The West Mill Stunning Wedding Photography Derby Photographer Darley Abbey
Stunning Wedding Photography at The West Mill Derby
The West Mill Wedding Venue reflion in the river Derwent Derby
As an experienced relaxed Derby wedding photographer I am very lucky to get to photograph many beautiful wedding at some absolutely stunning exclusive Derbyshire venues and The West Mill at Darley Abbey is one of my absolute favorites!
I’ve put this page together to give you an overview of the venue, some tips, ideas and a feel for how I photograph your amazing day!
Three floors of stunning original industrial features tailor designed to deliver your perfect wedding day.
With so much space The West Mill is one of the few wedding venues I never worry about the weather at because whether we are indoors or out your wedding photographs will be absolutely stunning.
The West Mill Derby bride and groom dramatic stunning wedding photograph twilight
Table of contents
Beautiful bride and groom wedding portrait relaxed and happy smile
Stunning indoor wedding party group photograph The West Mill ceremony room
About The West Mill Darley Abbey Exclusive Wedding Venue
The West Mill is a gorgeous industrial wedding venue located on the banks of the River Derwent in Derbyshire. The four story red brick mill has been lovingly restored with no expense spared and has retained many of its stunning original features.
The West Mill also provides exclusive use so you can celebrate in style soaking up the perfect mixture of historic architecture and modern amenities, including a lift between floors for guests who are unable to use stairs.
In the ceremony room the large Georgian glass windows offer views of Darley Park and the flowing river Derwent, providing an absolutely breathtaking wedding ceremony backdrop.
Bride and groom wedding photography romantic walk by river Derwent weir
Beautiful bride and groom silhouette wedding photography West Mill brick walls
Bride & Groom Prep - Getting ready at The West Mill
As you would expect from a wedding venue of this caliber this incredible bridal/groom suite is available for the wedding party to relax and prepare for the day ahead in luxury and style.
Enormous mirrors, big bright and airy windows, air conditioning and lots of table space for the Prosecco to be put in ice and poured, what more could you possibly need!
Bridal and groom prep room with stunning mirrors and oak furniture
It’s hard to emphasise as a wedding photographer just how great it is to be able to photograph all the fun and excitement as everyone gets ready in such a lovely room just thirty feet away from the aisle you will be walking down in a few hours.
It takes away all the pressure of getting you and the wedding party to the venue on time and everyone can just relax and have fun.
It also makes a great location for a ‘first look reveal’ to mums or dads and a gorgeous photo opportunity as you step out of the room right into the middle of the ceremony where all your guests and beloved await!
Bridal prep with makeup artist at Darley Dale West Mills
Preparing on site also means the beautiful ceremony room can be used to provides ample picturesque wedding photography spots before your guests arrive to capture bride or groom preparation wedding portraits.
The West Mill ceremony room
Wedding day cheers with Prosecco
Prosecco flowing in the bridal suite
Wedding dress and piano before the ceremony
Bridesmaids getting ready
Bridal party ready for ceremony
When it comes to groom prep the ground floor has some amazing natural lighting lighting, windows and darker areas complemented with a little camera flash creating a perfect edgy look to groom portraits.
Groom prep at The West Mill Derby
Grooms pocket watch
Groom and best man finishing touches
Relaxed Stunning Wedding photography ideas at The West Mill
I constantly bang on about how my wedding photography approach is very relaxed, especially when it comes to the couple shots, but i think that’s a really important… its essential that you can relax, have fun and with a little help from me crack out some gorgeous natural smiles.
Your’e not a catalog models and forced smiles combined with awkward poses are a recipe for bad wedding photographs. I don’t stage manage your day, I capture whats happening in front of me and you receive a gorgeous gallery showing all those wonderful natural candid moments.
These pictures show my relaxed and creative approach, whether we are indoors my aim is to work quickly so you can get back to your guests whilst at the same time having lots of fun.
If you don’t laugh your way through my portraits then we are doing it wrong!
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Stunning bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Indoors beautiful bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Indoors the West Mill bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Outdoors bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Amazing group photograph of wedding party in The Spinning Room West Mill Derby
Stunning bride and groom picture in The Spinning Room at The West Mill Derby
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Outdoors bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of smiles
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun and lots of laughter
Bride and groom wedding day photographs, relaxed, fun in lovers seat by the river Derwent
Amazing group photograph of wedding party in The Spinning Room West Mill Derby
Getting married at The West Mill
Located on the top floor The Cotton Quarter is the ceremony room and is licensed for civil ceremonies, it has the original industrial style tiled flooring, big cast iron beans and the rows of glowing lamps hanging from the ceiling creating a gorgeous luxury industrial feel and a warm inviting atmosphere for you to exchange your vows. This room also tends to end up fairly empty in the evening so makes for some great photographs using all the industrial features with some off camera flash for creative effect.
