Wedding Photography at Peckforton Castle, Cheshire | Jessica and Luke
Congratulations to Jessica and Luke whose wedding at Peckforton Castle I photographed recently. And what a wedding day it was. The brides wedding party were in party mood and the groomsmen?….Well lads will be lads! There may well have been a not-so-sneaky beverage or two before the ceremony on both sides of the wedding, this was going to be a fun filled day.
The sun was out and the surroundings at Peckforton Castle were looking superb. For those of you that don’t know Peckforton Castle, it is a beautiful historic looking wedding venue which provides an epically historic looking backdrop for a wedding.
Standing aloft the Peckforton Hills, you’d easily believe that this castle has housed royalty through the years. It brings to mind visions of jousting knights, dragons, thrones and perhaps a stone table or two. However, believe it or not, it’s history is not quite so romantic as this. Instead, it was purpose built as a family home for a wealthy property and estates magnet in the mid 1800’s. Still, let that not detract from the fabulous wedding venue it has now become. A wedding venue that I’ve been lucky enough to be asked to photograph a couple of weddings at.
A fantastic morning of getting ready was now behind us. Guests were greeted, flowers had arrived, makeup was done and so it now now time to photograph the main event. The reason we were all here today, the wedding ceremony.
Now the thing about castles is, they’re usually pretty dimly lit. Having been the wedding photographer at Peckforton Castle in the past, I was well aware of this, and the fact that both the bride and groom loved that intimate, slightly dark, candlelit ambient feeling of the venue was always at the forefront of my mind. As with all weddings that I photograph, whether in a slightly moody castle in Cheshire, one of the hundreds of wedding venues in Greater Manchester, or those that take place in a more unique venue. My aim is to capture a sense of the venue. There’s always a reason that any bride and groom choose a wedding venue. Something they love about the place. And so I want to make sure that I photograph with that in mind, to truly capture in the photographs that feeling of place.
Congratulations!!! It’s always a real blast being one of the first to get to say that to a newly married couple. And, as I back down the aisle photographing the always amazing confetti tunnel, that’s exactly what I get to say to the newly weds. Wow! And the day is only just beginning! But this next bit of the day is one that I think is so vitally important, and it is the vital time for me to back away, to melt into the background. Because this day is about friends and family. Exactly how it should be.
Having worked in wedding venues for many years, I was actually a Wedding, Conference and Events Manager for a major UK hotel chain for many years, I know exactly how a wedding works and understand the value in communicating thoroughly with the venues team. For me, the 90 minutes or so from ceremony until wedding breakfast is akin to a military operation, planned minute by minute. However the bride and groom would have no idea - exactly how I want it to be. My job is to make sure that every bride and groom has time to soak up every bit of their wedding day and so, only when it’s the right time, do I whisk them off to capture some stunning portraits. And they don't miss a thing as this is the point that everybody starts to queue to see the table plan……and if you’ve ever waited in that queue, you know how long that can take!
“My lords, ladies and gentlemen”, came the cry from the master of ceremonies. “Please be upstanding and welcome to the room your Bride and Groom”
The celebrations were now in full swing and it was time for the speeches. Speeches that had been poured over for days, written, rewritten, practiced and redrafted. All that time and effort but was it worth it?….Yes it was!
Emotion, Joy, Fun.
Laughter filled the room, a few tears were shed, but mostly there was love. Love filled out all the speeches. And this is what I love about being a wedding photographer.
Where else do you get to witness and be a part of so much joy and happiness? Where else would you have so many emotions running boundless is one room?
It’s a real joy for me, being part of that and documenting all those raw feelings through the medium of wedding day photography. A lifetime of happiness in one day, and a lifetime of reliving those memories through your wedding photographs.
Of course, it wasn’t done yet. There was still more of the day to revel in. Bouquets were thrown, cakes were cut, music was played, dancing was done and everybody loved every single minute of it…..me included!
What a fabulous day it had been at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. As the wedding photographer, I was so happy to be chosen by Jessica and Luke to photograph their day. To capture the happiness and joy of their family and friends.
A wedding photographer couldn't ask for a better wedding to photograph.
Dave
ALL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY CONTAINED WITHIN THIS BLOG POST COPYRIGHT DAVID LAFFAN t/a BAMBER PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM
