Darryl Brooks Photography

At a wedding fayre recently I was asked when was the best time to book their photographer.  They figured they weren't in a hurry, because they weren't getting married until next year. I replied "As soon as you find the right one! I've already taken bookings!" With so many things to arrange when you are planning a wedding, it can be a very confusing and "spendy" time, and let's face it, most people don't have much experience at organising weddings, so it can be very daunting as to what to do first and when to spend the money, so I am hoping people read this and pass on some experience that I've gained from shooting hundreds of weddings! We photographers can only be at one wedding at a time (gone are the days of "a few pics outside the church then on to the next one"!) whereas services like cakemakers, dresses, florists, even classic cars, can serve several weddings in one day, so can perhaps be left a bit closer to your wedding.  It ...

 What a fabulous wedding for Lois and Dave!  The wedding ceremony was at All Saints in Hessle, and reception at The Manor Rooms, Drewton Estate. But this is about the album they chose.  They went with the upgraded metal plate and real leather cover, and it looked great!  The satin finish option is in my opinion a perfect choice, with just a little bit of sheen.

This was a little bit different from the "typical" wedding, not that any wedding is ever the same as the last!  It is quite normal for the couple to be married in one place then have their wedding reception somewhere else, but in this case they had TWO ceremonies as well! Anita and Matt decided to do the legal bit at the Guildhall building in Hull, with just their parents and their little boy in attendance (and doing his own thing, as little ones do at such occasions!), so I went along to photograph that part, keeping it very relaxed and informal, with a few posed photos outside, before we all headed off to the Humber View Hotel (formerly the Hallmark Hotel) in Ferriby. Once we were at the Humber View, we were met by the rest of their guests, including flute orchestra, consisting of their friends, to play them in for their celebrant ceremony, which was conducted by Pam Medhurst.  A new thing for me was the ring blessing, where the wedding rings are passed around every one of ...

Andy and Chantelle just wanted a small amount of coverage for their wedding photography - happily, I could do that!   It was late in the day and in January, so the light was already fading.  After the ceremony, all they asked was for some photos of some family groups outside the Guildhall and then some of them as a newly-married couple whilst having a wander around the cobbled streets of the old town in Hull.  Nothing too "stare at the camera and smile" they said, which meant we could have a little bit of fun and get some very natural photos of them just being loving together, and wow, they were great.  With such a short window of opportunity for the light, and the many passing cars, we got very lucky and even the weather held off, giving us a beautiful sky!

One of this summer's highlights was photographing the wedding of Jemima and Garreth.  I had already done a family shoot with them and their twin babies, plus I had photographed her sister's wedding the year before, so they knew me well and how easy-going and relaxed I made them feel - important if you are already  bit nervous about having your photo taken! I got there as hair and makeup were being done, and the rooms they had for their preparations were spacious, beautiful and had lovely light from the windows, which makes things that little bit easier! The dress I managed to track down groom Garreth for a quick set of portraits before he was whisked away to see the registrar, then on to the ceremony room, with the adjoining doors opened up to increase the capacity, and it was still standing room only at the back! We were tightly packed at the front as well, so was shoulder-to-shoulder with videographer Sam from Blink Video during the ceremony.  Then we were le...