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.    

Rogerthorpe Manor Wedding Photography - Debra and Gary

We are delighted to be recommended Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers and it's always a pleasure to work there.  Debra and Gary's wedding was no exception but what was so lovely was that this friendly and bubbly couple really made us feel like we were part of their celebrations and not just their wedding photographers.

Debbie got ready in the bridal suite and we captured make-up being applied, Debbie doing the honours for her mum before putting on her own make-up.  There were lots of pretty detail shots to be taken, including some pearl earrings bought in Jersey as a gift for Debbie, as well as photographs of her stunning vintage style lace dress and matching jacket, before we went downstairs to play with Gary and his best man, also Gary, around the immaculately maintained grounds of this beautiful wedding venue.

Autumn is well and truly on the way now, with the nights drawing in, but we were lucky to have perfect weather with no rain and no harsh sunshine, just warm, dry and overcast.  The kind of weather that wedding photographers love!

The Pontefract registrars who conducted the civil ceremony in the Cawthorne Suite were, as always, friendly and helpful, placing no restrictions on the photography other than to be discreet, which is never a problem.  As recommended wedding photographers for Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel, we conduct ourselves professionally at all times, in order to do the absolute best we can for our couples, but also to make sure that the registrars and staff enjoy working with us too.  We got some lovely images as Debbie and Gary tied the knot and then everyone made their way into the conservatory to pick up a glass of champagne and congratulate the new Mr and Mrs Westwood.

We knew that it would be almost dark by the time the wedding breakfast and speeches were over, so we cracked on with the big group photo, confetti, and family group shots, before spending some time with the Debbie and Gary for their couple portrait session.  Best man Gary's assistance with gathering guests together for groups was invaluable and left plenty of time for the couple's photographs before we went back inside to capture images of the wedding breakfast room, table details and cake.

The Cawthorne Suite looked amazing dressed in the shades of pink that Debbie had chosen.  Gary gave us a thank you in his speech and it's things like this that we don't expect but that really mean a lot to us.  The speeches were funny and emotional in equal measure and after what has been a challenging year for the couple, it was a joy to be part of their big day and to see them so happy.

Thank you so much Debbie and Gary for allowing us the privilege of being your wedding photographers and for looking after us so wonderfully throughout the day.  It's been lovely getting to know you and it was a pleasure to share your celebrations.

Please feel free to comment below, contact us for your Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photography, and follow us on Facebook.  Thank you.

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.