Wedding Photography Waterton Park Hotel | Louise and Robin

It was lovely to be invited to be Waterton Park wedding photographers for such a great couple.  Louise and Rob booked us to capture their celebrations, which were held on an autumn day at this beautiful, picturesque venue and as Louise got ready there before the civil ceremony, it was a day of wedding photography at Waterton Park Hotel.  As this was a 3 pm ceremony, every minute was precious as we knew that any photographs which had to be taken in daylight had to be completed by just before 5 pm, when everyone was called for dinner, as it would be pitch black by the time the speeches were over.

We'd just arrived and checked out the ceremony room when we were greeted by Louise's auntie Rosemary, who was accompanied by her dad and Louise's granddad, John, who at 91 years young, is still very much a charmer.  It was lovely to see Rosemary again, who, along with her husband Geoff, we've had the pleasure of getting to know during the run up to the wedding, and it was uncle Geoff who had the honour of giving his niece away.   First though, there was the important job of capturing a beautiful bride getting ready for the ceremony and photographing her dress and accessories.  We were given a warm welcome by the bridesmaids, Louise's mum Teresa and auntie Ann when we arrived upstairs and it was something of a luxury to have a huge room to work in.

The walk over the bridge to meet Rob confirmed that it was windy and quite cold but we were hoping that after two rainy weddings the previous weekend, the wet stuff would stay away.  We also had our fingers crossed that the wind wouldn't have completely stripped the autumn leaves from the trees.  The backdrop of colours at this time of year is stunning and we kept Rob and his attendants busy for while until the guests started to arrive, returning to Louise to capture her dress being fastened before her walk down the stairs and into the ceremony with her proud uncle Geoff.

Louise had taken no chances when it came to confetti shots, placing boxes of it on the chairs in the ceremony room.  This is such a great idea when you really want these photos because you can't always guarantee that guests will remember to bring it.  Her planning was well rewarded with a very impressive effort from everyone and some great images captured, before we headed back over the bridge to the drinks reception and the group photo session.

As we were very much working against the clock to maximise the time we had, we were really grateful for everyone's co-operation in helping us get the group shots in the can as quickly as possible, so that we could then work with the couple and get some photos in the must have locations that are very much a part of Waterton Park wedding photography. The eye catching backdrop of autumn colours just begged to be used in some beautiful bridal portraits and couple photos.  Louise and Rob were wonderful to work with, smiled throughout and enthusiastically went along with our ideas. Couples like them are the reason we love being wedding photographers!

Amy was on hand to look after everyone and we really appreciate how well she looked after us too, ensuring that the wedding breakfast room was ready for us to photograph at the scheduled time and liaising with us throughout the day to make sure that everything ran smoothly.  The room really did look lovely in its turquoise and white scheme and once these images were captured, we had a few minutes whilst the guests took their seats, to photograph the new Mr and Mrs Meegan at the front of the hotel.  We returned in time for the speeches, which were a perfect mix of the emotional and the hilarious and a selection of these will make a brilliant double page spread in the couple's storybook.

It was completely dark by the time Louise and Rob joined us again and as we knew that their evening guests would be arriving soon, we had to decide on the best use of the time we had and what should take priority.  This turned out to be some lovely, creative portraits of Louise on the staircase and some evening photos of the couple at the front of Walton Hall, before it was first dance and party time.

Our thanks go not only to Louise and Rob for being so fantastic and for working with us to cram as much as possible into the time we had, but also to their wonderful families.  It was our absolute pleasure to be there to capture this beautiful autumn wedding.

If you are looking for a Waterton Park Hotel wedding photographer, we are recommended by the venue and we would love to hear from you.  If you'd like more information, please call us on 01977 730159 or visit us at our West Yorkshire wedding photographer website.   You can also follow us on Facebook.

Please enjoy the images, which are protected by copyright Alex & Janet Durasow.

Rogerthorpe Manor Wedding Photographers | Rebecca and Matthew

Rebecca and Matthew are the record holders for the couple who booked us at the shortest notice.  As Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers, we were secured just a couple of weeks before their big day, after receiving an urgent call from Becca asking about our availability and explaining that their photographer had broken the news that he was unable to cover their wedding.  We were recommended by their friends, Kim and Steve, whose wedding we photographed in the spring, and we were very happy that we were free to step in.  It was our second wedding in two days at this lovely venue, where we always enjoy working.  It was also our second wedding in two days when it threw it down but unlike the previous day, we did eventually get a welcome break from the wet stuff!

Becca got ready at the venue so it was all Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photography, from bridal preparations to first dance, and we captured make-up being applied and all the pretty bits and pieces before we went to meet Matthew.  He looked really smart in his RAF uniform and even though it was raining heavily, he and his brothers were in good spirits and went outside for a few shots under our white umbrellas, before we took Matthew back inside for some more portraits.

The couple married in an intimate civil ceremony in the Cawthorne Suite and a quick check out of the window afterwards confirmed that it was still bucketing down, but as they had hired a VW Camper Van, they braved the wind and driving rain to be able to have photographs with it.  The wedding co-ordinator had cleared a space in the Lawrence Suite so that we could get the family group photos done inside and this is one of the things that sets some wedding venue staff apart from others - their attitude when the weather is awful and their willingness to suggest and help prepare a suitable location for these photographs.  Again, Janet came through for us and we are very thankful to her.  

