Friday Foto - Why I love this image

I was sad to learn this week that our local bridal shop Cariad Bride,  Faringdon is due to close in the Autumn. Sue has run the business for the last 10+ years and many brides will have bought their wedding dress for their special day from her and experienced her great customer service. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Sue over the last couple of years and we worked together on a couple of styled shoots and frequently enjoyed a natter when I popped into her shop.    Unfortunately due to health problems Sue has decided to retire and her  knowledge and experience of the wedding business will be greatly missed by all, but I wish her well in her retirement and this next exciting chapter of her life.

For these reasons today's image of the week is specially chosen from a lovely shoot we at Merriscourt, a fabulous Cotswold wedding venue.  Organised by Jeni Crabb of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events this is one of my favourites and shows off the lovely wedding dresses Sue provided for the day.

A sale of dresses is now on at Cariad Bride so do pop down and grab yourselves a bargain.

You can catch up on our full English Country Wedding shoot which is featured here:

English Country Wedding  - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

If you're planning your wedding then I'd love to hear from you - please get in touch to discuss your wedding photography and find out more about my packages and servces.

Techy Stuff

Camera:  Canon 5D II
Focal Length:  46 mm
Aperture: F5
Exposure:  1/5000
Iso: 640

Shot in auto mode, no flash


Judi x



Judi is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based near Oxford working mainly in Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds but will consider commissions throughout the UK.  Working on location using natural light and countryside landscapes, Judi focuses on capturing beautiful relaxed images of you and your family using a mix of reportage and fine art style photography. Using an artistic eye Judi will not just capture your memories but create a work of art which can be presented in luxury fine art albums or as framed art or canvases to hang in your homes. 

Judi also provides services for commercial businesses including headshots, nursery and pre-school portraits as well as special events such as birthdays and christenings etc. She is a member of both The Society for Wedding & Portrait Photographers and The Guild of Professional Photographers.

More information is available on the website www.judicheckettsphotography.com or contact Judi via email

English Country wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - Part 3

Here is the final part of our English Wedding shoot taken at Merriscourt, a gorgeous wedding venue nestled in the Cotswolds (read Part 1 and part 2 here).  This final part focuses on the fabulous products from the suppliers who took part in the shoot.  Most were sourced locally by talented wedding planner Jeni Crabb.  If you're planning a wedding next summer in Oxfordshire take a look at what the local wedding suppliers have to offer you.

Make up was by MUA Sophie Devlin based in Wantage. Sophie created the look and style of our girls  hair and makeup.

Our gorgeous dresses were supplied by Cariad bride, based in Faringdon and run by the lovely Sue Lund.  Both contemporary and affordable these dresses would make any bride beautiful on her wedding day and you can be sure of exceptional service from Sue and delivered with a friendly smile.

Based in Stanford in the Vale, Chrissy Taylor is the inspiration behind Boho Designs.  Chrissy makes all her own jewellery and each item is guaranteed to be a unique piece.  From rings, bracelets and necklaces to bespoke head pieces for brides and bridesmaids, Chrissy will design and create individual pieces for your wedding or other special occasion.

Beautiful rustic flowers were supplied by Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses near Wantage. We had a divine mix of two colour schemes to compliment both outfits we shot - the peonies bouquet smelled heavenly too.

We could hardly wait for the shoot to be over so we could sink our teeth into these delicious cupcakes from Tessa Edwards of Daisy Cakes.  But so worth the wait!!   Like Chrissy and myself, Tessa is based in Stanford in the Vale (actually - our sons are all in the same class at school which is how we all met!) - amazing how many quality suppliers are right on your doorstep!

Additional contributions came from Lorraine at  The Jolly Vintage company for their fabulous range of vintage china tea sets, Damon at Stylish Centrepieces for the hurricane lamps and birdcages, Samantha from The Favour House for their cake pops and bespoke wedding stationary from Paper Fudge.

And of course the setting was the wonderful Merriscourt situated in stunning Cotswold scenery.   The umbrellas courtesy of  Brollies Galore were a late addition to the shoot - we had rain either side of the shoot but luckily were able to shoot in lovely summer sunshine  - just perfect for an English Garden Wedding!

Finally no wedding is complete without bunting - The oxford Bunting company supply lovely vintage floral bunting.


