Victoria & Dean’s Swinton Park Elopement

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VICTORIA & DEAN’S SWINTON PARK ELOPEMENT

Firehorse Photography France

They are becoming increasingly popular these ‘weddings for two’ and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Victoria & Dean’s Swinton Park elopement.

In one sense, there is a lot less pressure on a photographer in that there is less to cover, but at the same time, more pressure because there is nowhere for a photographer to hide.

Less, because an elopement or ‘wedding for two’ only has essentially 3 elements, – prep, ceremony, couple whereas a more typical or larger wedding day has around 20 ‘chapters’.

The sun did not exactly shine on Victoria & Dean’s day, but it wasn’t terrible either and both the hotel and grounds of Swinton Park are brilliant regardless of the weather.

Actually, this was not strictly speaking a ‘wedding for two’, but a ‘wedding of four’ as there were two other essential beings at this wedding, – Darcy & Rupert, – the couple’s dogs/children.

Victoria & Dean are currently on honeymoon in Cornwall. Or is it Devon? Devon or Cornwall…

1.30pm start and back in time for tea, – I really love shooting these days!

So without further ado, below, a selection of highlights from the day.

Venue: Swinton Park

Dress: Pronovias

Flowers: Twisted Willow

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Swinton Park Wedding For Two

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Harriet & Magnus’s Swinton Park Wedding For Two took place the other day at this most stunning Yorkshire wedding venue that we have photographed some 40+ weddings at to date.

There’s nowhere to ‘hide’ with a wedding for two as it’s just the couple and the photographer other than a pair of witnesses for the ceremony and the registrars.

So it’s great when you have a couple like Harriet & Magnus for whom the record of their day is so important even if the coverage is simply ceremony & an exclusive couple shoot.

It’s also great that there is nothing else competing for the couples attention, – no family or friends they have to talk to, no drinks or canapes, no formal family pics and so the shoot tends to be more relaxed.

The results speak for themselves…but unfortunately there is a ‘privacy clause’ on this one so just the one picture.

Caroline & Jon’s Swinton Park Spring Wedding

Caroline & Jon’s Swinton Park Spring wedding took place on the 2nd May, a day that will not be remembered for it’s glorious weather…as it was a bit wet or at least grey for the duration.

Still, this did not stop the couple and everyone else having a really great day and even getting outside for a bird of prey show during the drinks reception.

Residents of Manly, New South Wales, Australia, Caroline wore Anna Maier from Helen Rodrigues, Sydney and hair & makeup was by Lauren Sally.

Flowers were provided by Kirsti at Where Angels Play and the cake by Sugar Crafted Cakes.

The evening band was Mojo Circus and the rings from a distant relative at Whiting & Wilson.

Swinton Park is one of those great ‘all season’ venues for a wedding where no matter what the weather or time of year, it just works. In late April and early May, the gardens and woods are full of cherry blossom and so this is something we used as a stunning backdrop with a short couple only photo-shoot.

Below is a selection of highlight images from the whole day with full gallery with print order facility available to view here.

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Swinton Park Summer Wedding: Nadia & Eric (Part 01)

Two of the greatest Swinton Park weddings that I have photographed to date have been on Thursdays with this, Nadia & Eric’s wedding day being the second of these.

The sun shone all day which at a Swinton Park Summer wedding is exactly what you’d want and it added real vibrancy to this most colourful of weddings.

The wedding itself was Muslim culture (Nadia’s family) meets Chinese culture (Eric’s family) in a quintessential English country house setting.

Nadia wore a gorgeous traditional dress in a colour I hope she won’t mind me calling peach with silver trim and Eric traditional outfit in white with red & silver trim.

The stunning bouquets, buttonholes and floral displays were by Stems. with hair and makeup by Debs at Love Hair & Beauty plus Zarina.

A Muslim ceremony followed directly after a civil ceremony in the library with a drinks reception in the drawing room and outside after that.

There are too many pictures to omit from even this highlight post so a second post follows here featuring the couple, speeches, dancing and fireworks.

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Swinton Park Summer Wedding: Nadia & Eric (Part 02)

Following on from Part 01, is the second of these 2 posts showcasing the highlights from Nadia & Eric’s Swinton Park Summer wedding.

Whilst the guests were being ushered into the dining room, I spent a few minutes with Nadia & Eric getting a few pictures of them in and around the house & grounds.

