Ripley Castle Wedding Photography - Kay and Martin's Wonderful Day

Kay and Martin's wonderful Ripley Castle wedding

The Boar's Head Hotel in Rilpley Village

Ripley Castle is the located in the heart of north Yorkshire between Ripon and Harrogate. Ripley Castle has been the ancestral seat of the Ingilby family for over 700 years.

"Having survived several plagues, invasions, civil wars, wars, religious turbulence, a plot to commit regicide, numerous periods of deep recession and everything else that has befallen this country in the last seven hundred years, the Ingilbys can justifiably breathe a sigh of relief that they have arrived safely at this astonishing landmark. Theirs is a story of how one family has been tossed around in the choppy waters of England’s stormy history – and somehow survived, despite being on the losing side more often than not. The history of the Ingilbys is a microcosm of the history of England and features a cast of extraordinarily brave, foolish, eccentric and courageous characters, black sheep and white. They have gone from high office in the court of kings and queens to running a wedding and conference venue and hotel, but they are still at Ripley and the story continues as they steer their family and business through these challenging times." - Extract from http://ingilbyhistory.ripleycastle.co.uk/700years.html

When I first met up with Martin (unusual to meet the groom and not the bride at a wedding meeting) to discuss the wedding he seemed so relaxed and cool about the  whole thing I knew it would be a great wedding to shoot. As it was my first wedding at Ripley Castle we decided it would useful to do the engagement shoot at Ripley itself. This gave me the opportunity to get to know Kay and Martin a bit more too. As usual we had a giggle on the engagement shoot and Martin and Kay were relaxed and keen to chat about the plans for the big day. Despite the bitter cold we wandered through the various gardens and glass houses scouting locations and chatting about the best time to do the family groups and when a  little portrait session would fit into their wedding day.  

Our final task for the engagement shoot was to take a short drive up to the Church. The gem of a church chosen by Martin and Kay was St Wilfred's in South Stainley.

The wedding day itself started with some bridal prep at the Boar's Head hotel just around the corner from Ripley Castle. The ladies were relaxing (the bubbles always help)and seemed very organised as I shot some candid photos a fabulous shot of the dress hanging from the chandelier and finally got the to sit together on the bed for some nice smiley shots of them chatting.

Ripley Castle Wedding

Off to church for me then to meet the groom and photograph some of the guests arriving. The church was festooned with wild flower collected the day before and it looked fabulous.

The wedding ceremony itself was short and very sweet with a very loud 'I will' from Martin which sent the congregation into fits of giggles.

The swish Bentley arrived and after confetti and many hugs and kisses with friends and family we headed off to Ripley Castle.

Wedding Photographer Ripley Castle

Ripley Castle Weddings

The reception at Ripley Castle was held over two floors in the East Wing. The area in front of this was a perfect backdrop for a few family group shots and we got this done in about 20mins. For some further portraits of the bride and groom we sneaked into the main body of the house,  between tour groups, and did some shots on the stairs and in some of Ripley's state room.

The rest of the wedding photography was comprised of candid (reportage) shots of people laughing and having a giggle. The first dance tends to be the end of my night more often than not, as was the case here,  but I wanted to do one or two more shots with Martin and Kay at twilight. After quickly setting up a couple of lights we strolled into the refreshing air and got some real quite lovely portraits.

Ripley Castle is an amazing wedding venue and my first wedding their only scratched the surface of the potential for a wedding photographer with this venue.

Martin and Kay had such a lovely relaxed wedding in beautiful surroundings. I know they are as delighted with the pictures as I am and I am looking forward to my next wedding at Ripley Castle.

For More Samples Visit: The North Yorkshire Wedding Photographer

Wedding photography from in and around the City of York. This from Strensall

Wedding photography from in and around the City of York.
This from Strensall and Haxby

Crathorne Hall Wedding - Wedding Photographer

I recently had the pleasure of shooting a spring wedding at Crathorne Hall in North Yorkshire on a fantastic spring day. The bride and groom had travelled back home from where they work in Hong Kong to tie the knot at St Mary Magdalene Church in Yarm and followed by an extremely elegant wedding reception at Crathorne Hall.

 

Who would have thought that the overcast evening before at the wedding rehearsal the next day would be so bright and cloudless? It was nice to see the rector, Simon Gurd at the church having a giggle with Alex and Jo as he went through the wedding service rehearsal. I know in my job as a wedding photographer how important it is to put your clients at ease. It not only makes the whole process easier but more enjoyable for everyone.

This pretty little Yarm church is a picturesque mid-size wedding venue that doesn’t feel to empty when half full of guests. The first church to stand on this site was Saxon and would have been built of wood. So in the last 1000-odd years it must have seen many changes. It’s believed that the fist stone church on this site was built under the rule of William the Conqueror around 1150AD. The building must have gone through many changes over the years and inevitably grew in size. The addition of the tower was believed to have happened in the 1500’s and this remains unaltered from that date. The present building is the result of a Georgian re-vamps in 1730 following a huge fire that gutted the church. The interior now has a feel of modest splendour and features stained glass windows of breath-taking beauty and detail. The large Moses window is the oldest and best of the glass in the church. It was executed by famous glass artist William Peckitt (1731 – 14 October 1795).

