My first visit to Thornbridge Hall was most certainly not a disappointment, the venue is absolutely stunning inside and out, and the grounds are breath-taking.
I also had the pleasure of a second visit to the St Thomas Church (STC) Sheffield for Leanne and Matthew’s ceremony.
In all, a beautiful day in the company of some genuinely kind and friendly people. It really doesn’t feel like a job on days like this!
Gemma and Alex’s wedding was actually split over two days, and I had the privilege of capturing both days.
Day 1 was on the Friday and involved a small legal ceremony at Sheffield Town Hall, with only their closest family and friends in attendance.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Sheffield city centre, the kind that makes you feel self conscious walking around in a suit when everyone else is in shorts and flip flops.
After the ceremony we had originally considered having a walk through the food festival that was going on that day in the Peace Gardens, but sadly that had not yet opened, so we went with our backup plan of the Winter Gardens.
After a few snaps of the party in the Winter Gardens, and a few more of Alex and Gemma, I left them to go for a quiet drink, to get myself ready for the following day.
Saturday was soon upon us, and I arrived nice and early at Foxholes Farm.
Most of the party from yesterday had stayed overnight, either in the lodgings or camper vans.
As the morning went on, more and more guests arrived, pitched a tent and then put on their wedding attire.
When the time came, we had a gentle wander down to the marquee which was beautifully decorated by Gemma and Alex themselves, with a lot of floral support by the very talented Limewood Flowers.
For me, Gemma and Alex’s wedding day was so relaxing. With the ceremony out of the way on the previous day, I didn’t need to keep such a close eye on the time. From my perspective it made things much easier on the couple too since they didn’t have all the pressure of the ceremony in the build up to the day.
Now, I don’t want to come across as saying there was no structure to the day. There was still a sit-down afternoon tea served by the always brilliant Hazel’s Catering.
After the afternoon tea there was a fantastic Ceilidh hosted by Roger the Badger, which I’m pretty sure was as exhausting to photograph as it was for those dancing.
We were then treated to an amazing pizza by Wood Fired Pizza Co.
And then, the biggest surprise for me was just how much fun a silent disco could be. The range of the headphones meant that the guests could be outside in the field dancing to the music, without having to pollute the tranquil countryside with noise. My one comment though is that, whilst the music cannot be heard, so long as you have drunk people trying to talk to each other with headphones on, it will not be a truly silent disco! Shoutout to the Silent Disco Company for supplying the hardware.
So, that’s the story, let’s see some of the photos.
The vicar at Wentworth Trinity church made a point of saying this was the first double wedding he had ever witnessed, which is saying a lot because he looked like he had seen a lot of weddings, if you know what I mean?
He went on to say that he had asked around and had not been able to find a single person who had seen one.
I guess he didn’t think to ask me, because this was my third.
I have even been to a wedding where two sisters got married side by side, all the way back in 2017 when Dani & Lisa both got married in Gretna Green.
Still, being at a wedding with 2 couples presents certain logistical challenges for me. I wanted to make sure both couples got equal time in front of the camera, which did sometimes mean repeating certain shots for each couple.
I do enjoy a good farm wedding. The open fields, plenty of space and a great atmosphere.
Hooton Lodge farm is a lovely location, with the added bonus of having a fairground nearby which Tina and friends took advantage of, as you’ll see in the photos.
The weather on the day was perfect; dry and not too hot. In all, a great day.
So here’s what you probably came for, the photos and videos.
I ended up doing two highlights films, each one similar but geared towards each couple to make sure they both got their own personal video.
https://vimeo.com/748658307https://vimeo.com/748658019
Hannah & Matt’s wedding day started in Matlock in a beautiful townhouse they had hired. They both got ready in the same house which made for some interesting restrictions for both Hannah and Matt to make sure they didn’t see each other before their wedding ceremony,
With help from their friends and family they managed to get through the morning without coming into contact, and steadily everyone made their way to the main venue for the wedding and reception, Stretton Manor Barn in Chesterfield.
Stretton Manor Barn is a beautifully rustic wedding venue, with all the modern trimmings. Great service, wonderful food, and a really chilled vibe.
It was an odd day, weather wise, with some dramatically cloudy skies coupled with bursts of intense sunshine. We did manage to sneak out at just the right time to catch the sun setting, as you’ll see in some of the photos below.
Helen & Paul’s beautifully simple (and simply beautiful) wedding at Cubley Hall.
Cubley Hall in Penistone was the perfect choice for Helen & Paul’s wedding.
They wanted a laid back day where everyone could just enjoy themselves without being wrapped up in formality and procedures.
Cubley Hall itself is a family pub, the wedding venue is beside the pub and is actually The Barn at Cubley Hall.
The Barn was ideal for Helen and Paul because it is basically already decorated. The bare brick walls and exposed beams ooze charm, and the delicate decorations already at the venue, including various rustic items and a vast array of LED lights, mean there is almost nothing that you need to do to make it the perfect venue for both your wedding ceremony and evening reception.
Although the pub is still open to the public, the garden area around the band stand was sectioned off meaning the wedding party still had somewhere private to gather between the ceremony and the reception.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a handful of images to set the scene for you.
Third time’s a charm for Lauren and Stephen after Covid lockdowns forced them to rearrange their wedding twice. Thankfully they were able to finally exchange vows in what turned out to be a beautifully calm and relaxing day at Wortley Hall.
This was my fourth wedding at Wortley Hall, though interestingly enough my first that wasn’t in October. So I was nice to see the gardens in full bloom as opposed to at the end of autumn.