Full list of suppliers:

Jeni Crabb – Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events

Photos: Judi Checketts Photography (http://www.judicheckettsphotography.com/)

Venue: Merriscourt Galleries (http://www.merriscourt.com/index.html)

Bridal and Bridesmaid Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride (http://www.cariad-bride.co.uk/)

Make Up Artist: Sophie Kevlin (http://sophie-kay.wix.com/makeup)

Flowers: Foxgloves and Roses (http://www.foxglovesandroses.co.uk/foxgloves_and_roses/Welcome.html)

Vintage China: Jolly Vintage Tea Party (http://www.jollyvintageteaparty.co.uk/)

Wedding Stationery: Paper Fudge (http://paperfudge.co.uk/)

Centrepieces and Props: Stylish Centrepieces (http://www.stylishcentrepieces.co.uk/)

Bunting: Oxford Bunting Company (http://oxfordbuntingco.blogspot.co.uk/)

Cake Pops: The Favour House (http://www.thefavourhouse.co.uk/)

English Country Wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - part 2

Here's the second instalment from our bridal shoot at Merriscourt (you can read part 1 here).  Here the girls have changed into a gorgeous knee length dresses for both bride and bridesmaid with a summery pink colour scheme.  Deep crimson and prink peonies with some vintage styled jewelery really set off this look as they enjoyed a summer picnic looking out over the Cotswolds.  The gorgeous china and bunting completed the look and the cupcakes were devine - needless to say they didn't last long after the shoot was complete but more about those and the other props that were used in this shoot to come in part 3 of this styled shoot.

If you're getting married at Merriscourt I'd love to be there to photograph you so do get in touch!

Judi x

With thanks to the following Oxfordshire suppliers:

         Venue:  Carolyn Bond (Wedding Coordinator) at Merriscourt, Cotswolds.

        Wedding Planner:  Jeni Crabb, of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events

Wedding Photography:  Judi Checketts

Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride, Faringdon

Hair & Make Up: by Sophie Kevlin in Wantage

Flowers: Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses

Umbrellas:  Christine from Brollies Gallore

Bird Cages & Candles: Damon from Stylish Centrepieces 

Jewellry & headpieces: Chrissy Taylor of Boho Jewelry designs

Cakes:  Tessa Edwards of Daisy Cakes

Bespoke Fabric Bunting:  Oxford Bunting Co

English Country Wedding at Merriscourt, Cotswolds - part 1

As promised here is our full shoot from last months bridal shoot at Merriscourt situated in the beautiful Cotswolds nr Burford.

The shoot was organised by Jeni Crabb, local oxfordshire wedding planner and owner of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events. With experience in luxury boutique hotels and events throughout London, Oxfordshire and Cotswolds Jeni picked the perfect theme - an English Country Wedding.  The focus was very much on pulling together the resources of local suppliers which offer quality services and ideas which reflect her clients aspirations.

As a local wedding photographer I was delighted to be invited to be the photographer for this event and was amazed at the wonderful products available and had a fabulous time photographing everything. I met some great new suppliers as well as having the chance to catch up with some old friends too!

In order to share the full details with you I'm blogging this in 3 parts. The first part shows our gorgeous models for the day preparing for an elegant wedding which still possess a rustic country feel.  The girls are not proper models but had a ball getting dressed up in these wonderful wedding dresses from Sue Lund at Cariad Bride and professional hair & make-up by Sophie Kelvin. A full list of suppliers is given at the end - do check their websites for more inspiration. And if you are looking for a wedding photographer do please get in touch with me - I'd love to be there on your big day!

Judi x

With thanks to the following suppliers:

Venue:  Carolyn Bond (Wedding Coordinator) at Merriscourt, Cotswolds.
Wedding Planner:  Jeni Crabb, of Vanilla Rose Weddings & Events
Dresses:  Sue Lund of Cariad Bride, Faringdon
Hair & Make Up: by Sophie Kevlin in Wantage
Flowers: Nicola Robertson from Foxgloves and Roses
Umbrellas:  Christine from Brollies Gallore
Bird Cages & Candles: Damon from Stylish Centrepieces 
Jewellry & headpieces: Chrissy Taylor of Boho Jewelry designs

Part 2 will follow next week!

English Country Wedding Shoot at Merriscourt Featured in Aspirational Bride Wedding Blog

I'm delighted to announce some of my images from our recent English Country Wedding shoot are featured today on Aspirational Bride - the wedding blog.

Check it out here;

The shoot was held in the Cotswolds at the superb Merriscourt  - if you are looking for a venue for your wedding do go and visit this delightful country location - the views are breath-taking!

I will be sharing all the images from the full shoot with you - look out for part one on my blog this week!


Judi x