David and Sue

The final wedding of the year for me was Sue and David at Wentbridge House Hotel.

Set in a beautiful little village in South Yorkshire, the hotel allowed them the house and grounds to themselves in which to entertain their guests and celebrate their wedding in style.

I got there in time to catch Sue's preparations with her bridesmaids and family, and I was there to follow the ceremony right through to the start of their meal.

Elegance and smartness were the order of the day, but David is rarely one to be too serious for a long time, and there were giggles and roars of laughter throughout the ceremony. Following the golden rule of weddings, they made the day reflect them as a couple, welcoming everyone along for the celebration.


We devoted some time to getting family photos with Sue's father Bill, and I'm very glad to have been able to photograph him walking his daughter down the aisle, as sadly he passed away a few days after the wedding.

This has made me realise how important the apparently simple act of capturing memories with a camera can be. It's an honour to be able to do this for such lovely people.

Debbie and Viv at Leeds Town Hall

When Debbie and Viv first asked me to photograph their wedding, all they knew was that they were going to get married at the Brodrick Suite at the Town Hall, and then move on to the Adelphi (the finest pub in Leeds, if you ask me). 

As we began planning the event, I gave them the advice I give to all of my couples, and recommended they look at the traditions and patterns of weddings, and take their guests on the same emotional adventure whilst discarding anything they didn't feel was relevant to them. Although civil partnerships are a brand new thing with no historical traditions, people expect certain things from a ceremony, and there are some symbols which are just too meaningful to pass over. Take what you want, lose what you don't, but make sure everyone knows you are married.

It was clear from the moment guests began arriving in 1920s outfits that something special was going to happen. What they created for themselves was a totally original, warm and fun celebration of their relationship with the full participation of friends and family.

Out of all the weddings I've experienced, this was only the second I've been at where the crowd spontaneously cheered when the couple entered the room, and again when they were declared married. Absolutely lovely, and although I feel this way about all of the ceremonies I attend, I have to say that it was a true honour to be there.

Sarah and Paul's Wedding

Paul and Sarah got married at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Leeds Canal Basin on 30th of March, although by my reckoning, this was the 3rd name his hotel's had since we've been planning this wedding! It's been City Inn and Mint in recent years, but what it's always had is an astonishing 13th Floor bar, the Skylounge, which looks out across practically the whole of Leeds. The hotel sits at the corner where the Leeds and Liverpool canal meets the River Aire as it comes out from under the city centre. There's been a lot of building here over the last 10years, creating lots of city flats, shopping areas and offices. I tell you all of this in explanation - the tallest building in Yorkshire sits on the other side of the water, and it's created a lethal (no exaggeration) wind tunnel which whips around that corner in it's own little circle. When we went for our walk-through to scout out the location together at the end of February, we watched a man falling through the ice on the canal, and struggling to get out of the frozen water - no doubt blown in. 

Thankfully by their big day the snow had gone and we were blessed with a bright sunny day, but it was inevitable that the wind would be a feature of the wedding photos, and we had lots of fun trying to cope with it. We shot all the group photos down at ground level, and then went up to the bar, above everything in the city including the wind, for the wedding breakfast. I left them to enjoy their meal and drinks with their guests for the afternoon, and then rejoined them at the Royal Armouries for a proper evening knees-up in the Wellington Suite. 

This was my first wedding of the year, and it was beautiful. And, judging by the message I got back from Sarah, it would seem that they enjoyed their day too: 

"Thank you for the pictures they are absolutely brilliant brings back such beautiful memories, would love to do it all again, you made us feel so relaxed about the whole day and I think that shows in the pictures you have taken. I will defo recommend you to anyone. Thanks again for making our day so special. Sarah and Paul." 

I love being a photographer!