Hi! I’m Barnaby Aldrick, a Leeds-based Yorkshire wedding photographer with almost 20 years experience!
As another year draws to a close, I like to look back through all the pics from the past year and do a round up of all my faves. So welcome to the 2025 round up!
Having been a Leeds-based Yorkshire Wedding Photographer for so long, I’ve shot at many Yorkshire wedding venues around Gods Own County!
But it’s great even after all this experience in the industry to be discovering exciting new venues over 2025; including Cripp’s Barns’ Grangefields in Derbyshire, The Out Barn near Clitheroe, Kilnwick Percy Resort and Golf Club, The Little Seed Field Glamp site after a wedding at the grand Ripon Cathedral, Danby Castle Barn (which has somehow eluded me throughout my career) and last but not least, New Craven Hall, a funky urban Leeds wedding venue I’ve always wanted to shoot at!
The best of the rest were at old favourites, including: The Pheasant Hotel in Harome, Sandburn Hall near York, Goldsborough Hall near Harrogate, East Riddlesden Hall near Keighley, Chevin Country Park near Otley, Middleton Lodge Estate and Yorkshire Wedding Barns near Richmond, Wood Hall, The Normans and Priory Barns and Cottages near Wetherby and in Leeds The Mansion, Leftbank and Bowcliffe Hall.
I just love capturing the unique vibe at every wedding with my signature blend of laid-back portraits, stunning details and timeless moments
Like all my past Annual highlights posts, I’ve structured this like the blog posts I make for all my couples, in the order that the day unfolds. I love making these round-ups as they serve as an insight into my photographic approach and what I strive to capture at weddings. So, if you like what you see here and are looking for a photographer for your own wedding, don’t hesitate to get in touch here – where you can check my availability and book onto a quick no pressure zoom chat to discuss your big day. Don’t be shy!
I’d like to give a huge shoutout to all my fabulous couples for letting me into their lives on these special days! Their trust and choice means the world to me and their glowing reviews are the icing on the cake for me:
So without further ado – I give you my 2025 roundup – as a YouTube vid…
Or take your time to enjoy a zoomable scroll of loveliness below…
I like to start every wedding by capturing ‘establishing shots’ before drawing in on the story characters.
Even when it’s a new venue to me, like at most of the ‘scene setters’ above, I put in some time before joining the action, to capture some funky angles.
I occasionally also get handed a cool drone shot from the videographer too, like this one of Yorkshire Wedding Barn from my fave movie maker buddy Michael at Swanland Media – which often offers a brill new point of view.
Sometimes I shoot solo, sometimes with a second shooter. But I always start with the bridal party on the hunt for natural, candid or fun moments and details that tell the story.
I still love finding creative new angles
Occasionally even I’m surprised by what I find! Such as meeting ponies at Rachel + Kieran’s Grangefields Barn wedding in Derbyshire where the bride’s pal at Plant Magic incorporating Animal Magic brought her ponies Calypso and Melody as flower girls, with plaited manes and champagne holsters!
Now I’m a father of a 2 and 5 year old, I find myself even more drawn to capturing the children at weddings, and all the magic they contain…
…as well as the relationships between the children and their parents. Somehow, I feel the significance of these things even more now I’m a parent.
As always, there are details at weddings which I’ve always strived to capture elegantly – such as the top-down view ‘flat lay’ above – or imaginatively – such as the bouquets being played with or dresses being admired by the bridal party…
A lot of the weddings this year I shot the grooms side of the story too, plus the odd second shooter gigs where I was with the chaps all morning. But I always find this equally as creative, such as when I joined the groom at Pippa + Craig’s wedding at Danby Castle Barn and found him with his sleeping daughter in a sling. They were adorably cute together.
Sometimes I join the groomsmen before the bridesmaids, if there’s also something fun scheduled, such as joining the groom and his pals for the Otley Park Run at Mike + Britta’s wedding at Chevin Country Park!
