After a late finish following our wedding on Saturday, we had an early start for this wedding on Sunday. An what a fantastic wedding it was. I have said many times on this blog that the very best weddings are those with the best people. Yes, the venue is important, as is the weather, the outfits, the flowers, the cars etc… but the most important ingredient for a perfect wedding is great people….. just what we got at this wedding!
The story started over a year ago with me photographing the wedding of David and Jackie Brimelow. They were married at St Mary’s church in Prestwich, which is located just yards from The Church public house. The weather was awful with torrential rain and puddles started forming at the gateway to the church. The landlord of the pub, Tom, kindly got a brush out and brushed away the water and provided a gazeebo to keep the bride dry as she stepped from the car. I shot some great pictures of Tom and his broom and we struck up an immediate friendship. Saturday was the wedding of his daughter, Becky, and I was honoured to be asked to take the wedding photographs.
Becky didn’t want any pre-wedding pictures and so I arrived at The Church pub an hour before the wedding where ‘the boys’ were making the most of the free bar Tom had offered for the day. It was the first time in 10 years that Tom had closed his pub to the public! Becky arrived in style in a lovely vintage car provided by Platinum Wedding cars (a great reliable company I have worked with on many occasions) and looked fantastic in her hand-made wedding dress.
Then came the ceremony in the church…….not the most pleasant of experience’s! I was aware before the ceremony that it was church policy not to allow wedding photography during the ceremony – something I always respect, but I was met at the church door by a church warden who walked up to me and told me that if I photographed during the wedding she would seize my camera, something she said she had the right to do under ‘canon law’!! I’m afraid this very rude, arrogant and unnecessary action led to an un-christian response from me ! (something I now regret – I should have risen above her level and remained professional). I was just so angry at the attitude and pettiness of her unprovoked action. Many C of E churches nowadays seem to make wedding couples and their guests seem so unwelcome – and then they wonder why congregations are declining!
After the ceremony we had an unexpected delay. Everyone should have gone straight to The Last Drop Village Hotel, but the coach that had been booked to take all the guests was stuck in traffic – so Tom came to the rescue, opened his pub and we all went for a drink! Becky works in the pub behind the bar, so she rolled her sleeves up (in her wedding dress) and went behind the bar to pull a few pints !
Eventually the coach arrived and everyone made their way to the hotel. (which has undergone a major renovation since I was last there and looks fantastic) where some ‘formal’ wedding photographs were taken. I left as food was served about 5pm and came back to my studio to process the pictures so they could be online at 11pm – in time for them to be viewed at the hotel by guests.
I would like to say a big thank-you to Becky, Sam (and Tom) for making me feel so welcome during their wedding day. They really are special people and was proud to be part of such a happy celebration. (See you soon to discuss the album design – and Tom, you owe me a pint for deleting all the unflattering pictures of you!)
A few pictures from the day can be seen set to music below.
by Mike McCann
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