One of the guests announced that the rain had stopped, which was music to our ears, and we breathed a huge sigh of relief, as it meant that everyone could get outside for confetti throwing, which made a lovely sequence of images for Becca and Matthew's album, and it also meant that we could also get some couple photos without the need for umbrellas.  A bit of respite from the wet weather was very welcome and we made sure that we kept them off the saturated grass and made use of the paved areas around the venue so that Becca didn't get soaked feet or a too soggy a dress, but we could still feature the pretty backgrounds of the immaculate gardens in some of the couple's images.

The speeches were before the wedding breakfast and as Becca and Matthew really wanted some images in the 1610 bar, we'd arranged this to coincide with a time when it was likely to be quiet.  These photos take some setting up, furniture has to be moved and the bar has to be cleared of used glasses and empty bottles.  The bar staff were fantastic and incredibly helpful, quickly and efficiently clearing everything for us, making this session with the couple take just a few minutes and allowing them to get back to their guests.

We captured some beautiful twilight shots and the new Mr and Mrs Walker's first dance together before leaving them to enjoy the evening party, happy to have been able to provide their wedding photography at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel.  Thank you Kim and Steve for recommending us and Becca and Matthew for booking us.  We're looking forward to designing a fabulous Italian storybook album for you soon.

If you are getting married and looking for two professional West Yorkshire wedding photographers, please get in touch.  You will receive a first class service, beautiful images and a gorgeous, individually and creatively designed album or storybook.  It is well worth the peace of mind that comes from securing the services of a full time, qualified and experienced professional, rather than taking a chance on one of the only things you will have left after your wedding day is over.  Wedding photography is our passion as well as our profession and we would love to hear from you.

You can see more of our work here, you can also follow us on Facebook and we hope you enjoy looking through our images which are the copyright of Alex & Janet Durasow.

West Yorkshire Wedding Photographer | Carolanne and Craig

As West Yorkshire wedding photographers, we've had the pleasure of getting to know Carolanne and Craig over quite a long period of time, as we first met them when Craig was best man for Gareth and Melissa.  We hit it off straight away and we've since photographed their daughter, Emelia, as a baby, and we've met up several times for a chat from when they first started planning their wedding and were looking for the perfect venue.  We were over the moon to be booked as their wedding photographers even before they had finalised a date.  

Carolanne and Craig really deserved better weather than what was thrown at them - rain and wind all day long with no let up.  It was either drizzling, raining or throwing it down! What was great was that they didn't let it spoil their day, saying that they had always wanted an autumn wedding and that they had expected it would rain.  

We arrived at Carolanne's parents' home for bridal prep and we were made so welcome. The house was buzzing as the girls got ready and there were some lovely details to photograph which were very special to our bride.  She wore her grandma's watch and her vintage Gina shoes and instead of a tiara, her hairstyle was completed with her grandma's string of vintage pearls.

This was our very first visit to St Edward the Confessor church in Brotherton. Carolanne had fallen in love with this church as soon as she had seen it and it couldn't have been a better choice, not just because the church has a lovely interior but because of Reverend Woodcock.  We've worked with him a couple of times before at St Andrew's church in Ferrybridge and he was as obliging this time as he was then.  A wonderful man with a great sense of humour and the opinion that wedding ceremony photographs really do matter because they document one of the most important occasions in a couple's lives. As professional Yorkshire wedding photographers, our sincere thanks go to him for helping make Carolanne and Craig's big day even more special and for being so helpful to us. 

We met Craig and his attendants at the church and we managed to stay outside for all their photographs.  Craig is well known for his wicked sense of humour.  He's had us in stitches every time we've met, so there was plenty of laughter during the boys' photo session. Carolanne's mum and the bridesmaids arrived just ahead of our bride who, as she had promised, was a few minutes early, giving us chance to get some photographs of her and her dad before the ceremony started.  Reverend Woodcock conducted a lovely service, helped us co-ordinate a big group photo of everyone inside and allowed us to stay back to photograph the family groups inside the church before we left for the wedding photography at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel.  

On arrival at the venue, everyone understandably made a run for it and dashed straight inside, but Carolanne and Craig were absolute stars, enthusiastically working with us as we found ways of keeping them under cover for their photographs and when we couldn't, they got a bit damp but kept smiling, and we got soaked but we didn't care.  Couples like them are a joy to photograph and make working in challenging conditions a little easier to deal with.   Carolanne was such a beautiful bride who kept upbeat despite the appalling weather.

The Cawthorne Suite looked stunning and the autumn theme was very much in evidence with toffee apples and conkers for the kids to enjoy, homemade jams and chutneys as favours and a rich, warm colour scheme of reds, rusts and browns.  It really did have the "wow' factor!  We captured the speeches, which were both emotional and funny - the emotional created by Carolanne's proud dad and the funny by best man Gareth.  As the meal and speeches ran quite a bit later than planned, it was completely dark when Carolanne and Craig joined us again but they were raring to go, ignored the drizzle and we had some fun outside before it was first dance and father and daughter dance time.

A huge and sincere thank you to this lovely couple for booking us as their photographers and for taking the challenging weather in your stride.  Despite the rain it was a pleasure to capture your big day and spend time with you, your families and friends.

We hope you enjoy the images which are copyright Alex & Janet Durasow.  If you are looking for a wedding photographer, you can find out more about our photography on our website and you can also follow us on Facebook.