Louise & Chris's Yorkshire wedding
A mild late autumn day at Rossington Hall was the setting for Louise & Chris's beautiful wedding.
We'd been there previously over summer for an engagement photoshoot which was great, and I was excited to see how the grounds looked during autumn - I had several ideas for awesome shots planned and couldn't wait to try them out with the happy couple.
The rather foggy day started off inside as the bride and wedding party got ready.
There was a great atmosphere and it was fantastic watching the family as everyone excitedly got ready for the day. Unlike most weddings, no one was barred from visiting the bride to be in the bridal suite (apart from the groom, naturally) and family came and went all morning.
It was honestly my favourite wedding so far; such a relaxed and fun atmosphere, with none of the worry or stress that normally accompanies the wedding preparation.
This is one of my favourites from the early part of the day: the family eagerly awaiting the arrival of the groom in a rather slick Mercedes AMG.
Everyone was having fun - there didn't seem to be any nerves, even from the bride!
Soon enough it was time for the bride to make her entrance.
The ceremony room is a perfect size to have the right balance between being big and small - keeping that nice intimate feeling without everyone being too bunched together. I had the perfect vantage point at the front of the room with those great tall windows behind me letting in lots of natural light.
Everything went without a hitch and we were soon making our way back out to explore the hall where guests enjoyed drinks and canapés.
It's around this point in the day I like to steal the newly wed couple away for a brief photoshoot so we headed out into Rossington's grounds.
I don't like this shoot to take up too much of the bride and groom's time (although some times I'm sure they're grateful of the break from the hustle and bustle of the wedding!) and particularly today as the temperature was dropping fast!
We got some really amazing autumnal wedding photos in the gardens; it really was a pleasure to shoot - these are the things us wedding photographers hope for: beautiful, accessible surroundings, and a laid back couple!
Afterwards there was confetti which is always loads of fun, for everyone!
...and a few more formal photographs of the bride and groom inside the reception room...
As I trickled a few shots through on my Facebook and Instagram - as I generally do with full day wedding photography shoots - whilst processing them during the following week, it was great to hear the positive reactions from the bride and family.
I happen to know that the colour shot above is a favourite of the brides. I also love the black and white wide shot myself, I think it really has a great feel to it.
After a nice break (I like to keep out of everyone's way whilst they're eating, for several reasons, not least because it's hard to get flattery photographs of people eating, and it gives me a chance to ease off the gas for a short while, recompose myself, check my gear and recharge) during which I was delighted to be able to sample the fine food Rossington Hall were serving up for the wedding breakfast, it was time for the speeches. And after a break the speeches are a lovely way to ease back into shooting, and actually one of my favourite parts of any wedding; everyone is relaxed, and it's a given that there will be jokes abound which is good for those candid photos.
After the speeches I took Louise and Chris outside again to experiment with some lighting and see if we could get some more specific shots I'd had some ideas on. A freezing fog had settled in and it was pitch black when we got outside. Unfortunately the shots I'd hoped to get didn't work out the way I was hoping but we still got some great photographs using the available lighting in the garden.
And finally, after the cake was cut and the couple had enjoyed their first dance, it was disco time!
I made my exit shortly afterwards, content with what I'd shot and happy that it had been such an enjoyable day at Rossington Hall. I can't wait to get the opportunity to shoot some wedding photography there again!
Congratulations Louise and Chris, and all the best for the future!
Technical bit:
I shoot 99% of a wedding with my Nikon D7100 and 50mm 1.8D. My old D70 (yes, it's still in service, believe it or not!) has my Tokina 11-16mm attached and all the wide shots were taken with it.
Everything is processed in Adobe Lightroom CC with any extra touching up done in Photoshop if necessary.
