Rustic Yorkshire Farmers Wedding

After postponing their wedding day from 2020 to 2021 due to Covid, Charlotte & Jack finally got to celebrate in style with their friends and family in an amazing marquee put up in record time by Jack! He’s a man of many talents as I wouldn’t have a clue where to start at putting together a marquee!

The location was all the way up in Yorkshire so a nice little drive up the motorway for me. :-) I love Yorkshire and seem to be lucky enough to shoot quite a few weddings there. I arrived at Charlottes parents farm house where the hustle and bustle of bridal prep was in full swing. After capturing some nice natural light images and checking out the marquee where the wedding reception was to be held I headed off to the church in Tickhill. I always like to get to the church a bit before the bride as parking can be a nightmare and also to introduce myself to the vicar. Some vicars have very specific rules as to where you can and can't stand during the service so always best to double check.

I had actually shot at the church before in Tickhill for one of Charlottes friends weddings and it was at Ginny & Mikes wedding that Charlotte & Jack found me! Thankfully I was allowed to be stood at the front so I was able to capture Charlotte being walked down the aisle by her dad. Another bonus was because the church was so big there was plenty of room to easily move around without being noticed for one or two different angles.

Once outside, Charlotte & Jack got confetti bombed before jumping in a vintage sports car that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the set of James Bond. With the roar of the engine and the smell of rubber in the air the happy couple were back at Tickhill farm in a flash. I loved the relaxed, chilled out nature of the drinks reception in Charlottes parents garden. A live band was playing as the guests enjoyed congratulating the bride and groom! I captured lots of fun, documentary long lens 85mm images with lovely bokeh. The Nikon Z cameras and lenses are superb to work with and such an upgrade from the tried and tested D750’s that were my main stay for a good few years. The development of the Nikon mirrorless system represents a huge leap forward for the company and now with the release of the flagship Z9 mirrorless is definitely the present and future!

Most couples are always slightly uncomfortable having their picture taken (as I am ) which is why I would always recommend an engagement shoot so couples can be put at ease and understand how it all works. Jack was one of those grooms that didn’t really want lots of posed portraits which was fine with me as I’m all about the reportage style and capturing natural moments. After a quick walk around the grounds we headed back for the reception where the fun and games really went up a level. The people of Yorkshire and especially Yorkshire farmers always give it 100% in the fun department! The entrance of Charlotte and Jack to the reception marquee was like no other I have ever seen! With Charlotte perched precariously on Jacks shoulders they ducked under the doorway and were greeted with over 150 friends and family waving white napkins! Amazing scenes, I loved it!

The light levels inside the marquee really tested the Nikon Z6II to its limits but it coped amazingly well. I really enjoyed the entire wedding day and was so pleased to finally get to document the fun, love and laughter with a gallery of images that Charlotte and Jack can look back on in years to come with a smile on their face. :-)

Intimate Micro Wedding in the Cotswold Village of Stanton

Thank you! The photos are so lovely! We're thrilled 

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Eve & Matt get hitched in the stunning Cotswolds village of Stanton. The ceremony took place at St Michael and All Angels church before a short walk across the road to Matts parents house for the wedding reception. With the world turned upside down amid the Covid19 pandemic resulting in wedding numbers being restricted to just a handful, this didn’t deter Eve & Matt and they pressed ahead to make their special day happen! To many couples the thought of changing their wedding plans is not something they care to contemplate and instead opt to postpone the date, which I completely understand. For other couples they choose to go ahead with a smaller wedding ceremony and instead postpone their big party to next year.

Smaller weddings consisting of less than 30 people are often known as micro weddings. In my opinion there’s something uniquely magical about such a small number of people attending that everything becomes more focused and intimate. Weddings are often a whirlwind and fly by in an instant so with less people means more quality spent with each guest.

My day started with meeting Eve in her Air b&b in Broadway which is just a short drive from Stanton and equally as picturesque. Eves parents and brother were also there getting ready and helping to calm any nerves. I then hopped in my car and drove the short distance to Stanton to the amazing St Michael and All Angels church. One thing I noticed wearing a face mask whilst photographing inside is that it gets very warm and the viewfinder is constantly misting up, maybe I need to invent a new face mask for photography! After the ceremony we took a nice shots with the lovely Cotswolds stone houses as backdrops before walking across the road to Matts parents house. The garden was beautiful with a small pond situated at the bottom of the garden. The atmosphere was so peaceful and relaxed that I was determined to use every inch of the garden for pictures, even the greenhouse which took some people by surprise! :-)

It was a wonderful wedding day and I would thoroughly recommend micro weddings to any couples who are still determined to get hitched!