Brian Harte People Photographer

When Suzanne & Ben came to see me at the beginning of this year I was not only excited because they were a lovely funky couple, they were also having their wedding reception in Papakata tipi’s which are really unique to photograph.

With Suzanne’s job in events management wedding details were always going feature heavily.

For a start there was her Jimmy Choo shoes!

There was also some seasonal details which complimented the colours and natural feel of the tipi’s…

….and of course her colourful wedding bouquet (supplied by Floristeria, 01274 871 341).

Suzanne was wearing a beautiful dress from Hayley Dennison Bridal Collection in Harrogate and I caught a lovely shot of her dress as she was spinning around getting ready.

Suzanne was radiant and glowing almost as much as her flowers.

and her dad was also beaming too.

Ben is a pretty cool guy and as I was parking my car near the church I noticed a gnarly brick wall and thought it might form an edgy background for a few photos.

Suzanne arrived with a Ice cream van in tow. I don’t know who was more excited…me thinking it was another cool detail Suzanne had organised or her nephew who thought he might be able to get one before the ceremony started!

Before everyone lined up to go in I managed to grab some order of ceremonies and shoot a nice keepsake photo.

With a little ducking and diving I managed to get a fab shot of Suzanne walking down the aisle shot between the shoulders of Ben and his bestman.

The ceremony was very personal as Suzanne had grown up in the area and had attended the church.

Glancing over my should I saw the organist had organ written on their book. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised but it was quirky enough for me to shoot.

Before we knew it the ceremony was over and they were walking down the aisle a married pair.

and then all their friends lined up to throw confetti.

We stopped off at The Red House gardens for a few photos so that all the guests could get to the reception.

When they arrived back I clambered up on to the roof to take a shot showing the Papakata tipi’s in their very personal setting.

Everyone had their photo taken…

…including the Mariachi band who had travelled up from London!

The Mariachi band were not the only musicians to play there was also a contemporary violinist playing complex pieces on an electric violin.

Kate has played private functions and events all over Europe. She also plays in Leeds which is where Suzanne saw her and asked if she’d come to her wedding.

Once in the tipi’s the light dropped quickly and this is where the warm ambience of the Papakata tipi’s came to life.

With the open fires keeping everyone toasty.

Ben and his bestman did not disappoint in their speeches with everyone in stitches.

After the speeches I had time to pop out to shoot their rings on one of the cushions…

…a few more details…

…and a few of Suzanne and Ben.

The night’s partying kicked off with Suzanne and Ben’s first dance.

And then somehow Ben and his bestman’s first dance??

Before everyone was dancing…

…and having fun.

I had a fab time with Suzanne and Ben who really invited me in to their day and it was a pleasure to record their day.

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This year I was invited again to take the official party photographs for the Ilkley Candlelighters fund raising Ball at Rudding Park.

The Ilkley Candlelighters raise funds throughout the year in order to purchase equipment and fund treatment of children suffering from cancer.

The Ball a glamorous event and the committee set the benchmark high.

It’s a time to let your hair down, enjoy the entertainment and of course raise money for a great cause too.

There was a lot of balloons and it quickly became a sport to let them off cause as much mayhem as possible!

Auctioneer Jon Hammond whipped up the crowd in to a frenzy.

with bidding war’s for star prizes happening all around me…

Dancing seemed to be a major theme on the evening

with even a little dancing on the tables going on

The year the band was The Bogus Brothers who were a real party band!

As well as the band in The Radcliffe Room there was more entertainment including casino, multiplayer wii racing and pitch & putt

One of my favourite shots from the evening was an in love couple cuddling and laughing.

In total the night raised over £36000. I donated a prize to the auction which helped raise £800.

Along with taking the photos from the ball I also take the photographs which are used in the brochure to show the good work of the charity. Two of the photos from last year are now used on the main Candlelighters website.

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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!