JLM Wedding Photography

Tag: wedding photography

Weddings at The Old Rectory Handsworth :: What To Expect
An Idyllic Wedding Venue in Handsworth?
Having photographed quite a few weddings at The Old Rectory in Handsworth, Sheffield, I reckon I’m pretty well placed to give you a unique perspective on what it’s like to have your wedding there.
First of all, if you are undecided about whether the Old Rectory is the wedding venue for you, get down there and have a look around. Don’t let the fact that it is in the middle of Handsworth put you off.
For being in the middle of a busy spot it really does feel like such a peaceful place. Even when you’re outside there is such a tranquillity to the grounds.
Wedding Ceremony Room Layout Options at The Old Rectory
Inside it has a cosy feeling. The rooms are well spread out with plenty of milling about space if your guests don’t want to go outside.
There are two rooms you could get married in, depending on the size of your party. Ballifield is the smaller option and accommodates up to 50 wedding guests. It is a beautifully cosy room with a fireplace and plenty of natural light.

If you have a larger wedding party then you can also opt to have your ceremony in the main hall.
Then you can really max out your guest list.

Whichever room you go for you can be sure that you will be well looked after before, during and after the ceremony. The team looking after proceedings are always very friendly yet professional, taking care of the tiniest of details whilst making sure you get exactly what you want when you want it.
Quick Availability Check
Get a quote from a local photographer who knows The Old Rectory well.
Wedding Breakfast at The Old Rectory
After the ceremony you and your guests will have the opportunity to retire either outside or into the many other rooms for a drinks reception. Meanwhile the Old Rectory team will be busy getting the main hall ready for your wedding breakfast.
Being such a huge hall there is plenty of room for a well attended wedding breakfast, so there should be no problem fitting everyone in.
Evening Wedding Reception
So you’ve had your dinner, done your speeches and drank plenty of wine. Now all there is left to do is cut your cake, dance your first dance and then boogie the night away.
After dinner you and your guests will once again be entertained away from the mail hall as the team create space for the dance floor. Before you know it, you’ll be invited to take centre stage.
Oh and you see that big balloon that has been hanging from the ceiling of the main hall all day? You might want to make sure you are dancing underneath it during your first dance.

Evening Portraits in the Gardens of The Old Rectory
There is one last photo-opp to be had once the sun has set at The Old Rectory. If the weather is favourable, take a little stroll into the gardens with your photographer and make the most of the beautiful fairy lights.

Conclusion
The Old Rectory in Handsworth definitely gets my seal of approval,
As a wedding venue you have everything you could need. It’s a cosy venue, beautiful gardens, friendly and helpful staff, good food and enough space to bring along whatever entertainment you fancy.
Plus, it’s only about 10 minutes away from JLM HQ so very handy indeed for me 🙂
Wedding Photography For Your Old Rectory Wedding
Request a quote from a local Wedding Photographer who knows The Old Rectory well.
All the photos you see in this article were taken by JLM Wedding Photography. To request a quote for your wedding pop your details into the form below. You can expect a response within a few hours, if not check your spam folder.
Some of my Old Rectory weddings from the blog archives
19/01/2019
My Favourite Wedding Photos of 2018
When your job is photographing people on the happiest day of their life so far, it’s pretty tough to have a bad year. I guess if I didn’t book many weddings, that would be one way. Thankfully 2018 saw me travelling around to plenty of weddings so yes, this was another very good year :-).
So before we go blazing headfirst into 2019, here is a look back at some of my favourite photos I took in 2018.
Note that I said favourite, not best. Remember that the photos I take are of real people, doing real things on real wedding days. I don’t pose people and I don’t try to recreate magazine style wedding photos. What that means is that, whilst other ‘best of 2018’ blogs will be showcasing spectacular works of art, here you will find just a plain old bunch of photos of happy people.

I would love to photograph your wedding day
Getting married and looking for a photographer? I would love to be involved. If you’re the kind of couple that prefer the photos to happen naturally without turning your wedding day into a photo shoot then give me a shout, let’s find out if I’m available and then we can go from there.

