A Yorkshire wedding not tied to tradition..
Any Brit worth their salt knows that March is always hit and miss when it comes to the weather. Not quite winter, not yet spring. You never know if the snow that falls mid-week is likely to linger and spoil your weekend plans, or be kind, and permit you to go ahead.
Well imagine if your weekend plans are your actual wedding! For Matt, Lucy and their guests, it was touch and go as to whether the recent snowfall would put paid to travel plans. Fortunately, the snow melted (save for a lovely white topping on the Yorkshire hills beyond) and the weather was kind. Everyone arrived in Thirsk safely, where Jen and her team at Lodge Farm Weddings were ready to host what would be an epic wedding day!
By mid-morning, bride and groom prep was in full swing. Matt and Lucy had chosen to get ready on separate floors at the venue. This was great news for any wedding photographer as it meant I could float between them throughout the wedding morning. Protocol was almost breached when the boys nearly spotted the bride from above when we sneaked outside to take photos! A quick shuffle back inside and the potential crisis was avoided!
Again, the fates were kind, and the first time Matt saw his soon-to-be wife was in the beautiful barn where the wedding ceremony took place. It was a heart-warming moment, and both parties looked incredible.
After a lovely ceremony, cakes were the order of the day as everyone tucked into the treats on offer. Matt’s dad – a vicar – gave the couple a blessing shortly after the legal ceremony. This was something that they had really wanted to include as a nod to his faith, though they hadn’t wanted religion to inform the ceremony itself.
One thing I especially love about these guys is that they did their wedding their own way and didn’t follow tradition for tradition’s sake. That became especially apparent when Matt and Lucy were telling me about their engagement. Instead of the usual ‘man gets down on one knee’, whilst holidaying near Lake Bled in Slovenia, they decided as a pair that they wanted to get married. With scenery that took their breath away, featuring a double rainbow over the lake, it really was a picture-perfect moment that dictated how they would go on to plan the rest of their wedding.
Back to the wedding day itself, and as late afternoon became evening, delicious grub and blinding speeches gave way to dancing. In a move that got all the guests going, Matt and Lucy deciding to break with tradition again and plump for a ceilidh in lieu of a first dance. I bowed out as the foot stomping and hollering was still mid-rip roar; not the first wedding ceilidh I’ve photographed, but certainly one of the most enthusiastic!
