I can’t believe another year has been and gone!  The saying ‘time flies when you are having fun’ could not be more true….as I had a hugely fun and successful year in 2011.  It has been a real privilege to attend some amazing weddings during 2011.  I have met some amazing people, photographed at some beautiful venues around West Yorkshire and the UK….I had an absolute blast during 2011!  I would like to say a massive thank you to all my couples who put their trust in me in 2011, I really do appreciate being part of their special day.

Looking forward to 2012 its going to be an amazing year also.   I have some stunning weddings to look forward to in 2012, I am so excited!  So as we say goodbye and thank you to 2011 please join me in saying hello to 2012 and all the joy, fun and promise it holds for the future.

As always an end of year blog post needs a few images.  I have selected some of my favourite photo’s taken in 2011…..I hope you like them as much as I do!

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

It was a month ago that I shot Heather and Marc’s pre-wedding shoot.  That month has flown by…..Heather and Marc’s big day was upon us.  I was joined by friend and fellow photographer Dafydd Hughes.  My day started at Heather parents to capture the preparations taking place.  It was then a short trip to Kirk Deighton church where the ceremony took place and a lovely church it was too.  We then headed off to the Bridge Inn in Wetherby where the reception was held.  My sat nav decided to pack up so I quickly followed Heather and Marc back to the Bridge Inn…..thanks for letting me follow you Heather and Marc!

The rain held off at the right time and the day ran without a flaw.  It was a cracking day and I am grateful to Heather and Marc for choosing me to be their wedding photographer, I do love my job!

A few images from the day……

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Wakefield Wedding Venue Leeds wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Wetherby Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

Saturday morning I met up with Heather and Marc for their pre-wedding shoot.  I am shooting their wedding next month at The Bridge in Wetherby and set to be a great day.  We met at Yorkshire Sculpture Park which is a great location for photography.  Heather and Marc were totally chilled in front of the camera….along with Tilly (their dog), who wouldn’t settle down for a good photo

A few images from the morning….

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Leeds wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

Yesterday I visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield for the wedding of Heather and James (also known as Jimmy!)  I have been working with Heather and James recently on preperations for their wedding photography.  Heather and James are from Manchester but they held their wedding at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (also known as YSP) as it holds some sweet memories for them in their University years….cute   I must say a special thank you to the staff at Yorkshire Scultpure Park who did a great job and really looked after us.

My day started of with Heather covering the bridal preparations followed by a dash to a very wet YSP.  It did rain most of the day but we managed to get a few breaks to get some shots with heather and James….I am grateful that they braved a few showers to get some shots!  The day ran without a hitch and everyone enjoyed the day.  I am grateful Heather and James chose me for their wedding photography as I had a great time and honoured to part of their special day.

A few images from the day…..

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Wakefield Wedding Venue Leeds wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

Yesterday I visited Heath in Wakefield for the wedding of Lyn and Andy, you may have noticed that I did their pre-wedding shoot at heath a few weeks back.  I started out at Lyn’s parents to capture Lyn getting ready along with her bridesmaids.  A quick trip to Kirkthorpe church for the ceremony, which has to be one of the darkest churches I have photographed in!  Then Back to Lyn’s parents for the reception which was held in a stunning Marquee in the back garden.  As always with the weather there was the chance of rain but as requested it held off.  The day went fantastically well and everyone enjoyed the day.  Lyn and Andy had kept a secret from the guests as they had a Meatloaf tribute act arranged for the reception….he was awesome….a great end to the evening!  I thank Lyn and Andy for allowing me to be part of the their special day.

A few images from the day……

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Leeds wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

Saturday saw me 2nd shoot with Simon Revill at a Hassop Hall wedding.  I started off at the lovely Bakewell Church for the ceremony.  After the ceremony we zipped off to the stunning Hassop Hall for the reception.  We did have torrential rain but it manged to hold off at the most convenient times!  The day was perfect, the Bride and Groom and all included had a great day.   One thing I thought I had better mention Rebecca and the girls had planned a surprise dance for the groom to the song it’s raining men….it was hilarious!

