Grace and Ashley booked me as their Sheffield wedding photographer, as they we’re getting married in St Paul’s Church in Sheffield, where Grace’s grandparents also got married.
They’d booked 2 photographers, so it was great to have Raphael Waite again joining me as my 2nd shooter.
The day was one of the hottest days of the year, which although was at times uncomfortable, made for some great lighting and scenes as they’d planned a visit to Ashover Rock overlooking the Peak District, Eccleshall Woods for a breather in between ceremony and reception and finally there was an outdoor handfasting ceremony in the evening.
There was a calm, relaxed atmosphere in the morning as everyone got ready as the bouquets and bridal headpiece were being made by Grace’s mom.
To emphasise the relaxed, chilled vibe, Grace chose a VW camper Van to arrive in style at the church!
Ring Warming Ceremony
During the ceremony the couple add a “ring warming ceremony” before they exchanged their vows and rings.
Ring warming is a traditional Irish tradition, where you pass the wedding rings to the guests who will hold them as they offer a wish, blessing or prayer over them for the happy couple’s marriage. So by the time the rings are exchanged, they’ve been “warmed up” by the love of each guest.
Ecclesall Wood Wedding Photography
Working as a Sheffield wedding photographer allowed me to visit some great places in and around the area.
Ecclesall Woods is the largest ancient semi-natural woodland in South Yorkshire and the “jewel in the crown” in Sheffield City Council’s 1,500 hectare woodland estate.
This was an appropriate, quiet place for Grace and Ashley to stop off on their way to the reception for a breather.
So I took the opportunity to take some informal photos as they wandered around enjoying the cool shade and taking some time to chat together.
Ashover Rock Wedding Photography
Just before arriving at he reception, they had a final stop at Ashover Rock.
Looking for a dramatic backdrop for your wedding – visit to Ashover Rock is a must.
Ashover Rock, or ‘The Fabrick’/’Asher Rock’ as it’s also known locally, is close to the village of Ashover. It sits on an area of heathland at 299m above sea level. As a result there are excellent panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, overlooking the Peak District.
Wedding Reception at Ashover Parish Hall
To conclude a wonderful day the reception, barn dances, handfasting ceremony and golden hour photos were all at Ashover Parish Hall.
Handfasting Ceremony
Handfasting is an ancient Celtic ritual in which the couple’s hands are tied together with rope, string or some material significant to the couple, to symbolise their union.
This where we get the expression “tying the knot” to mean get married.
Grace’s mom performed the ceremony adding her blessing to the wedding.
After a few barn dances, we were treated to a glorious sunset to conclude a fabulous wedding day celebration.
Thank you for booking me as your Sheffield wedding photographer.
Grace and Ashley’s Wedding Story
Before The Wedding Day
How Did You Meet?: We met at school in year 9, when the form groups started to mix into graded groups. Grace literally fell over a chair as she entered I.T because she was looking at Ashley! We were best friends for a couple of years and became a couple the week school ended, at 16 and then attended prom together. 12 years later – to the day (thanks COVID!) – we got married!
How Did He Propose?: Grace doesn’t really wear jewellery, so she dropped not-so-subtle hints that she would prefer plane tickets or a puppy and when her Mum’s dog became pregnant with a litter, she knew it was only a matter of time. Ashley thought he was secretive, but the morning of the proposal, he took a blanket out to the car that we had ear-marked for a dog “one day” so Grace knew she needed to get dressed. Then later he brought Kai into the house and Grace went straight over to him to play and cuddle… she saw there was a note on the collar tag asking to marry him, but refused to acknowledge it until Ashley said it out loud. Eventually he asked aloud and she said yes!
The Wedding Day
The Bride Wore: “Poppy” dress from Madeline Gardner (but adjusted the neckline from the halter-neck, to a v-neck).
The Groom Wore: A Mark Darcy blue tweet suit from Tickled Pink Bridal Studio
Jewellery/Accessories: Bride’s ring was a bespoke design from Tiago with lab diamonds and synthetic sapphires, Groom’s ring was made from Sheffield steel (we’re both from Sheffield).
Hair/Make-up Done: Bride’s make up was by Pasha and hair by Rosie
Flowers: Bride’s Mum (Liz) does floristry as a hobby, and with the help of friends, family and the Dronfield Flower Club, did all the flowers for the church and reception venue, the bouquets, button holes and Bride’s flower crown too!
