A CASTLE ON A STORM CLOUD (YORKSHIRE WEDDING)

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Apr 15

GIVE ME A CASTLE WITH AS MUCH CHARACTER AND SPACE AS HAZLEWOOD EVERY TIME, AND THE UK WEATHER CAN THROW WHATEVER IT LIKES AT ME IN MARCH. AND BOY, DID IT. THESE GUYS DIDN’T LET THAT BOTHER THEM THOUGH, AND WE HAD THE LOVELIEST TIME CAPTURING THE LOVELIEST DAY. SOME PROPER GIGGLES WERE HAD, AND SOME REALLY TOUCHING MOMENTS TOO. ALL THE BEST WEDDINGS HAVE THESE IN EQUAL MEASURE, LET ME TELL YOU, AND JAMES & BECKY’S WEDDING HAD ME SMILING ALL DAY.

Important Note- Any unauthorised use of these images is in breach of copyright. Should any blogs or suppliers wish to share these photos, please contact the photographer directly at gemma@thewardettestudio.com.

Btw, you may have noticed I’ve been awol for a little while guys. It’s been a very tough few weeks, with an injury which eventually sent me off in an ambulance in quite dramatic fashion! Recovery has been great though, and i’m dead excited to share my last wedding with you. It’s delayed, and for that I have to thank these guys for being so patient. You are absolute legends. I really hope you love seeing the fuller story here.

I flew back to the UK especially to shoot this wedding. But the wedding-weather-worries began before my plane had even landed. It was the choppiest and most violent turbulence I have ever experienced on a plane, and the pilot was kind enough to let us know it was “just a tad bad weather”. Jesus. I had a wedding to shoot, did the weather man not get my memo?

When I arrived at the venue for my recce, I kept seeing outdoor opportunities for photos. “Don’t get your set set woman, it’s going to be side-ways rain”. This venue is wonderful, with so much scope outdoors. With all my fingers and toes crossed, I eventually found the front entrance and breathed a very long and travel-weary sigh of relief.

I was greeted with a long sweeping floor of black and white tiles, a grand wooden fireplace, and never ending doorways which reached across to the other end of the building. Each room off this corridor was grand in scale, with bags of character. At the back of the hotel though, I found an absolute gem of a room for portraits. A quiet, small room with original gold wallpaper, and a north facing window with light streaming in at one end. Another sigh of relief. Phew.

Most fellow wedding photographers will probably agree, that the biggest worry in bad weather is finding space to shoot the groups. Where can you fit 10+ people, and get back far enough, and if you’re lucky, make it look good? It’s not easy, and sometimes the biggest sweat of the day. But I had a whole room for the task. A whole ROOM. Hazlewood castle got my back.

James & Becky were both so relaxed on the day too. One of my favourite moments was when they both came up the stairs from the church and back into the castle. James holding onto Becky’s bouquet in one hand, and holding up half her dress out of the rain with the other. Becky had the rest of her dress scooped up in both arms, layers of tulles and netting completely surrounding her, with the biggest smile on her face. They gave each other plenty of banter on the way up too, and it touched me that even though they were dead excited to be just-married, they were still completely themselves.

Another moment was right before I left. The fireworks display was going to be the crowning moment of the day, the loveliest way to finish the photo-story. We timed it all so that i’d definitely capture it. And it was so worth the wait. I stood back and let them enjoy the fireworks, whilst shooting them sidled up together. The guests were behind me, all wrapped up in layers of coats and huddled together. I could see my own breath it was cold. But it was like James and Becky had no idea. Her head lent on his shoulder, her skirt tumbling out from behind her. All I could think was “Yes guys. Yes. You enjoy this, it’s been the best day”.

I really hope you agree guys! And I genuinely cannot thank you enough for your patience is seeing these. It was a scary time when I was injured, but knowing you guys had my back made things so much easier. Sending love and hope married life is treating you magically!!