Brian Harte People Photographer

Last Saturday was my second Mansion at Roundhay Park wedding since I took the photographs for their website and brochure.

I met Bethan over a year ago when she booked with me for her wedding photography. If you recognise her in the photos that may be because I was so impressed by her bubbly character that I asked if she would represent me at my wedding fairs or it could be because she is a prolific socialiser!

Bethan gave me a short list of key photographs she would like and at the very top of that list was her Christian Louboutin bag so I had to make sure it was a special shot.

Her brother arrived with the flowers…

…which contained a sprig of rosemary from her grandmother.

Bethan was absolutely gorgeous and was very relaxed having her photo taken.

So were her bridesmaids!

I met with James, the groom, before the ceremony where he introduced me to his two bestmen.

James’ charm is his funny/crazy/madness and Bethan must have thought so too.

The Mansion have only one rule on confetti…lots of it!

James was sporting a fab pair of Gucci shoes which matched his suit and personality perfectly.

After a while Bethan & James went for a walk to have some photos taken at the bandstand in Roundhay Park.

Just before returning to The Mansion we stopped of for some photos at a nearby water fountain.

When we got back it was almost time to go in however I caught Bethan’s sister have a cheeky look at the wedding cakes.

After dinner, when the sun had dropped down a little, we went outside again to take a few more photos.

Bethan & James danced to Elvis Presley’s The Wonder of You.

And after a while, when night fell, Bethan & James along with their guests stepped outside…

…where they lit chinese lanterns…

to drift away over Roundhay Park.

This week has been charity week for me. Not only have I been involved with the Ilkley Candlelighters Christmas Fair, I was also delighted to attend and take photographs for Anita Massarella’s evening of glamour and entertainment which raised money for The Acorn Charity.

Anita is celebrating her 20th year as a leading fashion designer and the evening was compered by Gaynor Barnes from Yorkshire Television.

After a Champagne reception everyone was ushered in to the Radcliffe Room. The Fashion show kicked off with a catwalk show of Anita’s new and old designs from both her wedding and evening wear collections.

Being a people photographer I like to see faces in photos but some of these dresses have to be seen from the back to really appreciate them.

The dresses were perfect for the models to enjoy swirling around…

And sometimes there was so much dress I got lost in the material!

Moving around gave me a chance to use the light to make a more atmospheric photograph.

The models were great but the real stars of the night were the past clients and brides of Anita who graciously offered to model their wedding and evening dresses one more time.

The show ended with a human beatbox group playing out the models.

The night was organised in aid of the Acorn charity who are a local charity supporting those affected by dementia and scleroderma.

As well as the fashion show there was a charity raffle with many donated prizes.

Once the show had finished the dresses were packed away.

But the night was still you and many people stayed on to party…

…with music performed by the Jazz trio Around Midnight (01484 608388).

If my eye’s don’t deceive me the trio turned in to a 5 piece band for the evening!

I had a great evening and as I was leaving I took a photo of the impressive entrance to Rudding Park.

The fashion show urn flowers were generously supplied by Joanna McCrea from Twisted Willow flowers.

Last Sunday I exhibited at The Queens Hotel Wedding Fair in Leeds.

Bethan was representing me and answering questions on my behalf.

Bethan booked me for her wedding next year and she’s such a warm person I asked if she would like to represent me at a few fairs this year.

If you’d like to pop down and see me at my next wedding fair I will be attending The Wedding Experience at The Mansion in Roundhay Park on Sunday 8th November and will also be at The Charity Bridal Fashion show organised by dress designer Anita Massarella at Rudding Park in Harrogate on Tuesday 17th November.

For tickets to The Charity Bridal Fashion show at Rudding Park please contact Anita on 0113 268 7783.

The Queens boasts to be able to sit 450 people for a meal, comfortably, and I can believe it!

Confetti & Lace bridal shop organised two fashion shows during the day and the visitors were treated to a catwalk of her latest dresses. They have recently opened their new shop in Harrogate as well as this year opening Yorkshire Menswear hiring out menswear from Cameron Ross.

The Wedding Flower Company in Leeds had turned one of the rooms in to a beautiful room set with Just For You Cards & Invitations supplying the table decorations.

I love it during the ceremony when there is lots of eye contact, exchanged smiles and sometime a fit of giggles as it gives me opportunities to take photos. You cant fake these moments so I know that the couples will love looking at them after the wedding.

Bride Can’t Stop Laughing During Vows

I had a couple last year who couldn’t stop looking at each other. From the moment Charlotte entered the Church it was as if she and Charles were the only two people there.

