GRAYS COURT WEDDING
Photography for Claire & Staffy
It’s a little while since I’ve had the opportunity to photograph a Grays Court wedding so I was really looking forward to Claire and Staffy’s big day. I’ve been there lots with my commercial photography hat on recently as I’ve been undertaking lots of interiors photography for the hotel’s website. It’s also one of my favourite York locations for business portraits and photography workshops so I’m regular face there! If you haven’t had the privilege of visiting Grays Court it really is worth popping in for a coffee or even better lunch or afternoon tea. It is full to the brim of history and original features which have been cleverly complimented with more contemporary touches. A quick nosy round the website will give you a feel for the vibe of the place.
So – back to weddings! Claire & Staffy’s wedding day was another great example of a small wedding in action. They commissioned me for 3.5 hours to cover the ceremony through to the end of the speeches which were held just before the wedding breakfast was served. This kind of coverage is becoming really popular with couples. It ensures that all of the key elements of the day are covered without the associated price tag of a full day of photography.
Claire and Staffy had chosen to have an outdoor ceremony in the beautiful gardens. It was a little touch and go with the weather but the wonderful wedding co-ordinator Rhiannon made an executive decision to go for it. It was a great decision as the weather chose to be kind. It was lovely light for photographs too as there was some really good cloud coverage. I think the photographer is one of the few people who do a little dance when cloudy skies are on the cards at a wedding. Sunshine is of course wonderful but you can’t beat the flattering even light created by clouds!
Claire looked so cool in her fab green dress which went so well with her purple hair – a special shade just for the wedding! It was really great to be snapping a different colour to white for a change!
After the ceremony, drinks were served in the gardens. Background music was provided with string quartet versions of rock and metal classics. Iron Maiden’s ‘Take your daughter to the slaughter’ sounded ace!
We spent a bit of time towards the end of the reception for some relaxed portraits of the happy couple. The courtyard at the front of the building is so lovely and made a really good contrast to the very green gardens.
Huge congratulations again to you both xxx
Do pop over to my website if you’d like to find out more about my documentary wedding photography. It’s also known as reportage photography. In a nutshell, it’s all about telling the story of your day as naturally as possible. No bossing, shouting or photographer egos in sight !!
OLIVIA BRABBS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY