Waterton Park Hotel Wedding Photographer - Emma and Liam

The end of the season always brings with it mixed feelings as we photograph our final wedding of the year.  Mixed because after a very busy wedding season we are definitely ready for a break to recharge our batteries, enjoy Christmas and the New Year, and look at exciting new products to add to our range before starting wedding photography again in 2015, but we're also a bit sad that this will be our last wedding for a few weeks, as we really love photographing them!

As recommended Waterton Park wedding photographers we first met Emma and Liam at an Open Day, and having caught sight of them as they looked around this stunning venue, we had our fingers crossed that they would come and chat to us.  Sometimes everything comes together perfectly because they did come and chat to us, we got on like a house on fire, they loved our work, we were free on their date and they booked us.  Happy days!

Their winter wedding couldn't have been more beautiful.  It was cold, as you would expect in December, but not as cold as it could have been, and it stayed dry.  Our main concern was daylight because with a 1.30pm ceremony we knew that we would be close to the last of the daylight by the time it was over, but Emma and Liam factored in a generous amount of time to allow us the best chance of fitting in as much as possible before the wedding breakfast, knowing as we did that it would be completely dark by the time everyone was seated.  It was obvious just how important their wedding photographs were to them from the way that they worked with us, going along with everything we suggested whilst ignoring the cold.  They and their families and guests were a joy to be around and we were blown away by the happy atmosphere that ran through this gorgeous wedding.

Emma got ready with her mum and bridesmaids and we captured some pretty detail shots including a pair of exquisite Christian Louboutin shoes.  We were made very welcome and enjoyed being in the midst of the girls' preparations for the ceremony.  Emma had let us into a secret that she had bought Liam a very special wedding present, a spectacular Breitling watch, which her dad would be presenting to a delighted groom during the boys' photo session.

After the civil ceremony we headed back over the bridge to quickly complete the small number of family group photos and bridal party shots before we were left with Emma and Liam.  The grass was wet but the lakeside photos taken in beautiful light that you only get at this time of year made it so worthwhile.  During our chats with them, Emma and Liam had looked through our albums and said that they loved our arty posed images.  They understood that these images take time and patience to create and those guys worked their socks off!  After some couple shots we let Liam go inside for a warm and a drink whilst we worked with Emma on some gorgeous bridal portraits, and with careful planning and brilliant assistance from Pauline, the wedding co-ordinator, we managed to capture some snowy pictures at the entrance, the Walton Suite dressed for the wedding breakfast and the room details before having a quick chat with the couple about seizing the opportunity for those time limited, twilight photographs, which was met with much enthusiasm and a mad dash outside again as the guests sat for dinner.

Hilarious speeches and the cutting of the cake followed the wedding breakfast and afterwards the new Mr and Mrs Rodda were ready for some more evening wedding photography at Walton Hall on the staircase and with the Christmas tree, before the party started in the Boathouse downstairs and Emma and Liam hit the floor for their first dance.

Thank you for making our last wedding of the year such a fabulous one, for being absolute stars to work with, and for the wonderful compliments we received from David and Margaret, Emma's mum and dad.  Emma and Liam have chosen our top of the range Cristal album and it is going to be a stunner!

To book us for your Waterton Park wedding photography, please call us on 01977 730159, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YorkshireWeddingPhotographer and enjoy the images which are copyright Alex & Janet Durasow.

Wedding Photographer Waterton Park Hotel - Emma and Michael

As our 2014 wedding season almost comes to a close, it was great to be the Wakefield wedding photographers for such a fabulous couple, Emma and Michael, as they tied the knot at St James's church in Thornes, Wakefield.  

Emma got ready with her mum and bridesmaids at the reception venue, so we kicked off the Waterton Park wedding photography by capturing make-up shots, Emma's beautiful Sofia Tolli dress, and some very pretty details, all the time enjoying the atmosphere, banter and excitement as the girls went about their preparations.

The only thing that wasn't exciting was the weather, unless you're a duck!  As professional wedding photographers we know that a bit of fine drizzle is not too bad to deal with, especially when it's the boys you're photographing as they don't tend to worry too much about a bit of the wet stuff, but the rain in the morning was torrential and we knew as we set off to start the St James's church, Thornes wedding photography for Michael and his attendants, that we would be working mostly inside and keeping everything crossed for a break in the weather later on so that we could make the most of the picturesque setting of Waterton Park.

A very proud father arrived with his daughter in a classic Rolls Royce, expertly driven by Robert Hepworth from Rolls Hire Vintage Limousines.  Robert is always so professional and a great help to his clients and their photographers.  He and his colleague parked the cars as close to the church door as possible and along with Alex, held umbrellas over the girls as they stepped out.  After the ceremony, which was conducted by a lovely and very accommodating lady vicar called Joan, we decided it was a wise move to resort to our plan B and photograph the groups inside the church before we headed back to Waterton Park. After we'd done these the rain had just about stopped, enabling confetti to be thrown without the couple needing to shelter under umbrellas, before we left the church.

