It was an absolute pleasure photographing Jo and Rob’s wedding day; the couple got married at Oaklands Hotel, which is close to Laceby in Lincolnshire. It was refreshing to photograph another wedding at Oaklands Hotel and having a wedding at this venue is always a great experience. The massive grounds that the hotel is located in always allows for stunning photographs of the bride and groom and their guests.
To break from tradition, Rob had a “Best Woman” instead of a best man and, as it’s becoming more and more common to photograph the groom getting ready, I made a quick visit to the best woman’s house to capture Rob and his friends prepping themselves for the big day ahead.
It was then onto Jo’s parents’ house in Louth for the bridal preparations. I always enjoy photographing the bridal prep as it gives me a chance to get to know the bridal party better. The conversations I also get to listen in on can be hilarious!
The ceremony took place at Louth Methodist Church (the Vicar there is a long time friend of Jo’s family, so it made perfect sense to have the ceremony there). I caught up with Rob waiting nervously inside the church for Jo to arrive and the ceremony to begin. They had some epic music to walk in and out to – classic film themes like Jurassic Park and Back To The Future!
The reception was a lot of fun, the room had been decked out beautifully and each table was the name of a classic film! This was a spring wedding which was a bonus as all the trees in the gardens had started blossoming and the sun shone for most of the day and it helped make the photographs nice and bold. After I was lucky enough to be fed a three course wedding breakfast, it was time for the speeches. Speeches are always challenging to photograph – how can you photograph words? Instead, as a wedding photographer, I have to capture the reactions and the emotions and tell the story with my pictures.
Once the evening got going, the dance floor was pretty much full for the duration – their guests certainly knew how to party – a perfect end to a perfect day. All in all I had a blast at Jo and Rob’s wedding and I thoroughly enjoyed telling their story.
Here’s a selection of my favourite photos from Jo & Rob’s Oaklands Hotel Wedding.