Invitations: Invites were printed on seed paper, so they can be planted afterwards, to be more sustainable. Designed by Laura, who also designed our order of services and A2 timeline of the day for guests to view. She will also be designing our thank you cards, with a photo Clive took, so they all match.
Ceremony Place: St Paul’s Church, Norton Lees, Sheffield.
Wedding Theme/Style: Green is the theme! Eco and colour-wise…
Their Wedding Reception
Reception Place: Ashover Parish Hall
First Dance Song: Blink 182 First Dates (acoustic/ wedding version)
Cake: “The” cake was a chocolate fudge cake made by Bride’s God Mother, but there were lots of different cake options, including gluten free and 3 vegan options and loads of cheese available on the desert table. Lots of the guests had contributed to baking too.
Colours: Forest green bridesmaid dresses, blue suit for the groom, sage green suits for the groomsmen, green and white florals – a colour pallet of greens and a smidge of blue.
Decor Elements: Greenery everywhere (from our guests gardens), bottles with lights in and fabric draped from the ceiling.
Unique Details: We love the personal details so a lot of guests gifted us their time to help us pull the wedding together and worked for a week solid in the run up, to get our decor sorted. We also had a card box that doubles as a memory box now the wedding is over – we bought it a long time ago, so it has the original date on it, but that is part of our story now! We also had a busy wedding day and fit a lot in; Church ceremony, woodland walk for couple, viewpoint photos for couple, barn dance reception, summer BBQ outside, hand-fasting ceremony outside (lead by Bride’s Mother), speeches, father daughter dance, garden games and then a second band later on.
Their Most Memorable Moments
Bride’s Answer: The Groom’s speech
Groom’s Answer: Getting married in the church
Their Honeymoon
Place: We had a mini-moon in Cromford for the week with our dog, and will save up for a 2/3 week rip to Japan in a year or two.
Their Wedding Advice
Grace: I probably fit too much in to our day, and would maybe have benefitted from less activity so I could relax more.
Ashley: Don’t let yourself get too nervous, try to enjoy every moment, everyone is in the room because they love you.
Their Favourite Images
Bride’s Answer: Woodland photos
Groom’s Answer: Sunset images
Feedback about their Sheffield Wedding Photographer
Grace: My Dad (Father of the Bride) held it together all day, but cried when he re-visited the day through Clive’s photos! Clive captured every organic moment in our very busy wedding day fabulously. He also met us beforehand on Zoom to run through the wedding day timeline and get a feel for what is important to us as a couple, he was really friendly and approachable throughout. We really appreciated his openness to going to different locations too, as we wanted a quick breather in the local woods between the ceremony and the reception – and these are our favourite images of the two of us from that day! Thank you for all your hard work Clive, we are beyond happy with all the photos you captured!
Wedding Suppliers:
Wedding dress + bridal cape = Blushes Bridal Studio, Instagram = @blushesbridalstudio
Bride’s heels = Rainbow Club, Instagram = @rainbowclubuk
Bride’s hand-painted converse = Converse painted by Bride’s friend Roisin, Instagram = @roisinflinn + @converse
Groom’s suit = Tickled Pink Bridal, Instagram = @tickledpinkbridal
Groomsmen suits = Moss Bros, Instagram = @mossbros
Bridesmaid dresses = Handmade by Laura at Something New Wedding Specialist, Instagram = @somethingnewweddingspecialist
Couple’s rings = Tiago, Instagram = @tiago_jewellery
Florist = Bride’s Mum + Dronfield Flower Club members (on Facebook)
Seasonal flowers sourced from = Upper Hurst Farm, Instagram = @upperhurstfarm
Hair = Hair by Rosie, based at Studio 185 on White lane, Instagram = @hair_by_rosie + @thestudio185_
Makeup = Makeup by Pacha, Instagram = @makeupbypacha
Barn dance band = Strings and Reeds
2nd band = Timberfolk, via Entertainment Nation Agency, Instagram = @the_timberfolk + @entertainmentnationuk
Bridal party brunch caterer = Ginger Sheffield, Instagram = @ginger_sheffield_
Evening caterer = PJ Tatse, Instagram = @pjtaste
Stationer = Laura Likes Cards, Instagram = @laura.likes
Compostable confetti packets = Taz + Team XOandQuin, Instagram = @xoandquin
Transport = Love Bus in the Peaks, Instagram = @lovebusinthepeak
Reception venue = Ashover Parish Hall, Instagram = @ashoverparishhalleventscentre
