Last Saturday was one of the highlights of my wedding career – fact! I love each and every wedding I photograph and the venues I’m privileged to visit but Riccardo and Angie’s wedding was very special indeed. Angie grew up down the same Cul-de-Sac as I in the village of Anlaby, East Yorkshire. When she booked me to shoot her wedding, I hadn’t seen her for many years and my last memories of her were of a short, Tom-Boyish cheeky monkey of about 10 years old! We bumped into each other about 18 months ago and wow had she ever grown up! Angie is now about 6 foot and one of the most naturally beautiful people I have come across with a timeless elegance to boot!
Angie and Riccardo were married at Allerton Castle, just outside of Harrogate. Please take time to check out their website as it really is one of the most stunning, enchanting places I have ever visited. The castle, in it’s present guise, was built in 1720 in the Gothic revival style and was commandeered by the MOD during the second world war to house the headquarters of the Canadian Air Force. Dr Arthur Rolph, an American Philanthropist, bought the castle in 1983 and set to work on a complete renovation of the property. Just months from completion, in 2005, a devastating fire ripped through the castle and destroyed almost a third of the site. 9 years on and the tenacious Dr Rolph has almost completed his second wave of restoration and I take my hat off to him for sticking with it! Allerton Castle is simply jaw-droppingly beautiful and they certainly ‘don’t make em like that’ anymore!
The boys and girls both had their early morning preparations in log cabins just off the Castle grounds and I had a great time with the groomsmen who had chosen superbly tailored suits, bow ties and braces to complete their look. The girls made their final preparations over at the Castle and the bridal suite was so opulent, I couldn’t fail to make beautiful photos! The girls from Bows were amazing to work with and their hair and makeup treatments were sublime. I knew some of the groomsmen and bridesmaids already and we had a really great connection – happy times! Angie chose Twisted Willow for her floristry and their flowers were out of this world.
A civil ceremony was held in the grand reception room and the look on Riccardo’s face as he turned to see his bride walking down the staircase was a sight to see! The register was signed in the amazing drawing room and then outside for group shots over champagne & canapés. The wedding breakfast was served in the Ballroom and just as dessert was being enjoyed, a drunk stranger appeared in the room! With a glass of whisky in his hand, he staggered around the room and immediately made a beeline for the string quartet. He stopped them playing and began to address the room in a drunken stupor. The looks on the faces of the guests was one of confusion, surprise and anger! Who was this guy and how had he got into the Castle! All was revealed when the string quartet began to play again and it turned out that he was an Opera singer! The room was transfixed as one of the waitresses revealed herself to be an opera singer too and they gave the most powerful performance – there were many tears of joy around the room!
After dinner, I took Riccardo and Angie for a ‘Penny Drop Session’ and explored the grounds around the castle – there are 113 acres to go at so we barely scratched the surface! I could have shot for a week and not run out of ideas but I always remember that a wedding day is not a fashion show and I’m mindful of not taking too much time from my clients away from their friends and family. The evening reception kicked off with the first set of a great party band and just after 10pm, we were treat to a lovely firework display which lit up the Castle and the night sky.
Angie and Riccardo are honeymooning in New York and I’m really looking forward to sharing their images with them on their return – we shot almost 4000 frames so I know we’ll have just a few to share! If you’re getting married and might be interested in my approach to wedding photography please request a brochure so I can check my availability for you and don’t forget to ‘like’ our Insight Photography Facebook page to keep up with all of our latest stories.
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