Nov 1, 2022 | Clock Barn, July 2022
Hampshire wedding at Clock Barn
Ahhh could Sophie & Ben nailed their Clock Barn wedding any more?! What an absolutely perfect summer wedding from start to finish.
Clock Barn is always one of my favourite venues – with it’s gorgeous gardens, incredible food and wonderfully helpful staff…and this day was no exception! Sophie & Ben are just the most lovely bundles of joy to be around, and I can honestly say my cheeks ached from smiling after I left!
For a start we had the most perfect summer weather – that kind of hot but not too hot hot, which everyone getting married in July hopes for. The always manicured gardens were absolutely bursting with colour, which offset Sophie soft, peaches and light pinks bouquets perfectly. The girls got ready in the prep room, before excitedly venturing over to the main barn where they both said their vows. The afternoon seemed to go by in a flash, with everyone mingling and chatting on the lawn, enjoying their canapes in the sunshine. We did our usual lap of the grounds, taking some gorgeous couple shots and taking in the beautiful scenery.
When dinner was ready, everyone went inside for a wonderful three course meal and some very moving and heartfelt speeches. Of course a summer wedding wouldn’t be a summer wedding without some evening sunset couple shots, and the golden hour light didn’t disappoint! An absolute belter of a day, well done team! What a pleasure.
Here’s the wonderful gang who worked on the day with me:
Venue – Clock Barn
HMUA – A Finishing Touch
Flowers – Hannah Rose Flowers
Video – Shona Nolan Video
DJ – Ashley Riggs
Styling – Luminique
Cake – Reilly Cakes
Guitar – James Lane Music
Photobooth – Sparkle me Booths
If you’d like to chat to me about photographing your Clock Barn wedding, contact me here.
Nov 1, 2022 | Winchester Collage
Winchester College Wedding
O how gorgeous was this day! Hannah & David, two of the loveliest people you’ll ever meet, had the perfect summer wedding in a truly unique and exquisite place. After saying their ‘I do’s’ at the tiny but warm and friendly St Andrew’s Church in Winchester – a place very special to Hannah’s family – Hannah & David shared bubbles and mingled with their nearest and dearest in the gorgeous grounds of the Church surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful Hampshire scenery.
After being seen off in a storm of confetti, Hannah & David began their celebrations at the sensational Winchester College. Walking into the dining room, we were all greeted by the magical sounds of a grand piano being played and an incredible display of flowers! Guests enjoyed their drinks before sitting down for speeches and a delicious meal amongst the grandeur and splendour of the Great Hall.
After dinner, Hannah, David & I wandered the gorgeous grounds of the College, taking in the scenery and capturing some lovely moments together. The venue is incredibly special and a total dream to photograph – as was Hannah in her dress! O my, didn’t she look absolutely knockout?! Props to David too – there’s something about a man in a black tux… classic and timeless.
An absolute pleasure from top to bottom, thank you both so much for trusting me and having me along for the ride. Mwah!
Shout out to a fabulous team who worked on this wedding:
Venue – Winchester College
Florist – Mille Fleur
Hair – Hair by Ella
MUA – Make up by Indy
Pianist – Alan Helyer
If you’d like to speak to me about photographing your wedding at Winchester Collage or anywhere else, feel free to get in touch here.
Jun 16, 2022 | Clock Barn, June 2022
O my, what a beauty! I’m so excited to share with you some of my favourite photos from Charlotte & Alex’s absolutely GORGEOUS Clock Barn wedding! It’s no secret Clock Barn is one of my favourite venues so I’m very lucky to get to shoot lots of weddings there every year. I never get tired of seeing what the magical gardeners have done with the grounds every time I arrive as something different and colourful is always new and in bloom!
The bridesmaids wore beautiful pink dresses which complimented perfectly the pink and purple wild flowers which Charlotte carried down the aisle. The wonderful florists at Eden Blooms put spectacular bunches together in pretty green glasses vases which were dotted around the barn and on the dinner tables which completed the wonderful, colourful and summery look. I also loved how many people were excited to see Charlotte dressed and ready in her gorgeous dress, and there were more than just a few tears shed!
Weddings often use white drapes behind the registrar during the vows however Charlotte & Alex chose a pink drape which looked absolutely brilliant! If you’re getting married at Clock Barn I would definitely encourage you to consider a colour drape as it really tied in all the decor together well.
Despite a somewhat iffy weather forecast, the day stayed dry and warm, as guests enjoyed canapes and drinks outside and among the flowers, before moving inside for speeches and delicious food. When it came to the dancing, Ashley Riggs packed out the dance floor with great music and as I left, everyone was laughing and throwing their best moves. Such a brilliant day, thank you so much for having me along!
