I heard the good news of Danny and Marie’s engagement through a family friend and after my Wife past on our congratulations I was contacted a little later asking for my availability. I was very humbled that they considered me and straight away I replied yes, we met to discuss packages and I showed them the wedding storybook albums on offer. They were delighted with my wedding photography portfolio and booked me with a deposit to secure the date in the diary…exciting times ahead for these two organising their big day!
Marie decided she was going to begin getting ready at her Parent’s home just down the road from where I live in Shevington, Wigan so I knew the route and time it would take to arrive. Once they had their hair and make-up done it was a case of uplifting everything and moving onto the wedding venue which would host their wedding ceremony and wedding reception, Bartle Hall in Preston. The first part of the Bridal Preparations was capturing some detailed shots but mainly concentrating on the documentary style including the transit from one location to the other which would blend nicely as a story of the day in the album at a later date. This was a fun part for me but I did know that things would get busy as we arrived at Bartle hall so I set off a little earlier than the Bridal party and arrived a little sooner scoping out backdrops of where I was to place the wedding dress, wedding shoes, wedding flowers, wedding jewelry, Bridesmaid’s dresses, Bridesmaid’s flowers, Bridesmaid’s jewelry etc. It paid off as the remainder of the morning went smoothly with no stress involved! I headed downstairs a little early to get some shots of the room dress for the wedding ceremony and caught up with Danny and the families. I finished up with Marie as she did the wedding dress reveal to her Dad as he walked into the room to see his beautiful Daughter dressed all in white and ready to get married!
The Bridesmaids began the wedding march before Marie and her proud Dad made their way down the aisle as Danny got his first look at his future Wife. Smiles were in abundance during the service, wedding rings were handed over by Danny’s Best man which then was followed by the signing of the register. With little room I squeezed where I could to get a lovely shot of this magical moment before family stepped forward with their cameras and got their photographs, this gives me a good opportunity to get a different perspective of this moment before grabbing my bag and heading bag down the aisle to document the new Mr & Mrs walking together as Husband and Wife. After grabbing their welcome drinks and clanging glasses I invited all those who were able to join me outside as I form them into a tunnel of people ready for the wedding confetti photo. This flowed superbly into a large group photo of everyone on the grassy area which was directly to the side of the venue and within an acceptable distance to the bar. I only had a small amount of formal group shots to complete and it was done within 15 minutes of starting which gave the wedding party down time to relax and enjoy the garden games on offer. The sun was beaming down and was the perfect Summer/ Autumnal day.
The wedding coordinator soon invited everyone to the barn which was the setting for the wedding breakfast and what was to become the wedding festivities. The newlyweds were officially announced into the room with waving napkins which is always a good sight and makes great photos. They decided to start with the wedding speeches before eating and the order wasn’t as ou’d probably normally expect, first up was Marie’s Dad who offered some loving words. He was followed by Danny’s Best man, Danny’s Dad Mike took the reins after and then finally the main man himself, Danny offered thank you’sand also asked everyone to blow some bubbles to those who could not share their special day, it was a touching tribute!
The evening arrived and the sun was slowly setting which provided wonderful light for those shots of the married couple together. We went for a stroll around with me snapping away taking in every moment as they provided smiles and laughter towards one another. This 20-45 minute period I get with the happy couple is truly something which offers me a great time to get those shots that will be treasured for years to come. We finished with a little game of Jenga with the wedding videographer for some laughs before heading back for the cutting of the wedding cake, first dance and some shots of folks dancing their little hearts out on the dancefloor.
It was amazing and I loved every moment capturing it all for them!
