Nicola & Carl's Wedding

If you've ever been to a farmer's wedding, you know that they know how to organise and celebrate a wedding like no one else! By nature farmers tend to be innovative, creative and have a level of ingenuity which is often put into practice when putting on a wedding! not to mention they are not shy when it comes to a bit of hard graft! I love a farmers wedding, there is always a DIY feel to them and a real sense of togetherness between all involved, probably the result of the collaborative effort which has gone into making the wedding happen! I have noticed with these types of wedding the almost everything has been made, crafted & produced by the bride & groom & their friends & families which gives the whole day a unique personal feel... I can tell you from experience that farm weddings are often the most original weddings I cover and often neglect the usual clichés and conventions associated with a wedding day. They can be refreshing and exciting and above all really really fun! Nicola & Carl's wedding was no exception.

As the wedding reception venue was literally in Nicola & Carl's back yard (or back field) I took the opportunity of arriving early & documenting the marquee & surroundings before shooting bridal prep. When possible, I like to capture the reception venue before the guests arrive. Often so much thought has gone into every element of how the venue looks it seems a shame not to document it. I love photographing every detail of a wedding & there are always a plethora of photo opportunities when photographing a reception venue. The attention to detail can be amazing & is usually really personal to the couple, from wedding favors to the design of the cake I like to capture as much detail as possible.

After taking some photos in & around the marquee I joined Nicola & her bridesmaid's for bridal prep. As usual there was an air of excitement & an energy rarely found anywhere other than during the morning of a wedding! I began as normal shooting all the inanimate details such as the dress, shoes, flowers, jewellery etc. I then to some natural snaps of Nicola & her bridesmaid's preparing for the wedding before heading to the church for the ceremony.

It was a perfect day weather wise & the small church in Glaisdale looked beautiful in the sun shine. I quickly found Carl & his groomsmen & began taking a few natural shots of them chatting to one & other before taking the opportunity to capture a few more staged photos of Carl & his groomsmen. Wedding guests began to arrive in numbers at the church and the with the fine weather and the anticipation of a village wedding there was a real buzz of excitement in the air!

The ceremony itself was beautiful, Carl was smiling ear to ear throughout & as one guest commented he looked like 'the cat that had got the cream'. I've seen many wedding ceremonies but they are always special and surprisingly no two are the same! As Nicola & Carl emerged from the church as husband & wife the mood was one of happiness & celebration and in true farmer style the happy couple were then chauffeured to their reception on a tractor!

Before the wedding breakfast we took advantage of the gorgeous weather & stunning North Yorkshire scenery to capture some beautiful photos of the newly wed couple. They were absolute naturals in front of the camera & white literally didn't stop smiling, which always helps!

We returned to the farm and that's when the celebrations really began! A meal fit for a king followed by speeches and of course a lot of prosecco! the weather was lovely all day & the farmers field was put to good use with games of croquet, bowls and an apparent farmers tradition called 'stump' in which players hammer a nail into a stump in as few hits as possible. The party really got started with a fantastic band & the day was capped off with an amazing firework display!

As a wedding photographer, I don't think I have been to a wedding that i haven't enjoyed but there is something about a farmers wedding that I can't help but love! there is a rawness to them & a real sense of community spirit! I get the impression that bonds & friendships are developed as the wedding is planned and arranged and sometimes even built. I always know that if I am photographing a farmers wedding it is going to be a good one & Nicola & Carl's farm wedding excelled all my expectations.

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