This was the marriage of the lovely Nikki & Mark.

I had been looking forward to this wedding as not only did I like the couple and had developed a good relationship with them but also the chance to cover a wedding at the fabulous Dewsbury Minster and then at Hotel St.Pierre and the Newmillerdam lake.

Unfortunately the weather forecast on the previous day was dreaded rain which always makes things interesting...

I had to travel past the Minster on my journey to the hotel and in the rain it certainly didn't look very welcoming, but we would cross that bridge later!

As any wedding photographer will tell you the bridal preparation photos attained can depend so much on the hotel room, the bride and others in the room, e.g. hair & makeup artists, bridesmaids, mothers, brides and children.

Add to this a lack of space and tungsten rubbish lighting and things start to get a bit tougher!

In addition to the Bridal Prep I was covering the grooms preparations and the groom was on another floor so I was running between the floors and rooms spending some time with both of them.

With Dewsbury Minster 20-30 minutes away then there wasn’t much that could be achieved in this time however all things considered I managed to get the shots I wanted for the storybook album that will be designed later for the couple.

From Hotel St.Pierre it was a dash to the minster with at least a 5 minute delay enroute due to someone breaking down and leaving their car in the middle of the road rather than push it to the side, very inconsiderate!

However we arrived at the amazing Dewsbury Minster in plenty of time, and I took a wander around the minster to compose my thoughts, look for any additional photo opportunities and options given the horrible weather, and to have a chat with Ken from Phase 5 Videography who was covering the wedding also.

I had worked with Ken on some previous weddings so we knew how to work around each others requirements without any fuss, embarassment or arguments as to who should stand where etc!

It was after just a few steps taken that I slipped on the treacherously slippy flagstones (covered in slimy sap from the trees – thank you Kirklees council!) and went straight backwards like a comedy sketch, only I certainly never laughed!

Luckily my two cameras were in front of me on a harness so they crashed down on my body whilst my bum elbows hands and back all hit the rain soaked floor.

Thankfully whilst now soaking, embarrassed and in a temporary daze, I got up, dried my hands and checked the cameras, phew, they were fine. So I continued my walk but this time on the grass!

Once inside a quick chat with the vicar and verger who were very helpful, and even a tour of the building showing me some additional options for photos if the weather continued to be poor.

From here it was some photos of the minster, the guests and Mark the groom, before Nikki the bride arrived soon afterwards, a few minutes early.

The service went very well and the choir was excellent and extremely moving during their rendition of amazing grace.

I almost applauded when they finished, but a), my elbow hurt from the earlier fall, and b), I didn't know how this would be taken as it’s generally not the ‘done’ thing to do in a church!

There was also a superb song from Nikki’s sister Louisa who added a twist and personalised a well known song.

The one and only annoying thing that happened during the service was after the couple were officially married, the Vicar  told them to face the congregation to pronounce them man and wife, and never encouraged them to kiss or the congregation to applaud etc, and worst of all I had no way of getting around to the congregation side to get the kiss shot!

Apart from that it all went well.

The vicar was, however, very accommodating and relaxed regarding photos during the signing of the register, so that made a refreshing change.

Its always a photographers nightmare trying to accommodate the bad weather when it happens and even with an ‘a’, ‘b’ and 'c' plan it still depends entirely on the attitude and willingness of the couple, the guests and the venue of course.

The vicar was again very relaxed about us staying inside to do the photos which was a blessing, so we used the time to the maximum by doing some photos on the stairway, cafe, and also sneaking the bride and groom out onto a ledge to look out onto their guests to provide a one off photo that I'm not sure the vicar will ever authorise again!

After all the photos the one main one still to be achieved was the confetti shot which the bride really wanted, however trying to persuade the guests to go outside in the drizzle for a quick photo wasn’t the easiest of tasks!

(I still love seeing this photo and Marks reaction to the confetti which he says went in his mouth!)

Once this was done it was into the car and off to Hotel St.Pierre at Newmillerdam, Wakefield.

We were meant to be stopping off at the lake at Newmillerdam for some romantic peaceful photos of just the newlyweds however due to the torrential rain again this was decided against so it was straight to the hotel for the room/decoration photos and mock cake cutting before the meal at 3pm.

Guess what, just as they were announced into the room and sat down for the wedding breakfast the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was very tempting to quickly dash down to the lake but as I was going to be there until the 1^st dance then it was decided to continue with the meal and hope the weather stayed dry.

After the meal and speeches whilst it had intermittently poured down it had stopped momentarily so we jumped in my car and went down to the lake where we took some romantic photos whilst at the same time watching the very black clouds approach and the sound of thunder get louder and louder!

(The rain stopped and we managed to quickly get these amazing shots of the couple who moments later were running to the car to get out the rain and avoid the lightning) 

Nikki & Mark just made it back to the car before the deluge started, though the couple of metres from the car to the hotel quickly soaked me as it came down so hard and fast!

Back inside the hotel the couple mingled with the guests whilst I took guest photos again before noticing that the ceiling had water pouring though like a waterfall! I don’t know whether there was a leak in the roof or weather someone had left a bath running but I suspect the former, though somehow the staff managed to stop the leak quite soon.  Full marks to them for this.

After a couple hours it was then 1^st dance time and some more photos capturing this wonderful moment for them to cherish in their storybook album.

Nikki & Mark.  Thank you for allowing me to be part of your big day and to capture these precious moments for you to last a lifetime.

I wish you every best wish for your future together.

Andrew Marriott

Charisma Photography Yorkshire