Wood Hall Wedding Photography | Victoria and John

Being chosen to photograph a wedding is always a huge privilege and something that never fails to make us happy, but when a couple book us as a direct result of us being recommended to them by their friends, it's a very special feeling.  Such was the booking from Victoria and John, close friends of Jules and Ady, whose wedding we photographed last November.  Our sincere thanks to both couples.

As Wood Hall wedding photographers, we know what a beautiful venue this is, but like most wedding venues, it's best when the weather is good and you can make the most of the spectacular surroundings.  Lady Luck was definitely around for Victoria and John's big day, sending uninterrupted sunshine from early in the morning. 

Victoria got ready at Wood Hall Hotel & Spa so our day started there, with a short trip to nearby Sicklinghall for the ceremony and then back to Wood Hall for the reception.  Two rooms next door to each other meant that we could capture our bride having make-up applied and hair styled in one room and photograph her gorgeous dress and accessories in the other.  It's often impossible to take a full length shot of the wedding dress because either there isn't enough space or you can't get back far enough.  However, a dark wood wardrobe with a mirror at a right angle to it made the most perfect setting for a stunning photograph of that amazing dress.  Alex let Victoria have a quick preview of the image on the back of the camera before joking that he'd deleted it and coming close to getting a battering!  

John arrived at St Peter's Church in Sicklinghall just as we did and after helping the boys fix buttonholes, we captured a few relaxed shots of them all together before concentrating on John's portraits.  Victoria arrived with her proud dad Cliff in a very eye catching car which she had previously described as being as close to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as she could find.  We knew that it would make a great feature in some images of the newly married Mr and Mrs Broadbent when we got back to Wood Hall.

A surprise gift from Victoria's mum was a visit from Pete the Sweep who greeted the couple at the door at the end of their ceremony.  Cath had let us into the secret a few weeks before and so we were fully briefed and ready to capture some images before beginning the formal group photographs.  Getting these done at the church if the light and location is good is definitely preferable as, with everyone around, it's much quicker and frees up precious time for other photographs at the reception venue.

With such a glorious day and no sign of the weather letting us down, the guests enjoyed Pimms on the terrace and soaked up the sunshine whilst we captured some great images.  Fun shots with the bridal party were very much on the agenda for later on and after the wedding breakfast and speeches, including a surprise presentation for the couple from some of their friends in Australia, which resulted is lots of laughter as well as a few tears, we headed out into the early evening sunshine to play.  

Congratulations to you both and thank you for allowing us to share your celebrations. You certainly couldn't have wished for better weather and we enjoyed every minute spent with you and your guests.  Have a fabulous honeymoon and in the meantime, here are a few preview images for you to enjoy.

If you are looking for a Wood Hall Hotel wedding photographer, please contact us on 01977 730159.  If you were a guest at Mr and Mrs Broadbent's lovely wedding, please leave a comment and if you like our images, we'd very much appreciate a Like on our Facebook page.  Please note that all images are copyright so do not download or copy - thank you.

Wood Hall, Wetherby Wedding Photography | Nikki and Sean's Wedding

It was our pleasure to be Wood Hall wedding photographers for Nikki and Sean on the last day of June when you'd think that you would have a decent chance of wall to wall sunshine.  However, it continued with the mixed bag of weather we've been having a lot of lately and again, shower dodging was the order of the day, just as it was when we met the couple at Bolton Abbey for their engagement shoot.  Sometimes we get lucky and the rain comes when it doesn't matter.  This time, it decided to throw it down right at the end of the civil ceremony!

We travelled to Nikki and Sean's home in Baildon first to photograph Nikki having hair and make-up done and also to take photographs of her gorgeous vintage style lace dress which was hanging in the couple's bedroom.  The light in the room couldn't have been more perfect.  

We left for Wood Hall Hotel and the although it was very windy, the rain managed to stay away right though the boys' photographs and for Nikki's arrival with her dad, Richard.  So far, so good.  

A lovely civil ceremony followed and a quick check outside as the couple were about to exit confirmed it was raining.  As it looked like it might blow over, we decided to wait it out whilst the guests enjoyed champagne and sure enough, the sun came out a short time later, allowing us to get outside and photograph everyone together, followed by a shower of rose petal confetti.  Because of the wind, we chose a more sheltered area for the smaller group photographs as the rain clouds loomed large again and we just managed to finish them when the heavens opened and everyone dashed for cover.

As Wood Hall does offer a degree of shelter at the entrance, we used this area for some photographs of Nikki and Sean before checking to see if the Vavasour suite was set up for the wedding breakfast.  It really did look spectacular and Nikki, having a keen eye for detail, had done an amazing job, including a sweetie table and framed family wedding photographs on display around the room.

After dinner, we headed outside again and the rain had stopped - briefly.  We got some fun pictures with the girls and had just got the bridal party on the grass for some more and it started again.  A big tree offered some shelter for Nikki and Sean and the bridesmaids deserve a huge thank you for helping keep them dry whilst we were working and for not caring too much about getting wet themselves.

Back inside to photograph the casino and vodka luge and check timings for the first dance with the band and a very enthusiastic and excited bridesmaid came rushing in to tell us about the spectacular rainbow which had appeared.  We had to move fast as these things tend to disappear very quickly.  A sunshine and rain mix sometimes has its advantages and wow, what a bonus to be able to capture Nikki and Sean with a whole rainbow behind them!

With the first dance routine covered, as well as the antics around the vodka luge, the last important thing that Nikki wanted us to capture was the sparklers.  As Wood Hall don't allow fireworks, this was the next best thing for Nikki.  It's a challenge lighting eight sparklers at once but it was such a laugh getting these images.

Mr and Mrs Murphy, your wedding was amazing, even if the weather kept us on our toes. Thank you for allowing us to share it with you.

To enquire about our availability as your Wood Hall wedding photographers, please give us a call on 01977 730159