Thoresby Courtyard Wedding | Samantha & Ashley

Samantha and Ashley had booked me as their Nottingham wedding photographer earlier in the year shortly after they had decided that they would celebrate their special day at Thoresby Courtyard.

Samantha and Ashley met in August 2013 after signing up to Match.Com. On Match, it requires you to enter a portfolio about yourself and requirements for your next partner. Being 29 at the time Samantha had stated that she was looking a partner between the ages of 30-40 and a non smoker.
 
Ashley, who was 41,  had noticed Samantha's profile and decided to send an email saying “What’s a year between friends….” After various emails, texts and phone calls had been exchanged, they decided to meet at the Unicorn Pub in Gunthorpe, Nottingham for their first date in September 2013. The rest, as they say, is history and they have never been happier. However…………….they are still working on the non-smoker bit. I suppose you can’t have everything :)

Samantha and Ashley were joined by family and close friends from all over the UK and as far as Canada and all had a fantastic time. Special thanks to all the staff at Thoresby Courtyard for their hospitality and for making Samantha and Ashley's day so special.

 

Interview With The Bride

Wedding venue - Thoresby Courtyard

Wedding Dress - Diana Harbridge

Flowers - Floral Dreams

Grooms Suit - Greenwoods

Evening Entertainment - The Splinter Band

Wedding cake - John Lewis

How many guests – 80 in the day up to 150 in the evening

Wedding breakfast meal – Lamb with seasonal vegetables and a chocolate mousse. Pizza and fish and chips for the evening guests.

First dance song – Golden Heart by Mark Knopfler

Honeymoon – Cape Verde, Bon Vista

Proposal  – It was on Christmas day 2014. He had hidden a ring for me in a giant Ferrero Rocher, We were having a glass of Champaign in the hot tub at home to  celebrate Christmas when he gave me the chocolate. However, instead of the chocolate, a box appeared with my engagement ring inside.

If you are thinking about having me as your wedding photographer please get in touch, I would love to hear all about your wedding plans.

Here are a few of my favourites from Samantha and Ashley's wedding day.

Hassop Hall Wedding Photography | Nadia & Don

Wedding Photographer At Hassop Hall
 

I had been looking forward to Nadia & Don's wedding since I first met with them way back in the winter. I was excited for them after I heard that they were hosting a small but intimate wedding and wanted me to be their Hassop Hall wedding photographer, the hall is a grand 17th - century country house hotel located in the Derbyshire peak district and just three miles from Bakewell.
 

Bridal Preparations At Hassop Hall
 

The bridal suite at Hassop Hall makes my life as a wedding photographer a lot easier. Huge rooms with high ceilings and beautiful big windows with lots of natural light pouring in are ideal for making stunning portraits of the bride.  It was a very relaxing morning with Nadia and the girls. Nadia's makeup looked beautiful and was done by Ali Gunn. I have worked with Ali quite a few times over the years and I now recommend her to all of my brides. Her hair styling was done by James White who is an award winning hair stylist and I cant recommend him enough, he also brings a lot of humour into the bridal suite. James also has a salon in Nottingham city centre.

Hassop Hall Wedding Photography

Their wedding day was perfect in every way, we had fantastic weather, an aeroplane flyover which Don had arranged and singing waiters which were a fantastic way to keep everyone entertained during their wedding breakfast. Family and close friends travelled from all over the UK to join in the wedding celebrations with Nadia & Don. Hassop Hall is fantastic wedding venue and this certainly was a wedding to remember, and I am looking forward to photographing my next wedding at Hassop Hall.

Nadia & Don had a few days away in Mallorca after the wedding to unwind.

Here are a few of my favourites from the wedding day, enjoy!

List of suppliers

Venue - Hassop Hall
Bridal Dress - Pronovias Presea
Shoes - Rainbow
Flowers - Valerie of Dore
Make Up - Ali Gunn
Hair Stylist - James White
Evening Entertainment - Campbell Bass

What a fabulous day! Hassop Hall wedding photography by Matt Andrew

What's In My Bag

I have recently been asked on a few occasions  What's in your bag?

Its one of the most frequently asked questions if you are a photographer. The contents of your camera bag will greatly depend on your photographic style and what genre of photography you specialise in.

I mainly shoot weddings and portraits as a Nottingham wedding photographer so I need and use professional grade gear that will help me achieve the results I need.

I thought I would share with you what camera and lenses I use and why I use them.

Nikon D750  24.3 MP Full Frame Body :

At the time of purchasing the D750 was a game changer and an ideal camera body for shooting wedding photography. I didn't want to invest over £4k on the flagship Nikon D4s as I very rarely shoot over 1000 ISO and I definitely don't need 11 fps. The D750 is also a nice light body and that is important when you are shooting 10 - 12 hour days. You body will thank you for that. It has fantastic image quality, dynamic range and ISO capabilities and focuses faster than anything I have ever used. A match made in heaven.


Nikon 50mm, F/1.4G :

This has recently become one of my favourite lenses. You can shoot with this lens in most lighting situations and it produces beautiful, sharp images at all apertures

 

Nikon 85mm, F/1.8G :

I really love this lens especially for portraits it produces fantastic bokeh and like the 50mm it can be used in most lighting situations. Not as expensive as its old brother the 85mm 1.4G but given that its 1/3 of the price it definitely is worth looking into if you need an 85mm lens.

Nikon 16-35, F4 :

It is a very wide lens and I mostly use it for setting the scene in one frame and for interiors.

Nikon 24-70 F/2.8G :

This lens is very useful and can pretty much be used in any situation with its versatile zoom range.

Nikon 70-200 F2.8G :

I absolutely adore this lens, its my go to and is on my camera 70% of the time while I am shooting at weddings. You can capture moments with this lens from a distance and it produces very sharp images at all apertures. Shooting at 200mm will give you stunning portraits due to the compression. The only downside to this lens is that it is very heavy.

I get a great deal of pleasure from giving help and sharing information and if I 1 person can take something away from this post that will help them I will be very happy. 

Happy shooting :)

© Matt Andrew Nottingham Wedding Photographer