This is a recent winter wedding, as chosen by the bride and groom from hundreds of possible images. 

We always take plenty of casual, non-posed pictures, documenting the full day, so the couple are free to make up their own album according to their personalities.  The very same original images could just as easily be made up into a fun wedding storybook with all the kids running riot and the happy exchanges between wedding guests,  or a more relaxed, classical view of their day.  The couple are consulted at every stage of the image selection – usually spending around 3 hours with us going through their choices and if they decide to go for a designed storybook album – as this couple did – they are free to get involved in the final layout, as its their personal wedding album, not just an exercise in arty design. 

Emotions, expressions and important relationships between families are usually the key reason for their preferred images being included in the album – some choosing mainly of themselves and other showing the full story of their day. In this storybook they even included the pictures about the fire alarm that sounded – just as the bride was about to change into her wedding dress in the morning – and the firemen visiting their hotel in Leeds while everyone piled outside on the opposite pavement,  to wait for the all-clear!

Below is a selection of pages from Hayley & Chris’s wedding album…

A few favourite pics with special artistic treatment from Hayley & Chris’s Winter wedding at Hotel Metropole in Leeds

The minute we walked through the door of Tracy and Simon’s  house where the girls were getting ready, we were greeted with such warmth and tenderness, that I knew the day would be wonderful and very easy to make the vital connections that make for real photographs with depth and emotion. 

How can I pick my favourite pictures or to highlight the best moments of the day?  An impossible task!  Tracy requests a quick photo with her daughter Jade, before leaving to get married and start their new life, and they gave me this….

 

Just to set the scene here’s a pic of the hotel on 30 December – a mild mid-Winter’s day – our last wedding of the year –  30 December 2007.

The crowd of close family –  Mum, daughter and Aunties etc  -  line up outside the main entrance to Monk Fryston Hotel to await the late afternoon arrival of the bride to be:

The wedding ceremony is sealed with a kiss

  such a tender kiss… 

 

So after  the welcome drinks and few pics by the Christmas tree

there is a short car ride to celebrate the start of a new journey together.  On return to Monk Fryston,  the couple gets out and joyously walks hand in hand under the well-lit wintery trees…

Such a shame we have to come inside, but the party goes on and its not fun if overdone, so we just sneak a few shots outside in the dark before heading back inside for the wedding reception.

 Tracy’s Dad, Iain proudly poses with his daughter, by the grandfather  clock.

If there are any special family trees, with at least one grandparent at the top, then its a great opportunity to gather them all around for a special generation shot.  Mum Janet rolls her eyes and smart Grandma Anna, just laughs and smiles.

Simon’s Granddad with his extended family of children, grandchildren and great grand children

 

 

 

Tracy is such a natural as she glides across the bed, all smiles, while bridegroom Simon looks on and laughs, backlit from the en-suite bathroom light.

  

 

Brilliant wedding reception, but trust me to knock my wine over: what a waste!

 

The wedding speeches and presentations go down a treat!

 

   

Beautiful moments…  This little girl certainly loves her Grandma!

All partied out!

                               Romantic Kiss outside at night 

Simon gives Tracy a Piggy Back outside Monk Fryston Hotel in the dark!  Plenty of fun…

Then whispers sweet nothings in her ear….

 

Goodnight!

Its just a few minutes before midnight when we down tools and start packing up

 -  tired, but very happy that we’ve all had a good day…