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.
Marquee Wedding at Foxholes Farm, Bradfield
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.
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.
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.
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:
Jade & Thomas’ Beautiful, Autumnal, Halloween Themed, Fully Vegan and Covid-19 Safe Wedding Day at Whirlowbrook Hall
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.
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.
I thought it might make for an interesting change if I pulled out a few of my favourite snaps from the day and explain what I like about them.
This first one I love because it’s a new take on the tired old group photo. This was taken a little later in the day than I would usually go group shots, we were actually doing a couples portrait with Maggie and James. Everyone else was hanging about so we decided to let them join in. Suddenly Maggie’s sister suggested we get a Friends photo using the outdoor furniture, and what an amazing idea that turned out to be.
During that same sunset photo shoot Maggie and James decided they wanted to show off some of their martial arts moves. What follows is a selection of snaps that could easily be misconstrued as a married couple’s first disagreement.
The next one I like because it’s just a crazy moment where James appears to be trying to avoid seeing Maggie in her dress. In reality they weren’t particularly bothered about seeing each other beforehand, but I still love the moment.
Here’s a moment that represents a Polish tradition.
The bride tossing her bouquet is a pretty common thing here in the UK. Whoever catches the bouquet will be the next to get married, apparently.
Well, in Poland the Groom then tosses his necktie, and whichever eligible bachelor catches is then has to dance with the lady who caught the bouquet.
I think this is a tradition that needs to happen more often here in England, it was a great moment.
More Images From the Album
So that was a little run through my favoutire moments from the day. Here is a whole bunch more photos to have a scroll through.
All photos in this article were taken by JLM Wedding Photography.
In my time running a photography club in Sheffield I have been to Sheffield General Cemetery quite a few times. It’s an amazing place full of atmosphere in the middle of Sheffield. I know this phrase gets overused these days, but it is definitely a hidden gem.
At first glance it you might think this is just an overgrown mess, full of old decrepit gravestones, weeds and old trees. Yes, it is a little ungainly, but that is what gives it a spooky charm ideal for all kinds of seasonal occasions. The Samuel Worth Chapel has been recently revamped so that it now perfectly serves a low-key wedding ceremony and reception. The plain white walls provide a blank canvas for you to make your own with flowers and decorations, whilst the bar and bathrooms give your guests everything they’ll need to enjoy themselves in comfort.
There are plenty of traditional places around Sheffield to get married. For those looking to break from tradition, the Sheffield General Cemetery is definitely worth a look. Yes you’ll have to get over the idea of getting married in a cemetery, and you’ll get a lot of people making jokes about it being symbolic of the death of your freedom, if you can get over that then you’ll have a wedding that your guests will be talking about for years to come.
That brings us nicely on to Gabi and Matthew, who not only ‘got over’ the idea of getting married in a cemetery but embraced it. Their humanist ceremony at the General Cemetery was all about rejecting traditional wedding stuff and doing their own thing.
From the outset, Gabi and Matthew didn’t want to be tied down by outdated wedding traditions.
They got ready together, arrived together and walked down the aisle together.
This meant that we were able to get a few nice snaps on the steps of the Town Hall with the two of them together, something you can’t always do when the bride arrives after everyone else has settled in the ceremony room.
These photos from Sheffield Town Hall were taken on the Friday prior to their Sheffield General Cemetery wedding day on the Saturday.
The Wedding Celebration @ Sheffield General Cemetery
Fast forward to Saturday morning and we’re at Gabi and Matthew’s home in Sheffield. Again both getting ready and travelling to the wedding together.
The relaxed vibe continued throughout the day as guests gradually arrived at the Samuel Worth Chapel at the Sheffield General Cemetery.
Thankfully it was a beautiful day (considering it was October in Britain). It did rain a little in the late evening but this didn’t cause any issues since the food trucks had long gone by then.
Oh man did I mention the food trucks?
You know there is a reason I don’t lose weight even though I spend my days on my feet :-). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some amazing food at weddings in the past, but I am very partial to street food. I was invited by Gabi and Matthew to get myself some food from the trucks; still I politely waited until most of the guests had gotten their dinner before I joined the queue. I opted for Shoot The Bull since I liked the look of the steak sandwich, but by the time I got to the front they were out of beef. I ended up with the halloumi, all I can say is never have I been so pleased that my first choice wasn’t available. Highly recommended :-).
