Wedding at the Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield

This Saturday it was a short trip down the M1 to Sheffield for the wedding of Lauren and Lee. We don't actually travel down to South Yorkshire that often, but this booking had come from a recommendation from the last wedding that we had photographed in Sheffield. It's always nice to photograph a wedding that has come from a recommendation - you know that you must have done a good job! The day started in Hillsborough where Lauren was getting ready before moving onto the church. We had attended the rehearsal a couple of nights before and the priest was very happy to allow a photographer at the front of the church as well as the back. He even offered us the use of his own driveway to park on! Very few photographers take the time and trouble to attend rehearsals, but we often fine it very beneficial. After the church Lauren had chosen to go onto a park for their couple shots, as the Cutlers' Hall is right in the centre of Sheffield with no grounds whatsoever. Lauren also wanted a big group shot (130 guests!) on the very dark staircase at the Cutlers' Hall. Fortunately we always bring with us a pair of Elinchrom Ranger Quadras, which are portable studio lights, as a flash on camera would certainly not have been up to the task of lighting such a huge area. After the speeches we took the wedding party across the road for some last photographs before rounding off the day with some photos of the first dance. A perfect day - or so I thought! When I got back to the car park I discovered that I had lost my ticket and had to pay the princely sum of £26 to retrieve my car!!

Nostell Priory Wedding

A Thursday wedding for a change. When that happens I never know what day it is for the rest of the week. We only had a 5 minute drive to the St. Pierre at Newmillerdam where Viv was getting ready before moving onto Nostell Priory to find the guys. The weather forecast had not been promising and it had rained practically every day this month, but it was still dry for Viv's arrival and, much to my surprise, still fine when the ceremony finished. We had been given special permission to take some photos in the house so we made the most of the opportunity to get some really good couple shots before moving outside for the group and family photos. We stayed on into the evening, where a disco and live band provided the entertainment.

Waterton Park Wedding - Anna & Patrick

Once again we were back at the Waterton Park Hotel near Wakefield for the wedding of Anna & Patrick. The day started in Ossett where Anna was getting ready, before moving onto Waterton for the pictures of Patrick and the guys. Some showers had been forecast but we didn't really expect the constant rain that started at one o'clock and didn't stop for the rest of the day! However, Waterton Park is one of the best possible venues for photography both in sunshine and in rain and we were able to do all the group shots at the front of the hall, keeping the wedding party and guests dry under the portico, although I got soaked! We always carry a dozen white umbrellas with us for times such as this, which can often produce some really cool photos with the wedding party and couple. On this occasion a gust of wind caught Anna and Patrick's umbrella, turning the umbrella inside out and giving us some great candid photos in the process. For the first dance we got out our video light and together with Shane's fantastic DJ lights we got some great shots to finish the wedding album.