I do love a wedding in an historic Yorkshire venue and so this was the perfect day for me to bring my relaxed and natural wedding photography to Skipton Castle.

There are some key ingredients to consider when booking your wedding photography – and in my opinion, the main ones are what style of photography suits you and whether your photographer is a good match for your wedding day. As soon as I heard about Sarah & Sam’s style of day, I knew that my style of photography and my personality would fit in well. 

This was even more so when I knew there were dogs involved and a classic Mini Cooper – as a dog lover, Yorkshire dog photographer and previous owner of the original Mini, I was all in! 

And this wedding at Skipton Castle and the Yorkshire Dales was everything I knew it would be – relaxed, authentic, full of laughter and lots of fun. 

The day started off in the village of Cracoe and I captured the finishing touches of bridal preparation time before jumping in my (newer model) Mini and heading over to Skipton Castle for the most beautiful ceremony in the chapel there. As a local photographer for Skipton weddings, this was strangely the first time that I had worked at Skipton Castle and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The chapel was oozing character and atmosphere and with an understated, yet stylish feel, I absolutely loved it! This is the kind of historical charm that you really can’t beat in a wedding venue and it makes for some very special photographs.

After the ceremony, we had a little time for some relaxed portraits taking in the grounds and stunning setting of Skipton Castle – again, this was just brimming with photo opportunities for my couple. They then drove the fabulous classic Mini off to their marquee reception back in Cracoe with the traditional “Just Married” trimmings! 

After a fun confetti arrival, Sarah and Sam chose to have minimal group photographs and kept these shots to the main bridal party and their immediate family members. So I just want to say a little bit about group shots – be more Sarah and Sam! They didn’t miss anyone out, but they knew they wanted to have the best time on their wedding day and not have most of their drinks reception taken up with group photographs. This also meant that I could capture so much more of the personality of their day – with candid moments of their family and friends relaxing and enjoying themselves in the wonderful Dales setting. It gave me time to be observant and creative and bring the spirit of their day alive in pictures. If you have too many group photographs, this is less do-able, simply because there wouldn’t be time for those in the moment captures whilst everyone is enjoying the day.

If you consider that each group photograph can take somewhere between three and five minutes, the time soon whizzes away if you have a long list of groups to cover. I usually recommend no more than six to eight different combinations – but less (in the style of Sarah and Sam) is even better! 

Thank you to my lovely couple for entrusting me with their relaxed and natural wedding photography at Skipton Castle, it was joyful, fun and a pleasure to capture their relaxed and beautiful day.