As the year draws to a close, I couldn’t resist sharing a peek at something a little special. You see there’s more than one “wedding season” these days. The Christmas and New Year period can be really special for weddings: the secret is to embrace low light and bring your own sparkle!
Cornwall wedding photographer Hannah Timm calls this time of year twinkly light season – and I LOVE that! There’s a real magic to a winter wedding, so long as you choose your wedding photographer carefully. In Hannah’s own words:
“If you book a creative photographer who’s not scared of low light and using some creative flash you can make magical photos”
So here’s the proof, in real wedding photographs (all by Hannah). All of that wonderful sparkle, beautifully captured as memories of unforgettable winter weddings.
If you’re planning to get wed in the colder months, rather than worrying about the weather, embrace it. Hire an amazing photographer, and stunning wedding images like these could be yours!
This blog post is a collaboration with lovely Cornwall wedding photographer Hannah Timm Photography. I’m very proud to say Hannah Timm Photography is a member of English Wedding.
A gorgeous, joyful and modern wedding from Leeds city centre. I adore this: Ben’s suit to brighten up a January morning, Claire’s stunning bridal look with glasses – she’s absolutely beautiful. The city-hopping flavour of the day, with post-wedding coffee and cake before moving onto an evening reception for a tasting menu – it’s all just wonderful. The images by English Wedding member and Yorkshire wedding photographer David Lindsley take in iconic sights of the city – capturing unforgettable memories of an epic, memorable, and personality-filled wedding.
Wedding photographer’s website
Yorkshire wedding photographer David Lindsley, https://lindsleyweddings.com/
Wedding photographer review
David was amazing from start to finish! He fitted seamlessly into the background of the day and somehow always managed to be exactly where we needed him to be. We loved his documentary style of photography and looking through the photos is really like reliving the joy of the day. We’d recommend him for sure!
Your best wedding moment or memory
Our favourite thing about the wedding day was seeing so many of our family and friends all together – we had a relatively small wedding so it felt a bit like a big dinner party where everyone we love got to chat to each other too. The day felt so full of love and joy, and we remember it so fondly.
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We didn’t have a “traditional” wedding cake – we just got three cakes from Waitrose that matched in style, but it allowed us to have different flavours and stick to a low budget. They turned out really great on the day, and included homemade ceramic versions of our cats!
We got morning breakfast pastries from North Star which were phenomenal and kept us all on a sugar high for the day! They included some coffee beans to celebrate the big day which was such a nice touch.
We also had a slushie machine at the reception! It was self-serve so people could pull their own slushies. We loved the fun it added to the day.
Venue name + review
After getting married at Leeds Civic Hall, we had cocktails and cake at SALT Call’s Landing. We really liked the modern vibe and it was the perfect setting for cake and catching up with everyone. Our reception was held at Shear’s Yard in Leeds where we had a five course tasting menu. The venue has tall ceilings and beautiful lighting on a regular day, so we already loved the aesthetic before any extra decoration was added. We booked out the restaurant for the night and the food and staff were amazing. It was somewhere we’d been on dates before so it felt very special to hold our wedding day there.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Claire: I wore a Byron wedding dress from Wed2B that was pretty classic – although had been altered (by @amiesalterations) to remove some of the train length. We made pocket squares for the men out of the spare fabric! My sparkly shoes were just from Primark!
Ben: My pink suit was from Marks & Spencers! I wanted something that would be a bit different to the regular blacks and blues normally seen at weddings to brighten up our January wedding.
Florist name + review
The bouquet and the buttonholes were made by Hyde Park Flower Club by Dottie’s – we went for silk flowers in the end, and we love that we still have our wedding flowers out on the dining table! The flowers echoed the pink of Ben’s suit to tie us all together. The foliage at the venue was from Ingrid at Wow My Event Weddings, who totally elevated our venue.
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
We had custom coasters that had our names and the wedding date.
We also made cards for each of the guests, with photos of us and them together, and messages of appreciation inside. Watching everyone open their cards was really magical, and it was a nice way for us to really show our love for all of our guests.
Wedding readings?
We had two! The first was Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver, and the second was Union by Robert Fulghum. Both felt really authentic to us as a couple.
Hair + makeup name + review
The bridal hair and makeup was by Ellia at Hair and Makeup Collective. She fit right into the bridal party on the day and was really relaxed to have around, complete with enjoying our Busted/McFly heavy playlist!
