Hull Wedding Photographer at Lazaat Hotel – Saturday was a good day….Saturday was the day that Chantelle got to marry her soulmate – James. They married in style, surrounded by friends, family and a whole lot of love – here is their story.
It rained all day Friday – I kept checking the weather report and it was unnervingly confident in telling me Saturday would be sunny all day – it had to be – it simply couldn’t rain on Chantelle and James’ wedding day! I’m not usually one for believing what the weather man says – but on this occasion – he was right and I did a little jig as I packed my cameras into the car and headed off with my trusty sidekick and long suffering assistant Hannah. We arrived with the boys to hang out and help them with their preparations just before 10am and my oh my – did these boys need some help!
James had decided to go on a monumental mission (I’ll leave the details of that mission either to your imagination!) the night before his wedding and by his own admission – had found himself going through McDonalds drive-thru window at 3am the previous night – needless to say, James was feeling a little delicate when we arrived and needed a whole lot of TLC! We slowly eased our groom into the idea that hydrating and eating something was probably a good idea before we went anywhere near his pristine wedding clobber!
James’ groomsmen were also ‘feeling no pain’ but the medicinal beers started to flow and after a little ‘topping up’ – the mood changed from one of booze pain to that of euphoria – amazing what a little ‘Hair of the Dog’ can do for a man’s mood! I photographed details whilst Hannah got teased and then we helped the boys into their beautifully tailored suits – James wore a thin neck tie whilst his boys donned bow ties – a classy touch!
Once the gents were dressed and suitably ‘hydrated’ we shot some cool portraits inside and then headed out to a cinder track to get those all important lit group shots that always make it into the couple’s album. James son William showed up and it was great to see father and son’s connection which really came out in the photos.
Commute time to the bride’s prep location was approximately 45 seconds as the couple’s house backs onto the groom’s Mum’s house so this was easy for us and we were met with a gaggle of super excited classy ladies in their final stages of hair/makeup. Chantelle looked amazing as finishing touches were applied – and although the make-up artist was super behind (note to all brides: MAKE SURE your make up artist knows EXACTLY what time you need to be ready for as this can really hold things up and even prevent getting all the photographs we promise) the make up Chantelle chose was just perfect for her – her smoky eyes complimented her scraped back hair do perfectly.
We shot some emotional moments as our bride gave some gifts to her girls and also opened a special gift from her hubby to be – tears were shed and lots of hugs shared! Before we knew it, it was time to head to the church to get the show on the road and get this girl wed! Hessle All Saints was the venue and the service was headed by Rev Tim – an absolute legend of a Vicar – definitely one of the most welcoming and positive Church Chaps I have the pleasure to work with. Revd Tim was on top form as per usual and did a great job of re-assuring James – who was in a glass case of emotion – with the impending arrival of his wife-to-be!
James’ reaction to the arrival of his bride was totally priceless – his emotions ran wild as Chantelle made her way down the aisle and it was lovely to see the best man help him stay standing as he turned around to cast his eyes on her for the first time – it’s fair to say he was blown away! The light in the church was just perfect and I really enjoyed capturing some lovely moments during the service. Once the deal was done and we had a man and wife – we headed out into the gardens of the church to take care of the first round of formal photos – I got them done in record time and this meant more time to relax for our bride and groom at Lazaat before the wedding breakfast was served.
James and Chantelle had chosen the Monsoon Suite at Lazaat which is a really intimate space and the room decor looked lovely. Speeches were given before dinner was served and the usual mix of emotions were presented – I’m always amazed at how real our speech photos are – you simply cannot pose these images and the emotions are always so unique and compelling.
Once dinner was finished, the wedding party retired to the patio area to relax and were entertained by the fantastic magician Thomas Wright – I’ve seen him several times before and he is an amazing talent – definitely highly recommended – he bent a few brain cells out of shape that’s for sure!
As evening guests started to arrive, the atmosphere got more electric – I love the way that weddings transition from formal afternoons into hedonistic parties at night – couples love this! The DJ pumped the tunes out and Chantelle and James began to really let their hair down and enjoy their party – they deserved it!
Hannah and I left just after 9pm after photographing just after the bride and groom had been treat to a private show by their magician – the looks on their faces were really something as he baffled them to death!
This was an exceptional wedding for an exceptional couple – in fact, I couldn’t wait to choose the 700 images that we will show from the 4000 we shot and they are already in post production as we speak so we’ll be seeing the happy couple very soon to relive their big day!
We’ve shot lots of weddings at Lazaat Hotel – it’s a really popular venue in the East Riding of Yorkshire – you may enjoy reading this blog post from one of our past weddings there which shows one of our completed albums.
If you’ve enjoyed this story featuring Lazaat Hotel and are getting married yourself – why not head over to the Insight Website and request a brochure – we might just be your perfect match! We also have an extensive collection of albums from lots of cool venues on our Insight Photography Facebook page. Until next time…..
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