Even the Wakefield wedding videographer Ken Wilson commented on how in-love they were. All I had to do was hitch a ride on their love for one another to get fab photos at both the Church and Bagden Hall.

Charlotte & Charles had booked an old red route master bus to take their guests to Bagden Hall and it made a fab place to do a confetti shot too.

Charlotte’s father had passed away and could not be there for her. Charlotte invited me along as she paid a visit to her father’s grave to lay a flower from her bouquet.

It is times like this where you stand back and give people time and space and I was happy to record the moment for them in their album.

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….

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!

Katrina booked me for their Swinton Park wedding last year after meeting up for afternoon tea at the castle. I have been looking forward to shooting their wedding since their engagement shoot when the were telling me about the different flowers.

I was also looking forward to Ashley’s speech after having a taste of his jokes during the engagement photos!

When the day began I was a little worried about the weather. I wasn’t worried for me because I know that I can get fab photos even on the wettest day, I was more worried that the guests wouldn’t get the chance to make the most out of the amazing grounds around the castle.

The ducks seemed to be enjoying the rain…

Katrina had told me about the flowers and orchids. The bridemaids each wore an orchid in their hair as well as a white orchid bouquet.

Katrina took a few moments to relax before rushing to Swinton as she remembered the registrar had said she couldn’t be late!

Katrina & Ashley got married in the Library which had the most beautiful light.

Swinton Park was overflowing with flowers and Katrina’s sister Emma read a passage from Winnie Pooh.

Little Ben was the Bestman for the day and he did a stunning job. During the meal he kept popping in to the drawing room to keep me company by telling me stories and crack a few jokes.

After the ceremony Katrina and Ashley relaxed with their friends on the lawn. Then they had a few photographs…

The cars were supplied by Keith Snowden and were stunning. I managed to get their details before I left… tel. 01765 604417 or their Wedding Cars in Harrogate and Ripon website

The room was set out to perfection with different Roses on each table.

A guest joked that with The Chelsea flower show on the same weekend that Chelsea had been left short of roses for their displays!…(I hope they were joking) The wedding flowers were from Lynda Moss Flowers in Harrogate.

With the guests taking their places Katrina took a few moments out in the drawing room.

Chris, a friend to Ashley & Katrina, embraced to role of Master of Ceremonies…

linking all the toasts and speeches with some witty humour.

The food was a work of art…I overheard the kitchen speaking in french which could have been one of the reasons the standards were so high.

I love the light in this shot with Katrina and friends.

I didn’t stop taking photos and even borrowed their wedding rings to take a shot using the reflection on the piano surface. Ashley joked that having given me the rings it might be last he saw of me!

Katrina had told me all day that she had a second dress which she was planning to do the first dance as she was worried about tripping on her train. In the end she didn’t need it as they spun each other in circles on the dance floor.

I stepped outside to take this shot as the sun set with the party going full swing inside.

The night ended, for me at least, with seven minutes of fireworks. I got some great photos of which my favourite is this one with the warm glow of the castle.

I really enjoyed shooting Katrina & Ashley’s wedding photos and can’t wait to meet up with them again.

It was my first time at Swinton I realise now how special it is as a wedding venue. Katrina & Ashley had booked exclusive use which meant they could really let their hair down and enjoy getting married in a real english castle!

If you’d like to know more about weddings at Swinton Park you can contact Hannah Hinchcliffe on 01765 680971 or hannah@swintonpark.com

Last week it was announced that Sir Alan Sugar may soon become Lord Alan Sugar. Ok, I didn’t take Sir Alan’s photos but I did manage to take photos of another Lord at the recent wedding of Helen & David Murphy.

Here is Lord Richard Musgrave having his make-up topped up half way through the wedding breakfast.

Helen tell’s me that he is known to flash his card with his title on to get the best table when booking a restaurant!

I am yet to find out how his came to be a Lord but I am sure I will find out! Helen also said that he is one of the funniest guys she has ever met and I can vouch for that as he had me laughing my head off at Oulton Hall.

You might remember Helen & Peter from their engagement shoot. I have great news…Helen & Peter had a baby girl and they have asked me to take their christening photos this summer!…

Helen & Peter had their wedding at the National Trust property Nostell Priory in Wakefield and were married in Nostell Priory church. Nostell Priory is a stunning venue run by Dine catering renowned for their professionalism and top class organisation of their weddings.

Dine recently invited me back for a wedding fair where I enjoyed chatting with couples about their up-coming wedding plans.

I am looking forward to the Christening and will post some photos of the day later on this year.