Cressbrook Hall Real Wedding

We feature the lovely wedding of Charlie and Andrew who got married in the Peak District at Cressbrook Hall. Their day was captured by J S Coates Wedding Photography.

Do tell us about the couple

Charlie & Andrew really were two in a million! Both down to earth people that knew how to throw a great wedding. It was so clear these guys adored each other and the coming together of their two families was so nice to witness & capture for them. Charlie pretty much smiled the whole day and I’m sure her cheeks would have ached by the time the celebrations came to an end.

About the day and how it went.

The day seemed very relaxed and was extremely fun to photograph. Cressbrook Hall was the perfect setting for these guys as it is in the heart of the Peak District, which they informed me was a place they often came walking together. The weather was spot on which allowed for an outdoor ceremony & the inside of the venue was dressed up beautifully for the reception. Charlie obviously had a thing for balloons as the main room was full of them (in a cool way) and the Orangery housed a selection of classic arcade machines, which was a surprise for Andrew from his bride to be.

Do tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m based in the Midlands but capture weddings all over the UK. I’m a full time wedding photographer and love it so much. As I want to tell the whole story of your day, I don’t put time limits of my coverage and like to get to weddings early and stay late to capture most of the evening party. Creating images that will be treasured forever is truly a special way to make a living and making new friends at every wedding is pretty cool too.
 Outside of weddings, I’m a massive music fan, film nut and love sharing all this with my wife & two little boys.

How would you describe your photography style?

Natural storytelling images fused with beautiful and often epic portraits. That sounds a little cheesy I know, but basically I capture the day as it unfolds with no forced smiles or posing events. That’s basically how I approach 95% of the day and then I like to top it off with some killer portraits. I think the natural images are the real heart of a wedding and when you throw in some cool portraits, it makes it complete.

What did you love about the day?

The whole day was just a joy to photograph. The morning preparations were so fun and as the couple got ready in adjacent cottages, I got to spend time with them both which is pretty unique. The outdoor ceremony was lovely and can be rare with the great British weather. We got to do a portrait run a short drive away from the venue in the middle of the Peaks which made for some cracking images. The bride & groom, their family & their friends really made the day special and made me feel like one of their own.

What advice would you give to couples planning their wedding day?

Do it your way and love it all.
 From the view of picking a photographer…Just make sure you find someone you click with if the pictures are a big part of your day. Call them, Skype them, meet for a coffee and make sure they are right for you. We spend the whole day around you and you want to feel comfortable and have fun too.

From the Bride, Charlie

When it comes to booking anything for your wedding day you are worried; you want it to be right, you want it to be perfect. You spend hours researching, creating Pintrest boards, reading, searching, hoping… Well you should do. You’re meant to. I didn’t. Not with the photographer, with the flowers, make up, venue… I tripped and landed on my feet.

But with all the other elements, they are the day, but the photographer captures the day. Forever. And they are with you throughout the day, so you’d better get on with them otherwise it’ll be…uncomfortable. And you don’t want anything uncomfortable on your wedding day. I didn’t appreciate this; how important it is to get on with them. The photographer is there for every special moment of the day, from the nerves to the utter joy. And we could not have had someone with us to better capturing all that than Jonathan.

I can’t remember how I found him, but as soon as I saw his work I got in touch with him. Over the course of a couple of emails and texts, mainly just to confirm he could fit us in, he was booked. Approachable, unpretentious and blummen good at taking pictures, what else could we want?

We had a Skype call a couple of weeks before the wedding and chatted through what we did and didn’t want, and the details of the day which was very reassuring. And on the day, we could not have been happier. Andy and I had the usual apprehension and excitement on our wedding day, as did our families and my bridesmaids. And you would have thought that having a photographer in out midst, a stranger, would have further heightened that apprehension. Nope. Not Jonathan. He became a defacto member of the family; reassuring, kind, and willing to share in the love and laughter of our day.

As for results, the pictures themselves? We couldn’t be happier. When we watched the slideshow we were blown away with how perfectly Jonathan had captured each and every part of the best day of our lives.

You can also find out more about Jonathan and view his latest work on his website at jscoates.com.