Wedding Photography Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel | Stephanie and Carl's Wedding

This was our second time as Castleford wedding photographers for this wonderful family, the first time was for Karen and Shane's wedding last year and this time for her sister Stephanie, as she tied the knot with Carl, on a beautiful April day, at St Cuthbert's Church, Ackworth.  We aways feel it's a privilege to be chosen to photograph a wedding but when a family trust you so much and love your work to the extent that they don't even consider anyone else, it's very humbling.

Steph got ready at her parents' home and once we'd finished photographing her dress and accessories, make-up being applied and a beautiful bride having her dress fastened, we left for the church to meet Carl, Ady and Shane.  St Cuthbert's is a lovely church and during the ceremony we photographed the proceedings from the back; some distance shots to show off the architecture and stained glass, and closer shots captured with a long lens. Steph's mum had let us into a secret gift she had organised and we were ready as the newly married couple arrived at the doorway to be greeted by Pete the Sweep.

Steph and Carl arrived at the gate to a shower of confetti and then we left to start the Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photography.  Shane had kindly volunteered to gather guests together for groups and he was brilliant, helping us make everything run smoothly, leaving time spare for Steph and Carl to have some photographs together before the wedding breakfast started.

After a delicious meal and some great speeches, with Steph's dad and step-dad and Carl's dad all making a contribution to the tears and the giggles, we spent some time outside with the couple whilst the staff at Rogerthorpe Manor turned the Cawthorne Suite around ready for the evening party.  We were very happy to be able to conclude Steph and Carl's photography with some twilight shots; the perfect ending to their wedding photography and some beautiful images to close their storybook album.

A huge thank you Mr and Mrs Blezard and your families, not only for booking us as your wedding photographers but for making us very much a part of your celebrations.  We loved being there to share your special day.

To enquire about our services as your Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers please call Janet on 01977 730159.

If you were a guest at this wedding you are welcome to leave a comment and if you would like to share the images please do so with our details kept on them.  All images are the copyright of Alex & Janet Durasow.  Thank you.

Wedding Photographer West Yorkshire - Adele and Sean

It's only occasionally that we work as New Wheatsheaf wedding photographers, even though this venue is local to us as wedding photographers in Castleford, but this was our second visit this year, this time for Adele and Sean, a lovely couple who we've spent quite a lot of time with over their months of planning, including an environmental portrait session for the couple, in our local park, and a studio portrait of Adele's parents' much loved pooches, Louis and Oscar, as a surprise Christmas present for mum.  This was very much a cloak and dagger operation and involved smuggling the boys into the studio for the session, the family escaping one evening to preview the images on the pretence of going somewhere else, and then again to collect their framed photograph, before smuggling it home and hiding it from Adele's mum.  At Christmas Adele sent us a picture of the photograph hanging on her parents' living room wall and told us that her mum was absolutely delighted with it.  

So back to Adele and Sean's big day which started at her parents' house in Knottingley, where dad was left holding the fort whilst the girls were out being pampered.  Adele had chosen a beautiful full skirted princess dress and this made a lovely backdrop for the important girlie stuff.  One of the things on Adele's list to be photographed was her grandma's ring, which was her something borrowed, and rather than just photograph it sitting in its box, we came up with something a bit more artistic, to connect this very special piece of jewellery to the wedding.

We met Sean and his boys at St Botolph's church in Knottingley.  This church has great meaning to Adele's family and because of this, the couple wanted to get married there.  As professional wedding photographers in West Yorkshire we are really lucky to get to work alongside some great vicars, priests and registrars who have no objection to us photographing the wedding ceremony.  Sadly, this time the vicar refused to allow photography during the service despite the couple wanting us to document it.  Although we were banned from taking professional photographs, we are always respectful of the rules of the person conducting the ceremony, irrespective of whether we feel that their rules are reasonable or otherwise.

After the ceremony, a peak outside confirmed that it was drizzling.  The vicar agreed that we could take the group photographs inside which was a relief, but we had to work to a strict time limit to complete them.  We just managed it, leaving only the big group shot and bridal party to photograph when we arrived at the New Wheatsheaf, and we were hopeful of a break in the weather.

The rain hadn't stopped completely when we arrived but that didn't prevent all of Adele and Sean's guests gathering together outside the venue for the group photo that the couple really wanted.  We decided to wait it out until after the wedding breakfast for the bridal party fun photos and Adele and Sean's portrait session in the hope that the weather would be better and the grass wouldn't be quite as wet, and we went inside to photograph the room and some pretty table details before everyone sat for dinner.

After the speeches, it had dried up a bit enabling us to get out with the bridal party and have some fun with them before taking the new Mr and Mrs Ewart under the trees on the grassed area for some photographs together.  Adele and Sean returned to their guests, danced their first dance together, and a very emotional dad then took over for a dance with his equally emotional daughter.  It's wonderful to be able to capture moments like this.  

Thank you guys for choosing us to be your West Yorkshire wedding photographers.  It was such a pleasure to spend the day with you.  Thank you Sean for mentioning us in your speech, and thank you Robert, Adele's dad, who has been singing our praises since our very first first meeting.  We really appreciate your kindness.

To book us for your West Yorkshire wedding photography, we'd love to hear from you so please call us on 01977 730159 to check our availability on your wedding date, and we'd be delighted if you would follow us on Facebook.  Thank you.    

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.