Wedding photographer Huddersfield, Yorkshire - thank you

Becky and Simon's wedding thank you

We were delighted to receive a lovely thank you card today from Becky and Simon Hammond who's wedding we photographed in Huddersfield in April this year.  Thank you guys - we really appreciate it!

"Dear Alex and Janet, we would like to thank you for everything you have done in making our wedding day so special.  The professionalism and dedication you have shown us has been out of this world, and I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending you in the future.  Our wedding photographs were and still are one of the most important aspects of the wedding.  You made it obvious from our very first meeting of the passion you both have in your photography so without hesitation we secured our booking - and what a brilliant choice we made.  I don't think we could ever thank you enough for everything you have done - the whole process has been something we will never forget.  We look forward very much to being able to treasure such a wonderful wedding album.  Love Simon and Becky Hammond xx."

Family portrait photography Yorkshire

The Walton family portrait session

Having worked with Helen recently, it was a pleasure to welcome her back to the studio, this time with hubby Darran and their three lovely sons, for a family portrait session.  This wonderful family are a joy to work with and an absolute pleasure to photograph.  Thank you Helen and Darran for coming back to us - it was a privilege to photograph you with your amazing boys, Harry, Jack and Sam, who are such a credit to you.

Engagement portrait photography Yorkshire

Lyndsey and Michael's engagement portrait session

Lyndsey and Michael are marrying in Bradford at the end of July and ahead of their wedding, they came into the studio for an engagement portrait session.  We suggested that they bring a set of casual clothes and a set of smart ones so that we could create a couple of different looks for them, to give them a really good choice of images.  We had a really fun time with them both and the session helped them feel more relaxed in front of the camera.  They will choose their favourite image from the session and this will be displayed at their wedding, along with a signature mount for their guests to write messages on.  After the wedding, we will frame the photograph and signature mount together for Lyndsey and Michael to display as a really lovely reminder of their wedding day.  They were such a pleasure to work with and we are really looking forward to their big day in a few weeks time! 

Portrait photographer Castleford

Amy and Lucas

As professional children's portrait photographers in Castleford, it was our pleasure to welcome cousins, Amy and Lucas, along with Amy's step-mum Nicky and Lucas's mum Emma to the studio.  We know Nicky well, having met her when she was the make-up artist for Nathalie, one of our brides, and we have also worked together in the studio.  Nicky is a very talented and creative make-up artist. 

Nicky called us to ask if we fancied the challenge of photographing a two year old girl and a one year old boy together, as a gift for the children's grandma.  Now, how do you get two children these ages to stay in one place long enough to be photographed together?  We managed it pretty well with the help of Nicky and Emma.  Nicky did admit she was exhausted at the end of the session though!

Two delightful children and some great images!

Family portrait photographer in Castleford

Emily, Maddison, Hope, Leo and Janet

It was our pleasure to welcome this lovely family to the studio.  Having worked with them on more than one occasion in the past, it was fantastic to see them again and to meet Leo for the first time.

The idea was for us to photograph Janet's four grandchildren together - no easy task getting them all to stay where we wanted them for more than a split second!

It was slightly easier to get Janet's two eldest granddaughters, Emily and Maddison, to stay with her just long enough for us to capture them cuddling their lovely grandma.

A lively and fun session with a family who have become friends.  It was so nice to see you all again and a privilege to work with you.   

Wedding photographer Allerton Castle, Yorkshire

Wedding photography at Allerton Castle, Knaresborough on 5 June 2010 for Rebecca and Gary

As Yorkshire wedding photographers, it was our pleasure to return to the splendour of Allerton Castle to share the celebrations of Becky and Gary and again, the weather was kind to us.

On arrival, we checked in with Becky who was getting ready in the ornate bridal suite with its gold furniture.  Becky's dad, Colin, kept us in stitches with his antics!  Becky's gorgeous dress, shoes and accessories had something of a vintage feel to them - stunning!

Next stop was to meet up with Gary and best man Garry, who's hand was in plaster, so we had to hide this on any many photographs as possible.  The guys were all great fun and Gary, who's a real giggler, kept us laughing during his photo session.

Becky decided on a different approach to choosing her bridemaids' dresses, allowing then all to choose their own as long as they were one of three colours.  All the dresses were different and all the ladies looked gorgeous! 

The lovely, intimate wedding ceremony was followed by the guests throwing things at the newly married couple and then we moved onto the small number of group photographs which Becky and Gary had requested.

Allerton Castle is one of the most amazing wedding venues in Yorkshire and it offers some fabulous backdrops for photographs - as wedding photographers, we are spoilt for choice when we work here.  The Italian garden is a superb location for a big group shot!

Beautiful location, beautiful pose, beautiful dress, beautiful Becky!