The meal itself was accompanied by a sitar player and were some of the most heartfelt and emotional speeches I have heard this year with 6 speakers, – 3 from each side of the newly merged families.

Then it was cake cutting, bouquet toss and first dance with both a band and bhangra dancers. The photos probably don’t do this bhangra dancing justice as James at Cornerstone Cinema wedding film will no doubt demonstrate.

The evening culminated (for me anyway) close to 11pm with a dramatic firework display by Sirotechnics.

Full gallery with international print ordering facility available by clicking here.

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Clementine & Alex’s Ripon Cathedral & Swinton Park Wedding

She’s been patiently waiting for 2 weeks now whilst I went to my brother James’s wedding (who also filmed Clemmy & Alex’s wedding) in Scotland followed by a family holiday, but that wait is now over.

Drum roll… ta da!

I was especially looking forward to photographing this one it being the latest in a sequence of weddings that began many years ago with the most recent in that chain being Ali & George’s marquee wedding at Jervaulx Abbey in April.

But this was Clem & Alex’s day with a beautiful ceremony at Ripon Cathedral, my second in as many weeks, followed by a reception at the ever fantastic Swinton Park (30-40 weddings covered to date at the venue!) near Masham in North Yorkshire.

Clementine wore Caroline Castigliano from Harrogate Bridal Collection and the bridesmaids grey/blue dresses.

The floristry was by a friend Sasha and the car a Bentley.

The bride made the cake!

Music during the day was provided by Groove Anatomy with the full band in the evening.

The couple honeymooned in Tuscany, Florence and Venice.

Full gallery can be viewed here (includes print ordering facility) plus below, a fabulous 200+ highlights slideshow!

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Wedding Flowers, an interview with Kirstie North at ‘Where Angels Play’

Wedding Flowers, an interview with Kirstie North at ‘Where Angels Play‘ by Simon Mark Whitten.
The above gallery is a small selection of images from a recent Swinton Park wedding that both Kirstie and I covered.

I first met Kirstie many years ago. I can’t remember how many, but it must have been 10+?
It was at a wedding of course, – she is a florist after all (and one of the finest in Yorkshire) and we are photographers of course!
Since that time, our paths have crossed (at weddings naturally!) many times and Kirstie remains one of our favourite and recommended florists for weddings in the region.

So welcome Kirstie to the first of this series of interviews that I will be presenting throughout the year (including; wedding planners, venues, car companies, bands, musicians, cake makers…).
I should have got a picture of Kirstie at the last wedding we were at but of course as always, I’m photographing the work rather than the creator. Note to self for next time…

Anyway, on with the interview!

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Photofilms by Firehorse Photography

What exactly is a Photofilm?

Essentially, it’s ‘more’ than a slideshow, but ‘less’ than a wedding video, – a hybrid of the two almost, taking the visuals from photography and the audio from…well, the audio!

The examples below are all 2013 Photofilms from a variety of weddings and venues except for the last one, – the ‘daddy’ of them all made a few years previously.

The best way to really describe one is to say, watch one!

Emma & Ben’s Photofilm (civil ceremony & chapel blessing at Rudding Park)

Catherine & Adam’s Photofilm (church & marquee reception)

Dionne & Sameer’s Photofilm (church wedding & Rudding Park)

Sarah & Harry’s Photofilm (church wedding & Swinton Park)

Milly & Harry’s Photofilm (the ‘daddy’ of them all, – an oldie but a goldie!)

 

 

 

 

Sarah & Harry Seaside Location Portrait Shoot

Weather forecast, 0 degrees C with windchill factor, feeling like -4 to -5. Cloudy chance of sun around lunchtime.

It didn’t bode well for a 9.30am start in late March and what should be Spring-like weather…but as you will see from the results, the sun did shine all the way from 9.30 until we’d finished this Scarborough seaside location photo-shoot 2 hours later.

This was a somewhat belated ‘engagement’ photo-shoot for Sarah & Harry who get married at Swinton Park on the 1st June, but for the seaside especially, a good day weather-wise is generally preferable!

Firehorse Photography offer location portrait shoot photography throughout the UK and abroad in ‘save the date’, ‘engagement’, ‘post-wedding’, ‘honeymoon’ and ‘anniversary’ format, or ‘just because’ both to our wedding clients and anyone else that is interested.

Further examples of UK photo-shoots can be viewed by clicking this link.
Examples of Paris location photo-shoots can be viewed by clicking this link.

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