It’s ok to share a Christmas wedding in May, right? We’re about to fill your screens with oodles of sparkly joy from Georgia & Sean’s romantic Christmas wedding in Kent. The lovely pair were wed in December. Their wedding was elegant and romantic with natural styling touches. This one’s been sent in by our friends at The Ferry House. All of the fabulous images are by Chris Blackledge Photography. (As always, there’ll be more of our top favourites on instagram – @englishweddingblog)
“Working with Sean & Georgia was a pleasure. They chose an elegant look with heaps of fairylights and candlelight. We balanced the soft pink table cloths and napkins with a mix of candle or floral table centres. Under the canopy of fairy lights and foliage garlands felt intimate and inviting for their guests. Finished with green votives and the cutest crackers that Georgia sourced, the final look was romantic, elegant and stylish. Setting the tone for their beautiful wedding which Chris Blackledge captured perfectly.” ~ The Ferry House
Photographer – Chris Blackledge Photography
Venue – The Ferry House
Dress – Isabella Grace Bridal in Tunbridge Wells
Suit – Hawes and Curtis
Groomsmen suits – Slaters
Hire & styling – Idyllic & Co
Hair – Bridal Hair by Suzy
Make up – Helen Lee MUA
Flowers – The Flower Company
Our wedding photographer: Chris Blackledge Photography
Chris is an amazing photographer. It was important for us to find someone that had worked at the venue before and Chris is a recommended supplier at The Ferry House. He is very friendly and was always on hand to answer any questions during the lead up to our wedding. On the day he made both Sean & I feel so at ease when being in front of a camera seemed a little daunting.
We are so happy with the photos and Chris captured the Christmas feel of our wedding perfectly. We couldn’t recommend Chris highly enough.
The venue: The Ferry House
We always knew we wanted a winter wedding, we loved the idea of combining a Christmas celebration with our special day. However, finding a venue with enough indoor space proved more difficult than we thought! I came across The Ferry House on Instagram. I loved the fact that they had three separate large indoor areas for the ceremony, drinks reception and meal/evening reception.
We fell in love with the venue on our first visit. The bar area felt so warm and inviting with the fireplaces. The barn for the ceremony is rustic and looks beautiful without having to add anything to it. The event suite was big enough to seat all our guests and provided a blank space for us to make it everything we wanted & more with the help of Sophie at Idyllic.
The staff at the Ferry House are incredible. We had a number of face-to-face meetings during the build-up and the regular communications always made sure we were on track with the planning process. On the day we had a dedicated member of staff, Maxine, who could not have done enough to make sure everything ran smoothly. The bar stuff were great, they even had a special Christmas cocktail menu which our guests loved! The food was incredible and so many people have complimented us on everything they ate throughout the day. The Ferry House is fantastic, we are so lucky that we got to have our wedding at such an amazing venue.
A special review for Idyllic & Co
We were so happy with everything you did for our wedding. The venue looked better than we ever could have imagined and we really appreciated all the hard work you put in, especially coming the day before to set everything up! It was just so lovely knowing that we didn’t need to worry about anything and we trusted that you knew the exact vibe we were wanting and you completely nailed it!
Today’s absolute joy of a wedding comes from beautiful Grasmere, in the heart of the Lake District. Mark and Dan look amazing in matching suits, the floral styling is out of this world and the photography captures the atmosphere of their day perfectly.
All images are by Lake District wedding photographer Mark Battista
I am head over heels in love with so many of Mark and Dan’s images I could have shared so many more on the blog… do head over to @englishweddingblog on instagram to see more of my favourites! Congratulations to this gorgeous pair – and huge thank yous for sharing such wonderful supplier reviews for the amazing team who brought the day to life. An absolute beauty!
Wedding photographer’s website
Lake District wedding photographer Mark Battista http://www.markbattistaphotography.co.uk
Wedding photographer review
The photos are absolutely perfect, Mark captured the whole event superbly. You really get the feel of it being a truly wonderful occasion (which it was)! We were super excited to share them with everyone. Everything on the day went perfectly, the style is just what we wanted and nothing too formal.
Your best wedding moment or memory
Undercover waiters – got everyone on their feet (some even on the tables) It was a really special moment and got the party started. They even got people on their feet who we didn’t quite expect to!
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
- We both walked down the aisle with our mothers.
- Our two dogs were the ringbearers.
- The two best women gave speeches.
- We had an evening party the day before for 55 of the guests who were staying at the venue.
Videographer name + review
Moments in White – Jayson.
Jayson captured the day in the most amazing way. (Check @momentsinwhite on instagram for the beautiful highlights reels!)
Venue name + review
Lancrigg, Grasmere (Lake District wedding venue)
What a venue and a hidden gem! Simon and Alison the owners are onto something special with this one as a wedding venue. We had a truly magical weekend and everything went the way we wished… and more. The staff were fantastic and many of our guests commented how friendly they were. No request was too much and Simon and his team were accommodating with all our requests (some quite outlandish!)
The Barn, Whiskey Bar and Main House played host to the best day of our lives and it felt so festive and homely. The Barn and Whiskey bar have been transformed into an impressive venue that provides a blank canvas to dress how you wish…. And we went to town and grateful we were allowed to do so. What a party it was!
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
We both wore: Green Tweed Suit, Beige Checked Waistcoat, Burgundy tie
Suit shop name + review
Edit Suits – great service from start to finish from Joeline and Wayne. Made, Measured and fitted to perfection.
Florist name + review
Brackens of Bowness
Kevin the florist really listened to what we wanted and adapted plans based on the season and cost. It felt like Kevin was at the venue for the entire day, flipping the ceremony displays to the table garlands for the evening and working tirelessly the day before setting up garlands for the aisle and hanging from the beams of the barn. We couldn’t have wished for anything better, the flowers and greenery really added to the look and feel of the day and we couldn’t have been happier. He transformed the venue in ways we didn’t think were possible!
Stationery maker’s name + review
Muse Calligraphy
The wedding stationery was absolutely beautiful and it was an absolute pleasure working with Muse Calligraphy. We adapted the format of the menu design with our own detail and Millie was amazing at delivering what we wanted and was happy to make last minute changes. The detail of the print and the quality of the card really added an extra special touch to the day.
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
We supplied the Christmas trees and made the garland around the barn doors. We also enhanced the table settings and seating plan with our personalised wax seal, bunny tail and feathers.
Entertainment
Undercover waiters – Live Music
Tailor and Co – Band
Catering
Karen Rhodes Wedding and Event Catering
Lauren from Karen Rhodes was exceptional on the day. The food was the showstopper of the day and everyone was so complimenting of the food and service provided (especially the poor girls serving canapés having to venture outside in the pouring rain into the house from the catering tent). The food was piping hot and delicious! Lauren really out our mind at ease around the logistics of the day and is a true asset to the business.
Our whole dealings with Karen Rhodes were without fault and Charlotte and Lucy have a business they can be really proud of.
Hair + makeup name + review
B the Bride – https://www.instagram.com/b_thebride_
I can’t really comment too much as it was the ladies who had their Hair and Make up done but everyone was really pleased and the girls looked amazing, our mothers especially. They listened to what they all wanted and executed it in the best possible way.
When I wrote about wedding trends for 2025, I hope it came across really strongly that authenticity is everything. Or, as award-winning photographers York Place Studios put it, any “spontaneous shenanigans” should absolutely be captured on camera! That’s how you’ll be able to really relive your wedding, rather than just remembering it through the images and videos captured by your wedding photography team.
Gorgeous couple Shannon and Tom got married at Botley Hill Barn at Christmas time. Their day is full of warmth and love. Their images are full of life and personality, captured by leading documentary wedding photographers York Place Studios.
If you’re new to wedding planning, I suspect social media’s showing you plenty of fabulously styled, imaginatively decorated weddings. Once you start your search for wedding photographers and videographers, you’ll begin to see more real couples and real-life weddings, and what matters most of all here is how well the life and soul of a wedding is captured.
When you’re married and settled and looking back on your wedding, the memories will fade over time.
It’s one thing to have pictures of your outfits, flowers and wedding venue. It’s entirely more precious to have photographs that capture the atmosphere throughout a wedding.
There’s the happy chaos and nervous anticipation as you both get ready.
The overwhelming love and excitement, and seriousness, of your commitment ceremony.
The relief and joy once you’re actually married, and the celebrations afterwards will all feel a certain way.
Photos which bring you right back to how that moment felt, even in twenty or fifty years time, are utterly priceless.
This is Shannon & Tom’s beautiful winter wedding at Botley Hill Barn. I hope you love the images of their day!
- If this is the first you’ve heard about documentary wedding photography, this article explains what it means.
- York Place Studio & Film offer both photography and videography for London weddings, all in a documentary style.
London wedding photographers York Place Photo & Film Studio are members of English Wedding
Web: www.yorkplacestudios.co.uk
