A riot of colour and mountains of paper confetti for a spring wedding at The Sun Pavilion Harrogate.

Sun Pavilion Wedding Photography. Rachel Lee had a fun and colour-filled wedding in May, at the Sun Pavilion in the Harrogate Valley Gardens.

Getting ready.

I spent my morning with Rachel and the girls at her and Lee’s house in Leeds where they were all getting ready. They arrived back from the hairdressers just as I was getting there, and then Rachel and the girls did their own makeup. The lovely Simon Manning Videographer was there with us too. It was lovely to work with him again; he has such a calming presence and is lots of fun to work with.

Once makeup was done Rachel gave some gifts out to her bridesmaids and little niece who was their flower girl – there were a few tears shed over the handwritten cards that she gave them! Then it was time for Rachel to get dressed with the help of her sister, and we brought her downstairs to see her dad who was waiting for the final result. These were some of my favourite dad reactions of the year!

Ceremony.

It was time to head to the Sun Pavilion then, to see Lee and the guys donning button holes and greeting their guests as they started to arrive. One of the things I love about the Sun Pavilion is that you can have an outdoor ceremony which is still undercover, so you can do it in any weathers which is definitely needed in this country! This was my first time working with Hannah from Elder and Iris and she immediately became one of my favourite florists to work with! She’d created some beautiful floral arrangements for the top of the aisle and I absolutely adored Rachel’s bouquet full of beautiful flowers in so many textures and vibrant colours.

Guests were soon seated so it was time for me to take my place at the top of the aisle and for us to wait for Rachel to make her entrance. It was a lovely ceremony and I always enjoy trying to catch shots of the bride and groom’s friends and family behind them watching them say their vows. Rachel and Lee sealed the deal with a kiss and then it was back up the aisle where they had a few moments alone together whilst we organised some confetti.

Reception.

They had really taken my “there’s no such thing as too much confetti” statement to heart, and tested it to its limits! They had loads and loads of paper confetti in so many different colours, and they were absolutely covered by the time they walked between all of their friends and family. We let them have some time with their guests then, to grab a drink and say some hellos, before whisking them off to the Japanese Garden in the Valley Gardens for some really relaxed shots of the two of them. I particularly love the little bridge in those gardens, and that there’s always something green no matter the season. We then rejoined the guests on the terrace at the Sun Pavilion, and after a few group photos with family and bridal party we left Rachel & Lee to enjoy the rest of their drinks section. I got some shots of the Sun Pavilion set up for the wedding breakfast with more amazing florals by Elder and Iris, and I especially loved the ones around the wedding cake (and the giraffe toppers on top!).

Speeches.

Once people were seated the speeches started with Lee saying a few words, followed by Rachel’s dad and then their best man. Then it was time for the food! Simon and I went to grab some food ourselves and waited for the party. Before the cake cutting and first dance we managed to get Rach & Lee back out down the walkway at the Sun Pavilion for some more shots of the two of them. It wasn’t a sunny day so there was no golden hour sunlight, but this can still be a lovely time for a few more bride and groom pictures because everything is so much more relaxed and you’re not so aware of having to get back before your drink reception finishes.

Party.

Before long it was time to cut the cake and dance the first dance. I love a first dance at the Sun Pavilion because of the amazing art deco glass ceiling over the dance floor. The party kicked off then with the DJ getting everybody involved in a bit of Saturday Night and Macarena – they always gets people dancing. Or a certain generation of people anyway! That was the end of my night so I left everybody too dance the night away.

Below you can see some of my favourite photos from Rachel & Lee’s Sun Pavilion wedding. Please do contact me if you’re planning your wedding here as I’d love to hear more!

Suppliers:

Venue: Sun Pavilion

Videographer: Simon Manning

Florist: Elder & Iris

Dress: Vivabride from Wed2be

Venue styling: Elder & Iris and Laura Lindsey Weddings

Hair: Headhouse Horsforth

Cake: Kenworthy Cakes