I’m quite torn as to my preference for wedding services. Hotels are great! Most times the bride and groom are staying at the hotel before the service, they’re having the ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening reception there. Isn’t that wonderful! I don’t have to race from one town to another, to try and beat the limousine to the reception. I’m not going to worry about traffic conditions, road works or getting lost.

Easy peasy!

But……….

For all that convenience, there’s a trade off. Not many hotels exhibit great atmosphere and solemnity. Don’t get me wrong, I work with a few hotels that’ll knock your socks off and definitely have atmosphere, such as The Inn at Whitewell, nr Clitheroe, (Ask for Sharon, their wedding co-ordinator).

However, there is just something about a church service. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere, the ambience or the general colours, but I love church weddings. No doubt there are churches that are a bit dowdy, but on the whole, they offer wonderful opportunities for some beautiful images. I won’t use flash inside a church, as I think it tends to sap a little of the atmosphere. It can also be distracting for the congregation and the minister. After all, the bride and groom are the centre of attention, and an intermittent pop from a flashgun can become rather annoying.

The above image was taken during a church “open day” with a wedding theme. It was hoped they could encourage and raise awareness of church weddings, which have been in steady decline over the years.

I find that to be a great shame.

The image was taken purely by ambient light, using a D3 at ISO1600 1/80th sec and a 24-70mm at F2.8

The white balance was set to tungsten to match the lighting.

This is St. Leonard’s church in Walton le Dale, Lancashire.