Wedding Photographer Waterton Park Hotel | Samantha and Barry

Samantha and Barry chose a Thursday at the end of August to tie the knot and as Waterton Park wedding photographers, we were really excited about capturing their big day.  We knew that we'd have a good time but we also knew that Sammy and Barry's photographs were extremely important to them.  We had the perfect combination of an enthusiastic and fun couple, a beautiful wedding venue, decent weather, a funny and up for laughs bridal party and plenty of time.  

As everything from bridal prep to first dance was at one venue, we arrived early at Waterton Park Hotel to start with Sammy's getting ready photos.  Her Mark Lesley princess dress was stunning and lent itself beautifully to a sequence of shots we had planned for later.  

We left Sammy for a while to photograph the boys and crossed the bridge to Walton Hall to catch up with them in Charlie's Bar.  Baz did look great in his cream suit and cream and black shoes but there was something else that he really wanted photographing, his Castleford Tigers cufflinks. Baz is a huge fan and mention of the team wasn't limited just to his cufflinks!

The civil ceremony room looked lovely for Sammy and Baz's wedding and once the formalities were over, Pauline presented them with champagne, everyone came outside and before we crossed the bridge to start the group formals, the couple enjoyed a few minutes of congratulations and a shower of confetti.

Sometimes the group photo session goes so smoothly and quickly that you have time in hand to make the most of the characters in the bridal party.  Sammy and Baz's attendants were just as much of a laugh as the couple and because everyone co-operated so well with the group photos and because this wedding was the only one that day, it was lovely to have the time to relax a little and take some fun images before it was time for dinner.

We left everyone for a short time to get a shot of the wedding breakfast room all set up in a gorgeous shade of coral and this is when we noticed that Castleford Tigers had found their way in, courtesy of Baz, who had made all the table name cards himself.  Usually, we make ourselves scarce whilst everyone enjoys the wedding breakfast but Sammy and Baz had very kindly invited us to join everyone and we were treated to a delicious meal and lots of banter with the guests on the same table who had us in stitches!  We appreciate Sammy and Baz's gesture so much and we were quite humbled when they said that they considered us to be a big part of their special day.  We did leave the champagne and wine alone though!

After dinner and some impressive speeches, we checked outside to see what the weather was doing.  It was, dare we say it, a bit too sunny for what we had planned, so we worked with Sammy on the staircase and posed her on a chaise upstairs for some bridal portraits. Once the sun had gone down, we headed outside with the couple to photograph them around the venue, including the must have location for wedding photography at Waterton Park - the lakeside archway.

When you are lucky enough to work with a couple like Sammy and Baz, who were so enthusiastic about their photographs and so brilliant to work with, the ideas for images just keep coming and we know that Mr and Mrs Richardson will have a spectacular storybook album some time soon.

With the first dance done, enhanced by the spectacular lighting which is always a feature at evening parties at Walton Hall, and some great images captured, it was time to wrap up our coverage of this hugely enjoyable wedding and we sincerely thank Sammy and Baz for choosing us to share it.

If you were a guest, please leave a comment, if you are looking for a photographer for your Waterton Park Hotel wedding, we would love to hear from you on 01977 730159, and if you'd like to follow us on Facebook, we'd really Like that.  Thank you.

All images are protected by copyright Alex & Janet Durasow.  

Oulton Hall Wedding Photographers | Natalie and James

Being Oulton Hall wedding photographers is always very exciting for us and spending the whole day from bridal preparations to evening celebrations at this lovely venue for Natalie and James's wedding was a real pleasure.  

Natalie and her girls got ready upstairs in one of the beautiful spacious suites and this was where we started documenting the day, which always begins with something we think is really important when it comes to telling a couple's wedding story - the bride preparing for the biggest day of her life and all the little details that go with it.

With the weather on our side, we were looking forward to working with James and his attendants outside in the grounds but as the boys attached buttonholes in the Champagne Bar, we decided to take a few window light portraits as James fastened his cufflinks and cravat.  The lads were good fun to work with and we had a great time photographing them, using some of the features and architecture which make Oulton Hall wedding photography so varied and interesting.

We made the short trip back upstairs to Natalie who was almost ready for the civil ceremony in the Oulton Suite.  The registrars were very friendly and obliging and we captured the proceedings from two different viewpoints to give Natalie and James a good choice of documentary photographs as they tied the knot.

Everyone came outside and enjoyed a glass of champagne whilst we started the group photo session, beginning with the couple and all their guests assembled on the grass for a big group picture, followed by a shower of rose petal confetti, provided by the couple.  If confetti photos are important, we highly recommend doing this rather than taking a chance that guests will remember to bring it with them.  Once the group pictures were done, it was time for fun bridal party photographs and one of our favourite parts of the wedding day, the bride and groom portraits.  We enjoyed a short photo shoot with Natalie and James, choosing a couple of locations around Oulton Hall's gorgeous grounds with a plan to work with the interior later.

The Oulton Suite, dressed in Natalie's choice of a soft pinky taupe, looked so beautiful and for us, a shot of the wedding breakfast room is a must for the couple's album. Planning how the wedding breakfast room will be dressed takes time and effort, not to mention a lot of money, but actually seeing it all come together is fleeting for the bride and groom, as they only get a quick look before their guests sit down for dinner.  A beautiful photo in their album is something to be treasured and we always do our best to make sure we get it.

