From Australia to Yorkshire - a magical wedding at East Riddlesden Hall
Let me start by saying this – I have never written a blog post the day after a wedding before. Blogs for photographers can be one of those time-consuming jobs that we often only get chance to do outside of wedding season. But for today’s blog, it’s not an admin job I need to tick off – it’s because I simply have too much to say and too much gushing to do about yesterday’s wedding.
So here we are. Sarah & Ollie got married yesterday at East Riddlesden Hall in West Yorkshire, and for a little moment things were all a little bit uncertain.
You see, even though these guys grew up in Yorkshire, they now live in Australia. As you can imagine with everything that’s happening in the world right now, their journey home was never going to be straightforward. But they did everything they had to do to make it work, and along with several of their family and friends who also made the long trip, they were able to have the most magical wedding as they totally, totally deserved.
Throughout yesterday’s wedding, I kept saying to Sarah how incredible the day had been. I’m not sure she totally believed me, she maybe just thought it was a bit of a ‘line’ I use with all my couples, but the truth is I typically don’t gush about things if I don’t really feel that way.
Weddings can be amazing for all sorts of reasons – the venue, the weather, the feeling, the atmosphere, the couple, the colour scheme. But what’s rare is for a wedding to stand out for ALL of those reasons. And that’s why yesterday was so special, because it felt like one of those weddings where the stars align. For me, it was perfect.
Preparations for the day ahead
Sarah & Ollie both got ready at Hollins Hall in Baildon before heading to East Riddlesden Hall – I love it when both partners get ready in the same spot as it means I get to take photos of them both!
After some pictures of the boys out in the gardens, I headed up to Sarah who was getting ready with her bridesmaids. You guys know how much I love colour, so you can imagine my excitement when the girls told me they were all wearing different spring-coloured dresses!! My idea of heaven!
Sarah’s bridesmaid Megan had also done an incredible job of creating all the bouquets which were just beautiful, and such a lovely personal touch for them to be made by a friend.
Heading over to East Riddlesden Hall
The ceremony at East Riddlesden was one of my highlights of the day. Ollie could not hold back his tears when Sarah walked down the aisle, and it was abundantly clear just how much these two adore each other. And I mean ADORE each other.
Ollie was telling me when we were saying goodbye yesterday about their life in Australia, about how much they love the quiet of the outdoors and it just being the two of them in their own little bubble. You could see how much they loved being surrounded by their friends and families but the connection between these two was on a whole different scale that you really don’t see all the time.
Sarah & Ollie also wrote their own vows which were some of the most moving I have ever heard in almost ten years as a wedding photographer. I would like to share with you what Ollie wrote because it was just beautiful…
…
Sarah,
It has always been you.
From the first day we met in Year 5, you stood out. It may have been your sporty Adidas trainers that first caught my attention, but it was your beauty, kindness, and warmth that soon unfolded into our love story.
As we grew older and our friendship turned into something deeper during college, I knew I was falling for you, and deep down I always knew our spark would never fizzle.
Life briefly took us took us in different directions. You went your way, I went mine. Yet, no matter the distance, you were never far from my mind. Every chapter since has reminded me that home isn’t a place; it’s being beside you. And when we made the leap across the world to Australia, it wasn’t a risk – it was an adventure, because I had you by my side.
I promise to keep building our life with the same love, laughter, and warmth that brought us together all those years ago. I promise to stand by you in every season of our lives – through the ordinary days and the extraordinary ones.
I can’t wait to call you my wife, and one day, to see you as the mother of our children – the beginning of our next great journey together.
With all my heart, and for all my days, I choose you.
…
JUST BEAUTIFUL!! Oliver my dear, you absolutely nailed it. All the top husband points go to you!
Out into the Yorkshire sunshine
After the wedding ceremony, Sarah & Ollie quite literally danced their way back down the aisle.
We did the confetti, family photos, and of course the portraits of this utterly gorgeous couple. As a wedding photographer, I literally couldn’t have asked for anything more. They are SO natural with each other in front of the camera, so happy and so much fun.
I also have to say a massive thank you to Agatha from East Riddlesden Hall. During the group photos she could see I was doing an awful lot of shouting and brought me a massive Diet Coke!! Anyone who knows me knows that is the way to my heart, and little gestures like that go such a long way.
The speeches were unsurprisingly brilliant – incredibly moving and so funny in equal measure. They also featured a game of Would I Lie To You from the best men, whereby they shared a series of embarrassing stories from Ollie’s past, with the wedding guests having to choose if they were true or false. Sadly for Ollie, most of them turned out to be true!
Simply the best
The dancefloor was nothing short of what I knew it would be. Sarah & Ollie started things off with their first dance to an acoustic cover of ‘Simply the best’ which had everyone singing at the top of their voices. Then the lights went down, and I don’t think anyone left the dancefloor. It was unbelievable. Sarah & Ollie were almost immediately hoisted into the air, and there was even a special rendition of ‘Valerie’ with the boys all singing to one of the guests with the same name!
One of my favourite moments of the wedding was towards the end of the night when Sarah took me by the arm and said, ‘Lily, I don’t think I’ve paid for you to stay this long!!!’. What can I say… there was no way I was going home with a dancefloor like that!!
This really was a wedding I will never forget. I have told Sarah & Ollie so many times how lucky I feel to have met them and I really, really mean that. They are one of those couples who are genuinely as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside (and just look how beautiful they are on the outside!!!!!!).
Sending all my love to you both Sarah and Ollie. Safe travels back to Australia!
