Last Thursday saw me up round Bury and Rochdale for the Ceremony and Reception of such a lovely couple. I met Slawomir and Ilona towards the beginning of the year where we sat down, had a coffee and chatted about their upcoming wedding day. Obviously the bulk of it was about photography and how I can help create some special moments throughout. They loved my work and decided to book my mid-week package!
So I arrived around 30 minutes before proceedings began where I quickly had a briefing by Hugh who was to take charge of the ceremony/formalities. Slawomir had already arrived and he was sat with his Best man as they waited patiently for Ilona to arrive. Guests came in small groups and were also asked to swiftly take their seats. Around 10 minutes before expecting the Bridal party I perched myself on a nearby wall and waited…I had been told to expect a vehicle to pull up on the driveway although you have to be alert at all times in this game as Ilona and her Bridesmaid sneakily came up behind me and I nearly missed the opportunity of them walking both walking together!
The ceremony kicked off and I was asked to stay at the rear of the church and document the occasion from there. It all ran very smoothly and after around 30 minutes had passed it was time for the newly weds to officially sign the wedding register. A few snaps later and I was ready to capture some photos of the new Mr & Mrs Zegan as they made their way back up the aisle as Husband and Wife.
Guests came out to congratulate the happy couple and one member even had her own confetti in the form of rice, sweets and coppers (money). As this was an international gathering of family and friends there was a variety of traditions with this being one. It made for great photos and I don’t think Slawomir and Ilona were expecting it. The kids even jumped at the chance to rake in some goodies! Once things calmed down a little I gathered everyone for the formal groups shots which were fab and was complete in a matter of 20 minutes. The last thing to do was to announce on the Bride and Groom’s behalf for everyone to head over to the reception venue which was The Royal Toby Hotel in Rochdale.
I headed off to try and get there in good time whilst all family and friends were transported in a coach. We arrived and I decided to document everyone enjoying themselves with a welcome drink whilst soaking up a little sunshine. 20 minutes had passed and I then asked Slawomir and Ilona if they wanted to have a walk round for the more intimate shots of them together which they were more than happy to do.
We captured some gorgeous photos of them together and as we came back round to the entrance of the Hotel we were shadowed by Ilona’s Son Mark. I welcomed it as it helped the happy couple to relax a little more and I even had Mark pull some funny faces and even dance around 🙂
Time was coming to a close for me but I took some photos of the wedding breakfast room in all its glory before taking a few snaps of the wedding cake and then had Slawomir and Ilona pose behind it for a mock cut. Before the wedding coordinator officially invited everyone into the room I headed off leaving everyone to have an absolutely memorable time as the afternoon celebrations were just about to start.
I hope Slawomir and Ilona along with their wonderful family and friends who came from around the globe had a fantastic time and I can’t wait to begin the editing of their wedding day photographs. For now please enjoy these sneak peek shots.
Thanks…
