On Saturday night, my friend's mother threw a rather fancy birthday bash at the Avon Gorge Hotel. There were burgers, sausages, chicken and ribs sizzling atop the barbecue and thirty bottles of pink fizz doing the rounds. Everyone had donned their most glamorous gowns and mingled alongside the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It was the kind of event I'd always dreamed of attending, sort of like the ones I've spent hours watching, and re-watching, on Made In Chelsea. And Gossip Girl. And reading about in blogs. And Fitzgerald books.
However I was not just there as a guest, I was also the official photographer. This is a title that I have coveted for years, and instilled both excitement and fear in me. As a shy person, it is not in my nature to walk up to strangers and stick a nine inch long lens in their face before blinding them with a flash. I was much more comfortable photographing the location, and capturing unsuspecting victims from afar. I therefore came away from the party worried that I had not fulfilled my role; after looking at my photos though, I am rather pleased with them, I just wish I had been brave enough to photograph a wider selection of people! However, as this was my first attempt at event photography it has taught me a lot about how to effectively capture the ambience of an event through a lens and left me positively drooling for another go.
I did make sure that me and Joe got a picture of course, mainly because I was in love with my new dress. I had originally planned to wear long-sleeved black velvet but the recent heatwave sent me in to a sweaty whirlwind of panic as I attempted to find an alternative outfit (woe is me as I forgot to also order an alternative bra and ended up with pink and black polkadots on show for the whole night). I ripped apart my wardrobe but, of course, nothing was appropriate so I logged on to Asos and ordered this cheap and cheerful swing dress (my first ever Asos order, may I add). I paired it with 5" strappy heels from New Look, and Chanel polish in 'Pirate' on my fingers and tootsies.
