LilyNorth

Autumn loveliness at Kirkstall Abbey..

 

Autumn is probably my favourite time of year for engagement shoots as you can probably tell! All the colours are just so pretty and you guys know I love colour!

I met the lovely Laura and James at Kirkstall Abbey just outside of Leeds. It’s one of those places I’ve driven past so many times but never actually visited! It’s such a pretty place with walks along the river, plus it’s free to explore the abbey!

The weather forecast wasn’t bad, but in true British style it decided to rain for the engagement shoot! Laura and James embraced the weather though and still managed to look amazing. We got some photos down by the river, in and around the abbey, and of course in front of some of the beautiful autumnal trees.

These guys are tying the knot next October at the BEAUTIFUL Fig House at Middleton Lodge. This is one of, if not my absolute favourite wedding venue! I’m so looking forward to it, and it was so lovely to get some photos of these guys ahead of the wedding next year. Let the countdown commence!

Lily North Photography | Harrogate wedding photographer

A beautiful evening at Roundhay Park..

 

To be asked to photograph somebody’s wedding day is genuinely the biggest honour. I will never take that for granted. But when one of your closest friends asks you to be their wedding photographer, it’s just that little bit more special! AND SHE’S A PHOTOGRAPHER TOO! No pressure then haha!

Beth & Dave got engaged up in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, and I was over the moon when I heard the news!! I had no doubt in my mind that Beth would get cracking with wedding planning immediately.. She did not let me down!

I can safely say I have never done an engagement shoot so soon after a proposal before! But it was such a lovely shoot. You could just see how buzzing they both were to be engaged. There was definitely something special about capturing that initial excitement in the build-up to the wedding!

I met Beth and Dave at Roundhay Park, and thankfully we were pretty blessed with the weather. It was such a beautiful evening, and we were treated to an epic sunset as well which is always a bonus. It was my first time doing a shoot at Roundhay, but I’m sure it won’t be the last!

Beth & Dave were the best models in front of the camera. They’re so natural with each other and it was really lovely to photograph. Now that we’ve done the engagement shoot, the countdown to the wedding feels very real! I’m beyond excited for them both, and I can’t wait to see what they pull out of the bag on the wedding day 🙂

Lily North Photography | Harrogate wedding photographer

The Barden Tower wedding..

Every wedding I photograph is so different from the last, and it’s a wonderful feeling that couples still amaze me with their ideas and styling for the day. Lindsey had done the most incredible job of organising the whole wedding. I don’t say this often, but I think if I were to get married, it wouldn’t be far off what Lindsey had created!

Barden Tower has to be one of my favourite venues I’ve photographed to date. This incredible venue along with the flowers, the dress, and all the beautiful little touches in between made the whole day so special from start to finish.

It was a good laugh to photograph the lads getting ready on the morning of the wedding. I expected nothing less from these cheeky chaps! The boys have all known each other for nearly 30 years and clearly knew each other so well. I don’t think anyone expected Mike to break down in tears when his beautiful bride walked down the aisle! There was certainly not a dry eye in the building.

The bride and groom portraits were a delight which came as no surprise. I mean, just look at these two! There were no shortages of stunning locations around either!

The day was rounded off by a rather amusing rendition of ‘Consider Yourself’, officially welcoming Mike into the family. An evening filled with lots of dancing, fizz (and brownies), was a fitting end to what had been an incredible wedding.

Family shoot up in Edinburgh..

 

It only seems two minutes since I got the train from Harrogate up to Edinburgh to photograph this BEAUTIFUL family!

Charlotte is one of my dearest friends and it was such an honour when she asked if I would do a family shoot for her. Athea was only a few months old at the time so it was just so lovely to spend some proper time with her when she was so little! She’s just turned one and she’s by far the best dressed baby in all of Edinburgh!!

The train up to Edinburgh was only a couple of hours from Harrogate and thankfully we were blessed with beautiful weather! You never know what you’re going to get in Scotland!

Charlotte & Aidan live near a beautiful nature reserve, which was just the perfect spot to get some family photos. The colours at this time of year are just incredible so we weren’t short of pretty backdrops!

We got some cute as hell photos of Athea, and she was so patient with having her photos taken! That was until she scratched herself on her face the poor thing! Still looked flawless though haha!

We were even joined by the two dogs Reggie and Lily (excellent name) who are just the sweetest doggos ever.

I hope it’s not too much longer before I can make the trip up to Edinburgh again soon! It’s hands down one of my favourite places, and hey, the company certainly isn’t too shabby either <3

Lily North Photography | Harrogate wedding and family photographer

In the lavender fields..

 

You guys know I’m crazy about colour, so you can imagine how excited I was for this shoot! When Chloe suggested a few months back that we did their engagement shoot in a lavender field I was like oh HELL YES! To be totally honest, I didn’t even really know there were any lavender fields in Yorkshire! So this was super exciting.

Ellis managed to find out about Wolds Way Lavender farm just outside of Malton. Although these guys live over towards Hull, they’ll be celebrating their wedding in Harrogate next year at Rudding Park. Malton worked as a nice spot more or less half way between the two.

