An autumnal black-tie wedding at Middleton Lodge
Weddings are always such special days, but when it’s for someone you’ve known for a very long time it definitely feels that little bit more special.
Jamie and I actually went to primary school together in a tiny Yorkshire village near Harrogate, so when he and Hannah got in touch to ask me to photograph their wedding, I was SO excited!
The excitement only grew when they told me they were planning a black-tie wedding at the one and only Middleton Lodge Estate; one of my all-time favourite wedding venues. The wedding took place just after bonfire night, and the whole day felt cosy, autumnal yet SO elegant.
How to totally nail your wedding morning
I arrived at Middleton Lodge on the morning of the wedding where Hannah was getting ready with her bridesmaids. Everyone was ready way ahead of schedule, which for any wedding photographer is an absolute dream!
I think it’s easy to look back on a wedding and remember the gorgeous atmosphere of the day or the stunning aesthetic. Whilst Hannah and Jamie had both by the bucket load, their timings were what made it particularly memorable for me.
It’s not something we think about very often when it comes to wedding planning, however please let this wedding be an example to you if you are currently in the planning process! As they say, ‘timing is key’, so let me tell you what these guys did so well…
Hannah and her bridesmaids were all ready around an hour and a half before the wedding ceremony. This does not happen at many weddings let me tell you! But this gave Hannah 90 minutes to enjoy a glass of prosecco with her friends, listen to her perfectly curated wedding playlist, and of course take lots of gorgeous photos. There were so many lovely moments on camera all before Hannah had even walked down the aisle.
So, here’s the key takeaway – if you aim to be ready at the time you need to leave for your ceremony, you’re going to need to head out of the door the moment the last button on your dress is fastened. And that’s providing everything else is running perfectly on time, which, let’s face it, it rarely does! Make sure you leave yourself some breathing room. It doesn’t have to be 90 minutes, even 30 minutes is better than nothing. You will thank yourself (on what will inevitably be a busy and sometimes overwhelming day) that you gave yourself some time to relax before the madness began.
Here are some other top tips from a wedding photographer’s perspective on how to make sure your wedding morning runs as smoothly as possible.
Enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Middleton Lodge
So now we’ve covered what was a fantastic wedding morning, it was time for Hannah to head across the Middleton Lodge gardens to where Jamie was ready and waiting. All the wedding guests were dressed up to the nines for the black-tie occasion, and Jamie was waiting nervously at the end of the aisle to see his beautiful bride.
After a gorgeous ceremony, we all headed outside into the grounds to throw some confetti at the newlyweds. What was great about this drinks reception was that all of the guests stayed outside! Bearing in mind this was a November wedding, this is a very rare sight indeed. It makes my job as a wedding photographer much easier though; to be able to capture all those smiling faces with the beautiful Middleton Lodge gardens as the perfect backdrop.
Let's eat
Soon it was time for the speeches, so all the wedding guests headed back into the venue. The wedding breakfast room at Middleton Lodge Fig House is second to none. With big open windows, exposed brick, lightly painted walls with vines growing up the inside, it is any wedding photographer’s dream. The styling was beautiful too – simple white and green foliage with some black accents dotted throughout. The whole effect came together beautifully.
The speeches were fab, and I know Jamie was particularly nervous for his but I thought be absolutely nailed it. There can be so much pressure on wedding speeches nowadays but as long as you say how you feel and acknowledge those who are important to you, you can’t go too far wrong. However, if you just nab a load of stuff from Google, that’s a definite no from me!!
Getting the party started
As a nod to the wedding being near bonfire night, once it was dark we headed outside with Hannah and Jamie’s bridal party for sparklers! It looked epic and thankfully everyone was well behaved… safety first guys!!
We then headed inside where Hannah and Jamie had their first dance, kicking off one of the BEST dancefloors I’ve seen all year! Everyone was having the best time, and we even had a saxophonist which made the atmosphere even more electric. Hats off to Hannah’s brother-in-law as well who is genuinely one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen – I’ve never seen moves like it!!
All in all, it was an absolute honour to photograph Hannah & Jamie’s wedding at Middleton Lodge, not least because I’ve known Jamie from such a young age. It’s always a particularly special day for me when a wedding both looks AND feels amazing, and these guys totally nailed both.
Thank you for having me guys, and I can’t wait to be back at Middleton Lodge again soon.