After speeches were done and James was glad to have this somewhat nerve wracking part of the day out of the way, he and Natalie met up with us again to work around the staircase and on the gallery.  This is a time we really look forward to at a wedding and is the time when we can relax with the couple, slow things down, try out a few ideas, have a laugh and get them some really special and artistic images for their storybook.  Natalie looked stunning and James looked pretty good too!

When we returned to the Oulton Suite ready for the first dance and evening party, the room was beautifully lit, adding a lovely atmosphere and spectacular colour to Natalie and James's first dance photos.  Natalie's dad then took over from James for a dance with his daughter, before everyone who fancied letting their hair down took to the floor.

Thank you so much Mr and Mrs Roberts for inviting us to share your celebrations!  It was a brilliant day and we really enjoyed working with you.

If you were a guest, please do leave a comment.

Being a wedding photographer at Oulton Hall is fabulous and we're very lucky!  If you're lucky enough to be getting married there, we'd love to hear from you.  You can find out more on our West Yorkshire wedding photographer website and you can also find us on Facebook.

All images are the copyright of Alex & Janet Durasow.

Wedding Photographer Wentworth Castle | Shelley and Damian

This year we've photographed weddings at several new venues including being Wentworth Castle wedding photographers for Shelley and Damian.  On the day we met up to recce the venue, it was blazing sunshine and on the wedding day it wasn't!  The forecasters had predicted a pretty dismal day and we were prepared for getting wet. However, when we arrived for Shelley's getting ready photos, the welcome she and her bridesmaids gave us more than made up for the forecast.  

We went to find Damian and his attendants who all looked very smart in their dark blue suits.  We just managed to get the boys' photographs in the bag and get back to Shelley when the drizzle started, meaning this beautiful bride's walk to the ceremony with her proud dad was under an umbrella.  As West Yorkshire wedding photographers, we always have to have a Plan B for when the weather lets us down and we thought that this would be a day when we'd have to resort to it, but sometimes you get lucky!  We were very lucky that the rain had stopped by the time the civil ceremony had ended and it meant that we got outside and quickly completed all the group photos the couple had asked for, with the bonus of some fun shots too.  

There are lots of lovely backdrops for Wentworth Castle wedding photography and Shelley and Damian already had some ideas of their own for where they'd like some of their photographs taking.  We too had a one or two areas we definitely wanted to use for some arty images but as is usually the case, once we'd finished the group photographs, there was only enough time left before the wedding breakfast to use a couple of these locations and we had to postpone the rest until later.  It's quite a hike to get to where we wanted to work so a golf buggy was on standby.     

Maddie, Shelley's beautiful horse, had been invited to the wedding as a surprise for everyone and we were looking forward to meeting her and to photographing her with Shelley, but as the wedding breakfast got underway, the rain started and it absolutely bucketed down.  It was so heavy that we thought it might mean that Maddie didn't come after all and also that Shelley and Damian might abandon their plans to have photographs taken around the castle ruins.  The forecast said that it would rain until 8 pm and then stop.  Great - at least it was going to stop but how much light would we have left to work with after 8 pm on such a dull and overcast day?  Not much!  

Maddie did arrive quite a bit later than planned and it was still drizzling but Shelley was absolutely delighted to see her and we suspect that most people watching felt a bit emotional seeing the two of them together.  Maddie has arthritis and finds it difficult to walk far but she did enjoy a tipple!  She didn't object to Shelley, in her wedding dress, climbing on her back and we were over the moon to have such a fabulous photo opportunity.  We know that Shelley's friends went to a lot of trouble to make Maddie look perfect, braiding her hair and tail three times in the wedding colour scheme before they were happy.  

By now the rain had stopped but it was blowing a gale and we were rapidly losing the daylight.  It was a case of now or never and we decided to go for it.  Damian drove Shelley, the two of us and our gear in the golf buggy up to Wentworth Castle to grab some of the photo opportunities we really wanted to take advantage of.  Despite soggy grass and strong winds, the couple were fantastic and happily worked with us to get some gorgeous images before we lost the light altogether and returned to the evening party.

A huge thank you Mr and Mrs Green for the privilege of being your photographers, for taking the weather in your stride and for being such a pleasure to work with.

If you were a guest, you might like to leave a comment and if you are interested in our services for your wedding, you can see more on our Yorkshire Wedding Photographer website.  You can also find us on Facebook.

All images are the copyright of Alex & Janet Durasow.

Wedding Photographers Rogerthorpe Manor | A Thank You

We are always delighted to receive feedback from our clients and as Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers, this brought a huge smile to our faces when it arrived from Laura and Lee, whose wedding we photographed recently.  A huge thank you for this.

"Firstly I just wanted to say once more how amazing you both were on our wedding day. We only got back a few hours ago from our honeymoon and I've just been speaking to my mum who said that EVERYBODY who she had spoken to commented how fantastic you both were!  My mum said she was amazed how professional you were and said she will be sure to recommend you without a doubt!

I've seen a few pictures already which are fab!  Can't wait to see them all now!!

We can't thank you both enough."

Getting married at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel?  We have lots of experience working at this lovely family owned wedding venue so why not call us on 01977 730159 to check our availability?  You can also visit our Wedding Photographer West Yorkshire website and catch up with us on Facebook.