When we got there, it was just SO lovely! It was so much bigger than I thought it would be, and the lavender was just BEAUTIFUL. There was so much of the stuff, and as you can probably imagine, the smell was amazing!

Chloe and Ellis were absolute naturals in front of the camera. They were such a pleasure to photograph and it was so nice to chat to them and find out all about their plans for the wedding day! Chloe had on the most beautiful summer dress, and Ellis looked very dapper in his blue shirt. Even though the shoot was on the hottest day ever, they absolutely smashed it and didn’t even break a sweat! I’m not sure I can say the same for myself however!!

I’m so excited to photograph these two again in March when they celebrate their wedding at Rudding Park in Harrogate. I have a sneaky suspicion that lavender is going to be a bit of a feature in the wedding as well… Well, not so much a suspicion, more that Chloe told me herself!!

Thank you guys for such an awesome shoot! Same time next year?

Lily North Photography | Harrogate wedding photographer

This engagement shoot was an absolute dream come true! I have wanted to do a shoot at the seaside for god knows how long! The biggest thank you to Zoe & Ben for making it a reality!

We had originally planned to do the shoot back in March but, you know, pandemic and all that jazz. I was so gutted at the time, but my goodness it was worth the wait!

I met Zoe & Ben in Whitby, and we were so lucky with the weather! We decided to meet later in the day, and so luckily by then, most of the crowds had gone home.

Whitby wasn’t short of beautiful little spots where we could take photos. So many cute little doorways, narrow streets and beach huts. We spent an hour or so exploring the town, and even on busier streets, Zoe & Ben were just absolute naturals in front of the camera! It was like they were the only people in Whitby in their own little moment! They have so much chemistry it’s insane. And SO beautiful to photograph.

We decided it would be best to leave the beach photos until the very end, so that the sun was nice and low in the sky. I am SO glad we did! We were treated to the most beautiful golden hour, and the most glorious sunset.

Big shoutout to these guys for humouring me because the stuff I had them doing was just hilarious. They must have run up and down the beach about 15 times so I could get ‘the shot’. We then got in the sea to paddle, and got SOAKED by an enormous wave! Thank you Zoe & Ben for putting up with my nonsense because I bloody love the photos!

Just as we were heading for home, I looked at my watch and realised we’d been shooting for almost 2 hours! I couldn’t BELIEVE how quickly it had gone! We said our goodbyes and I headed back to Harrogate.

Zoe & Ben are celebrating their wedding at the end of September and I for one can’t wait. I hope Boris is kind to us so they can have the wedding of their dreams. Can’t wait to celebrate with these guys 🙂

Forehead kisses in Harewood..

 

It’s currently quarter to midnight as I’m writing this. You can probably tell I’m a little bit excited as I’ve just finished editing Rebecca & Mark’s engagement shoot!

I just wanted to start by saying the biggest thank you to Rebecca and Mark. It’s been such a weird time not photographing actual humans for the past 4 months. You guys were just the best. I really could’ve spent the whole evening with you guys. You are such an amazing couple, and you’ve reminded me why I love doing what I do. So thank you.

Today should’ve been Rebecca and Mark’s wedding day. I’m just absolutely gutted for them that they can’t celebrate with their nearest and dearest today. I for one will be counting down the days until the new wedding date in April. I know it’s going to be the most amazing wedding day, and I can’t wait to be part of the celebrations at the Crab and Lobster!

Anyway!

Back to this beautiful engagement shoot, and what a perfect way to commemorate their ‘would be wedding day’. I met these guys in the beautiful village of Harewood, just on the outskirts of Harrogate. Rebecca had suggested this walk and, even though it’s somewhere I’ve driven past about a million times, it was my first time here!

From the second we got onto the path, the views over Harewood were absolutely incredible. And Rebecca and Mark weren’t too bad on the eyes either. Hehe!

Even though they won’t admit it, they were absolute naturals to photograph. I even asked Mark what was the cringiest thing I could make them do, and apparently it was forehead kisses!! (Top tip – don’t tell your wedding photographer what you find cringey because she’ll just make you do it anyway – haha!)

So after lots of forehead kisses, piggy backs, running around and cute cuddles, we made our way home.

If their engagement shoot is anything to go by, I absolutely can’t wait for the wedding day.

Rebecca and Mark – I hope you both have the loveliest ‘would be wedding day’. You totally deserve it. I’m sure the lovely staff at the Crab & Lobster will treat you as royalty for the day. Make sure you storm in and say ‘do you know who we are’?! Enormous love to you both 🙂

Freezing our bums off in Durham..

 

Throwing it back to this gorgeous engagement shoot! Back when one could go to Durham without anyone batting an eyelid, and I could give my beautiful couples big hugs. But hey. That’s life!

Back in February, I met Sophie & Sam up in Durham for their pre wedding photoshoot. These guys both grew up in the area, so it really was the perfect spot to do the shoot. I absolutely LOVE Durham. I was vaguely familiar with the city as my best pal went to uni there. When I say vaguely familiar, I mean I knew where the river was. And I could tell you where the worst nightclub in Europe is! All the essentials eh?!

