Byland Abbey Wedding Photography

Helen and Rob’s Yorkshire Dales wedding at Byland Abbey, North Yorkshire

What a day this was!! Back in May I drove up to beautiful North Yorkshire for Helen and Rob’s wedding at the stupendously spectacular Byland Abbey. Helen and Rob had kind of stumbled across the abbey while driving through Yorkshire one day, stopped, loved the place and mused about what a lovely place it would be for a wedding. Well a proposal, a ring and months of planning later here they were, back at Byland Abbey, for their wedding. I love this story.

As luck would have it, a great friend of mine and tremendously good photographer was over in the UK from his home in LA and so I asked him to come along and help me on Helen and Rob’s wedding day. That man is Richard Clarke of Clarkie Photography. Although he’s only lived there a couple of years, Rich is used to the predictably blue skies of California as a backdrop to his wedding photography, but he was surprisingly excited when the weather on the morning of Helen and Rob’s wedding was decidedly, how to put this… British! We woke up to overcast skies, which turned into drizzle, then heavy rain as the ceremony approached. Rich spent the morning with Rob and the boys as they got into their suits then hastily helped put up a canopy in the Abbey to make sure the ceremony wasn’t a complete wash-out!

After dropping Rich with the boys, I went and spent the rest of the morning with Helen and her girls at a beautiful house they’d rented in Helmsley. The atmosphere was one of utter joy all morning, and Helen is just one of the most upbeat, happy and positive brides I’ve known. She hardly even mentioned the weather, knowing that this day would be incredibly special whatever the sky threw at them. She didn’t mind on arrival at Byland Abbey that she had to walk all the way round the ruins of Byland Abbey through the wet grass, grinning and laughing all the way to Rob (these are some of my favourite ever photos).

After the ceremony, the weather gradually improved all day and we even got a few minutes of sunshine towards the end of the day to make a few more portraits in and around Byland Abbey!

It was also amazing to finally work with the uber talented Tom of Silk Wedding Films, and you can check out his highlights film of Helen and Rob’s Byland Abbey wedding on his blog here.

So thanks Rich for being my wingman, despite still suffering the effects of an Achilles injury and effectively being one-legged! Thanks Tom for being the dude that you are and being so easy and fun to work with. And thanks to Helen and Rob for your trust and enthusiasm before, during and since your wedding. Your wedding was amazing, and a huge privilege to be part of and take photos of for you!!

Three of Rich’s shots… That man knows how to tell a story…

An outstanding portrait of Rob by Rich…

Amazing wedding, amazing people – huge contratulations to Helen and Rob!

If you’re looking for a Byland Abbey Wedding Photographer or Rievaulx Abbey Wedding Photographer or are getting married anywhere in beautiful North Yorkshire, please get in touch with me!