It was an absolute blast photographing Amy and John’s Brass Band wedding at East Riddlesden Hall! Amy has been a member of a band or two for many years, so having her brass bands performing at her wedding was really important to her. During the ceremony, The BD1 Brass band were playing and later on we were entertained by Bare Brass Band, who really got the party started. Bride Amy even joined them at one point during the evening.
We started the day with bridal prep at the nearby Premier Inn with Kimberley Brook on hair and make-up with Amy and her bridesmaids before heading over to East Riddlesden Hall. Amy’s bridal party consisted of her two best friends, John’s daughter and her niece.
I caught up with John and his best man just before the ceremony. The BD1 Brass band were playing before the ceremony to entertain the guests. During the ceremony, Amy and John had two readings the second being a piece by Bob Marley
“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can.
He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze.
Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”
I really love this piece and had not heard it before. After photographing hundreds of weddings it’s always a surprise to hear a reading I haven’t heard before.
After the ceremony, the couple’s dog Monty paid a visit for some pictures. We were really lucky to have a warm sunny day in April. I like to try and break the couple portraits into a couple of small sessions, so it’s not too much time away from the wedding day. The standard format for a wedding day usually involves all the formal pictures and couple portraits before the wedding breakfast. Ideally I love to make the most of interesting light during the sunset where possible and pop out for some further couple portraits. It’s also really lovely for newlyweds to have a bit of time away from their guests and spend some time together alone on their wedding day to catch up. I tend to hold back a bit because natural moments make the most beautiful photographs rather than anything overly posed and forced. John wasn’t particularly keen on being photographed, as most men aren’t in my experience.
After the formalities, the high energy New Orleans style Bare Brass Band performed and had the guests dancing. As Amy was a member of the band, she did play a little with them. The band were fantastic and so much fun. The brass bands made it a really unique wedding.
Thank you for having me,