On Saturday the 7th of March 2020I had the pleasure to be the wedding photographer of Rosie and Rob’s special day in the stunning surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales. This one was is extra special too as it was the last wedding I photographed before the lock-down measures due to Covid-19 meant weddings could no longer go ahead.
I arrived at The Coniston Hotel just before 10am and began by photographing the stunning surroundings that it sits within. The weather leading up to the day of the wedding hadn’t been too great, but on the day it had just about redeemed itself by holding back the rain and the wind had thankfully calmed down too (for people looking at this in the future - the wind throughout the start of 2020 was mental…I definitely think it was a sign of things to come!).
I met up with the groom, Rob, when he was hanging out with his best man in the foyer of The Coniston hotel after they’d just finished breakfast and were feeling a little worse for wear after maybe after a few drinks the night before (of course they insisted they felt fine ha). Nothing the hair of the dog couldn’t fix!
I always like to primarily capture the brides side of the morning (2nd shooters can be booked to capture the grooms side), so I headed up to Rosie’s room where she was getting prepped with all of her bridesmaids. The hair was being done in one room, the make-up in another, and the Prosecco was flowing in both! As always I let them get with what they’re up to without interrupting them or asking them to do this or that. I want photos that show genuine little moments that I see unfold.
Rob was getting ready with his groomsmen at the other side of the hotel, so I headed there to capture some of their morning. They were suited and booted quite early on and Rob seemed to be showing no signs of any major nervousness yet!
As I like to be nimble to photograph moments of the day without drawing attention to myself I always bring a minimal amount of equipment to a wedding day. There’s simply no need for loads of light stands and reflectors getting the way of your wedding day. A high end camera, pro-level lenses, and my trusty holster to hold my cameras means that when I walk into a new room, such as Rob getting ready with his groomsmen, I can start photographing straight away, using the available light that I have.
After spending some more time capturing the Rosie’s side of the morning I headed over the ceremony room and captured some photos of guests arriving. Once Rosie was fully ready they had a little moment her dad saw her for the first time. It’s always a great moment to photograph for them to look back on.
The ceremony itself came along and there were smiles all round as Rosie and her dad made their way down the aisle in the Macleod’s room.
The registrars led a really lovely ceremony with plenty of laughter throughout. After exchanging vows, rings, and sealing it with a kiss, it was time to walk back out of the ceremony room, but now husband and wife!
The reception room was just next door, so all of the guests soon joined them and wished them well. I spend this time capturing guests congratulating Rosie and rob along with all that unfolds throughout this time. I always want a couple to be able to look back at the photos and be taken back right into the moment, so a nice mix of photos that include the guests, musicians they had playing, any decorations they had made, etc.
Speaking of musicians, they had the awesome Will Booth from Skinning Living (now New Familiar) playing throughout the reception. You can check out his music here. Music is such a massively important element of any event, but especially a wedding. Finding musicians that suit your tastes can be difficult, mainly because there’s so many of them that are willing to travel all over the country for weddings. If you’re getting married in the Yorkshire or surroundings regions check out my little guide which shows you some great musicians from a Jonny Ross Music showcase.
The wind unfortunately returned with vengeance a, so I opted to take the group shots indoors. The Macleod’s room where the ceremony was held was a great spot to capture these. We all kept dry and no one blew away, so I’d say that’s a great success!
kept my eye on the weather and soon enough the wind had calmed again and gave us some time to get couple portraits of the newly weds outdoors in the stunning surroundings of The Coniston Hotel. We went for a little stroll and kept the photos nice and relaxed. The laughter naturally came out as we kept it really relaxed. The stunning surrounding of the Yorkshire Dales really does make my job as a wedding photographer a whole lot easier than it could be!
Before we knew it the time had come for them to make their entrance into the main evening room and the mic was handed over to the father of the bride to commence the speeches.
After recalling plenty of hilarious memories of having Rosie as a daughter it was Rob’s turn to give his thanks and say plenty of nice things about his wife (don’t forget to do this when you’re writing a grooms speech people! ha). The best man did a cracking job of making Rob want to hide away from the world and getting the room in stitches of laughter. Time for some food!
I went over to the bar/restaurant in The Coniston Hotel and I can safely say they do not disappoint! A huge plate of fish and chips (phone photo below) came along to keep me going for the rest of the wedding day!
Given the time of year (early march) the sun had set early on, during the speeches. It was very overcast anyway, so there wasn’t anything spectacular going off in the skies for more more outdoor couple portraits. The evening reception room however had a stunning led backdrop wall which I knew would make a stunning photo if Rosie and rob were in front of it. Before all of the guests came in to this room for the evening party we took a few minutes to get the shot I was after - I’m really happy with the result!
Once all of the extra evening guests had arrived to the hotel it was time to cut the cake and commence the first dance. All of the guests were surrounding the dance floor for this, making for some lovely photos of all of the couples friends and family watching. Mid way through the first song Rosie and Rob signaled for their guests to join them on the dance floor…and now the partying properly kicks off!
The DJ had the perfect playlist that matched the music that the guests liked, keeping that dance floor filled!
Another incredible wedding day that I had the pleasure to photograph!
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