If you’d like to chat to me about photographing you wedding at Clock Barn, feel free to get in touch here.
Venue – Clock Barn * MUA – Beauty HQ * Flowers – Eden Blooms * Cake – Reilly Cakes * DJ – Ashley Riggs
Jan 14, 2022 | Best of
2021 – A Year in Review
Wow, where to begin…if you had told me back in the throngs of madness of 2020 what an incredible and beautiful wedding year 2021 would be, I just wouldn’t have believed you. I mean, I would have desperately wanted to believe you because like so many others, my heart was well and truly shattered in 2020, but I wouldn’t have had the nerve to. But it was. O it was!! It was real and raw and moving as always. More so… We’ve all come on a journey this last 2 years and now weddings are so, so much more important than they ever were before. They’ve always been wonderful excuses to gather everyone together, see loved ones from far away, eat, drink and be merry together; but now we know that these things may be fleeting and not to be taken for granted. Now we know that without these things, life feels half lived.
A huge part of why I love this job so much is down to this awesome industry – many of my closest friends are other photographers and with love and support for each other we’ve been able to build each other up and help each other grow. It’s the same with other suppliers and venues too; we’ve all shown incredible strength and comradery this last two years and I’m so proud of the industry that we’re part of. Thank you for every referral, share, like that you’ve sent my way; I appreciate it enormously.
Above all, thank you to my wonderful clients. Thank you for trusting me with an incredibly special day. I won’t say ‘the best day of your life’ because…I kinda hope it isn’t. I hope it’s a bloomin’ fantastic day, but I wish you 100s more bloomin’ fantastic days to come in your long, and happy lives together. You don’t know this but I often cry when I leave a wedding because I know I won’t see you again, and that makes me sad! Please stay in touch <3
All my love, Mia xx
Sep 23, 2021 | Barford Park Farm
Barford Park Farm wedding
O my, where to even begin with this wonderful wedding!! Jen & Greg are the kind of people that as soon as you meet them, you just know they are 100% lovely and 100% made for each other. Like so many couples these last few years they had to arrange and rearrange their wedding more times than I can keep count, however on Thursday it finally happened and it was absolutely worth the wait.
The day began at Jen’s family home, with her parents, sister and best girls around her. I even got to meet the honorary bridesmaid Thomasina, the 100 year old family tortoise who looked particularly fetching in her floral corsage. The girls were all dressed in summer boho gorgeousness, with sage green dresses and pretty lose plaits in their hair.
The ceremony took place at St Mary’s Church in Eling, where Greg and his boys guided guests on where to sit and waited in anticipation for Jen and her Dad to arrive. As an extra special touch, Greg’s Mum sang in the choir whilst they signed their marriage certificate – the first time I and many others had heard live singing in 18 months and I won’t confirm or deny if I cried.
After a down pouring of confetti, guests exited to Barford Park Farm in Salisbury for the reception, whilst Jen, Greg and I stopped off in The New Forest for some couples photos. Also with us were Natalie & Elliot from Blush wedding videos; one of my favourite videography teams who I never fail to have the best day working alongside (seriously, book them – they’re amazing!)
The reception consisted of delicious canapes, plentiful drinks and wonderful speeches before what everyone was waiting for began….the party! It had been a loooooong time since anyone there had been on a dance floor so the opportunity was not wasted and everyone piled on the dance floor, but not before Jen & Greg were blasted with 6 confetti cannons!
What.a.day, you guys NAILED it! So much love to you both. MWAH!
If you’d like to speak to me about photographing your wedding at Barford Park Farm, feel free to contact me here. Thank you too to Charlotte Razzle for second shooting with me on the day, some of these photos are hers.
Jul 13, 2021 | Clock Barn, July 2021
O how good it felt to be back at Clock Barn in Hampshire finally! And certainly back with a bang for Kimberley & Tim’s most glorious day. This was the first wedding where I’ve had the chance to photograph the new prep room called The Stables – a gorgeous converted stable room beside the main barn with plenty of space and large mirrors for everyone to get ready comfortably and safely hidden away. The barn was decorated by one of my favourite florists – Owen from Little Lillies with a showstopping floral circle arch which made an incredible backdrop during their vows. Kim’s bridesmaids wore dark purple dresses which also looked beautiful alongside the soft purple roses and succulents.
Due to a few on going restrictions, the reception had to be seated however the sun shone and everyone enjoyed chatting and drinking on the new benches in the paddock field. Kim & Tim provided some lawn games including space hopper horses which was just about the best thing I’ve ever seen. It was also wonderful to see Amanda from Reilly cakes again after all this time, check out her beautiful creation further down.
