DIY, Tepee wedding Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
I headed to Holmfirth to photograph Jacqui and Chris's wedding a few weeks ago. It's no secret, but I love a good DIY wedding; they are my favourites, so when I was asked to photograph the wedding, I was really happy. Having a tepee wedding in Yorkshire, particularly Holmfirth, was always going to be a risk, as the weather can sometimes be a little harsh. I prayed for nice weather, but the weather gods weren't on our side.
Church wedding
Church weddings can always be hit-and-miss from a photography perspective. Let's say some vicars aren't the friendliest when it comes to photographers; this was no exception. Jacqui and Chris got married St John's church in Holmfirth. Chris had already warned me that the vicar would probably be a little funny about pictures, and I knew the bride and groom were very chilled out about the pictures. I was told that I could only photograph from the back of the church, so that was that; the vicar also had two people watching me to make sure I stuck to the rules. Hey ho, it's not about me but I thought I would get that off my chest. The ceremony was lovely. After the ceremony, we headed outside, and the heavens opened.
Rain doesn't stop play
After the ceremony, all of the guests came out and tried to shelter themselves from the rain. Some lucky people had transport to drive up the hill to the tepee, and some of us had to hike up the steep hill. I love the rain, and I also love photographing people, so I was in my element. It was such a shame that the weather was so poor because there were loads of games and vendors outside the tepee, but a bit of rain doesn't stop us Yorkshire/Lancashire folk.
DIY wedding fun
When I arrived from my expedition up the hill, everything was in full swing, and the fabulous Mustard County Band was entertaining the guests. This was a DIY wedding, and I would have hated seeing any wasted. Despite the weather, the atmosphere was fantastic. People who have DIY tepee weddings are people who aren't worried about a bit of rain, and I'm the same. Everyone was having a fabulous time; the bride and groom were the type of people who didn't want cheesy pictures, so I just did my thing.
I was only supposed to be there for four hours but I ended up staying for about six. After the great speeches, the brilliant Imogen-Paige did her thing, and she was amazing. I've seen many acoustic solo artists, but I was very impressed with Imogen-Paige. The day was terrific; despite the weather, everyone partied.
Congratulations Jacqui and Chris.