Harneet + Sid’s wedding at Outbarn near Clitheroe was a real (3 day!) highlight for me this year too – as you’ll see throughout this post – overflowing with wonderful elements.
I not only love dogs at weddings – another thing you’ll see here – but also love seeing what I get back from the second shooters, such as this fun frame from one of my wingmen!
Once we’re done suiting up… T’Pub!
I’d say I’m still a favourite driven photographer, looking to catch fun, candid moments as they happen, such as tiny guest reactions or a dog that thinks it’s a human.
Once it’s time for the bride to gown up, I love it when I’m able to capture all those special women invited into this inner sanctum. The army of maids, mums, hair and makeup artists that bring it all together.
And the tiny flower girls that holds hands and “juzzh” the dress!
The little hand holds, cuddles and squeals. It’s all gold to me.
Britta and Mike’s wedding was even more special to me as they were in our NCT class when we had our eldest kids, so it was just lovely to join them at the wedding too.
DID I MENTION PONIES?!
Then it’s time for Dad to join the party!
Most British men keep their emotions buttoned up, but that moment when a father is brought in to see his daughter dressed for her wedding has a wonderful unbuttoning effect!
A similar effect took hold of the nephew about to walk the bride down the aisle at Anne + Stuart’s Wedding at Middleton Lodge.
An important part of my storytelling is to weave the elements of a wedding day together like a contextual tapestry, showing the flow of events, peppered with little moments
Then it’s time for the entrance of the bride, which can also have an unbuttoning effect on grooms, such as the Groom’s moving reaction at Meg + Sam’s Sandburn Hall wedding
I’ve spent this year consciously trying to look for the ‘moment after the moment’. Such as the reactions and behaviour just after the brides arrival / confetti shot / final speech.
Turns out they’re also a ‘moment goldmine’!
Love this little lad’s expression and how the church pew is packed with his bottle, bus and space book!
I told you how much I love dogs at wedding, right?!
Well a close second is finding reflections and sparkly things to shoot through to add a bit of zing.
Tell you what, another thing I love about weddings is the variety! You can go from shooting the grandest ceremony dripping in religious opulence, like at Catherine + Peter’s wedding at Ripon Cathedral, to shooting a wedding with 2 guests like at Sam + Jen’s Micro-Wedding Photography at York Register Office!
Offering shorter ‘Micro-Wedding’ Packages (and clearer ‘Yorkshire family photoshoots‘) has been the biggest change I’ve made to my pricing structure in recent years, and is all detailed alongside my fully transparent prices on my pricing page.
Some more great moments after moments, before heading down the aisle as man and wife!
And then there’s the confetti – arguably still my favourite part of the day, whether it’s thrown on the aisle, in my signature ‘confetti bomb’, over a balcony (as at Emma + Luke’s Wedding at Priory Cottages near Wetherby) or runway style. It’s always an excitingly explosive moment!
Especially when at the end of the tunnel, someone just cones the groom right in the chops!
My next most favourite photos to capture at weddings are the congats and cuddles straight after walking out of the ceremony / confetti. People aren’t camera aware, they’re focussed on then couple, and the couple get to see their guests for the first time. It lights me up to capture these micro (and macro) interactions and seal them in time!
Then as the cuddles subside, my focus shifts to candid mingles and entertainment; such DIY crazy golf, beanbag tossing or AXE THROWING!
Or capturing the public shaming of the jenga tower toppler!
Mingle time is a treasure trove of fun family interactions, and I love this little moment between ‘three generations’ at Rachel + Jonny’s Wedding at The Pheasant in Harome
The ladies who photobombed the stag team shot made me chuckle.
As did this groomsman at The Normans who bowled up to deliver crisps from a wheelbarrow!
Sometimes the best way to work of limoncello is with a disco nap… and it’s around this point I like to head out with the newlyweds for a quick round of snappy portraits (with pooch, if available, such as at Abbie + Luke’s wedding at Kilnwick Percy Resort and Golf Club!)
