A Summer Thwaite Mills Wedding full of colour and eccentricity.

Wedding at Thwaite Watermill

Diana + Alex’s Thwaite Mills Wedding was a really fun wedding for us to photograph and we thought it was about time we shared the full wedding with you all! We would absolutely love to shoot more weddings like this at venues like this. Relaxed, fun and colourful.

Bride + Groom Preps in Leeds City Centre

Both of us started our day in Leeds City Centre for Bride and Groom Preps. The theme for this relaxed wedding was definitely colour and it started off that way with Alex choosing to ditch the norm of white shirt and tie/bow tie combo and instead chose a colourful shirt to wear open-collared under his blazer. Diana’s colour came in the form of her wedding bouquet which was so vibrant and made by our friend Lynne from Stems Design.

Arriving at your Wedding by Canal Boat

Soon after these two were ready we walked down to Leeds Dock where they both hopped on board their wedding transport. This was a first for us as they were travelling by water to Thwaite Mills. Not in any kind of speedy fashion but instead via possibly one of the slowest wedding transport we have seen as they were travelling via Canal Boat. It was so much fun, the music was cranked up and everyone danced away as we sauntered down the Leeds Liverpool canal to the wedding venue.

Outdoor Humanist Ceremony at Thwaite Mills

Alex and Diana opted for a Humanist Ceremony which took place in the fruit orchard of Thwaite Watermill overlooked by the historic Crane. There was the most stunning colourful floral arch at the front under which this awesome couple said their personalised wedding vows. Outdoor Wedding Ceremonies are so much fun for us to shoot as we have a bit more creative freedom for the type of photographs we take.

Eccentric Wedding Styling in The Island Paddocks

We have seen some pretty cool stuff over the years whilst being wedding photographers. This one was up there when it came to wedding styling! Both Diana and Alex shared their input on how they wanted their wedding venue to look. They opted for a marquee in The Island Paddocks which is in the natural woodlands behind the Watermill. Inside the tables were decorated with nods to each of their loves. Iconic Wrestler table centres for Alex and My Little Pony characters for Diana. All finished off with Colourful hanging pom poms and more colourful floristry.

Street Food Wedding Reception

Alex and Diana decided on Street Food to keep their guests fed. This is right up our street and exactly how we would do it if we were getting married. They had Asian Street Food and it was so flippin’ tasty! They also had Gelato Ice Cream from the cutest of vans and to keep everyone well lubricated they had a mobile bar company from Leeds help out with the drinks.

Photography at Thwaite Watermill

Our little photo session with Diana and Alex was so enjoyable. We went for a wander around the mill and took photographs of them just being themselves. We found some fantastic light along the way so that led to us getting some really creative wedding photographs of them. More than anything we wanted our couples to have fun whilst we take their picture and boy oh boy did we have a laugh! Soon we were back to the wedding party and it was time shoot the guests either throwing shapes on the dancefloor or seeing just how low they could go on the limbo.

Diana Shared some really great information when her wedding was featured on the Unique Rebels Union Wedding Blog:

Remember that it’s your day and not anyone else’s and make your choices based on that fact. Saying that, do consider your guests: plan your timings carefully – you don’t want to keep guests hungry or thirsty or conversely, feed them too much so that they’re tired and don’t want to party. Decide very early on what your priorities as a couple are: ours were food, drink, photography and fun. The biggest thing that everyone said to us and we still didn’t manage enough was to spend as much time as possible with each other – it is YOUR wedding after all. It’s so easy to get distracted by friends and family who you haven’t seen for ages. Paul and Kel, our photographers were great at knowing the perfect time for us to go to have our photos taken; we definitely needed some time on our own by then.

Don’t plan the wedding you think other people want you to have, or the wedding that you think you should have. We were very lucky that we did both options of a quiet Registry Office ceremony and a family lunch with 16 guests only and also the big party where we were able to personalise every aspect where an official, licensed venue wouldn’t be able to offer. Additionally, we had a celebration in Thailand for those people who couldn’t come to England so we had it all. Although, I (Diana) really enjoyed choosing every single aspect of the day, it is tough whilst working full-time and we really wish that we had employed a co-ordinator to liaise with all the different suppliers and vendors and to be in charge on the day. Saying that, everyone, vendors and guests, helped out coming up to the wedding and on the day so don’t be scared to ask for help.

Some Words From Alex & Diana on Us

‘Being at a wedding is something that happens once, photographers are something you need to get right. We did. These guys were amazing. Essentially Paul became an honorary bridesmaid, while Kel became an integral part of the groom’s party. The photos they took captured our eclectic and wonderful wedding and the mass stupidity that ensued. We really cant thank them enough for being a part of the day’
Alex + Diana

You can find Alex + Diana’s Wedding Feature on Unique Rebels Union HERE.

Thanks, Diana + Alex for having us along to shoot your wedding. We have made two new friends in you guys since the wedding day and we have loved staying in touch and watching your family grow.

Here are more of our favourites from Alex + Diana’s day.