Barley Hall Wedding: Emma & Adam

Ceremony & Reception: Barley Hall, York City Centre

Emma & Adam's wedding turned out to be quite an experience, one way or another! I arrived at the hotel to meet Adam slightly early so as it was right next to York Minster I went for a bit of a wander round to take a few "scene-setters" and soak up the atmosphere of the city. As it was, Adam didn't turn up until about 10 mins before he was due to leave for the venue so we knocked off a few quick "prep" shots and set off for Barley Hall. We had to take the long route round the back of the Minster through the Minster Gardens to avoid passing Emma's hotel, where Gav was busy photographing the girls' getting ready, so this gave me the chance to take some nice walking-through-York shots with Adam and his best man.

Barley Hall, for those of you who don't know, is a mediaeval townhouse situated right in the centre of York in a small secluded courtyard, accessible only by a narrow alleyway (or ginnell, as they call them round here). It is basically a small museum of mediaeval life, full of costumes and artefacts.
The wedding ceremony and mediaeval themed reception meal were held in the magnificent Great Hall. The caterers were complimented on the quality of the food by one guest with a very strong Bolton accent, who said, "Your lemon mousse with the biscuitty base were second to none!". Very Peter Kay!

After some very emotional speeches and a bit of down time, everyone joined in with some mediaeval style dancing to round the day off. Not your typical wedding in many ways but an enjoyable day nonetheless. Let's face it, York is a fantastic place (it's just been voted the place most people would like to live in and it's not hard to see why).

We are back in York again at the Hospitium later in the year, so I'm looking forward to that!

Congratulations to Emma & Adam who were great sports and were happy to walk miles in the name of a good photo!



Sandburn Hall Wedding | Jo & Tom

Bride & Groom's Preparations: The Royal York Hotel, York
Ceremony & Reception: Sandburn Hall, Flaxton, York 

The glorious weather continued for a third consecutive weekend- unbelievable for April! It was really hot when I arrived in York and, with it being Easter Sunday, the city was buzzing with tourists.

Jo & Tom were getting ready at the impressively grand Royal York Hotel, adjacent to York Railway Station.

After a quick visit to Jo's room to say 'Hello', I left Gav with the enviable task of shooting the girls getting ready while I nipped next door-but-one to do the same with a considerably more nervous Tom.

Needless to say, it wasn't long before the lads were down in the bar, attempting to keep Tom occupied. Unfortunately the following conversation didn't help calm his nerves.

TOM: "I don't know why I feel so nevous!"

FRIEND: "That's because everyone you know will be there and absolutely anything could go wrong!"

A beautifully restored classic 1950s coach arrived to take the guests to Sandburn Hall for the ceremony & reception (always great for the photos!) and everyone piled on. I don't think Tom's nerves were helped by the traffic being at a virtual stand-still on the A64 but we still arrived in plenty of time and the bus returned to collect Jo and the girls.

Jo looked amazing in her 1960's retro-styled dress, with matching beehive and false eyelashes and she made her entrance to The Beatles' "Something".

The first dance was unusual. The couple danced to a karaoke version of "I Got You Babe", sung (and I use the term loosely) by a large group of friends and relatives. This was closely followed by a bizarre rendition of the Kate Bush classic, "Wuthering Heights", which sounded more like the commentary to a horserace than a song.

So, in summary: Glorious weather, stunning bride, funny and entertaining speeches, nice venue and some nutty karaoke performances - I'd say that all adds up to a pretty good day!

Congratulations to Jo & Tom and thanks for a great day's "work"!