As creative wedding photographers, we love working with fun couples like Becky and Gary who are really enthusiastic about their photography.  The couple and their attendants were fantastic company and this is just one of the shots from a sequence showing the fun and laughter of their day.

No wedding photography at Allerton Castle would be complete without some shots on that staircase!

After the wedding breakfast and speeches, we just had to make the most of the lovely evening light which was much softer than earlier in the day and so Becky and Gary joined us for a while for some quiet time and some really nice images using the castle's features as backdrops.

After the new Mr and Mrs Richardson had finished their first dance, we said our goodbyes.  Thank you Becky and Gary for the privilege of sharing your wedding day full of laughter.

Wedding Photography Hollins Hall | Wedding Photographer Baildon | Rachel and Scott

                    

From our very first meeting with Rachel and Scott, we got on like a house on fire and so we'd been looking forward very much to their wedding.  Having photographed them together in the studio recently, we'd had a great time with them, taken some fantastic images and we knew that theirs would be an amazing and very special day and it was a scorcher - just what they'd hoped for!

As Yorkshire wedding photographers, we are privileged to work at some lovely venues and this was a new one for us today.  We planned an earlier than usual arrival at Hollins Hall because we knew that Scott's army colleagues were going to practice their guard of honour well before the ceremony and we wanted to capture this, but our first commitment of the day was definitely to Rachel who gave us the biggest welcome ever when we arrived, saying how happy she was to see us, along with a big hug!  Now that kind of welcome really sets you up for the day!

Rachel is such a lovely lady and we spent some time taking photographs of her shoes, dress and accessories before leaving her for a while to see what the guys were up to.  Scott looked really smart in his army uniform and we grabbed a few portraits of him and best man Sam before the guys did a run through of the guard of honour.  A big thank you must go to Bill who choreographed this very special part of the day and for helping keep everything on track, enabling us to breeze through the photographs.  We really did appreciate his help! 

  

With the group shots taken, it was onto the fun shots and as everyone was up for a good laugh, we got some great shots capturing the fun mood and spirit of Rachel and Scott's day.

Here come the girls...

And the boys...

After the wedding breakfast, Rachel and Scott met up with us again for their "special" photographs.  We just love this section of the wedding day because it gives us the chance to take some relaxed and romantic photographs for the couple and something a bit more creative...

Back outside again to make the most of the beautiful evening and the lovely weather.  Rachel and Scott are made for eachother and it shows!

We spotted this doorway and thought it would make a great location for this shot of stunning Rachel.

Our last job to round off what was a fabulous day was to cover Rachel and Scott's first dance as husband and wife, but we couldn't refuse their kind offer of a buffet supper - thank you guys for this and a very big thank you for choosing us as your wedding photographers.  You were amazing and we had an amazing day with you, your families and guests.  Congratulations Mr and Mrs Bolton!

Wedding photographer Otley

Wedding photography at Chevin Country Park Hotel, Otley for Jennifer and Bradley on 31 May 2010

Our third wedding in four days saw the weather change back to sunshine for the beautiful wedding of Jennie to Brad at Chevin Country Park Hotel in Otley.  This is such a lovely wedding venue and the staff are great, in particular the wedding co-ordinator, Tom, who's just fantastic and so friendly and helpful.

First stop was with the girls in their cabin as Jennie got ready for the ceremony.  Her beautiful smile shone all day long!  We then joined the boys for their photographs around the grounds of the venue amid lots of laughter.  The kilts are a bit of a clue that there is a Scottish connection here, but it's not Brad who's a Scott, it's Jennie.  There was an interesting little story from Jennie's dad, Brian during his speech.  When Brad asked Brian for permission to ask Jennie to marry him, Brian agreed, with the one condition that Brad wore a kilt to their wedding.  Of course Brad obliged and he and his attendants looked amazing.  If was hard to hold the cameras still for laughing as the guys got into the spirit of the day!

A quick chat with the registrar established that we would be allowed to photograph Jennie and Brad's civil ceremony which was so beautiful and personal and we are always grateful when the registrar is as accommodating as this.  The balcony above provided a great viewpoint. 

Unusually for a wedding where everything is taking place at one venue, there was a car to be photographed today, but not just any car.  This one was something very special as it belongs to Brad's proud dad, Louis.  A car with a wow factor - a 1930s Hot Rod.  Stunning, isn't she?  Not as stunning as Jennie though!

Following the ceremony and shots with that amazing car, the group shots were quickly taken care of leaving plenty of time for fun shots and to enjoy the company of Jennie and Brad whilst we took some romantic shots of the two of them together.  The couple were a pleasure to work with, very enthusiastic about their photographs and the whole day went so smoothly.  Credit must go to Brad for being so organised and for making sure everything ran to time, enabling us to fit such a lot in before the wedding breakfast.

