Hazlewood Castle Wedding Photography | Natalie and Ben

As Hazlewood Castle wedding photographers we first met Natalie and Ben at a wedding fair at this beautiful venue.  We really hit it off with the couple and their families and they must have felt the same because within a short period of time after chatting to us, they were back to our display stand to secure us for their Hazlewood Castle wedding photography.

The couple have been through some challenging times but Natalie has made us laugh with her refreshing attitude to adversity and to life in general.  It has been a joy and a privilege to get to know them and to finally be there to share their wonderful wedding day, starting in the Lavendar Suite as the girls got ready.  Natalie had laid out everything she wanted us to photograph, including a gorgeous pair of green and gold shoes, because she wanted something very different to the "normal wedding shoes".  There was a lot of giggling going on and we really enjoyed being at the centre of the preparations for the big day.

We were pretty gutted because the weather wasn't great but it's the one thing you can't control.  It rained on and off all day, deciding to throw it down just as we wanted to head outside with Ben.  A few indoor photographs later and there was a bit of a break, allowing us to dash outside and use the lovely stone frontage of the castle for some pictures of the boys, before we returned to Natalie, in her stunning princess dress, to capture an emotional father as he first saw his daughter as a bride.

This was a wedding of two ceremonies, with a civil ceremony in the Old Dining Room, followed by a blessing in the chapel, conducted by Father Ian Walton.  We are always very appreciative of registrars, vicars and priests whose attitude is that this is the couple's day and that we, as professional Yorkshire wedding photographers, should be allowed to capture special moments for our bride and groom.  Thank you to the registrars who conducted Natalie and Ben's civil ceremony and to Ian, who without exception, makes marriage blessings so personal and special.

The weather held on by a thread for just long enough for us get everyone gathered for confetti throwing, followed by a big group photo in the courtyard, and even though it started to drizzle just a little, everyone was more than happy to enjoy champagne and carry on with photographs outside, that was until it started to rain properly, finally forcing everyone inside and meaning we had to photograph the family groups in the State Drawing Room.  We always hope for decent weather for our lovely couples and we can't tell you how much we desperately wanted a break, as we were itching to get outside for a romantic couple photo session and some fun with the bridal party whilst we still had some daylight.

During the wedding breakfast, we got the break in the weather that we wanted.  We've really noticed the days getting shorter and the nights drawing in over the past couple of weeks, as summer gives way to autumn, and we all worked really hard to make the best use of the remaining daylight and get as much variety in Natalie and Ben's images as possible.  A few evening photos were very much part of our plans and after these it was first dance, father and daughter dance, and party time.

Natalie and Ben, congratulations on becoming Mr and Mrs Harris.  It's been a pleasure to get to know you and to share your wedding day.  We enjoyed every single minute of being in your company and that of your family and friends.  Thank you for your infectious enthusiasm which made photographing you a delight.  We hope you love the images which follow and we know that you will have a spectacular wedding album!

If you are looking for something special for your Hazlewood Castle wedding photography, we would love to hear from you.  You are welcome to leave a comment and you can also follow us at  www.facebook.com/YorkshireWeddingPhotographer.  Thank you.

Waterton Park Wedding Photographer | Emma and Richard

As recommended Waterton Park wedding photographers, it was great to return to this pretty venue for Emma and Richard's celebrations.  Emma got ready there and we spent some time with her in the morning as she had her hair and make-up done.  Her dress was beautiful and she had a spectacular shower bouquet of purple orchids.  What really struck us about Emma was her stunning smile which shone all day long.  The joy in her face throughout the entire day was just lovely to see. 

Richard arrived at the church just as we did, allowing us to photograph him and his attendants well before Emma's arrival with her dad and the start of the wedding photography at All Hallows', Kirkburton, our first time working at this church.  It's always a pleasure and something of a relief to work with vicars who are friendly and accommodating, and Emma and Richard's vicar was wonderful, bringing humour and personality to the ceremony, and allowing us, as a two photographer team, to document the proceedings from the front and from the back as the couple tied the knot.

