When Trash the dress started a few years ago in America I didn’t think it would catch on over here. A couple of brides have hinted to me that they may like to do something like this after the wedding so my questions is….
Loading ...I met with Daniel from Dine catering earlier this year at Nostell Priory. Daniel couldn’t contain his excitement about his new venue in Yorkshire and his excitement quickly rubbed off on me as I agreed to shoot some photos for their up coming brochure.
I hadn’t known about The Mansion House in Roundhay Park, Leeds and the state of disrepair it had fallen into however what I do know is that it will become one of the best wedding venues (also corporate meetings & events) in Leeds.
At the side of the house is the stunning colonnades which make a great feature for photos.
I had a bit of fun shooting this photo…I don’t know what Susannah was thinking but lying on the floor shouting and whooping certainly made her smile.
Here Susannah was playing with her dress while the wind was blowing.
Using the colonnades I was able to shield Susannah from the direct sun and get some beautiful light in her eyes.
The interior of the house is very fresh and vibrant with a lovely symmetrical staircase.
I made great use of the staircase to frame Helen (who also modelled for me) lounging on one of the funky chairs.
Daniel had told me that he thought the photos should be elegant and I pulled out my portable flash equipment for this shot to see how elegant I could take it.
The detailing inside is simply stunning…
And here is one of the funky chairs with a diamond in the middle of the cushion, how cool…
The walls are decorated with framed photos showing the history of The Mansion House…
Even the rest rooms are gorgeous. I spent about 20 minutes taking a multitude of photos including using the reflection in the full length mirror.
I had to be careful not to get myself in the reflections…although I couldn’t help taking this one as I don’t often get to feature in photos!
The Colonnades Room where your ceremony is held has fantastic light for photos with a beautiful warm glow.
With a little bit of furniture re-arranging I was able to take a few photos of my bride too…
For larger wedding functions The Mansion room is just the ticket and with a permanent dance floor at one end there is no need to leave the room and then come back in at the end of your meal.
With several rooms available The Mansion can also cater for smaller weddings including this room set up for the very intimate wedding breakfast.
All of the rooms have fantastic views of Roundhay Park.
Susannah an I took a trip out in to Roundhay Park to see what we could find as a location for photos and as we were The Roundhay Land Train pulled up and we did the done thing and hitched a ride!
The light in park is great for some natural photos…
…and only a few minutes away we found a band stand.
I love the mirror in the lobby and it’s positioned quite high which is a bonus for me as at 5’6″ there is little chance of my reflection appearing in the photo!
I normally dont like completely defocused pictures however as I had a bit of time I had an experiment and took one of their crystal chandelier that works well.
I would like to thank Helen and Susannah for their time, Anita Massarella Design Couture of Leeds for the loan of her wonderful dresses and Kath from The Wedding Flower Company Leeds for arranging a bouquet of flowers at super short notice.
I would also like to thank Richard the head butler at The Mansion who not only doubled up as my assistant from time to time but also made sure I was supplied with all The Mansion’s own bottled water I could want (some say they have their own spring?)
Richard is ace….he reminds me of Alfred the butler in Batman.
If you would like to know more about weddings or corporate events at The Mansion Dine can be contacted on 0345 450 4545.
Luke warned me last week that his wedding would “be like no other” and he didn’t dissapoint!
You might remember Luke and Sara from the wedding invite photo.
Luke and Sara married abroad with plans for a wedding party with friends a month after they returned. They had chosen Middleton lodge near Richmond in North Yorkshire for their wedding party venue for the buildings character, setting and isolation (the last as Luke’s parties are well know to continue past sunrise!).
Middleton lodge can be booked for exclusive use from the Friday right through to the Sunday giving extra time to enjoy it’s beautiful building and grounds.
The day started with some clay pigeon shooting for close friends and family.
Sara was doing really well and showed her excitement after a particularly good set.
Spencer, a close friend, got two on his first go…
After the shooting Luke and Sara got changed and we had a few photos while the guests arrived.
With the morning shooting Sara had got to know me and was relaxed from the first moment with her photos. This one was taken using the window her their suite.
and I just love the light on this one…
We had about half an hour before most of the guests would arrive and walked around Middleton Lodge taking photos as we went.
I love the doorway framing them here…
Luke and Sara were enjoying themselves so much I think they even forgot about the camera.
We then went outside for a walk next to a field of cows. A couple of the cows decided to get a bit amorous and Sara developed a fit of giggles…
While walking Sara’s dressed kicked about giving me an opportunity to capture all the detailing.
At the front of the house our photos were gatecrashed by a friendly cat who had decided that she wanted to be part of their day.
Luke and Sara really relaxed with the camera and it’s when people relax completely that I get the best photos.
Guests started arriving and there was an impromptu group shot.
By now I was starting to get that the night was going to be a bit different.
There was a brief shower and I noticed a full rainbow so I grabbed my camera and took a shot. Just as I was doing so Luke arrived to tell me he’d booked that too.
Although the guests had free roam of the house the main party was in a marquee in the grounds.
After dinner the music took off and people started let their hair down on the dancefloor.
And it wasn’t only the hair being let down on the dance floor, the wig made several appearances in the night worn by almost everyone on the dance floor at some point or another.
I was framing up for a shot of Luke having a boogie when I got this shot of the wig thrust in front of his face!
Luke told me that he wanted plenty of comedy shots of people having fun on the dance floor. You can’t get more comedic than this one…
For a closing shot we went out in to the grounds and took a photo of Luke and Sara with the house and marquee at night.
I’d like to thank Luke and Sara for inviting me and for the top class fish ‘n’ chips & mushy peas….how did you know it’s my favourite!
