Castle Howard Wedding Photography | Nicola & Greg

Castle Howard wedding photography. I don’t even know where to begin with this one! Castle Howard is one of the most amazing buildings I have ever seen, and photographing a wedding here was on the top of my bucket list from very early on! When Nicola first emailed me to enquire about photography I thought I must be dreaming! We met properly for the first time at their engagement shoot in the spring, where we picked out some favourite spots in the grounds for the wedding, and used a few that we were confident we wouldn’t reach on the big day!

I met up with Nicola and her family and bridesmaids in the centre of York on a rather damp July morning (thank you British summertime!). I was very excited to be working my favourite make up artist and hair stylist Lauren Sally – the woman is a genius and brides-to-be reading this you should book her immediately! I was also absolutely in love with Nicola’s bespoke blush pink gown by Jessica Bennett, just incredible and perfect for the venue! We were also joined by the boys from Papertwin Weddings who were filming the day, and who were a blast to work with – I would totally recommend them to anyone looking for a videographer.

I had a second photographer along with me for the day again, this time the legend that is Tim Dunk, and full credit to him for a lot of these photos. He joined the boys at a pub near Castle Howard for a few drinks and last minute speech adjustments, and then followed them to Castle Howard for finishing touches and in time to see guests arriving in their droves! Once Nicola was gowned up I legged it back through York in the drizzle (the car parks are near, nothing!!) and whizzed up the A64 to join Tim and the boys.

The ceremony itself, and in fact the whole day, was so well organised thanks to Jane Nordli, bridesmaids knew where to be and how fast to walk, confetti was handed out and thrown on cue, and I can’t believe how quickly she managed to usher in 200 guests to sit down for the wedding breakfast! The skies stayed grey but the rain held off so everyone was able to enjoy drinks out in the gardens, and I managed to steal Nicola and Greg for some beautiful portraits in front of the insane backdrop that is Castle Howard! After a few relaxed family photos I dashed inside to photograph the Long Gallery all set up for the wedding breakfast (love the peach walls!). Make sure to check out the gorgeous centrepieces by Kymm at Queens Flowers (as well as the beautiful bouquets and buttonholes). The colour palette of creams, peaches and soft blush pinks was perfection.

Then everyone headed in for the wedding breakfast, and Tim and I left them in peace for a couple of hours! We made a reappearance for the speeches and then it was straight into the evening reception and of course the first dance. Nicola changed into another amazing gown for the evening, which allowed her a bit more movement on the dance floor! Some serious shapes were thrown at this party – I love it when a dance floor gets crowded! We managed a couple of evening portraits with the happy couple and then left them all to bust a move!

Here are my favourites from the day x