When it comes to venues of a grander scale there are few that quite match the impressive nature of the Devonshire Dome. Commissioned in 1785 by the then Duke of Devonshire to further promote the Spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire. Its sheer magnificence lends itself extraordinarily well to weddings of larger scale, similar to that of cultural celebrations such as Navneet and Jack.
Few cultural wedding celebrations show as much life, colour, energy and love than that of a Sikh one, and whilst Nav & Jack’s wasn’t wholly traditional it certainly had all the hallmarks of a cracking celebration. Most weddings that I photograph mean that due to the time I spend with couples I’ve created quite a bond with them before I get to the end of their day. With Nav and Jack though, it was just a little different… The minute I walked into Nav’s hotel room I immediately felt I’d known her for half my life. I knew this was going to be an amazing day from that moment, and I wasn’t wrong. Using the camera in my usual way and documenting the moments of human bond between these wonderful people I couldn’t help but form a real bond to just about all of them.
This was a pretty emotional day for Nav’s family with her mother losing a sister just a week earlier, and whilst a few tears were shed over a missing auntie, there were more than a few very happy smiles to compensate. Highlights for me must have been the Dhol drummers, that lead to the cake cutting, the amazing speeches and Nav’s Dad topped in a stylish turban, who in her words looked “like a boss!”
Apart from the Devonshire Dome being a fantastic venue for wedding’s, elsewhere nearby the Derbyshire scenery is the quintessential place for photographers. Not just of the wedding kind such as myself but for those interested in landscape photography or photographing the nearby wildlife the excellent facilities within the town of Buxton include a number of great hotels. Jack himself chose to use the Palace Hotel for his morning preparations and Navneet used the not quite so central but just as charming Lee Wood Hotel. I myself have in fact taken a little time out to explore the area with my cameras and make photographs for my walls of the stunning Derbyshire Landscape and Buxton makes and excellent base for this. Also just in case you ever have the need of a new tripod or lens for your DSLR or mirrorless camera then there is the nearby Birdnet Optics.