The entire room is flooded with flattering natural light, absolutely perfect for wedding photography. The ‘walking down the aisle’ shot can be challenging for wedding photography as you are back lit by the windows behind but as an experienced Derby wedding photographer I have the ability and discreet lighting equipment to ensure you get perfectly exposed wedding photographs every time with nothing missed.
Wedding guests watching beautiful ceremony
My number one aim during your ceremony is to capture every moment, creatively and beautifully whilst remaining discreet to ensure all eyes stay on you both.
I have invested heavily in silent cameras and low light lenses to remove the need for that annoying clicking sounds and camera flashes so you remain ‘in the moment’ as you exchange your wedding vows.
Bride and groom holding hands engagement ring
Bride and groom exchanging vows
Emotional mother of the bride watching wedding ceremony at The West Mill
The first kiss - The West Mill Wedding Ceremony
The first kiss - The West Mill Wedding Ceremony
Confetti throw
The fixtures and fittings
One of my absolute favorite things about The West Mill are all the vintage features.
Everything from the antique style lighting to the exposed red brickwork is just sublime and the wedding breakfast room is no exception, providing a bright and airy space for a relaxed seated dining experience.
Spacious but with a cosy feel the original barrel-vaulted arches and big individual pane windows create a luxury ambiance for up to 160 seated guests.
Its perfect for photographing the speeches, with so much natural light I can snap away taking photographs of wonderful candid moments without anyone even realising I’m there!
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill ceremony room - The Spinning Room
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
LOVE letters at The West Mill
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill piano
Features of The West Mill - view of the bridge
Wedding breakfast and features of The West Mill
The West Mill courtyard
The old mill courtyard sits between the two wings of the building and makes a stunning spot for the wedding group photographs.
Its also the perfect place to get an elevated picture of all of your guests together and I know just how to sneak through the ‘‘no access’ door to the only window in the mill building that opens to hang out of!
Its also a great spot for the brides bouquet throw and capturing the reactions/look of terror of partners when their beloved wins the catch!
The West Mill courtyard
The West Mill Courtyard group photograph
The West Mill Bouquet throw in the courtyard
The West Mill Bouquet throw in the courtyard
The West Mill Bouquet throw in the courtyard
What if it rains on my West Mill Wedding Day?
First and foremost, don’t panic!
As an experienced Derby wedding photographer I have photographed amazing weddings in every possible condition you can imagine, and The West Mill is absolutely amazing for indoor group photographs if needed so there’s absolutely no need to worry.
Rainy wedding day at The West Mill Venue Derby with umbrella silhouette
A rainy windy wedding day becomes an opportunity to get out the weather sealed camera kit and create some truly beautiful and unique wedding photographs.
If you’ve been staring at the weather app all week and it’s definitely going to be throwing it down don’t stress!
The off camera flash comes out along with umbrellas and between us we will create beautiful and dramatic ‘wow’ shots of the two of you both inside and outside of the venue.
Rainy wedding day at The West Mill Venue Derby with umbrella light up
I set up all the required lighting without you and then fire some test shots of myself to check everything looks as I hope. That way you are outdoors for as little time as possible, I just walk you into the shot, take it and then you can get back to the party!
Rainy wedding day at The West Mill Venue Derby with gusts and umbrellas
Its also very rare that it will rain for the whole of your wedding day, so even if its only a 15 minute break we can still get out and do some gorgeous shots of just the two of you as well as a big group photograph of all your guests.
Rainy wedding day at The West Mill Venue Derby with gusts and umbrellas
The first dance and the party!
When the wedding cakes been cut the music gets turned up and its time for the first dance.
The West Mill has a dedicated floor with bar area, cosy seating and a full dance floor so your guests can get up, throw some shapes and party the night away.
I like to introduce a little motion into my dance floor photography, it shows the excitement and party atmosphere rather than everyone looking like frozen statues.
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby DJ
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby DJ
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby guests
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby bride and groom
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby saxaphone
First dance and party at The West Mill Derby
Looking for a West Mill Derby relaxed Wedding Photographer?
If you are getting married at Darley Abbey Mill and would like to know more about what I offer and how I work I would love to hear from you so get in touch.
I can set up a no obligations Zoom or Skype call and answer any questions you may have, take all the time you need to decide afterwards.
To view my full wedding gallery click below
Finding The West Mill, Derby
Located within Darley Abbey Village next to the River Derwent as part of Darley Abbey Mills World Heritage Site.
The West Mill Venue entrance can be found off Haslam’s Lane which can be reached either through Darley Abbey Village or from Alfreton Road.
Address: The West Mill, Haslams Lane, Darley Abbey Mills, Darley Abbey, Derbyshire, DE22 1DZ
Tel: 01332 229029
Email: events@thewestmillvenue.com
Jess & Rob
The West Mill Wedding Sneak Preview Gallery