Exciting times to for Nadia and Neil who, despite living in Warrington, have selected Oulton Hall for their wedding next year. It is a great middle ground for their guests who will be coming from far and wide. Even when just popping in for a chat over a cup of tea you are made to feel special so I’m sure they’ll have a fantastic wedding day.

After talking about their plans we had a quick wander around the venue to grab a few pictures. I’m looking forward to catching up with them again for their official pre-wedding shoot but in the meantime here are my favourites from our mini shoot.

Recently though, I made an exception at Laura and Stu’s wedding in Norwich. I went to University with Stu here in Leeds where his high standards when it came to the ladies was legendary. Luckily for Stu it paid off on his return to Norfolk when he met Laura who is the perfect match for his love of music, sport and a constant stream of ‘banter’.

Laura and Stu’s official photographer was Rod Penn who did a fantastic job of capturing their day. I was really impressed with how he went almost unnoticed for much of the day but had no problem getting things in order when it was time for the group shots. This is something I always strive for.

We headed straight to  Norfolk on Friday night after I’d shot Ed Milliband in Bradford and so I had my equipment with me and couldn’t resist getting out the camera for the speeches.

The reception was held in an indoor marquee inside a barn and it provided me with a huge softbox. I slipped my flash on to the roof of the marquee. Above was lots of reflective insulation and so I could bounce the strobe off of that and light up a huge portion of the white material, giving me a fantastic soft light.

Things were running late and Rod had to leave before the first dance and so I got the chance to shoot that as well.

But once the first dance was over the camera went away and we hit the dancefloor!

I took the image below a couple of year’s ago, with the original iPhone (hence the poor quality). At the time I was trying to get in to the habit of seeing interesting light and photographic opportunities all around and the iPhone was great for grabbing these types of shots. That chair looks so comfy!

The groom was coming towards the end of his speech and began to propose a toast. As I continued to take pictures around the room his voice broke. Instinctively I swung the camera back to him, intending to capture this moment of high emotion. Gently, I pressed the shutter halfway, bringing my image in to focus. But what I saw was not a man overcome with joy, these were tears of sorrow.

I dropped my camera from my eye and stood back to share the moment with the guests.  The groom’s mother placed a comforting hand on his waist as he composed himself, before proposing his final toast. It was only then that I returned the camera to my eye, as he finished: “To absent friends”.

Next, it was off to Laura’s parents to check on the ladies, but before any of the grown-ups could think about getting dressed, there was the small matter of getting Laura and Roger’s daughter, Charlotte, fed and ready for her flower girl duties.

Charlotte wasn’t the only one trying to avoid getting her food everywhere! Uncle Jeremy was taking no chances in his clean white shirt and new tie.

This gave us chance to capture some shots of the amazing flowers by Anne-Marie Wilkinson. I always like to look around for a suitable backdrop and was pleased to spot a purple striped cushion. Apparently, Laura’s Dad, Neil likes a good cushion and with this one, I think he made a good call!

With Charlotte sorted it was time for Laura to step in to her dress.

We headed back down to Esholt where we found Roger, safely out of the Woolpack and waiting at the nearby church.

Our first attempt at some Bride and Groom Portraits was interrupted by a rather cute addition to the frame!

So we tried again back at the venue, just up the road at Hoyle Court.

The team at Hoyle Court did a great job with the room.

Following the speeches there was a little time for some photobooth action!

Before it was time to hit the dancefloor. 

Congratulations to Laura and Roger it was an absolutely fantastic day! Rache is a huge fan of Emmerdale and so is very jealous that I went to the home of her favourite soap without her. I’m sure we’ll be back in Esholt very soon.

My photobooth, isn’t a booth at all. I simply set up the lighting in an appropriate place at the venue and crack open the fancy dress box for everyone to enjoy. This way you don’t have to worry about having a particular sized space to fit the booth in to and we get some better photos as we can enjoy some banter with the photobooth subjects.

Below is a video slideshow of a recent photobooth at the Old Swan in Harrogate:

Fast Tube by Casper

The Wedding Community site has a wide range of tools, inspiration and advice on it. It’s well worth a look for any brides who are planning their wedding.

Click the screen grab below to take a look at the post:

They met at University in Sheffield and like so many couples (me and Rache included), have stayed around their city of study ever since. They’ll be getting married this September at WhirlowBrook Hall. Here’s a very small selection of shots from our shoot: