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.
     

Oulton Hall Wedding Photographers | Lauren-May and Joshua's Wedding

Lauren and Josh's Tuesday wedding couldn't have been more beautiful.  They are a really lovely couple who we had spent a wonderful evening with on a pre-wedding shoot before their big day.  As Lauren put it, it's an engagement shoot to "engage" with one another and get to know each other better.  She said it was something she would recommend to anyone getting married.  We enjoyed perfect weather that summer's evening and we lucked out again at the wedding with a gorgeous autumn day, the rich colours enhancing those beautiful backdrops for Oulton Hall wedding photography.  Once the civil ceremony in the Repton Room was over we were on the clock to pack as much as possible into the short daylight but this was helped by the couple's enthusiasm and the fact that we were all on the same page when it came to working quickly and efficiently.  After Josh's quick change from his police officer's uniform into a tweed suit we completed the groups and then hot footed it round the grounds, taking in our favourite places for some romantic couple photos. The Repton Room had been transformed into its autumnal theme and there was a fabulous cake made by Lisa, from Fairway Cakes, another of Oulton Hall's recommended professionals. Lauren and Josh had mentioned to us that they fancied featuring some smoke bombs and we were very excited to create something different.  As twilight fell the weather stayed kind to us and we had two willing volunteers - thanks a million guys - who we put through their paces to help us get some great smoke coverage from the orange smoke bombs that Lauren and Josh had chosen. The couple were awesome! They kept their attention lovingly on one another whilst keeping very still, despite the mayhem going on around them, and we were rewarded with some absolutely cracking shots.  The mad running round and shouting directions was a complete contrast to the calm, relaxed and quiet time we enjoyed whilst we got some interior photographs on the gallery, and in the orangery where we got to show off our stunning bride in her fabulous dress. Josh scrubbed up pretty well too! It's become obvious over our years of being professional Oulton Hall wedding photographers that couples like Lauren and Josh are our perfect wedding clients. They placed a lot of importance on their photographs and they were just incredibly lovely to work with. Their wedding album is going to be something else! We sincerely wish you guys a long and happy married life together. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Jones!