James & Katrina | Whitley Hall Hotel, Sheffield - Charlotte Elizabeth Photography

When James and Katrina asked me to be the photographer for their wedding day at Whitley Hall Hotel, Sheffield, I was very excited. We'd met at a wedding the previous winter. I'd been photographing the children and their daughter started telling me about the wedding day. Before I left she insisted James came to speak to me and talk about photographing their wedding!

James and Katrina chose to have a small wedding, with less than 20 wedding guests. Whitley Hall gave them the perfect setting for this intimate selection of friends and family. The Parker Suite was the perfect size for this wedding. The children had enough room to play, the adults could walk around the table to chat to each other easily and the queue at the bar was never too long!

On the day of the wedding I met James in the courtyard of Whitley Hall. He was greeting the guests as they arrived, and everyone was enjoying the sunshine. When Katrina’s car arrived carrying the bridal party I popped out to the front of the hotel to capture her arrival. Her dress and flowers were absolutely stunning, and she was smiling ear to ear as she got out of the car.

While James might have looked a little nervous before Katrina walked down the aisle, his expression changed completely when he saw her. As soon as they stood next to each other they both seemed to eradicate each other’s nerves. After the ceremony we all gathered in the drizzly courtyard for the group photographs. Despite the change in weather everyone stayed in good spirits.

The wedding breakfast room was declared ready, and it looked stunning. The flowers that Katrina had helped put together were everywhere – on all the tables and windowsills, even around the bar and back of the room. The candles gave it an extra romantic touch. After the meal there was just enough time to cut the cake before the bingo began!