Nikki and Bow at Wentbridge House Hotel
This past summer, on one of the hottest days of the year, I found myself at the classically chic Wentbridge House Hotel in Pontefract, Yorkshire, for the stunning and intimate wedding of Nikki and Bow. They had planned every detail to perfection - there was tablescaping, there were pearlescent sunglasses, there were photo ops galore. This wedding felt like being a photographer for Vogue, shooting a celebrity couple, and I loved every minute. This gave me a chance to do editorial, posed, modern photos, while still maintaining my signature documentary style to capture the overall natural joy of the day. If you’re not sure about the style of photos you’re after for your day, I recommend browsing Rock My Weddings’ real wedding portfolios (as well as my other blogs!) for inspiration.
Wentbridge House Hotel is a dream venue - the landscaping around the hotel provides countless backdrops for getting a great variety of photos, from an eye-catching architectural stone temple, to a rope swing, to fields full of tall grass to frolic through (trust me it looks incredible at golden hour). The guests enjoyed the dappled shade of a beautiful old tree on the manicured lawns while they eat their canapés, providing ample opportunity for me to snap shot after shot of merriment in that warming summer sun.
Nikki and Bow wanted a small but perfectly formed wedding, just them and close family - BUT they also wanted magazine-worthy, stylised photos of them looking their absolute best. Normally brides and grooms are pressed for time because they need to speak to all of their guests, but when you only have 20 people to meet and greet, it gives you more time for photos you can remember your day with. Nikki sent lots of inspiration photos - and while you can’t believe or recreate everything you see on instagram (not least because a lot of it is AI now!) - I loved the challenge of delivering on the exact type of photos my couple wanted. See the gallery below for what we captured!
Even with the photo ops, I made sure it worked with Nikki and Bow’s timelines and just stole them away while the guests were distracted with food! This allowed us to get in those glamorous couples portraits without feeling like they’d missed anything from their day. The Yorkshire weather treated us perfectly, providing us with lush light from morning till dusk.
If you’re planning a wedding at Wentbridge House Hotel, in Yorkshire, or anywhere, and you want a photographer who understands you and your vision for your day, I would love to hear from you.
