Yes, you read that heading right. We really did go to all those places, albeit not in the same day.
Doncaster Mansion House Wedding Ceremony
Aimee and Craig actually got married on the Wednesday before their actual wedding. The only people present for this wedding were Aimee and Craig themselves, their children, Craig’s Best Man and Aimee’s Maid of Honour.
The ceremony took place in the kitchen of the Doncaster Mansion House.
Yes, the kitchen, complete with pots and pans. Seriously cool stuff!
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Following the ceremony the entire party headed over to Yorkshire Wildlife Park for a family day out. I was grateful to have been invited along and gladly accepted the invitation. Although I wasn’t joining them in an official photographer capacity, I was happy to get a few snaps of them whilst I was indulging in a bit of wildlife photography.
Best Western Lion Hotel, Worksop
Jump forward a few days and it is now Saturday morning. Aimee and her full bridal party are now at the Lion hotel in Worksop to get ready for the actual wedding day.
This to me didn’t feel like any other wedding day morning. Usually this is my time to start getting to know everybody. This time I had already spent the Wednesday day with them all, so I felt especially at ease. I think they felt the same too, meaning I was able to get much more natural pictures.
St Winifred's Church, Holbeck
The morning was all too brief and before we knew what had happened it was time to head over to church.
Aimee, Craig and I had already scoped out the church whilst we did their Engagement Shoot, so finding the church was no problem. St Winifred’s church is one of those places you would never stumble upon accidentally, unless you happen to be wandering around the Holbeck Estate looking for such things.
It is a grand church, sitting majestically inside a gated garden, most of which is used as burial ground.
Inside the church is fairly dark and moody, with the odd pocket of sunlight leaking through the windows.
Lady Margaret Hall, Holbeck Estate
The last stop of the day, another hidden gem that Aimee and party had spent days turning into a magnificent wedding venue.
Inside the usually somewhat bland hall they have installed a marquee. This elevated the hall into a very glamorous wedding reception venue. The tasteful decoration, again all done by Aimee and friends, looked amazing.
In a weekend of firsts, my very favourite was the wedding dinner. Domino’s pizza!
As the sun began to set we went out into the fields for some photos. I was invited by Chief Bridesmaid Hannah to take some ‘Bride Bitch’ photos. To be honest I thought I had misheard her at first, but apparently not. I guess you learn something new every day.
When we had finished with the bridesmaids we sent for Craig so that we could re-enact our engagement session during the final moments of the golden sunset.
It was during these portraits that i realised just how much of a difference it had made spending that extra day together and getting to know them. When we first started out on the engagement shoot both Aimee and Craig were the first to admit they were uncomfortable in front of the camera. By the time sunset came around though they seemed completely at ease, which made for a much more relaxed session and some amazing photos.
As the evening drew to a close and the drunken guests started waving sparklers around I felt it was time for me to leave them to it. A perfect end to a really special few days with a group of lovely people.
The Photos
