Jade & Brett | Bagden Hall Wedding

Jade and Brett had one wish for their wedding at Bagden Hall: sunshine. They got it. A hot June day, a white flower arch on the lawn, purple everywhere you looked, and a room full of people who were ready to party from the moment they arrived.

It was a properly joyful day to photograph. Lots of laughter, singing waiters who had the whole room on its feet, and a couple who were so obviously made for each other that it was hard not to grin along with them all day.

Meet Jade & Brett

Jade and Brett first crossed paths briefly on a night out. In Brett’s words, she was one of those faces you notice in a crowd but don’t think much of at the time. Life went on, until a while later they met again, and this time they actually got talking.

As Brett tells it: “Session after session, the conversations got longer, the laughs came easier, and something started to grow. What began as a chance meeting turned into something real.”

The Proposal

Brett had been planning to propose for a while, but knew that anything big would give the game away. So when Jade booked a dinner for the two of them, he thought it was the perfect cover. Then things started to go wrong. The restaurant was, as he puts it, rubbish: bad food, slow service, the works. Before he’d found the right moment, a phone call cut the evening short and they left in a hurry, dinner forgotten and the ring still in his pocket.

Later that night, back home once everything had calmed down, Brett looked at Jade and knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He got down on one knee, and she said yes. “It wasn’t the perfect night I had imagined,” says Brett, “but somehow, all the chaos made it more real.”

Why They Chose Bagden Hall

They both knew exactly what they wanted: “sunshine, fresh air, and an outdoor ceremony surrounded by nature.” They looked at a few places, but as soon as they saw the lawn at Bagden Hall, that was it. “We could instantly picture ourselves standing there, saying our vows under the sun,” says Brett. “It wasn’t just about the venue, it was about the feeling it gave us.”

The hall sits in its own grounds near Scissett, between Huddersfield and Denby Dale, and the big lawn below the house is a lovely spot for an outdoor ceremony, with trees all round and the hall looking down on everything.

Personal Touches

Jade and Brett had a simple system. “I picked the colour, and Jade took care of everything else!” says Brett. “She’s got an incredible eye for detail, and I trusted her completely (plus, let’s be honest, she was going to do it anyway!).”

Brett’s colour was purple, and Jade ran with it. Sparkle and Shine dressed the venue with a huge white flower arch studded with purple roses for the ceremony, purple sashes on every chair, and white and purple flowers running the length of the top table in front of a curtain of fairy lights. The cake, three white tiers with deep purple roses, finished it off beautifully.

Getting married at Bagden Hall? I’d love to hear about your plans.

Bridal Preparations

Jade got ready at Bagden Hall with her mum, her maid of honour, her bridesmaids and the flower girl, all in matching purple robes. Elegance Hair & Beauty looked after hair and make-up, and the room was full of chatter, laughter and the odd glass of fizz. The soft window light in the bridal room is lovely for make-up pictures, so I kept things simple and let the moments happen.

Once Jade was in her dress, there was a reveal for her bridesmaids. The back of that dress, with all its beading, got exactly the reaction it deserved.

Meanwhile, Brett and his groomsmen arrived looking sharp in grey, with purple ties to match the day. We lined them up by the grand front door of the hall before they headed down to the lawn to meet the guests.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was at one o’clock on the lawn, under that big white flower arch, with sixty guests on purple-sashed chairs either side of the aisle. Brett waited at the front, doing a very good job of looking calm, and the moment Jade appeared his face said everything.

I was able to work from the front, which is my favourite spot for a ceremony, so I could catch both of their faces during the vows. Brett barely stopped grinning the whole way through. There was a lovely moment with the rings, a first kiss under the arch, and then the signing, with their tattoos and brand new wedding rings side by side on the register.

Drinks Reception at Bagden Hall

Straight after the ceremony came the hugs, and there were a lot of them. Everyone wanted a moment with the newlyweds out on the lawn in the sunshine, and those congratulations make some of my favourite pictures of any wedding.

Then I gathered the wedding party on the old stone steps by the hall for a group picture. I asked for a big cheer and they did not hold back.

Couple Portraits at Bagden Hall

With a party waiting, we kept their portraits relaxed and quick. We started in the gardens, where a bit of chat was enough to get Jade laughing, and then walked the gravel path beside the tall hedge with the gables of the hall behind them.

It was a bright, hot afternoon with a properly blue sky, so I made the most of it. The front steps of the hall look wonderful with a sky like that behind them, and the long grass at the top of the grounds, with the house in the distance, gave us a quieter, more natural picture of the two of them before we headed back to the party.

There’s more about the venue, and how I like to work there, on my Bagden Hall wedding photographer page.

Fancy some night-time pictures on your own wedding day? Here’s how I do twilight portraits.

Wedding Breakfast and Speeches

The wedding breakfast room was dressed in white and purple from top to bottom, with tall centrepieces on every table and flowers all along the top table. Speeches came before the meal, and Brett’s speech went down a storm. Jade was beaming all the way through, and the room was laughing with him.

Then came the surprise. The singing waiters had kept their secret right up until they burst into song, and within a couple of minutes guests were up on their feet, arms in the air, phones out, and a few standing on their chairs. It was brilliant chaos, and one of those parts of the day people will still be talking about for years.

The Evening Celebrations

By seven, the evening guests had arrived and there were around a hundred people ready to dance. Jade and Brett cut their cake, then stepped onto the dance floor for their first dance under pink lights, wrapped up in each other while everyone gathered round.

After that the party went off. The dance floor lit up, the purple sashes were long forgotten, and Jade spent most of the night right in the middle of it with her friends.

Later on, once it was properly dark, I borrowed Jade and Brett for a few minutes and took them out to the old stone gates at the hall for a night-time picture, lit with a single light. It’s a quiet moment away from the noise, and a lovely way to end the story of the day.

Bagden Hall Wedding Suppliers

Jade and Brett, thank you so much for having me. You wanted sunshine, an outdoor ceremony and a big party with the people you love, and you got all three. I hope these pictures take you straight back to that hot June day every time you look at them.

If you’re planning your own wedding and would like me there to capture it, I’d love to hear from you.

Planning your own wedding near Huddersfield? Have a look at my Huddersfield wedding photographer page.