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28/12/2018
New Bath Hotel and Spa, Matlock Wedding :: Hannah & Stephen
I have always been very fond of Matlock Bath, so it was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to photograph a wedding at the New Bath Hotel.
The whole day lived up to my expectations too. The hotel is full of character, complete with all the creaks and cracks that make old hotels like this stand out from their clinical, modern counterparts.
The day started out in Hannah’s room which seemed to be at the top of an endless set of stairs. A mostly relaxed morning with a hint of nerves, in a good way.
Hannah and Stephen’s wedding ceremony was beautiful, bathed in soft light from the bay window in which they stood. The soft light continued as we enjoyed a very calm and mild afternoon in the peaceful grounds of the hotel.
As the reception kicked off the dance floor was flooded with red light. I assumed this was a nod to Stephen and his group of friends all being postmen, though I may be wrong.
Anyway, I think that’s enough from me, you’re probably only here to see the photos :-).
Remember these photos were all taken by me, JLM Wedding Photography. If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding feel free to contact me.
26/10/2018
Chevin Country Park Hotel Wedding :: Megan & Brett
My first wedding at the gorgeous Otley Chevin Country Park Hotel.
I felt a buzz of excitement as soon as Megan told me that she and Brett would be getting married at the Chevin Country Park Hotel in Otley.
I know I usually write all about the venue to give you an idea of what it’s like.
This time I think I will let the photos speak for themselves.
One thing I will say is that I have never photographed a wedding ceremony in a restaurant before. Certainly presented a few interesting challenges :-).
So without further ago, here are the photos. If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding have a peak on my main website to find out more.
29/08/2018
Charlotte & Lee’s Bright and Colourful Spring Wedding in Sheffield
Charlotte & Lee’s Old Rectory Wedding
It’s been a few years since my last wedding at the Old Rectory. I have to say the place hasn’t changed much.
That is no bad thing though because this is a wonderful little wedding venue on the outskirts of Sheffield. It’s even more beautiful in the spring too.
Charlotte wasn’t bothered about having any photos taken whilst she got ready so I arrived at the Old Rectory around the same time as Lee and his party.
The ceremony room had been set up beautifully when I got there.
I have been to three weddings at the Old Rectory in total, and all three were in different rooms. I guess it depends on the number of guests.
This is great for me because it keeps things difficult and fresh for me as a photographer.
Once I had gotten myself settled we got a few shots of Lee and the boys, and then waited anxiously for Charlotte’s arrival.
What an arrival it was too, by Bentley no less!
The service was beautiful, with two perfect readings from both the Best Man and Maid of Honour.
From there I got to spend some time with a really friendly bunch of folks, doing what I do best.
Mingling and snapping.
When the evening came sadly we didn’t get the sunset were were hoping for, so we waited for dark and went down to the bottom of the garden which was beautifully decorated with fairly lights for our evening portraits.
Before we get on with the wedding photos I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Jordan Maycock.
Jordan is a very talented magician and genuinely friendly guy.
Highly recommended if you want a little extra entertainment for your guests between the dinner and evening reception.
So without further ado, here are the photos.
If you would like to ask me anything feel free to get in touch.
The Slideshow