As the sun started to set Kim & Tim had their first dance outside whilst the band Gentlemen of the Road played, and everyone got to relax, with a drink in hand, listening to fantastic tunes and nibble of pizza. What could possibly be better?
A gorgeous day and a truly gorgeous couple, I’m so, so happy you got to have your day in the end and it was magnificent. Happy, happy wedding!
If you’d like to speak to me about photographing your Clock Barn in Hampshire wedding, feel free to message me here.
Jan 4, 2021 | Baby Nugget, Branding photography, Commercial photography, Content photography
…And now for something completely different! I’ve been dabbling with a bit of commercial photography here and there for years however with my usual work load of weddings I never really had the time to push the business or dedicate much time to it. In 2020 though with almost all of my weddings being cancelled or postponed, I decided to ramp it up a bit and to give it a name…. and Baby Nugget was literally born!
I’ve always regretted calling my wedding business Mia Photography to be honest – it started at a time when Bolo and I were serious but not yet engaged so I didn’t want to call it Mia Kenward (knowing we’d probably soon be married) and wasn’t brazen enough to call it Mia Hooper before he proposed (likely we’d not be married today as he’d have thought I was crazy, ha!) So I called it Mia Photography due to lack of other ideas but this makes it very difficult with crediting me as other Mia’s have popped up over the years.
I wanted to make the commercial side of my photography separate from my weddings and to focus on alternative brands who want bright and vibrant content photography. This meant it definitely needed a name of it’s own, so after running through a few ideas I settled on Baby Nugget – my daughter Betsey’s absolute favourite dolly. When she was 2 and thinking of names for her dolly, we asked her, “What’s your favourite thing that we could name her after?” She thought for a bit then said “Baby Daddy. No wait! Baby Nugget”.
Big thank you to my husband Bolo for featuring heavily in my branding and content photos this year…lockdown meant it was slim pickens for models so good job you’re hot! Hehe.
Here are a few things I’ve been up to this year – I would love to expend this side of my business so if you’re looking for fun, vibrant and creative content of your business or product for your website or social media, please get in touch here!
Jan 4, 2021 | Round up 2020
Every year around January, I love looking back and reflecting on all the previous years’ gorgeous weddings and putting together a little blog post of my favourite photos. Although 2020 was a strange year and in no way went to plan, I was still lucky enough to photograph 7 wonderful weddings which absolutely helped keep me sane and happy.
I won’t bang on about all the heartbreak of 2020 because we all know how awful most of it was, so instead I’ll celebrate this absolute bunch of babes and their determination to prove that love always wins and no horrible virus can put a dampener of their joy.
If you’d like to chat to me about being your Dorset wedding photographer, please contact me here! Can’t wait to hear from you.
Oct 22, 2020 | COVID weddings, October 2020
“I had the most perfect, magical, emotional, intimate and fun day getting married in front of our 10 guests. I didn’t stop smiling and laughing! The day was entirely about love and laughter and I would not have changed it for the world” – Zara
We all know that 2020 hasn’t been the year any of us asked for or wanted; weddings like many many other sectors have been horrendously affected and many couples have had their hopes of a wedding with all of their family and friends totally dashed. In the spring, most of my couples postponed their weddings into 2021 hoping for the big wedding with the party and sweaty dance floor we didn’t realise we wanted so much. A few though, have decided to stick their fingers up at COVID, embrace the restrictions and to go for it all guns blazing. For some, the small numbers with less pressure are appealing, for some, they just can’t wait to be married any longer. Either way, looking back on your photos of family members with masks on will certainly be a sign of these crazy times, and one to tell the grandchildren.
One thing is for sure, intimate weddings are a beautiful thing. Simple and with much less stress, couples can not only take time to really speak to all of their guests but they can really spoil them too with a larger food and alcohol budget for each person. Finally, the excuse to not invite the rude Uncle no one actually likes! I fully appreciate they’re not for everyone and the 15 guest number is a real squeeze, but I have loved every minute of the ones I’ve had the pleasure to capture so far and can’t wait for more.
Zara & Tom decided to have a ‘first look’ at their micro wedding at Basing House in Hampshire. When all traditional rules are off, why the hell not? I love that I could could capture Tom’s face for her as he turns around.
“All of the stresses of postponing our wedding was so worth it! To any couples wondering if a micro wedding is the way forward, I would say go for it as it was the best day of my life and I cannot wait to celebrate more next year!” – Zara
A wedding wouldn’t be quite the same without cake! Both these couples dished up delicious food to their guests whilst they said a few thank you’s and told a few heartfelt and funny stories. Some traditions are just too good to leave out, cake of course being one of them.
If you’d like to chat to me about capturing your small or intimate wedding I would love to hear from you! Feel free to drop me a line here, or for more info about small weddings and prices click here.
