Oakwell Hall  & Nicola & Andy

Nicola & Andy tied the knot at Oakwell Hall, near Leeds, back in April. I’ve been looking forward to this wedding for quite a while as they were among my first clients to book for 2017.  They booked a couple of years ago. I love organised couples.

Nicola and the ladies all got ready at her house. It always adds a kind of relaxed feel to the preparation when the bride gets ready at home, today was no exception. You get a real sense of personalities and connection when you get to shoot in someones home for a couple of hours.

If you’ve not been to Oakwell Hall before, it’s sort of in two halves. There’s the bit where they do the ceremony, which is in a museum. It’s like a 17th-century post Civil War family home (Obviously a rich family – I don’t think everyone lived like that in the 1600’s!) Then, there’s also the barn part for when the party kicks off afterwards.

I should say a few things about the reception part of the day to sort of give some context to some of the wedding photographs. Oakwell Hall is nowhere near the sea. Nicola’s wedding present to Andy was a surfboard. That’s about the coolest wedding present I can think of, I don’t know about you? Also, Nicola’s brother is a Grime artist – that’s Grime, not Mime, don’t ever get those two things mixed up… He did a quick number, with the bride filling a guest spot. Nicola also did a spot of singing herself, much to the amusement of the bridesmaids. They decided to surprise her with that.

This was the embodiment of a celebration. A relaxed morning with friends. A beautiful ceremony in a stunning setting. A party to end all parties to finish the day off. A real pleasure to shoot.