The Dream Team
Before we get to the photos I think it’s worth dropping some links to the hard working small businesses that made this day possible.
When Genevieve and Yunok told me that their cake was being made by their friend Rahul, who had won the Great British Bake Off last year, I think I just took for granted that I was in for a treat when I saw it.
Obviously I was not disappointed; the cake was unbelievable.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some pretty spectacular cakes in my time, I do attend weddings for a living after all.
This creation was on another level, truly worthy of a GBBO winner.
I must admit, I felt pretty bad by the end of the day about having taken for granted that the cake would be stunning.
As soon as I saw Rahul at the ceremony I could tell he was under pressure. He wasn’t just a guest at his friends’ wedding, he had a cake to deliver. The construction was mostly done by that point, but he still had to make sure it stayed upright and was finished off, and then stayed that way until it was time to be cut.
I could tell that he was trying to enjoy the wedding ceremony, but also just wanted to get back to his cake.
Anyway, having learned by lesson about taking talented people for granted, I happily went about my business taking photos.
So, here are a few of the highlights in slideshow form. If you can’t watch the slideshow then you can also scroll through them down below.
To be honest, I’m probably not the right photographer for you.
When you get married a few days after Christmas your theme is pretty much set. Come to think about it, I don’t really think Amarise and Mike had a theme as such at all. It really was all about being chilled out, relaxing and enjoying the day.
This relaxed attitude ran all the way through the day. I joined the girls as they were getting ready in the Sycamore suite of Whirlowbrook Hall. For December it was a beautiful day. The sun was beaming in through the window and it was actually rather mild. This seemed somewhat ironic actually since the Australian leg of their wedding a few weeks prior was pretty much rained out.
Whirlowbrook Hall in the Winter
The weather is a true test of a wedding venue like Whirlowbrook Hall. The Hall is surrounded by beautiful scenery, so in the sunshine you cannot go wrong when it comes to getting some portraits.
Where things can come undone is when the weather is not so favourable. Fortunately for us, this was not tested today, however, I’m confident that there would still have been plenty of indoor options in a place like this.
I have actually been following Whirlowbrook Hall on Instagram for a while so it was lovely to finally get up there to an actual wedding.
To be honest, I’m probably not the right photographer for you.
The Photos
If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that nobody ever reads what I write on this blogs. All you guys want to see is photos, and that’s fine because I’ve got a load to show you.
Here is a small selection of highlights from the collection.
Oh, and if you are as impressed as I am with the flowers, make sure you check out Moss and Clover Kelham.
Beth & Will’s Game of Thrones Themed Wortley Hall Wedding
Fans of Game of Thrones, I want you to start humming the theme song now, just to set the tone.
This is a wedding that had been in my diary for over 2 years. I first met with Beth and Will back in June 2016. I had worked with Beth’s sister Erika when she was doing the Bridal party’s make-up for Emma & Lee’s wedding. Erika and I got along well so she recommended me to Beth, and the rest just fell into place.
So, I knew all about where and when the wedding was going to be, and this wasn’t my first time at Wortley Hall, so I thought I knew what to expect.
However, I was not aware of the Game of Thrones theme. As a fan of the show I was very excited when Beth told me about it. The Foundry Dining Room at Wortley Hall is already a very impressive room that feels almost like a GoT set, so with the subtle extra touches and amazing autumnal flowers (prepared by Beth’s mum!) the room looked spectacular.
It was great to spend the day with Beth, Will and their families. I felt very welcome right from the start, plus it was great to see Erika again after all these years!
Getting ready was a family affair. Naturally Erika did the make-up, and Beth’s Mum is actually a wedding hairdresser so took care of all of that.
Being in the one place all day meant the bone-chilling cold outside was not much of a concern. We did spend a bit of time in the gardens for portraits and group photos, but it only took me a few minutes to regain the feelings in my fingers afterwards.
Getting Married at Wortley Hall?
Have a look at my in depth guide to getting married at Wortley Hall. Read Now
The Gallery
I guess since a picture is worth a thousand words, I may as well quit whilst I’m ahead and let the photos do the talking. This is a small selection from the gallery, hope you enjoy looking.
You need to remember that you are in the middle of Sheffield City Centre, so parking is limited.
Well, to be fair, it isn’t limited so much as expensive.
Fortunately that shouldn’t be a problem for the bride since official wedding cars are permitted to park outside the front of the Town Hall for the duration of the wedding ceremony.
One option is to arrange for a bus to bring your guests from the reception venue into town, thus saving them the trouble of finding parking.
That’s exactly what Susan and Kevin did to get their guests to and from the Ibis Style in Barnsley.
The Bride’s Stealth Arrival
Many brides-to-be worry about being seen by guests at their arrival.
After-all, their arrival in front of the Sheffield Town Hall is unlikely to be discrete.
Fortunately, the attendants at the Town Hall are particularly good at this.
They will make sure all the guests are safely tucked away in the ceremony room before the bride’s arrival.
The wedding car has the added advantage of being able to park outside the Town Hall for the duration of the ceremony.
Having said that, I’m not sure they would usually be allowed to park on the pavement like they did at Kay & Lynval’s wedding.
The Groom’s Arrival
Sorry fellas, the arrival of the Groom at a wedding at the Town Hall is much less grand.
Basically you’ll just arrive at some point, probably about half an hour before your appointed ceremony time, to greet your guests.
Shortly before the bride is due to arrive the Groom will be taken into the ceremony room to be interviewed.
Once the interview is complete the guests will be invited to take their seats in the ceremony room.
Most Grooms opt for the discrete arrival, often with a stop at a local city centre pub for a pint of Dutch courage.
Before we carry on to the ceremony I have a quick photography related tip:
If you want photos on the main staircase get them before the ceremony. You are not likely to be allowed back afterwards because another wedding party will be arriving after you.
After the ceremony you will be ushered out of the building via a different exit, i.e. not the main entrance with the staircase.
This makes it tricky to get photos of both of you together since you won’t actually see each other before the ceremony.
In my experience, some have used the time for a ‘first look’ photo.
Most of the time it is a great chance for photos of the Groom and his Groomsmen to get some snaps together.
It is also a good place for photos of the Bridal party, not to mention that special moment where the Father of the Bride sees his little girl in her wedding dress for the first time.
How Long is the Wedding Ceremony at the Town Hall?
This can depend on whether you invite guest to perform readings.
Typically the ceremony lasts about 20 minutes from the arrival of the Bride to leaving the room.
The Sheffield Town Hall has several rooms typically used for wedding ceremonies.
Downstairs are three smaller rooms connected by a large anti-room which is used as a waiting area for guests prior to the ceremony.
This waiting area is the first room you enter as you turn right through the main entrance.
These smaller rooms host several wedding ceremonies a day and are best suited for parties of up to 50 guests.
Upstairs is a much more private affair, better suited to larger wedding parties.
The main room is partitioned to form a ceremony room and a drinks reception room.
The Mirror room is where you will have the ceremony, so named because of the huge mirror at one end.
The main dividing wall lifts away at the conclusion of the ceremony allowing guests to wander freely across to the Mandela room for drinks and canapes.
Pro Photo Tip #2
This is more a tip for the photographer than anyone else.
The huge mirror in the Mirror Room is right in front of the couple as they get married.
It then stands behind them as they sign their contracts.
My advice, stay low and always check for your own reflection before you take a photo!
Confetti – Where and When?
For ‘downstairs’ weddings where you are lead out of the side exit, that staircase is the place for confetti.
You might want to ask your guests to line the walkway and throw their confetti as you pass them.
You can also wait until you get to the main path and do the same there.
However you do it, keep it outside!
Pro Photo Tip #3
After the ceremony you may be thinking the Peace Gardens would be an ideal spot for photos.
Whilst that is true in principle, keep in mind that on a sunny Saturday afternoon it will be packed!
Not to mention that in August it will be overtaken by Sheffield By The Seaside, so you will have no chance.
My advice is to either make use of the nearby Winter Gardens, or look for interesting locations between buildings for your group photos.
Conclusion
If you have never been to a wedding at the Sheffield Town Hall before it may seem a little intimidating.
