Our guide to Vintage Wedding Style is now available as an ebook, and you can read the first 30 pages (or even purchase a copy).

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Those of you casting about for that extra special something to include on your wedding list might like to peruse the new catalogue of Summers Place Auctions Ltd in Association with Sotheby’s – Garden Antique and Modern 23 & 25 October 2012. One pre-dawn morning in July your humble photographer drove down to Billingshurst to snap Dame Elizabeth Frink’s greenish white patinated bronze Desert Quartet IV (estimate £150,000-£250,000) for the cover…

If that’s not quite your thing, then perhaps the magnificent Nic Fiddian-Green hand beaten lead sculpture of a horse at water, Still Water (estimate £80,000-£120,000) exhibited at the Olympic Arena, Greenwich, the venue for the equestrian events might be of interest? Alternatively the fine selection of duck houses by Heytesbury Pavilions (6 lots with estimates £1,000-£1,800) and made famous by association with a certain Member of Parliament, might suit those of you with a moat to decorate (or an expense account to burn). I know Bella is keen on all manner of garden ironwork for our photographic location house business Walnuts Farm.

We have our own set of photography rules here at Wild Weddings, which have grown with us rather than having been self imposed. Hopefully they describe how we work and as such you might be interested to see them… There’s nothing to do with f-stops and it’s all about attitude.

1 Be seen and not heard. Don’t talk unless talked to. No shouting orders or asking the couple to kiss ‘spontaneously’ “one more time this way”. We don’t work for the Mirror or the Mail.

2 Give the appearance of effortlessness.

3 And appear to be unobtrusive (if that’s not an oxymoron).

4 Be democratic. Everyone present deserves their best shot. It’s not all about the girl in the big hat, or the Lothario on the dance floor, and we aim to cover the quieter guests as well as the principal couple. And whether you’re marrying in the grandest Cathedral or beside a windswept lochside we offer the same dedicated service.

5 We dress as if we’re invited as a guest. It might mean morning dress in church, suits in the register office or an hotel, or perhaps even black or white tie in the evening, (and if you’re planning a Pirate themed event we know where to purchase a decent tricorn hat).

And what about the unsung attributes of good photography?

1 Stamina. Three hours driving, an eight hour shoot, followed by three hours driving home to Walnuts Farm before a lonely night of file downloading is standard.

2 Eagle Eyes! Like the 1970′s action figure non-stop eye work is our stock in trade.

3 Editing. Arguably the greatest difference between good and exceptional photography is in the edit – both in camera on the day, and in post-production. We do at least three edits in post production for technical and aesthetic selection, and with a second pair of (this time female) eyes, we aim to distil the essence of the day into our final submission.

Nick is not related to David Essex or Adam Ant, and has never been in a boy band (for very good reason).

He prefers that ladies do not stuff cake into his suit pockets. He’s had quite enough of that already and it confuses the dry cleaner. If you must feed him (and it does help to keep him fuelled up) then a sandwich or whatever your caterers can easily provide, somewhere quiet away from the party would be appreciated. He’s an omnivore, though does not enjoy warm goats’ cheese.

His first photographic enlarger was made by the Soviets and could usefully be packed away into a discrete suitcase. It is still functional though currently stowed in the attic. Who knows when such Cold War technology might be needed again..? Nowadays for post production he uses Apple Macintoshes which last about three years if he’s lucky.

His camera can see in the dark, which is why you’ll rarely see him using on-camera flash. He’s not exactly sure how many ‘megapixels’ the sensor claims, although he can look it up in the manual if you really want to know. He believes in aesthetic quality rather than technical quantities. You may however still wish to know that he favours the professional bodies and lenses made by Nikon, though it is quite likely that the Canon equivalent are just as good, and you can ask as often as you like but he has no knowledge or opinion of the amateur range from the same suppliers.

He has been known to travel with a chain saw in the car to ensure a timely arrival.

For weddings he favours suits by Cordings of Piccadilly, Ralph Lauren Purple Label (when he’s showing off), and Old Town, together with morning dress by Ede and Ravenscroft, and Charles Tyrwhitt. He likes a scarf from Peckham Rye. His boots are by Shipton and Heneage. Essential sock management (so often overlooked by the amateur) is by Silvermans.

At home he wears wellington boots in the office and, when Bella’s not looking, even up the stairs. His scruffiest canvas trousers are supplied by TK Workwear. If you bump into him off-duty he will be sporting a look he optimistically describes as “tractor driver chic”.