The Photos
If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding give me a shout and let’s make some plans.
If you would like to talk to me about photographing your wedding get in touch and let’s make some plans.
See ya next time,
James
18/04/2018
Gear, Tools & Techniques :: How I Approach Wedding Photography
I know what you’re thinking.
Another photographer blabbing on about his camera gear.
Well, as much as I do love discussing camera gear, this update is really more about how my tools and techniques will benefit you as a bride or groom-to-be.
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23/02/2018
How to Spot Great Quality Wedding Photos :: A Beginner’s Guide
If photography is not your passion then you may struggle to see the difference in quality between wedding photographers.
In all likelihood, if you are looking for a photographer for your wedding then this is your first time booking a photographer of any kind.
Unfortunately, many in your position resort to judging photographers based on price alone.
Whilst price is a big factor, as you will discover in this article there are many more factors that you should consider.
By the time you have finished reading this you will have a better understanding of what to look out for.
We will also look at the different styles of photography so you can start to narrow down your options.
Hopefully you will also finish with a greater appreciate of photography as an art form.
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09/02/2018
How to make sure you never lose your wedding photos…
How to get make sure you never lose your wedding photos…
… and how to get them back if you do!
Most of this advice is relevant to all digital photos, though obviously if we’re talking about photos you took yourself then you can’t go back to the professional photographer to see if they have a backup.
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30/10/2017
Unplugged Weddings :: Should you ask your guests to ditch the mobiles?
What on earth is an unplugged wedding?
To me, unplugged reminds me of the MTV acoustic sessions of the 1990s.
In my opinion Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York is one of the best albums out there.
Put the phone down!
In the wedding world, ‘unplugged’ has come to mean asking guests to put down their phones and cameras during the ceremony.
The idea being guests are there to enjoy the wedding and should leave taking photos to the professional.
Sounds simple enough in principle.
This is a wedding though, nothing is as simple as it may seem.
Will you actually have a choice?
The whole unplugged or not argument may be moot if your venue does not allow photography during the service.
Some officiants will announce before the service that guests should not take photos during the ceremony.
A very small number of officiants, usually in a religious setting, will forbid even the professional photographer from taking photos.
But that’s a grumble for another day.
Unplugged Weddings Pros and Cons
Let’s start by going through a few reasons why you might consider having an unplugged wedding.
Why unplug?
You want guests to pay attention to your wedding, not be browsing through Facebook
In the defence of the lady to the right in the photo above, it’s more likely that she was trying to take a photo than surfing the web.
Apparently since the rise of smart phones people’s attention spans are shrinking to just a matter of seconds.
Do people still say surfing the web, what happened to that?
If they have their phone to hand they are more likely to have a peak when it vibrates.
You want to see their faces in your wedding photos, not the back of their phones
Imagine how dated your wedding photos will look if everyone is holding up old-school iPhones.
It would be like everyone at a wedding in the ’80s holding up Walkmans.
Actually that would be awesome.
Guests trying to take their own photos might actually spoil the professional photographer’s photos
Unlikely for the most part, but definitely a possibility.
Many moments that we try to capture only last a second and if at that very moment someone jumps up and blocks the photographer that moment will be lost.
There isn’t really much you can do to prevent this from happening.
Your photographer will hopefully have done their best to avoid such an occurrence, ultimately if it happens then it’s just bad luck really.
Phones make distracting noises, even when on silent
Hmmmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmm……
You don’t want guests sharing their photos online so that evening guests see them before they see you in the evening
You want your evening guests to be blown away by your glorious dress and magnificent hair and makeup when they first lay eyes on you.
If they already saw it on a blurry Facebook photo then that moment will be lost.
All the photos in this article were taken at real weddings by JLM Wedding Photography – that’s me 🙂
Why remain plugged?
Of course, there are plenty of counter arguments as to why you shouldn’t take phones out of people’s hands if they want to use them.
Your guests may actually get some decent photos
Regardless how good a job your photographer will do to capture the wedding, they cannot cover all the angles.
Your guests will have the opportunity to get photos the photographer cannot, which is great so long as they don’t cause any disruption getting them.
Some people are more comfortable when taking photos
As someone who lives and breaths photos, I can associate with this one.
Taking photos is such a part of my life that I actually find I enjoy something more when I am photographing it than if I’m just sat watching it.
This will not make sense to everyone, I know my wife probably wishes I’d put the camera down sometimes.
Just keep in mind you may actually be making someone’s experience of your wedding worse by taking away their ability to take photos.
A phone or tablet may be the only thing keeping the kids in their seats
If you have kids and have tried to make them sit through a church service you get what I mean.
For some, weddings are a place for the whole family and there is no reason to try to shut the kids up.
Still, it is nice to have the option available.
A Photographer’s Opinion on Unplugged Weddings
For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts as a wedding photographer.
Phones are fine.
Cameras are fine.
I firmly believe that people who take photos with iPads look absolutely ridiculous doing so. But hey, you invited them, so that’s fine too.
Those are my feelings in a nutshell.
However, to understand my stance on unplugged weddings you need to also understand my approach to photographing weddings.
Clean vs Real Wedding Photos
There are many great photographers out there who strive for ‘clean’ wedding photos.
They take photos of what a wedding should look like.
I like to take photos of what things actually did look like.
This is not the forum to debate styles of wedding photography, each to their own.
The point here is that since my style is to capture what really happened, warts and all, then I have no problem capturing your friends and family doing whatever it is they would usually be doing.
If you are fine with your guests taking photos then I am fine with taking photos of your guests taking photos.
To me if that is what your wedding was really like then that is how you should remember it, so I am not going to get upset if someone is doing something unwedding-like.
All the best wedding photos are those with a story and a great memory behind it.
In Conclusion…. it’s up to you.
If you can imagine yourself laughing about the time Uncle Bob messed up the photo of the first kiss by commando rolling down the aisle and knocking the Vicar clean out with his speed-light then you don’t need to worry about going unplugged.
If, on the other hand, you just looked at the above photo of the Father of the Bride enveloped by a ball of light from a guest’s camera flash and shrieked at the humanity, perhaps you should consider asking your officiant to politely request guests not take their own photos.
Right, now that we’ve settled that I’m off to listen to some Nirvana.
See ya next time.
James
If you enjoyed this, I have written quite a few other quite popular articles such as Why do wedding photographers wear black? which aims to answer just about every question you could possible need to ask about wedding photographers.
Feel free to get in touch to discuss ideas and/or find out if I am available for your wedding.
If you would like to know more about what I offer have a look at my How Much page once you’re done reading this article.
24/10/2017
Bridal Prep – What the morning of the wedding day is all about
Back in the olden days of wedding photography you would not have seen bridal prep photos included with the standard service.
That was when wedding photography was all about capturing a single bridal portrait to sit on the mantelpiece for generations.
Whilst bridal portraits are still very much a thing, wedding photography has moved on to include documenting the emotions of the whole day.
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27/07/2017