Mark Crayden Photography

Wentworth woodhouse

I absolutely love photographing weddings at venues that I‘ve never shot at before, so when Ben & Rebecca booked me for their wedding at the magnificent Wentworth Woodhouse I must admit, I got a little giddy. Wentworth Woodhouse is without a shadow of a doubt one of the grandest Georgian country houses in England. This spectacular Grade I building is said to have the longest facade of any country home in Europe (it’s over 600 feet in length!) and its striking architectural features have been used as the backdrop for a number of films and TV shows including award-winning Darkest Hour, ITV’s Victoria, and the BBC’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

Enough about the building, on to the couple! Ben & Rebecca are such a laid back couple, and their wedding day reflected this in every way. My morning, as with most of my weddings, started with the bridal preparations. Rebecca and her bridesmaids were in the capable hands of the experienced makeup artist Zoe Peplow and the creative hairdressers of Edit salon.

The wedding day

Soon it was time for me to grab my camera bag and head out to meet Ben and his merry men at the local watering hole, the George & Dragon. A few swift pints later, and a tricky buttonhole or two to attach, it was time to set off for the short walk to the Holy Trinity Church.

The church ceremony

The church ceremony was just beautiful. Rebecca’s dad became very emotional when walking his daughter up the aisle (I love capturing moments like these, I’m a big softie) as he was overcome with emotion and shed a tear or two. Rebecca’s mum was on hand though as when he passed her she held out a tissue for him to use. With the ceremony coming to an end the wedding party moved outside, waiting for the newlyweds to make their appearance.

Hugs, smiles, and laughter were in abundance as everyone congratulated this lovely, beaming pair!  Before long all the guests were heading back to Wentworth Woodhouse in a big vintage red London bus… perfect!

With the formal shots quickly and effectively done, I headed out with Ben & Rebecca to photograph their portrait session. 15- 20 minutes later I had them both back with their guests enjoying the remainder of their day.

The evening reception of this wedding was epic! There was no doubt that these guests had come to party hard (you know this when guests start taking their ties off and wrapping them around their heads) and I was more than happy to get stuck in on the dance floor and capture the groovy moves unfolding before me.

Mark Crayden Photography

Getting married in 2021? Hit my contact page here, to check my availability.

Cheers everyone!…