The perfect wedding at Bolton Abbey

The perfect wedding at Bolton Abbey..

I was trying to think of how to sum up this wedding day and I just couldn’t think of the right words! It was such a happy, sunny, beautiful day, and yet none of those words I feel do justice to how utterly perfect it was. Let me just say, that I don’t think I’ve ever had so many ‘favourite’ photos from a wedding!

On the lead-up to the wedding, I am being totally honest when I say I could not stop thinking about it! It was one of those weddings where I was just so excited for the photos I wanted to create. EVERY SINGLE aspect of the wedding was my idea of perfection. Let me explain…

One of my absolute favourite venues.
The fact that there were SEVEN bridesmaids and SEVEN groomsmen.. what a bridal party!
The BEST team of suppliers.
My first ever wedding at Bolton Abbey priory.
One of my favourite wedding dresses of all time.
Golden sunshine all day long and tonnes of happy guests.
The most amazing, and let’s face it, attractive-as-hell couple!

Having worked with lots of the suppliers beforehand, I would honestly struggle to have handpicked a better group myself. Please check out the credits below for this amazing team!

I arrived on the morning of the wedding at Eloise’s parents’ house in Ilkley. Eloise was getting ready with her family and all her many, many bridesmaids! Everyone was so lovely and we had such a fun morning. Emily, Eloise’s maid of honour, was particularly wonderful (and I know Lottie the hair wizard will agree with me on this!). I have never met a more dedicated bridesmaid in my career! She made sure everything was where it needed to be, kept track of what time the make-up was finishing so we had time for photos AND got Eloise into her dress. She was just amazing and a pleasure to have around on the day!

Eloise looked like an absolute goddess in her wedding dress. What a vision she was. Emily was crying, Lottie was crying, and I was crying. She looked unbelievably beautiful. Doing a big reveal to the bridesmaids was so much fun, and after some cards and presents, it was time to head to Bolton Abbey.

The boys had been getting ready in Ilkley, where my amazing second shooter Fern had been capturing all the excitement! Eloise arrived at the priory in style in a land rover covered in flowers, where James was waiting for his beautiful bride to be.

Eloise walked down the aisle with her dad by her side, and James shed a little tear upon seeing his bride. It was such a happy ceremony, and what a place to get married! I had always dreamed about photographing a wedding at Bolton Abbey and it was so special to finally be there!

We headed outside into the sunshine, where Eloise and James were greeted to a parade of bubbles! Since confetti isn’t allowed on the grounds, they came up with this wonderful way to capture the spirit of the traditional welcome without making any mess! Genius!

After some photos with family and the bridal party in amongst the ruins of the abbey, we headed up to the Tithe Barn where all the guests were waiting at the reception. This was the perfect time to capture some portraits, and for Eloise and James to have a quiet moment before the rest of the party!

The happy couple were greeted at the barn with real confetti this time, and soon the festivities began…

There were some brilliant speeches, including from Eloise herself. I wish more brides did speeches at weddings! Eloise’s dad surprised/ embarrassed her during his speech with her childhood toy – a doll in a dress.. called Keith! It was such a priceless moment, and everyone was in stitches!

After some divine food, the newlyweds cut their fondant fancy wedding cake, Eloise threw her bouquet, and it was caught by none other than her wonderful maid of honour Emily! What a moment!

Soon the dancefloor was full to the brim, and everyone partied the night away.

This wedding was a special one for me. A bit of a career highlight to be honest! Such a perfect day, such an amazing couple. I’m chuffed to bits with the photos and can only apologise for how many I’ve shared! Thank you SO much Eloise and James. It’s been an absolute pleasure.