After the wedding breakfast and speeches, which were hilarious and contained lots of English/Scottish banter, Jennie joined us for some beautiful photographs on the wrought iron staircase before we headed off outside for a walk around the lake and some lovely, romantic photographs of the couple together.

There were so many personal touches to this beautiful wedding and one very special one was Jennie's dad playing the guitar and singing as his daughter and new son-in-law's took to the floor for their first dance to "Run."  This was followed by him joining Jennie for a father and daughter dance to "To Sir With Love" after which we said good night.

Jennie and Brad's wedding was an absolute joy and a privilege to share.  Thank you Mr and Mrs Turner and your lovely families.

Wedding photographer Oulton Hall, Leeds

Wedding photography in Leeds for Joanne and Matthew, St Mary's church, Kippax and Oulton Hall, Leeds on 29 May 2010

What a difference a day makes!  Joanne and Matthew's wedding day was rainy - in fact, it hardly let up all day long but the weather was definitely not going to spoil the celebrations as this lovely couple tied the knot at St Mary's church in Kippax and celebrated afterwards at the beautiful Oulton Hall.  A favourite of ours!

As today's wedding ceremony was an early one at 11 am, our first stop of the day was at around 8.30 am at Oulton Hall, where Joanne's mum, Isabel was looking after things whilst Joanne was at the hairdresser.  We knew in advance about Joanne's very important shoes - Jimmy Choos - and her gorgeous Sophia Tolli gown was just stunning!

Next stop was downstairs to meet the guys before we left for the church.   On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the vicar, Mandy Rhodes, a lovely lady who placed no restrictions on us regarding the photography and allowed us the freedom to capture Jo and Matt's marriage ceremony.  We are very grateful to her for being so accommodating.

A peak outside at the end of the ceremony confirmed that the rain hadn't stopped, so we took care of most of the family group photographs inside the church before the umbrella covered guests showered the new Mr and Mrs Varley with confetti at the church door.

As Oulton Hall's beautiful entrance offers some cover from the weather, we were able to keep Jo and Matt dry whilst we photographed them with their car, as well as completing the larger family groups in the same location.  Who cares if the photographers get wet?  It's all part of the most enjoyable job in the world and as professional wedding photographers in West Yorkshire, we are always determined to get great photographs for our couples regardless of the weather.

With the big group shot completed from the gallery inside, we decided to make the most of the staircase for some photographs of the couple together as well as this black and white image of beautiful Jo before going into the Repton Suite to photograph the room all set up in the spring garden theme that Jo and Matt had chosen.  Jo was overjoyed when she saw how amazing the room looked.

After the wedding breakfast and speeches, a very short break in the weather allowed us to get outside for a few minutes without umbrellas to take some photographs around the fountain which was something we'd been keeping our fingers crossed for all day.  It has to be said that Jo and Matt were fantastic and the weather didn't dampen their spirits one bit.

Jo and Matt's guests joined them in the Claret Jug where the couple took to the floor for their first dance to a very unusual choice of music - Zorba the Greek!  Matt loves Greece and anything Greek, so this was the perfect choice for him.  The couple are now enjoying a long honeymoon in where else, but Greece! 

Thank you Jo and Matt for choosing us to share your very special day.  You are an amazing couple and we loved every minute of working with you! 

Wedding photographer in West Yorkshire

Sarah and Dean's wedding at Rogerthorpe Manor on 28 May 2010

A very busy weekend began with the celebrations of Sarah and Dean on a lovely, sunny day - just the kind of day every bride dreams of for her wedding.

We arrived at Sarah's parents' house in Sandal to document Sarah's preparations and we were greeted by a very relaxed and happy bride.  The perfume bottle says it all!  After getting some great images of Sarah's gorgeous Alfred Angelo gown, shoes and accessories, she got into her dress in good time for us to take some photographs of her and dad before we left for Rogerthorpe Manor to meet Dean.

We were just finishing off the boys' photographs when Sarah arrived, nice and early. 

As Sarah and Dean had decided on an intimate wedding attended by close family and friends, the ceremony took place in the Rose Room.  The beautiful ceremony was conducted by Jane Milner from Pontefract register office - a fantastic lady who we are always delighted to see and who never fails to make the ceremony special.

Sarah and Dean are such a lovely couple and they made it clear from the start that they were happy to go along with whatever we suggested for their photographs and that the photographs were very important to them.  They were so relaxed and it was such a pleasure to work with them. 

The last shots before we left included this stunning night photograph featuring Rogerthorpe Manor in the background.  Thank you Sarah and Dean for asking us to capture your wonderful wedding day.