I met these guys at the cathedral, and oh my GOODNESS it was so cold. I remember struggling to even hold my camera! During the shoot there was glorious sunshine, rain and I’m pretty sure we had some snow as well. Nonetheless, Sophie & Sam were amazing and looked totally effortless in front of the camera. Despite the crappy British weather.

We did a big loop of the city, stopping at cute little doorways and views of the cathedral along the way.

Sophie & Sam were due to get married at the beautiful Hornington Manor this month, and sadly due to this bloody virus they’ve had to postpone. I’m absolutely gutted for them. I’m so glad we were able to do their pre wedding photos before things got crazy though! It’s been so lovely to go back through the pictures and choose my favourites from what was such an awesome day 🙂

A beautiful wedding at Bunny Hill..

 

We were unbelievably lucky that these guys were able to celebrate their wedding day just before lockdown.

I first met Rob & Sue last year, and when they told me they were getting married at Bunny Hill Weddings I was so excited! It’s a venue I’ve been so keen to shoot at for such a long time. Even though it’s quite a journey from Harrogate, it was SO worth the wait!

Fern (my wonderful second photographer) and I set off from Harrogate on the morning of the wedding, and met Rob & the boys at their cricket ground near Beverley. Everyone was in such high spirits, and so grateful that we were still able to celebrate the wedding.

Rob looked so dapper, as did his groomsmen. We got some awesome photos of them all strutting their stuff on the cricket ground, then headed off to meet the beautiful bride.

Sue was getting ready with her bridesmaids and her 3 gorgeous boys at their family home. She really looked beautiful. It was such a touching moment to photographer Sue getting her boys ready on the morning of the wedding. You could tell it was a really special moment for her to see her boys all grown up. They all had matching tuxedos – the same as all the groomsmen. They looked amazing!

After a quick toast to the wedding ahead of them, it was time to head off to Bunny Hill. Despite forgetting the flowers (oops!), Sue & her bridesmaids all arrived in plenty of time. All the guests were ready and waiting, and everyone was so excited for the wedding day ahead.

The ceremony at Bunny Hill was a really emotional one. Rob & Sue shed a few tears as they exchanged their vows, along with most of their guests.

Rob & Sue headed back down the aisle as husband and wife, and then it was time to party! After a whole load of fizz, we all headed outside for confetti which were definitely some of my favourite photos from the wedding. We headed to the woods nearby for some portraits of the bride and groom. On our return, the groomsmen had created a cricket bat guard of honour for the newlyweds! This was a total surprise for Rob and he had absolutely no idea what was going on!

Speaking of surprises, they didn’t end there. Just as the guests were finishing off their meals, all of a sudden the room erupted into song. They had singing waiters! If you’ve never had the pleasure of being at a wedding where there are singing waiters, then I can only apologise. They are SO MUCH FUN. They get everyone up singing, swinging napkins round their heads, dancing on the tables. It really was brilliant. The perfect addition to any wedding day.

That was just the start of the party though, and shortly afterwards everyone got up onto the dancefloor.

I was so thrilled that these guys were able to celebrate their wedding back in March. Particularly at such a beautiful venue, surrounded by their nearest and dearest.

Remembering happier times..

 

Today should’ve been Hattie & Mike’s wedding day.

I thought now would be the perfect time to share some photos from their engagement shoot last summer. And to look back at happier times 🙂

For such a long time, I’ve wanted to do a photoshoot on the boats at Knaresborough. Hattie & I were chatting about where to do their engagement shoot about this time last year. We initially discussed doing it in London where these guys live. But when Hattie said that they were coming back to Yorkshire for a family party, it was the perfect opportunity to go on the boats!

Knaresborough is just a short drive away from where Hattie & I went to school in Harrogate. This was always going to be such a personal wedding for me as I’ve known Hattie for probably 12 years?! It’s been so lovely to get back in touch since we left school. And it’s been so nice getting to know Mike as well!

I met these guys at one of my favourite cafes along the river in Knaresborough. We had a really good catch up (and some biscuits of course). When I finally remembered that I was meant to be working and not just catching up with an old friend, we had a little wander around the tiny streets. Knaresborough is full of so many little nooks and crannies. It really is one of my favourite places in Yorkshire for engagement shoots.

We then hired out one of the rowing boats and hopped in (camera equipment and all!). Hattie & Mike were in charge of rowing, and despite ending up in a few tree branches, overall they did a pretty decent job!

We went up and down the river a little, then I hopped out and got some shots of the two of them with that stunning view of the Knaresborough viaduct in the background.

I absolutely loved this shoot, and it was so nice hanging out with these guys for a couple of hours.

Today should’ve been their wedding day at Wharfedale Grange near Harrogate. I feel so sad that they haven’t been able to celebrate with all their friends and family today, but let’s not dwell on the bad stuff. Hattie & Mike will be tying the knot in September instead, and I for one can’t wait 🙂