
So then, a wedding in North Yorkshire! What a treat! Even though I’m based in Manchester, I’m more than happy to provide wedding photography in Yorkshire without travel expenses since I have family up there :).
Donna & Dave’s wedding was a very special wedding for me because they decided, by coincidence, to tie the knot in the same church in which I was married quite a few years ago – St Helen’s Church in Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
Shooting a wedding ceremony in the same place in which you were married yourself proved to be quite an emotional experience. Looking through the camera lens I remembered visibly my own wedding ceremony, but also gained an insight into the perspective of our photographer at the time. No, in case you were wondering, I didn’t look at my own wedding photos before shooting Donna & Dave’s. I wanted to give them fresh photos unique to them, not just copies of my own (or anyone else’s for that matter).
From bridal prep right through to the end of the night, it was a really chilled out, relaxed day. Bridal prep at Donna’s mum’s house couldn’t have been easier, everyone was so nice, and Donna’s mum even took pity on me that I’d forgotten my flask of coffee and made my a brew!
The ceremony was slightly delayed because someone got lost. Now here’s a coincidence. My very own Mum ‘Old Ma Peet’, who lives just down the road from St Helen’s church, was out for walk with her dogs and happened to be walking past the church around the time of the ceremony. She saw two elderly people looking a little lost, and overheard them talking in a hurry about where they should be going. Mum asked if they were okay and they said they were looking for a wedding but they didn’t know if it was the church across the road from them or another one somewhere else. My mum proudly declared that her son was photographing a wedding in this church and perhaps they should take a look. Turned out Old Ma Peet’s intuition was correct.
The ceremony was really nice, with Dave looking proudly on as his daughter Cherry sang a beautiful song for the congregation. The reverend told a few tales which had everyone in stitches and it was nice to Dave’s Nan having a right good snort too.
A particularly nice part of the day for me was the bus ride to the church and then from the church to the reception venue, The Village Inn, in Brompton, just outside Northallerton. It’s always the interesting, quirky parts of the day that I really enjoy shooting. I’d like to give a shout out to the super nice driver and conductor from the Wensleydale Omnibus!
The Village Inn is a great pub and locally popular reception venue. Particularly nice if you have a medium sized wedding party and like the keep things relaxed. Dave and Donna’s speeches and were full of laughs and then got a little emotional when their children read a few small speeches of their own.
The first dance was nice and intimate and ended with everyone, including grandma, joining in on the YMCA! The dancefloor was kept pretty busy for the rest of the evening, and just as I was about to leave – my kit already all packed up – when Donna’s brother erupted in karaoke and Donna and Dave hit the dancefloor again for First Dance Part 2! I quickly unpacked a camera, no time to put the flash on and captured the moment.
Massive congratulations to our newlyweds! I wish you guys all the best for the future!