Wyresdale Park Summer Wedding – Emily & David

Emily and David’s wedding at Wyresdale Wedding Park was a proper summer celebration. Sunshine, family and friends, a beautiful Lancashire setting and a party that carried on long into the night.

The day started with Emily getting ready in the North Wing of the manor house, surrounded by her friends and family. Her hair and make-up were taken care of by LOFT Beauty, who are based right there at Wyresdale Park — which makes wedding morning preparations just that little bit easier.

Meanwhile, David and his mates were getting ready over in the lodge. The lodge is a lovely timber-clad cabin tucked away in the woods, giving the boys their own little base for the morning. A very different setting to Emily’s preparations, but equally well suited to a relaxed wedding morning.

One of the great things about Wyresdale is the on-site accommodation. Guests could arrive, check into their rooms and get settled in knowing they didn't have to worry about finding a taxi or driving home later. They were there to enjoy themselves. And enjoy themselves they did.

Emily and David were married in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by their family and friends. Once the formalities were over, everyone headed outside onto the terrace to make the most of the sunshine, with drinks and canapés flowing.

This is the bit of the day where I like to let things breathe. Everyone gets a chance to catch up, grab a drink and enjoy being together. We also worked through the family photographs, getting the important combinations done — parents, grandparents, family and friends — without turning it into an afternoon-long photo shoot.

Once the family photographs were finished, it was time for Emily and David to have a little time together. For their couple portraits, we split the session into two short trips.

First, we took a quick walk down to the lake. It’s a beautiful part of the Wyresdale grounds, and we made some lovely portraits of the two of them before heading back to their guests. No disappearing for an hour. No endless posing. Just a short walk, a great backdrop and some photographs they'll actually want to put on the wall.

Later, as the sun started to drop, we headed out again for a second, much shorter portrait session in the little courtyard near the stables. And the light was ridiculous. That warm evening light gave the photographs a completely different feel from the earlier lake portraits, and it was well worth sneaking away for another few minutes.

Back with the guests, it was time to get the evening celebrations underway.

The brilliant Loxley band kicked things off and very quickly had everyone dancing. Then Emily disappeared for an outfit change and came back ready for round two. From there, the dance floor was the place to be. With everyone staying on-site, there was no need to keep an eye on the clock or worry about getting home. They could properly settle into the party and dance the night away. And that's exactly what they did.

Emily and David’s wedding had everything I love about a relaxed summer wedding — great people, a beautiful setting, plenty of time to enjoy being together and photographs that fit around the day rather than taking it over.

A quick walk to the lake, a few minutes in some gorgeous evening light, and then straight back to the party.

That's my kind of wedding photography.