Hopefully this guide has helped you to understand what you can expect, where you should go and how to make the most of your wedding ceremony.
As you can probably tell, I have attended more than my fair share of weddings at the Town Hall. If you have any questions that I haven’t covered in this article please feel free to ask.
If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding why not Get In Touch?
This is the story of Miranda and Alex’s Wood Lane Countryside Centre wedding, all the way back in June 2013.
The wedding also known as my first ever wedding!
It was always a pity that this wedding never made it onto my blog.
I actually photographed this wedding before I actually became a wedding photographer.
Alex and Miranda have been close friends with my wife and I for many years.
One day, probably somewhere around summer 2012, they were round at our house when suddenly there was a noticeable pause. Alex looked at Miranda, she looked back at him. They gave us the look. The ‘we have a proposition for you’ look.
That was when they asked me if I would photograph their wedding.
To put that into context for you, at this point photography was my hobby. I ran a local photography group and had occasionally photographed events at my place of work.
I had never even considered photographing someone’s wedding.
To be frank, I didn’t think I was good enough.
Alex and Miranda though, seemed to be of the opinion that I was good enough.
So, on the understanding that I was not a professional and thus great results were not guaranteed, I accepted their proposal and we carried on with the rest of our evening.
Photographer and Wedding Guest
When June 2013 rolled around I felt more prepared than I had when they initially asked.
I had taken the plunge earlier in the year and bought myself a better camera. It still wasn’t a professional camera, I couldn’t afford that. Still it was a good quality and dependable camera.
I also spent the time learning, getting ready for the pressures of the day by making sure I knew my new camera inside and out.
Aside from this being my first ever wedding as the photographer, there was something else unusual about it for me. You see I was not just the photographer, I was a guest too.
Yes, my wife and then nearly 3 year old daughter were also there. In fact my daughter was the flower girl.
Looking back, I think that was probably a more difficult situation than simply being the photographer.
Whilst I was able to spend some time with my wife and daughter, and we did sit together at the dinner, I was conscious that I was leaving them for extended periods throughout the day.
Not ideal, but they knew other people besides me so they managed to still enjoy the day without me.
So, how did I do?
Many seasoned wedding photographers look back at their earlier work and cringe.
We are always learning and constantly improving, even those who have been doing it for years.
As part of telling this story to you I pulled the photos out of the archives, picked out some highlights and gave them a fresh edit. I applied what I know now about post-processing to the photos I took at the time.
To be honest, I am quite proud of myself.
The photos I took were pretty good, though I can definitely see how limited I was by the lower rate camera gear that I had at the time, especially in poor light.
If I was to be critical, there are photos I missed. Photos that I would not have missed now simply because I know more about where I need to be ahead of time.
For example, I don’t think I did a good job capturing the first dance, there don’t seem to be many shots of that at all.
Also, looking back at the group photos, the lighting was not the best. It was a beautiful sunny day, which is a pain for photos with all the harsh shadows.
In hindsight, there were loads of trees about which would have provided ample shade to take the photos without the sun.
The only proper cringe moment I have is looking at how I used the flash. During the speeches I must have been pointing the flash directly at those speaking, resulting in harsh shadows behind them. Something I would never do these days.
That said, I am pleased with how the photos turned out.
The Gamble
The most important thing for me is that I didn’t let my friends down, and therein lies the risk of asking a friend to take your wedding photos.
Being brutally honest, I was lucky that nothing went wrong.
Although my camera was new and in good condition, I only had one. Had I dropped or damaged it at any point I would have been unable to carry on. Same goes for my lens. I think I only had one battery too.
Being so ill-prepared terrifies me now. Of course, I now have the means to make sure I carry backup gear, extra batteries, memory cards, insurance and so on.
Thankfully nothing did go wrong on the day for me, others I have heard about have not been so lucky.
The Photos
I know I have rambled on a bit here, I think this is a story worth sharing.
The story would not be complete without sharing some of the photos I took on the day.
So here are a handful of shots, all taken by me with one camera, one lens and no experience.
Be kind in your comments 🙂
So there you go, the story and some photos from the first wedding I ever photographed.
Rest assured I have come a long way since 2013. If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding give me a shout.
