your parents or Grandparents wedding date, or the day you first met your Fiancée?

Just keep in mind a few things. firstly think about the time of the year that you want to get married, do you want a beautiful winter wedding or a warmer summer wedding, (I adore autumn weddings, the lighting at that time of the year is amazing and makes for beautiful wedding photographs), next thing to consider is the wedding venue, if you absolutely must have a particular venue then there is no point setting a date until you know that they are not already booked.

Other things to consider are important dates in the family, for instance birthdays etc. Ensure that the VIPs off your guest list are going to be around and are not off on holiday at some far flung beach resort.

Next, (and this is an important one) check if there are any sporting events on that day, sounds ludicrous I know, but the last thing you want during the wedding vows is half your guests going to check the latest football score.

Have fun planning your wedding day!

Fantastic, so you have set the date, let's start painting the picture with very broad brush strokes.

Planning a wedding shouldn't be stressful, but lets be honest it is probably going to be, so you must ensure that you take your time and plan, plan, plan. Hopefully you will only get married once so enjoy yourself and prepare for one of the most exciting days in your life.

At this stage of your wedding planning don't get too caught up in minutia, that can come later, much much later, for now just focus on the basics. Agree with your fiancée (sounds good to say that doesn't it) some of the major decisions. Lets go through some of them.

Hopefully your wedding day is about one year away. Good that leaves you with loads of time, but that doesn't mean you can be complacent.

Budget

Oohh this can be a very tricky subject, who is going to pay? If Aunty Doris pays will she want to make a lot of decisions? Should you see your bank manager (does anyone still do that?) and take out a loan? Will your parents pay, to be honest there are a lot of options here and quite possibly it could be all of the above. In my opinion gone are the days when tradition kicked in and the bride's parents paid. Whoever pays one thing is for certain you will need a very good budget. (More on this to come)

Where will the wedding ceremony take place?

Civil ceremony or church ceremony. I personally prefer a church wedding, as a wedding photographer I feel that the church can convey a lot more emotion than a civil ceremony, the lighting is often softer which lends itself to amazing wedding photography, however there is a place for civil ceremonies, some people like the fact that they can get married with a lot less fuss, plus don't forget your can write your own wedding vows (now that's romantic). Remember if you do choose to get married in a church you will probably be asked to visit it several times in the run up to the wedding, so make sure it's not on the other side of the country.

The theme

Now this should be the fun part for you girls, the guys usually want to start doing that DIY job that you have been nagging about for ages, but don't worry girls, he will be writing his fair share of invitations and tying pretty pink bows don't you worry. When it comes to a wedding theme, think of your own personality you will "just know" what's right and what's not. The theme can often be dictated by the time of year or the wedding venue, it could be a soft romantic theme or a theme to match an historic castle. Go with what feels right. But a word of caution don't be tempted into buying loads of goodies for your theme yet, mark my words you will change your mind at least once.

Choosing a guest list for the wedding


The wedding budget has already been discussed above, so has the theme, and location, now comes the tricky bit...The guest list. This can be difficult, not only must the budget be considered, but you will also find that family politics will rear its ugly head. First off there is the problem of what I call invitation by association; this is when you have to invite "Jack" because you have invited "Jill". My advice to you is to rather work backwards start with the budget and how many guests are allowed and then decide on a pre determined number of guests. Do your best to stick to it.

Once you have number of guests in mind, start from the top down, jot down all the people that you really really care about, these will most likely be close friends and family, next I would suggest you think about the important people in your life, those people that you respect or have been inspirational. They may not necessarily be the people that you speak to on a regular basis but they do have a special place in your life.

When it comes to work associates, be careful that you don't fall into the trap of inviting people because you have to, think of it this way, if you left your job who would you keep in touch with?

Above all don't forget about those people that may have contributed to your wedding day. All hell will break loose if they don't get invited.

Choosing a wedding dress and other attire

Once again you will find that your budget will dictate your decisions, your wedding dress is the most important item and I would suggest that an appropriate amount of the budget is allocated towards it. Then there are the dresses and suits for the ushers and bridesmaids, and let's not forget the Groom, believe me the cost can quickly add up, so make sure you do your homework and shop around.

Where to go on Honeymoon

This is the fun bit, obviously this will have to work within your budget, but you need to both agree on where you are going, just like regular vacations there are high and low seasons, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment, consider what activities you may want to do, are you both very sporty and active, or would you prefer to snuggle up in front of a fire for a couple of weeks. One of the most important things to consider is the accommodation and in particular the room: after all that will be where you will both be spending a lot of time ;-)



Wedding entertainment

Are you having a disco or a band? Don't forget that not all venues allow live music, and remember that the band normally starts charging from the time they arrive including set up so ensure that they are not hanging around because the venue hasn't cleared the room yet. When considering your choice of music think about your guests, will they want to rip it up all night or would quieter background music be more appropriate?

You may also consider a magician or caricaturists

As a wedding photographer, I dread hearing these words. If you are passionate about your wedding photos (which no doubt you are as you are reading cool info like this) you will probably also dread hearing these words.

So we are both disappointed, lets face it you have probably got the dream wedding venue and now we get told "No Photos". First things first lets not panic, what we need to do is clarify exactly what does "no photos"mean. It could mean that I can take pictures as you enter and leave the building, but not during the service, or it could mean that there is no "flash" photography during the service. Sometimes what it has meant for me is that i have only been able to shoot right from the back of the venue.

However perhaps we have been clutching at straws, maybe "no photos" means just that "no photos". This rule is often in place out of religious respect, but more often than not it is because the officials do not want the photography distracting from the main event i.e you getting married. Thats not a bad thing right, after all they have got your best interests at heart. Ads a wedding photographer, i have to respect that, there is nothing worse than having a photographer breaking that rule and then having the priest tell him off...Not my style.

The most important thing is communication, between the bride, groom, wedding photographer and the officials. In the past i have managed to get a reenactment shot, not ideal I know but its better than nothing.

Here in the Lancaster area we have a real mix between photos allowed and not allowed make sure whichever wedding photographer in Lancaster you choose, that you discuss this issue with him/her