AN EPIC WEDDING AT KIRKSTALL ABBEY
KIRSTEN & GREG TIE THE KNOT AT KIRKSTALL ABBEY IN LEEDS
On October 7th 2023, I headed from Wakefield to Leeds to capture the beautiful wedding of Kirsten and Greg at Kirkstall Abbey, followed by a reception at Roosters Brewery in Harrogate. Here’s their wedding story…
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The wedding venue: Kirkstall Abbey & Roosters Brewery
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The lovely couple: Kirsten & Greg
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The best bit: dead easy answer this - the Nidderdale Llamas, Gary and Toby!
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The time of year: 7th October 2023
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The weather conditions: sunshine! Believe it or not, the bride was hoping for rain…
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FORGET CASTLE WEDDINGS, HOTEL WEDDINGS AND EVEN DESTINATION WEDDINGS, THIS ONE IS ALL ABOUT THE ABBEY, KIRKSTALL ABBEY.
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On the 7th of October 2023, I was lucky enough to head over to Kirkstall Abbey to capture the truly majestic wedding of Kirsten and Greg in this super impressive and super local (for me), wedding venue. The ceremony was in the abbey itself, in front of a huge gothic arched window, which made an absolutely spectacular backdrop for some of their wedding photos. Small win for me as a photographer too, because photographing in a ruin meant the windows had no glass in, so I had no issues like glare to deal with. If you’re looking for an indoor, outdoor style wedding with some serious visual impact, then I don’t think you can find anywhere as impressive in Leeds, as Kirkstall Abbey.
BRIDAL PREP, HANK THE CAT & A WEDDING CERMON WITH A TWIST (OR TWO)...
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The Bridal prep was held at home and Kirsten was joined by her bridesmaids and her mum. It was a super relaxed morning and Kirsten did all her own makeup and I have to say, she absolutely nailed it. She looked beautiful. We did have one gentleman sneak in on the Bridal prep action though, because Hank the cat just couldn’t resist getting involved.
Once the girls were nearly ready, I headed over to a nearby pub called the Kirkstall Bridge Inn where I met the groom and his groomsmen to get some snaps of them, before the ceremony itself, over at Kirkstall Abbey. The wedding ceremony was led by the celebrant Linda, and she added in a personal story about the couple and how they met and the journey they've been on together up to this point. It was really emotional and a really lovely touch. There was a String Quartet during the ceremony as well, from the company Music 4 Hire, which created an amazing atmosphere and some amazing photo opportunities.
Now here’s the first twist in the wedding ceremony… when it came to the exchanging of the rings, there wasn't a traditional ring bearer. Instead, in a top secret wedding mission, the rings had been hidden under a random guest’s chair, with only myself and Linda in on the secret of which one. When the reveal of the rings came it was a really fun moment in the ceremony and I've definitely got some fantastic photos as a result…
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On top of that, there were shots for all the guests as well, and this had to be explained with a demonstration from the groom's Dad on how to do them. This involved putting the lid of the little shot sized bottle on your nose, whilst you then drank the shot, again it was a fantastically funny moment as these photos show…
ON TO LLAMA'S LOTS OF LAUGHTER, AMAZING SUNSHINE & GREAT PHOTOS...
After all the fun of the ceremony, the good time continued with Llamas, yes llamas. Gary and Toby were there for photos with the guests and they were so incredibly cute and friendly, and the guests and myself absolutely loved them, so much so I’m wondering whether I can get one....
Then I whisked the newlyweds away and into the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey for some gorgeous photos which the sunshine on the day helped make their finished edit turn out absolutely epicly. Even the Bride who wanted rain, believe it or not, was so pleased that the sun came out in the end when she saw how great the photos were. Just take a look at some of these…