Emma and Richard were keen to have a few of our more arty photographs and at our consultation around a month before the wedding, we'd seen an arched doorway at the church and this resulted in an idea for a spectacular bridal portrait, which was firmly planted in our minds and very much on our to do list.  We just hoped that the weather would play ball.  If anything, it was too sunny, and this creates its own challenges but it's definitely much better than the wet stuff!

After the confetti throwing at the church gate, we left to start the Waterton Park wedding photography, and Pauline, the wedding co-ordinator, was there to welcome the couple and their guests to a champagne reception on the island.  Emma and Richard had a few photos together until everyone had arrived, and we worked quickly through the group photos they had asked for, leaving some time for fun shots with the bridal party.  Our aim with these is to get a sequence of animated images with happy expressions for the couple's storybook, and we weren't disappointed!

As regular wedding photographers at Waterton Park, we know that there are some must have locations for bride and groom portraits, including the stone archway at the lakeside, so straight after the wedding breakfast we dashed out with Emma and Richard to make use of the last of the daylight for their romantic couple photo session, before the first dance and evening party in the Boathouse downstairs.

Our congratulations on your marriage and our sincere thanks for choosing us to share your big day.  We look forward to seeing you on your return from honeymoon.

If you were a guest at Emma and Richard's wedding, please leave a comment, if you are looking for a photographer to capture your wedding at Waterton Park, we'd love to hear from you, and if you'd like to follow us on Facebook, you can find us at www.facebook.com/YorkshireWeddingPhotographer.

King's Croft Wedding Photography | Hayley and Lee

At our first meeting with Hayley and Lee we really hit it off.  They are a lovely couple and we'd been looking forward to being their Castleford wedding photographers for ages. On the wedding day Hayley mentioned that first meeting when they came to see us at the studio to chat about us being their King's Croft wedding photographers.  She said that she had felt really emotional over images of people who she didn't even know, and she said she knew then that she just had to have us.  A massive compliment indeed! 

Hayley got ready at home in Castleford, just a couple of minutes away, and it was a hive of activity as she, her mum, and bridesmaids, prepared for the day.  She was a little nervous about being photographed and we can't imagine why because she is so photogenic, but once we'd captured a few images as she had her lipstick applied, she relaxed a lot.  Her mum, Tracy, helped her into her stunning dress and it was lovely that Hayley was ready a few minutes before we had to leave for the church.  If we can capture some really beautiful moments, including a proud dad's reaction as he sees his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time, that makes us very happy. 

We left the girls to their finishing touches and arrived to start the wedding photography at St Joseph's RC church in Castleford where we met a very smart Lee and his entourage for their photographs before our bride's arrival.  Working on the grassed area beside the church we got some great images of the boys.  The bridesmaids arrived a few minutes ahead of Hayley and her dad, exactly how we like it, and this allowed time for pictures of them before the ceremony too, although a certain pair of flower girls were a bit shy! 

As usual, Father Durkin had no problems with there being a two photographer team to capture different perspectives of the marriage ceremony and we are very grateful to him for allowing us to do this.  The interior of the church makes for some impressive images from the back and also being able to shoot from the front meant some nice close up shots as the couple exchanged their vows.

With more scope for outdoor photographs at the venue and with the weather on our side, the newly married couple decided to leave for the reception venue straight after the ceremony and wait until everyone had arrived at the King's Croft Hotel before being showered with confetti.  After a few shots with the car, they joined everyone on the main lawn for drinks and group photos.  As is sometimes the case, the timings were a little tight but we knew that everyone would have finished the wedding breakfast early enough for there still to be plenty of daylight so this wasn't too much of a worry, and we agreed that we would get together as soon as the wedding breakfast was finished for some fun with the bridal party, followed by Hayley and Lee's couple photo session.

We had a really great time with everyone, the light had softened from the harsh sunshine we had earlier on, and the new Mr and Mrs Mulrooney were an absolute pleasure to spend time with.  We captured a variety of images in different styles for their storybook, making the most of the lovely late summer evening, and when twilight came, there were a few more photos that just had to be taken before everyone partied the night away.

A massive thank you for being so fantastic to work with and for being happy to try out all the suggestions we had for your photographs.  We hope you love this small selection of some of our favourite images from your big day.

Please feel free to comment, follow us on Facebook, and if you are looking for top quality King's Croft Hotel wedding photography, we'd be delighted to hear from you.