A few images from the day….

Insert the song ‘It’s raining Men’ here

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Derbyshire Wedding Photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

Saturday saw me visit Lyn and Andy at Heath, near Wakefield for their pre-wedding shoot.  I am due to shoot Lyn and Andy’s wedding in a few weeks at Kirkthorpe church followed by the reception in a Marquee.  We started off at Kirkthorpe church then went to Heath to find some suitable portrait locations.   Lyn and Andy are a very relaxed couple who look great together in front of the camera.   Heath is a gorgeous place to visit and I am really looking forward to Lyn and Andy’s wedding!

A few images from the afternoon…

A wet start to the day on Saturday, which saw me meet up with  Simon Revill and 2nd shoot at Hassop Hall in Derbyshire.  I went to see the chilled groom and family who were a very welcoming and lovely family.  After some ‘fun’ groom party shots I went to Hassop Hall to get some shots of the lovely bride.  I think Deborah has to win the award for the most smiles ever in a wedding day….she was an extremely happy bride, well it was her wedding day!  The weather played a big part in the wedding day with the forecasters getting it wrong again, rain was forecast all day, only to stop promptly after the ceremony.  One of the highlights of the day was the band that George hired called Clann An Drumma who sounded amazing. They are a Scottish band that focuses on tribal music, their website can be found here.

This was my first trip to Hassop Hall, it is a stunning venue, the staff were great and it is a location perfectly suited for wedding photography.  I thoroughly enjoyed my day at Hassop Hall which ran without a hitch, I wish the happy couple all the best for their future.

As always a few pictures from the day……

I asked why the red and green socks and apparently there is a link to sailing here, I think they look great

Does Baywatch spring to mind ?

Not sure why George chose a pink brolly…but it works

This band was amazing….they sounded and looked fantastic. Their website can be found here.

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Leeds wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Derbyshire Wedding Photographer, West Yorkshire wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk

A bit late in posting this but I won 2 awards from Drama Free Photography for June, both were Bronze awards.  As a photographer it is always pleasing to get recognition from such distinguished photographers and I am grateful to the competiton judges at Drama Free Photography.  The images in question are from two recent weddings, Clare and Nigel in Melbourne, Derbyshire and Nikki and Dale at Harewood House in Leeds.

You maybe asking who or what is Drama Free Photography ?  The forums at Drama Free Photography are for professional photographers only, they have members from all over the world and some of them are the best in the photography industry.  There are members of the Drama Free Photography forum that have society memberships with ISPWP – The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers,  MPA – The Master Photographers Association,  AG|WPJA The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association, an extremely high calibre group of professional photographers!!

Today saw me at the lovely Cragwood Country House Hotel, right on the edge of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, Cumbria for the wedding of Catherine and Andy.  It was a month ago that I did the pre-wedding shoot and time has certainly flown.  The morning got off to a wet and dreary start, it looked like this was going to be the pattern for the day but the rain held off!!

My day started with Catherine and her ‘giggling’ bridesmaids (as they laughed a lot!), covering the bridal preparations.  We then went to the wedding ceremony which was held in a cute little gazebo on the grounds at Cragwood Country House Hotel.  The day ran flawlessly, Catherine and Andy looked stunning and we even managed to fit in a fun boat trip on Lake Windermere.  It goes without saying that  great day was had by all, Catherine and Andy are an amazing couple who I enjoyed spending my day with.  I wish Catherine and Andy all the best for the future and thank them for allowing me to be part of their special day.

As always a few images….

The gigglers!

I somehow managed to get Catherine and Andy to do their Titanic impression….no icebergs were harmed in the making of this picture

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Lake Windermere Wedding photographer, Leeds wedding photographer,

Lake District wedding Photographer, Cumbria wedding photographer www.paulalexander.co.uk