Wedding Photographer Hazlewood Castle | Helen and Kevin's Wedding

Helen and Kevin's wedding was our last of 2019, taking us right up to Christmas, and our third consecutive wedding at Hazlewood Castle Hotel.  An enormous amount of planning went into the couple's celebrations and at our final meeting a few weeks before they told us about everything that had gone into making their big day amazing, calling for a very long and detailed set of notes to follow to make sure we didn't miss anything important. Usually when it's a civil ceremony the bride gets ready at the venue but as Helen had planned a spectacular arrival the bridal preparations took place at a hotel a distance away where, after some difficulty getting past security, we enjoyed a lovely, calm and relaxed couple of hours with Helen and Sophie, her incredibly helpful best friend and bridesmaid. Often the bridal preparations are hectic and things run late so it was really nice that this time everything ran so perfectly and we were able to capture some special moments as Sophie helped Helen into her dress, before we left to start phase two, Kevin and his party at the venue. During this time Helen was  collected and driven to the bottom of the lane by Kevin's dad and then she arrived in style in a carriage drawn by four spectacular horses wearing red plumes to match the couple's colour scheme. Before her arrival we had some fun with the lads until we spotted Kevin's dad's car arriving, signally time for the groom to make himself scarce.  His strutting entrance to into the Old Dining Room for the ceremony made everyone laugh but then emotion got the better of Kevin as he saw his bride for the first time.  She looked stunning!  We'd talked to Kevin about how to pack photographs of everything they had planned before dinner into the daylight available on a late December wedding day but he had it all covered and we have to commend him for his organisational skills, his and Helen's cooperation and for arranging a longer than usual drinks reception to give us the best chance to get what we needed before we lost the light. There is a first time for everything and this was the first time we'd had a groom communicate with his best man by walkie talkie, and with Gavin, the two of them did an awesome job.  It was really funny though when Kevin radioed Gavin to ask him to get Helen a cup of tea, as she was feeling the cold! What a fabulous day with so much to capture - the spectacular horse drawn carriage, a falconry display, a casino, the Great Hall exquisitely dressed for the wedding breakfast in a completely different style to anything we've seen before, a choreographed quick step, a live band, fireworks and a wonderful couple who really did put everything into helping us to do a great job for them.  It was full on but we loved every minute and we left our last wedding of 2019 on a massive high.  Thanks a million Mr and Mrs Wright for inviting us to be your Hazlewood Castle wedding photographers.            

   

  

Hazlewood Castle Wedding Photography | Karen and Damitha's Wedding

Our talented friend, Karen, aka the Vintage Cake Fairy, married her Dami, whose parents travelled from Sri Lanka, at Hazlewood Castle on the most beautiful autumn day, Karen's favourite time of year.  All wedding bookings are a massive privilege but when a discerning and artistic professional chooses you for her own wedding it does give you that warm and fuzzy feeling. The couple had two dates and two venues in mind and we were so disappointed that we weren't available on the first date but it was wonderful how things turned out.  The first date and venue they ditched because we were already booked, wow, what a compliment!  And on the first date the weather was truly atrocious all day long but Karen and Dami struck gold on their big day with dry weather and the soft light that if you're lucky can come with late autumn. As recommended Hazlewood Castle wedding photographers we are very familiar with the venue but this was a spectacular and unusual mix of an English castle wedding with Sri Lankan tradition and a dream to capture for a West Yorkshire wedding photographer. Mel from Passion Flowers created the spectacular florals and with Susy from Sweetspaces, the two of them brought Karen's vision for the perfect autumnal themed wedding into reality.  We have to mention the cake, made of course by Karen, because we knew that it would be something amazing.  The couple even sourced a beer barrel (in Wales!) on which Karen's creation took pride of place in the Great Hall alcove.  The civil ceremony in the Old Dining Room was a joy to capture and featured a group of Sri Lankan dancers, who heralded first the groom and then the bride into the ceremony.  After we'd finished the groups we went on the mad but very enjoyable dash around the venue to capture as much as possible of the locations the couple love before we lost the daylight, shortened the day before when the clocks went back. The golden leaves made for some wonderful images and with careful timing and working closely together to make it happen we managed those perfect twilight shots in the castle's courtyard. After the wedding breakfast Karen changed into a red sari, assisted by Dami's mum.  It was an education seeing the skill that goes into fitting a sari.  The warm tones of the wallpaper in the Victoria Room and the soft, low lighting worked perfectly for some pictures before the first dance and the evening party.  We even managed to get all three flower girls together with Karen in some of these pictures, something that had been impossible earlier in the day when one little person really wasn't in the mood to play.  A wedding full of celebration, spent in the company of warm, friendly people, Karen and Dami, we loved sharing your incredible wedding and what an amazing album you're going to have! Thank you so very much for choosing us for your Hazlewood Castle wedding photography.