I try to smash these out in 15-20mins, and it helps speed things along by having been trained at the pre-wedding practice shoot I do with every couple…
…like this one with Meg + Sam and their cockerpoo Treacle!
I’ve always found a pre-wedding practice squirm (I mean “shoot”) invaluable. It serves so many useful purposes; to get to know the couple better and get on the same page about the big day logistics/group shots and to get the couple used to being papped. But not only do they go into the wedding day having seen their pics but it makes the wedding portraits quicker so they’re quickly back at the party with their guests!
This Lesbian couple Sam + Jen wanted to champion their LGBTQ+ roots on our portraits around York, and we found this shop with the perfect window display to do so!
I just love all the incredible Indian details and textures in this portrait of Harneet + Sid.
I pride myself in my group shots being full of life and non-cringy!
I don’t want the subjects to feel like they make them want to die inside, so it’s always fun seeing what we can get!
Grace + Timmy’s Wedding Photos at New Craven Hall in Leeds was definitely the most rocky wedding I’ve done in a while!
Often just before heading into the bizarrely named ‘Wedding Breakfast’ is a great time to toss the bouquet, before I dive in and capture a few details of all the love and attention that was put into the room.
(My fave cake this year had a brilliant secret back showing LUFC, the Disney Castle and Star Wars layers, and topped by lego characters!)
This year had an impressive collection of excellent room entrances!
And as the speeches are about to start, it’s a great op to hunt down a few more fun pics, such as this guest having a well earned bottle of beer as he bottle feeds his 6 week old!
I love capturing all the vibes during the speeches, soaking in all the feels by osmosis.
The groom’s ‘rock horns’ make this one of my fave pics of the year!
I’m also always a fan of capturing the shame and humiliation…
A few more fine examples of my fave ‘moments after moments’ 
There was so much I loved at Simona + Patrick’s Yorkshire Wedding Barn wedding, but one of the amazing Italian traditions included the cutting and auctioning off snippings of the groom’s tie, to pay for their honeymoon! A hilarious bit of post meal chaos I hadn’t anticipated!
That post-meal, pre-party limbo is a great time for the groom to lose the jacket, the bride to slip on her flats and for us to take a turn in glorious golden hour sunlight…
…even if half way through the heavens open!
As light drops, I something throw up a ‘back flash’ for a bit of a bump, or if there was no evening sunshine, I wait for ‘blue hour’ and do a few pics as it gets dark…
I don’t often do champagne blast pics, but was helping second shooting for my ol’pal Hamish Irvine and we did one and it looked pretty cool!
Before dancing and evening revelry kicks off, if it’s drizzling and the couple are game, there’s still a great creative opportunity for a few backlit pics in the rain, like at Cat + Luke’s wedding at Goldsborough Hall or Emily + Owain’s Wedding Photos at East Riddlesden Hall
A couple of cocktails or shot-shaped sharpeners and it’s time to cut the cake and hit the floor!
I also love the energy during this part of the evening, as anything can happen…
… and something often does!
Once ties have been tied round heads and newlyweds have ridden some shoulders, I generally consider my work done and that any remaining debauchery go un-documented!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my 2025 round up! Well done making it all the way to the end!
It’s been quite the year! High-5’s to all my lovely couples for being stone cold legends, and for all their kind words and gifts this year – You guys rule!
It’s now time to hibernate with my long suffering wife Lynsey Anna, lighting bolt Lenny Indiana, chatty little Jasmine Joy and bouncy Border Terriorist Connie (AKA the Conado).
If you’re getting married and like what you see, drop me a line to check my availability using my contact form here (or check my handy availability checker in the footer below).
There’s also no better marketing than word of mouth, so do pass my details (or the link to this post) onto engaged couples you think might suit my style!
And if you’re booked in for 2026 or beyond, BRING IT ON!
Barnaby ♥️
More annual round-ups!
Check out past round ups below to go even deeper into my past archive of faves….
Helpful posts!
Check out a few resources I’ve created based on my experience in the game to help couples:
