In July this year I had the pleasure of being part of and photographing the wedding of Barry & Donna at the Bestwood Lodge Hotel and what a weekend it was.

When Barry & Donna contacted me about wedding photography I said yes quicker than any bride or groom has ever done, the reason is I have known Barry for a good few years and it always an honor to provide photography for a friend especially at such a milestone event in their families lives.

I decided to head over the day before to avoid an early start on the day and mitigate any risk of hitting traffic, it was also handy staying at the one venue for the whole day.  I arrived in the afternoon the day before the wedding and met Donna, Family and friends in the hotel bar before we had a late lunch.  It was great to meet everyone the day before, introduce myself and get to know the family. 

Within a few minutes I could tell that it was going to be a great weekend spent with some great people.  I even got to play Bull Dog with the children during the evening.  Apparently, they are much better at it than I am.

During the evening I had already been named David Bailey.  I am a long way of the likes of David Bailey but it was nice all the same.

I started the day with a breakfast with the family before getting ready and beginning my days’ work covering details, bridal prep, making sure the groom was in a fit state (sorry Barry) and providing hair of the dog for the best man. 

It was a full-on day but it was also an amazing day to be part of.   Before we get to some images from the day I want to say a huge thank you to the Woodland family and their friends for making me feel like part of the family. 

Let’s get to some photographs from the day.

Thanks for reading.

Rick