Amy and Craig booked The Feathers for a reason that had nothing to do with how it looks. They told me on our first phone call that the staff had been warm and accommodating from the moment they enquired, and that was what sold it.
I ask every couple why they chose their venue, and that answer stuck with me, because on the day it turned out to be completely true. The staff looked after the two of them, their guests, and me. I wish I could tell you that is standard everywhere.
"They also live in my village. I pointed out on the phone that I could probably share a taxi with half their relatives."
The VenueWhat The Feathers gives a photographer
- iIt is on the market place. Stone, covered in creeper, with the square in front of it. Shoot it from across the road with the two of you in the doorway and you get the whole building and the town in one frame.
- iiHelmsley Castle is in the village. Ruined walls and a bank of stone steps. Most couples who want a castle in their pictures are paying a venue fee for one; here it is a walk rather than a drive. Check the route and the opening times with the venue when you plan the timings.
- iiiA cobbled courtyard for confetti. Enclosed, stone on both sides, planters full of flowers. Enclosed is what you want: the confetti stays up in the air instead of blowing across a car park.
- ivThe village is the venue. This is the point of booking here. Amy and Craig wanted Helmsley in their pictures, so we walked out into it, and that is where most of this gallery comes from.
A Real Feathers DayAmy & Craig
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Sunflowers, everywhere
The bouquet was sunflowers and white roses, there was a sunflower on Amy's shoulder, and there were more of them on the table when they signed. It is a colour that photographs like a light source, and it ran through the whole day.
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Out into the courtyard
Confetti in the cobbled yard, stone on both sides, then drinks indoors past the grandfather clock.
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Into the village, with the baby
Amy and Craig had recently become parents, so their little one came with us. That changes the shoot completely and for the better: nobody is standing about being self-conscious when there is a baby to look at.
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Up to the castle
Finished at the castle ruins with the walls behind them and the light dropping.
"Book somewhere in the middle of a good town and the town does half your job. Helmsley is one of the best in Yorkshire for it."
PricingA full day at The Feathers
A full day of Feathers Hotel wedding photography starts from £1,800, with no travel charge anywhere in Yorkshire. The pricing page has what's included and the shorter options.
LocationsWhere the day happened
Venue: The Feathers Hotel, Market Place, Helmsley. Portraits around Helmsley village and the castle. Amy and Craig's suppliers weren't recorded at the time, so the list stops where I can stand behind it.