The present pews, pulpit, clerk’s desk and choir stalls date from 1878 and are in the Renaissance style. The High Altar was made out of pews removed from the South aisle in 1940. The Sanctuary Altar rails are the work of the noted Yorkshire craftsman Robert Thompson – the Mouseman of Kilburn – and were given in 1948 in memory of Mary Clapham and her son John Geoffrey who was killed in the Second World War. The dedication and the identifying mouse, is carved on the Sanctuary side of the rails. The Font is an octagonal bowl of Tees marble with incurved sides on each of which is a blank shield. It is thought to have been fashioned in the 15th century.

The weather was warm and still as the guests arrived on the vintage bus which is always good news for a wedding photographer. The service went without a hitch and it was clear to see how much Alex and Jo were enjoying it. If they were at all nervous you couldn’t tell in a while they were leaving the church and stepping out into the sunshine with big smiles on their faces.

So from Yarm we took a 10minutes trip to Crathorne Hall. Crathorne Hall is one of those stately homes that look far older than it actually is. It does have a Brideshead Revisited feel to it despite only being built in 1906. The first owner James Lionel Dugdale (1862 - 1941) laid the foundation stone of Crathorne Hall in December 1903 building work being completed three years later. It was the largest Country house built during the reign of Edward VII and was constructed from stone quarried from near Whitby. The Hall remained the central focus of a large estate until it was sold to become a hotel in 1977 remaining one of the most picturesque and luxuriant establishments in the North of England.

The reception was also blessed by the weather so guests could enjoy the sunshine outside in the Palladian splendour while I stole the bride and groom for a quick 20m minutes photo session. Most newlyweds enjoy this bit of the day as it’s often first time they get to spend some time together on the busy wedding day. After moving inside for the wedding breakfast I left the party in peace for an hour and took a breather myself. (Who wants pictures of themselves eating?

)

This gave me chance to nip home and run off a quick print for the bride and groom so at least they have a photograph of their wedding by the end of this. This is not always possible (particularly when shooting a wedding in New Zealand, as I’m doing later in the year!) but thought it would be a nice gesture…they loved it!

For further samples see http://www.djpweddingphotography.com/

I took further candid pictures at the speeches capturing all those funny and sweet little moments. My final duty for the evening was photographing the first dance. When I finally know I had all the shots I needed in the bag I said my goodbyes to the bride and groom who had been so easy to work with and most entertaining. As with all my weddings the bride and groom start of as clients and end up as friends. Congratulations and Good Luck Alex and Jo.

Comments from the couple themselves;
'We just wanted to drop you a quick email to say thanks for last Friday, we had such an amazing time and we have received may compliments from guests about what a nice bloke the photographer was!!'

'Just to let you know that the CD's have arrived safe and well in Hong Kong and the photos are absolutely brilliant. Thank you for doing such a great job. '

Thanks for visiting.

Check Out: http://www.djpweddingphotography.com/

Gisborough Hall Wedding Photography

Just a few of the 400 edited images of Charlotte and Steven's Gisborough Hall Wedding. Photography samples by professional photographer Doug Jackson of DJP Wedding Photography. Gisborough Hall is a beautiful venue for weddings in North Yorkshire. For further examples of my work or too book me for your wedding visit. http://www.djpweddingphotography.com

Gisborough Hall in Guisboroug - Wedding Photography

Just a few of the 400 edited images of Charlotte and Steven's Gisborough Hall Wedding. Photography samples by professional photographer Doug Jackson of DJP Wedding Photography. Gisborough Hall is a beautiful venue for weddings in North Yorkshire. For further examples of my work or too book me for your wedding visit. www.djpweddingphotography.com

A little history of Gisborough Hall, near Guisborough

This elegant grade II listed building is a magnificent country house hotel set on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, and just outside the market town of Guisborough.

The mansion was built by Admiral Thomas Chaloner in 1856 an it eventually became the baronial home of the first Lord Gisborough, Richard Chaloner, who took the title when he went to the House of Lords.

He decided to spell his title differently to the ancient capital town of Cleveland, from which it took its name, and to this day the family’s former ancestral home continues to be known as Gisborough – rather than Guisborough – Hall.

In the 1940s, the mansion was leased to North Riding Council as an old people’s home.

In 2002 the building was bought by the Macdonald Hotel group and was lavishly restored to it's former glory at a cost of 8 million.

New samples from 2009 for DJP Wedding Photography

Proffessional Wedding Photographer Doug Jackson post more samples from recent weddings on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DougJacksonFoto