Coronavirus restrictions meant Lauren and Stephen could only invite a maximum of 30 guests to their wedding, though I think they would agree that limitation actually made for a much more pleasant and intimate day.
So without further ado, here’s a selection of highlights from the day.
Some weddings sit in my diary for years, whilst others appear just months before the big day. Fiona and Matthew’s big day was the latter.
I must say I am very impressed with the amount of planning and preparation they managed to do in such a short time, and under the increased pressure of uncertainty around Covid-19 restrictions.
Their service at St James’s Church in Norton, Sheffield, was joyful and filled with emotion, with beautiful readings, sermons and singing.
Following the church service the party moved on to Matthew’s brother’s magnificent garden where guests were greeted with a marquee full of food, party games, an ice cream van, and beautiful summer cocktails.
Their wedding truly demonstrates that all you need is love.
So without any further ado, here is a sneak peak from the photos on that beautiful day.
I ran out of space trying to come up with the right title for this blog post.
To truly do Jade & Thomas’ day justice the title should be:
Amidst all the disappointment and heartbreak of 2020, Jade and Thomas managed to carve out a beautiful, intimate wedding celebration on the day they always intended to get married, which happened to be the anniversary of their first date.
They do still intend to have a ‘proper’ wedding day next year once they are allowed to have all their friends and family in attendance, so with all being well this is only part one for these two.
For me it was great to be back at Whirlowbrook Hall, almost 2 years since I was here last for Amarise and Mike’s Christmas themed wedding.
I must say I was very impressed with how the staff at Whirlowbrook Hall had managed to maintain excellent service levels despite current restrictions.
This was even more impressive to me when I realise it was only actually one person running pretty much everything front of house, with a skeleton kitchen crew making the food. Having worked in hotels before myself I would never underestimate what a huge amount of effort went into the running of the day.
For me, having not photographed a full wedding day since March, a clear 7 months prior to today, it was a true return to form. Yes there were only 11 guests, and they couldn’t sing or dance, this was still a heck of a wedding day.
Not just a great Covid-19 safe wedding day, a great wedding day by any standard.
And of course it rained for most of the day, so there was some normality at least.
You’re pretty new to hiring professional photographers, so perhaps you feel you need to provide them with a wedding photo list in advance of your wedding.
Here are 5 important reasons why you probably shouldn’t.
Yeah I know, start with an easy one.
Assuming you’ve already booked your wedding photographer, you trust them right?
You went through a rigorous vetting process to make sure you picked the photographer who takes photos you love, and who you get along with.
That being the case, you should have no need to give any significant direction to your photographer.
Important point #1: Trust that your photographer knows what they are doing.
It’s ok to not know what you’re doing when you’re booking a wedding photographer.
Perhaps your parents have asked whether you’ve prepared your shot list for your photographer.
Thing is, if your parents got married decades ago they probably had to give their photographer a wedding photo list.
That’s because in the days before digital cameras, photographers would work to a tight list of prearranged portraits.
Documentary style wedding photography wasn’t really a thing back then.
BTW please don’t tell your parents that I insinuated that they are old, I’m sure YOUR parents are young enough to have gotten married in the digital age :-).
Important point #2 is that wedding photography isn’t about prearranged, staged photos anymore.
Think about how many variables there are on a wedding day.
Important point #3: the photos you love on Pinterest are probably not achievable on your wedding day.
Those photos could have been taken anywhere, at any time.
On your wedding day the lighting will be different, the weather, the location, the venue itself. You won’t have the same dress or outfit, hair, makeup. The list of variables goes on.
Not to mention a lot of the best images on Pinterest are often taken on styled shoots, where the variables are controlled and the photographer can arrange everything to get the best possible photo.
Wedding days are not so controllable.
Honestly, even photos I took myself can be tricky to recreate at a different wedding at the same venue.
Find Out Why
Wedding days go from start to finish in the blink of an eye.
You’ll go from one setting to the next with people coming at you from all angles for all sorts of reasons.
Your photographer will be following the action throughout the day, capturing everything so that you can try to figure out what happened afterwards.
From time to time they may take you out of the action to get some portraits, and of course the group photos, but for the most part you’ll want to get on with enjoying the day as best you can.
Now imagine that you have given your photographer a comprehensive list of photos they have to make sure they get at some point during the wedding day.
They (and you) will then be preoccupied trying to set these shots up, and all the while missing the genuine moments that make your wedding unique.
Important point #4: the more time you spend trying to stage unnatural photos, the less you’ll have to enjoy your wedding day.
You probably think I’m not a fan of shot lists.
In reality, I ask every couple to make one before their wedding day.
Importantly though, the shot list I want is for the group photos, and it is just a list of people who must be included in those photos.
More on that here: 4 Tips For Getting Your Wedding Group Photos Done Quickly Without Missing Anyone
Beyond the group photo lists, I’m always open to suggestions.
That’s important point #5, talk to your photographer beforehand about what kind of photos you’d like to have.
Make suggestions and explain what is important to you and why.
Let that guide your photographer, rather than simply dictating shot by shot what they should take.
Don’t send them pictures from someone else’s wedding and tell them you’d like that photo.
Discuss and agree on what is possible, and prepare yourself for the idea that what you are hoping for may not be possible on your wedding day
If you trust your photographer and know that they produce photos that you love then let them do what they do best.
Ultimately, for all the planning and research you can do, you won’t know what your wedding will look like until it happens.
You might not get the photos you thought you wanted, embrace that idea and throw away your expectations.
So long as you have the right photographer, you’ll have so much better than you could have imagined.
Your wedding photos won’t be like anyone else’s, they’ll be your wedding photos, taken at your wedding, and you will love them.
