I've photographed weddings at quite a few venues along the North Yorkshire coast over the years, but there's something a little different about arriving at Grand Villa Heights in Ravenscar. The views across Robin Hood's Bay are fantastic, although being perched high above the coastline also means you're rather exposed to whatever weather is coming in off the North Sea, something we were certainly reminded of during Joe and Leah's wedding!
It was a lovely bright October day, with some sunshine making an appearance and plenty happening throughout the wedding, although the wind was absolutely freezing once we ventured outside. Thankfully, Joe and Leah were happy to brave it for a few photographs, and when you've got that view stretching away behind you, it would have been a shame not to make the most of it.
A Wedding Ceremony at Grand Villa Heights in Ravenscar
Grand Villa Heights, formerly Raven Hall Hotel, sits high on the cliffs at Ravenscar, overlooking Robin Hood's Bay and the North Yorkshire coastline. It's a very distinctive setting for a wedding, particularly if you love this part of Yorkshire and want somewhere with a bit of character and some wonderful coastal views.
The venue has its own ceremony spaces, including the Chapel Over the Bay, which makes it possible to have your wedding and celebrations all in one place without needing to travel between different locations.
Joe and Leah's ceremony was a lovely opportunity to photograph some of those moments that happen naturally as everybody gathers together and the wedding gets underway. One photograph I particularly like shows Leah making her way down the aisle, with their guests watching on either side and all the little details of the room around her.
I always enjoy photographing this part of a wedding because there's so much happening in a relatively short space of time, and you never quite know where the next little reaction is going to come from. I'm usually looking beyond the obvious photographs as well, keeping an eye on the guests and making sure I'm not constantly moving around and distracting everybody from what's happening.
The ceremony itself is about Joe and Leah, their family and friends, rather than me trying to organise photographs while they're getting married.
Wedding Photographs Overlooking Robin Hood's Bay
One of the things that makes Grand Villa Heights such an interesting wedding venue for photography is its location. From Ravenscar, the views stretch right across Robin Hood's Bay towards the other side of the coastline, and it's one of those places where you really do want to include some of the surroundings in the photographs.
Of course, being right up on the coast in October means you're very much at the mercy of the weather, and the wind on Joe and Leah's wedding day was coming straight off the North Sea. It was bitterly cold outside, despite the sunshine, so I certainly wasn't going to keep the two of them standing around for ages while I worked through a hundred different poses.
We headed outside for some photographs with the coastline behind them, made the most of the available light and got some lovely photographs of them together before heading back into the warmth.
I particularly like the photograph of Joe and Leah kissing with the bay stretching away behind them because it shows the setting without losing sight of the fact that the photograph is really about the two of them. It's nice to include those wider views in a wedding gallery because they help remind the couple where they were and what the surroundings were like on their wedding day.
Sometimes I think photographers can get a little too caught up in finding the most dramatic background and forget that the people in the photograph are the important bit. A good location certainly helps, but I don't want couples spending their wedding feeling as though they're being moved from one picturesque spot to another just for the sake of taking more photographs.
Thankfully, Grand Villa Heights offers plenty of opportunities for different photographs without having to disappear too far from the celebrations, and we also made use of some of the lovely interiors for photographs of Joe and Leah together.
A Few Photographs Away From the Cold
As much as I enjoy photographing couples outside, I also like finding interesting places indoors, particularly when the weather isn't being especially cooperative.
Grand Villa Heights has some lovely interior spaces, and we made use of the staircase and one of the seating areas for a few photographs of Joe and Leah together. They're quite different from the coastal photographs, which is exactly why I like including a mixture of locations in a wedding gallery.
The staircase photograph is one of my favourites because it gives a completely different perspective, with Joe and Leah looking up towards the camera and the curve of the staircase creating a lovely frame around them.
We also took a more relaxed photograph of the two of them sitting together, with Leah's bouquet in the foreground and the views from the hotel visible through the window behind them.
I think it's useful to have photographs like these alongside the more traditional portraits and wider photographs outside. They give the couple a bit of variety without needing to spend a huge amount of time away from their guests.
And given how cold that North Sea wind was, I'm fairly certain nobody was complaining about heading back indoors!
Saxophone, Bonkas Bingo and Plenty of Laughing
Now, although the views from Grand Villa Heights are a big part of what makes the venue stand out, Joe and Leah's wedding certainly wasn't just about the location.
There was plenty happening inside, including a saxophonist who got everybody involved and brought a completely different atmosphere to the celebrations. I managed to photograph Leah enjoying herself alongside the musician, and it's one of those images that says far more about the wedding than another photograph of everybody standing politely looking at the camera.
There was also Bonkas Bingo, which isn't something you necessarily expect to find at every wedding reception!
I quite like it when couples introduce something a little different into their day because it gives everybody something to get involved with and usually results in some great natural photographs. You don't need to ask people to smile or laugh when they're already having a good time, and that's exactly the sort of thing I enjoy photographing.
One of the photographs shows Leah having a laugh with one of her guests, both with their arms in the air, and it's a good reminder that wedding photographs don't all need to be beautifully posed portraits. Sometimes the photographs that tell you the most about a wedding are the ones where everybody has simply forgotten that the camera is there.
The quieter moments are important too, of course, and that mixture is what I always aim to give couples in their finished gallery.
A North Yorkshire Coastal Wedding With Plenty of Personality
I've photographed weddings at Grand Villa Heights before, including Ryan and Sarah's wedding, and it's interesting returning to a venue and seeing how differently couples choose to celebrate.
The venue might be familiar, but the people, weather, decorations and entertainment are different each time, which means no two weddings ever look quite the same.
For Joe and Leah, we had those incredible views across Robin Hood's Bay, plenty of sunshine mixed with a rather unforgiving October wind, some relaxed photographs around the hotel and a celebration that certainly wasn't short of entertainment.
That's what I enjoy about photographing real weddings. There's always something different happening, and although I'll help organise the family photographs and give couples a little direction when we're taking their portraits, the rest of the day is really about watching what's going on and photographing it as naturally as possible.
The setting at Grand Villa Heights is fantastic, but it's Joe, Leah and all the people celebrating with them who make these photographs their own.
Planning Your Wedding at Grand Villa Heights?
If you're getting married at Grand Villa Heights in Ravenscar and you're looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography, I'd love to hear what you've got planned.
I've photographed weddings here before and know how to make the most of those wonderful views across Robin Hood's Bay, along with the different areas inside the hotel, without expecting you to spend ages away from your guests having photographs taken.
Whether you're planning a smaller celebration or a full day of wedding photography, we can have a chat about your plans, the photographs that are important to you and how much coverage you actually need.
My aim is to give you a proper record of your wedding, including the important moments and all those little things happening around you that you might not even realise I've photographed, while leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the day.
Check My Availability for Your Grand Villa Heights Wedding
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