Pauline greeted the new Mr and Mrs Hilton-McLoughlin with champagne and after a few car photos and with the group pictures already in the can, we knew we could concentrate on couple and bridal portraits.  The rain had stopped and Emma and Michael braved the wet grass so that we could use the lakeside setting in their images. As recommended Waterton Park Hotel wedding photographers we know that there are certain "must have" locations for couple shots, the archway being one of them.  We also know that with winter weddings, daylight is short and you have to work fast.  Some fun photos were on the couple's list of requests and the bridal party happily obliged, just as it started to rain again.

During a lull in the wedding breakfast as the main course was cleared and as we waited for the speeches to start, Emma decided to take a break and stretch her legs.  Opportunities like this are very welcome during winter weddings when you're squeezing so much into a short space of time before the light disappears, so we took advantage of the few precious minutes of remaining daylight and an enthusiastic bride, for some portraits around the columns at the entrance to Walton Hall.

After the speeches we dashed outside to set up for some twilight shots, which were timed to perfection to get the dark blue sky, and as there was no wind the lake was like a mirror, giving us some incredible reflections.  The evening party started, Emma danced with her dad, she danced with her brother, and the newly married couple enjoyed their first dance together as husband and wife.

A massive thank you for choosing us to share your big day, for working so brilliantly with us despite the weather, and for the fantastic feedback we received from you, your family and your friends throughout your wedding day.

To book us for your Waterton Park wedding photography, please call us on 01977 730159 and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YorkshireWeddingPhotographer.

We hope you love the images which follow and if you would like to share them, please do so with our watermark on them, as all images are the copyright of Alex & Janet Durasow. Thank you very much.

   

Wedding Photographers Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel - Fern and Shane

We were back as Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers recently to capture Fern and Shane's big day at this lovely local venue, where we always receive a warm welcome from the staff, and where we love working.  The grounds are so beautifully maintained that the couple and their guests really wanted to enjoy them and we wanted to make the most of them in Fern and Shane's Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photography. They were pretty unlucky with the weather and the forecast suggested that we would be forced to work inside during the drinks reception.  Not something any of us wanted but you have to work with what you get and what we got was heavy rain during the morning, which didn't matter, and straight after the civil ceremony, which did, especially when daylight hours are short.  But sometimes you get a break and a couple who keep smiling and who won't let the weather spoil their big day.

We headed up to room 13 where the girls were getting ready and we photographed all the pretty details, including a gorgeous and very elegant dress, a pair of extremely high heeled shoes, and a fabulous pair of bright pink trainers that Fern planned to wear during the evening party when the high heels had taken their toll!  The rain stopped briefly and then started again, but by the time we got downstairs it had stopped once more, giving a welcome break to photograph the boys outside in the grounds.

After a very touching civil ceremony in the Lawrence Suite, a glance out of the window confirmed it was bucketing down, so we set up our portable studio lighting and photographed the formal groups inside. The rain had eased by the time we'd finished them giving us an opportunity to get outside for some couple photos and bridal portraits.  With only a short period of time left before the wedding breakfast, we had to work fast and Fern's mum, Anne, and best man, Josh, did a brilliant job of getting all the guests out onto the lawn whilst we did this, so that we could capture a big group photo of everyone, followed by some confetti shots, which were important to the couple but are the things that usually have to be missed if the weather is really awful.  We are truly grateful to all the guests for not letting the wet grass stop them from taking part and to Fern and Shane for working so enthusiastically with us and for trusting us to come through for them despite the weather. 

We'd been keeping an eye on things during the run up to the wedding so that we had an idea of the perfect time for twilight photographs.  The wedding breakfast and speeches had finished well before then and we knew we would have a window of opportunity to get Fern and Shane outside before it was pitch dark.  Trouble was it was raining again but rather than miss the chance, we decided to ask them if they fancied going out anyway, under one of our white umbrellas.  As we got outside to set up, the rain stopped for just long enough for us to get some gorgeous, romantic evening photographs and a "dip" shot that Fern desperately wanted and thought she wouldn't get.  

The new Mr and Mrs Milford had some photographs taken in the bridal suite where we were joined by a pair of wooden giraffes!  Fern loves giraffes and these two were a very special wedding present.  We captured the couple's first dance which featured an exploding balloon, and the guests as they partied, and as we left we breathed a massive sigh of relief that we'd managed to get outside after all! 

Thank you Fern and Shane for being such a pleasure to spend the day with.  We look forward so much to seeing you when you come back from honeymoon.  Please feel free to leave a comment if you wish, and share the images with our details kept on them.  

If you are getting married and looking for your Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographer, we would love to hear from you on 01977 730159, and you can follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YorkshireWeddingPhotographer