[Wedding] Feathers, Unicorns and Converse at Jessica & Aaron's beautiful wedding at Waterton Park Hotel

On Saturday I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Jessica & Aaron's Wedding at Waterton Park Hotel.

I started with Jess and her mum whilst hair and make-up was being done before little bridesmaids, family and maid of honour joined in.

I loved the personalised Converse that Jess and her little bridesmaids had! 

There was definitely no way that anyone was going to have achy feet at the end of the night because of their shoes!

Jess' dress was so elegant with beautiful beaded straps down the back, teamed with a veil she looked absolutely beautiful.

A walk over the bridge at Waterton Park hotel took her to meet her groom! Exciting Times!

Aaron was waiting at the bottom of the aisle with his Best Man awaiting for Jess to arrive. Their little page boy walked down the aisle followed by the bridesmaids and Maid of Honour before the bride and her dad walked down.

For anyone of us who had kept checking the weather, it looked like it could rain and it was forecast in points during the day - so after the ceremony, we started group photographs after a little bit of mingling with the guests.

The weather was definitely on our side!

We took some time to get some photographs of the new Mr & Mrs! How beautiful and in love do they look? I do love a fab Wedding!

Afterwards we headed inside for the speeches before dinner delivered by Jess' Dad, Aaron and Aaron's Best Man. There were tears but also lots of laughs! 

But not only that how amazing is their unicorn wedding cake! Not only are they my first couple to have personalised converse, their the first to have a unicorn wedding cake too!

During dinner, the heavens opened and rain poured down, and then it all cleared up and turned beautiful for the rest of the evening! Lots of dancing an chatting and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves! 

Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your Wedding!

[Wedding] Laura & Karl, a beautiful outdoor Wedding at Oulton Hall, Leeds

On Friday, I had the pleasure of photographing Laura & Karls Wedding at Oulton Hall, Leeds.

I started with Laura and her bridesmaids in a hive of activity of hair and make-up but a super chilled out morning! Everyone was excited about the Wedding to go ahead!

A little while later I popped downstairs to get photographs of Karl arriving. A big surprise had been arranged for Karl, and he arrived with his Dad in a Helicopter! He had no idea about it at all!

After some photographs with the Helicopter, I headed back up to Laura and her bridesmaids whilst everyone was starting to get ready, including Laura stepping into her beautiful dress.

The ceremony was held outside at Oulton Hall, my first ceremony outdoors that was not held under an outbuilding with foundation - or held by a humanist instead! They headed inside for a tiny little legal bit with their witnesses part-way through the ceremony, leaving the guests for not even 5 minutes listening to the beautiful music with the string trio.

The weather held off for us beautifully with not only the ceremony but we were able to do all the photographs outside too! Granted the day before had been super-windy we were very worried that the outdoor ceremony may not go ahead - I'm so glad it did it was totally beautiful.

We started with group photographs whilst everyone chatted and got drinks and celebrating with the newlyweds. And then Laura and Karl had their images taken.

So beautiful! We headed inside for Speeches and the Wedding Breakfast where lots of tears, laughter and cheers of joy were heard when Laura & Karl announced the gender of their baby!

Lots of partying and dancing when the band came on and everyone was well and truly enjoying themselves when I left that evening!

Thank you for allowing me to share your Special Day.

[Wedding] 15 Questions to ask your Wedding Venue

Choosing your Wedding Venue is something that can be nervewracking for most couples who are planning their Wedding. 

Deciding what you want from your venue will help you narrow some of the venues down, however going to visit your shortlisted venues can be a little more scary, especially when thinking of a list of questions to ask. 

So here we've written a list to help you along the way!

Is the venue available on our preferred Wedding Date?
If you have a date in mind, whether its an anniversary or a special date that you wish to get married on then making sure that date is available will be a definite thing to check.

If you have a couple of dates then this may give you a little bit more flexibility if its a venue that you've fallen in love with. Just know what month you want to get married in? Then you could potentially fit in with other bookings already in their diary.

How many guests can the venue accommodate? Don't forget to check both day and evening.

Whether you are planning a big wedding, or something small an intimate, knowing the room sizes and your potential guest list numbers will give you something to work towards. If you fall in love with smaller room numbers than the potential guest list you have - can you cut down on numbers or would you have to look elsewhere?

Will ours be the only Wedding on the Day? 

If exclusivity is important to you then make sure you ask this question. Most venues will hold more than one Wedding on the day, especially during peak season, but are planned and timed so the two weddings don't cross.

Is there accommodation at the venue?

If you are getting married in a hotel, then you will know that there is accommodation at the venue, however, how many bedrooms is there, how many can be held or pre-booked? Are there any other hotels locally too so that other budgets are catered for family travelling who don't want to pay to stay at the venue.

What time can we hold the ceremony?

Are you hoping for an 11am ceremony, or something at 4pm then check your timing with the venue. Most venues who only have a one-wedding policy will be able to be flexible on the timing, however, some venues who hold two (or more) may have set timings that you can hold your ceremony.

Do we get different menu options to offer to our guests?

Some venues offer a choice, some venues offer just a set menu unless its a food specific such as allergy or vegetarian or vegan. Check which way the venue works.

What are the bar prices?

How reasonable are the drinks prices? Most people will expect to play a slight premium on drinks but if its too expensive it will be something most of your guests talk about, so how much in reality will be people be paying for a pint, or a glass (or bottle) of wine or proseco.

How much is the initial deposit? When is final payment needed?

Make sure you have the financial side of the booking sorted, how much is the initial deposit, when does it need to be paid, and when is the final payment needed. Also, check if theres a payment schedule and if you have to pay certain amounts by certain dates too.

Do you have any recommended suppliers? Do we have to use them?

Most venues will have a list of recommended suppliers who know the venue well and work there regularly, however, some venues will charge an additional amount if you use someone not on their preferred supplier list so make sure you ask this question.

Are there any planned changes to the building before my Wedding?

If you are booking quite far in advance then checking how often they decorate, or if there are any planned building works are definately worth checking. You don't want to plan your decor to go with the current decoration for them to change the colour. 

Can we throw confetti?

Believe it or not, not all venues allow you to throw confetti in the grounds. Check with this before you book the venue. If they are a no-confetti venue the it is worth noting this on your invites too as there is normally a clean-up fee if someone does throw it!

What time will the meal be served?

This depends on the ceremony time too, but check the times for the food as well as the ceremony. How long will your guests be waiting? Could you serve canapes? Do you have long enough for photographs?

How late is the bar open? Can we extend it?

Everyone loves a party so check what time the bar closes, not only will this be so guests know how long they can party, but its worth to know so that they people can book taxi's home or retreat to where they are staying!

Is there a lift/facilities/access for the elderly and disabled?

This is important if you have family and friends attending the Wedding who need this. Some venues, including listed buildings, may not have the facilities that you may be limited or need to take this into consideration.

Is there parking and is it free?

We take parking our cars at a Wedding venue as part and parcel of the venue, however, depending on the venue you may not have this luxury. You could choose a city centre venue that has a small charged car-park, if this is the case here can other people park?

Do they allow candles, fireworks, lanterns, smoke bombs or sparklers?

Even if any of these things currently aren't on your radar its always good to ask the question upfront just in case further down the planning line you think you'd love a sparkler exit shot only to find out that you aren't allow sparklers.


And a quick tip! If you are seeing multiple venues then write everythng down, this will keep you well organised and will let you know the venues that have the preferences best for you.

Happy Wedding Planning!