Yesterday I joined Anna & Neil to photograph their wedding photography at The Pheasant Hotel in Harome – a beautiful, relaxed wedding starting at Laskill House near Helmsley and heading over for the reception at The Pheasant Hotel in the quaint Yorkshire Village of Harome.
I do like the places my job takes me to, over Dales & borders I may never visit otherwise. Â And I do enjoy the roads and views you come across scaling the North York Moors!
After dropping Hamish with the guys in Harome, I headed over to join the girls at the beautiful, family-owned, Laskill House for the preps & ceremony.
Amy at Ripon’s The Greenhouse were busy decking the place in colourful, springy flora
It’s the first time I’ve photographed here and Laskill House is ace! Mandy who both lives there with her family & runs the place, was loads of fun and ran a tight ship!
Upstairs, our beautiful bride Anna & her bridal buddies were being made up and pampered
This impressively plungy, vintage Jenny Packham gown suited Anna down to the ground!
Loving the three different shades of bridemaid’s dresses!
Meanwhile, 15 minutes away in Harome…
The chaps were getting themselves ready at The Pheasant. Â Again, I’ve only passed the Pheasant before when I’ve been up to either shoot weddings or eat at the gastronomical delight that is The Starr Inn round the corner. Â So it was lovely to see how boutique The Pheasant is, packed with country lounge type tweed, antlers and funky rustic details!
Neil had some equally smart details to his getup, with custom made Ted Baker shirts, Paul Smith suits and Armani shoes!
Love this little moment Hamish caught of Neil reading his card from Anna.
As Anna’s a musically gifted soul, Hamish decided to pap the rings on the Pheasant’s piano keys.
As the hour drew close, the chaps headed over to Laskill to check things were ship shape and to don the button holes.
The cosy ceremony room was all set and dressed as the guests arrived in the vintage bus
A fifteen point turn later, guests were able to disembark!
Awesome dress eh?!
Always nice to steal a few quick portraits at a window when everything has come together!
One of the unique features of this wedding was that Anna had asked if we could do a ‘First Look’.
Popular on the other side of the pond, it’s a little opportunity for the couple to meet for a bit of alone time before the ceremony (and whirlwind of the day) kicks off.
I’ve always wanted to give these a try – as it’s potentially a beautiful, genuine moment – but while we Brits have dropped many ancient traditions, the not seeing each other till the ceremony/bad luck to see each other before the ceremony thing is so often locked in stone, that I rarely suggest it. Â So, it was exciting, refreshing and an honour to see this with Anna & Neil, in spite of things running behind a tad…
How lovely!
In reality, the difference between this little moment and seeing one another down an aisle is only about 5 minutes, and is potentially a lovely way to get to say a few quiet words in each others ears before the days machinations begin!
[ So if you’re an upcoming couple who fancy this, do let me know! ]
Being married on May the 4th (AKA: Star Wars Day!) these guys left the ceremony by being trumpeted out to the end music from the first film (this tune I believe)!
(My suggestion for Anna to put her hair in Princess Leia buns sadly wasn’t taken up!)
😉
Then it was outside for mingles and delicious Yorkshire themed canapés!
Man, those roast beef and horseradish filled Yorkshire puds with gravy dip were IMMENSE!
It was ace to hear members of Anna’s woodwind orchestra entertaining with brass covers…
A nice shot of everyone with the beautiful rolling dale in the background…
Before a confetti bomb!
We whistled through a few family groupshots…
…and a fun set of wedding party shots!
The different dress & suit colours really look ace.
I couldn’t help myself on the Star Wars front with a little bad Jedi chokey fun!
Then we slipped off for a few relaxed portraits around the grounds and farm
We’d done a fun practice shoot in Leeds a few weeks back, which you can see on the blog here.
The practice shoots always really help loosen a couple up and show them what I’m after, as well as show them it can be a bit fun.
I love little moments like this one.
Then it was back on the bus, this time as man and wife, to head over to The Pheasant to continue the proceedings!
The sun was out on the terrace and pimms and real ales were ready!
Like myself, Anna and Neil are big fans of real ale, and brought a few special kegs of their favourite for the guests!
We’ve chatted at length about local CAMRA beer festivals and have a mutual love for Arcadia – a real ale bar in Headingley – which was the name of the top table!
Another thing we have in common is our love for gastro pubs & boutique hotels that serve amazing food (and local ale!). Â And these guys have an amazing minimoon planned to take in a whole bunch of excellent eateries across this fair county.
A brilliant idea for a honeymoon if you ask me…
An appropriate table plan!
Mum made the excellent wedding cake!
During the wedding meal, we set up the photobooth for a bit of evening fun!
Hamish, a fellow dork, had planned ahead and packed his lightsabers!
Then as dusk set in over the Pheasant…
…it was time to cut the cake and dance the dance!
…and so, we left them to party the night away!
What a fantastic wedding hey?! A lovely couple, beautiful details and fun times (with a sneaky Star Wars nod!). What more could one ask for?
So – here’s hoping Anna & Neil have a fab life together and enjoy their mini-moon, exploring the gastro pubs of Yorkshire!
Thanks again for asking us aboard kids and a big high5 to all your lovely family and guest for making us feel so at home!
Barnaby-Wan Kenobi (and my Padawan Hamish) x
ps. If you found the Star Wars stuff amusing, check out my dog’s annual May the 4th costume here… 😉