Award Gala Dinner at Bristol Grand Hotel

Galenicals Awards 2021

Awards nights have a reputation. Everyone lines up for the group shot, smiles until their faces ache, and spends the rest of the evening wondering if the photographer got them or not.

The Galenicals Awards 2021 at Bristol Grand Hotel was nothing like that.

The Galenicals Society is Bristol Medical School’s student society, and their annual awards evening brings together the people who put in the work behind the scenes all year. The certificates are real. The pride is real. And the relief of finally being in a room together: dressed up, celebrating, somewhere worth celebrating — after a year of lectures and placements and late-night revision? That was very real too.

I was there from the champagne reception through to the dinner, moving through the room as the evening unfolded. Bottles being poured across dozens of waiting flutes. Students in black tie finding their tables, catching up with people they hadn’t seen since summer. Someone laughing so hard they nearly lost their drink. A hug between two people that said more than any speech could.

Champagne glasses prepared for guests during the Galenicals Awards evening at Bristol Grand Hotel.

Bristol Grand Hotel gave the whole evening a weight it deserved. High ceilings, a proper ballroom, a dance floor ringed with balloons in burgundy, gold, and black. The kind of venue that makes a student awards night feel like the real thing. Because it was.

The photographs from a gala dinner in Bristol aren’t about formal records. They’re about the moment someone hears their society’s name called. The table that’s been together since first year. The certificate that’s going straight on someone’s wall in a house share in Clifton.

That’s what I’m there to find.

Grand chandelier and ornate ceiling inside Bristol Grand Hotel ballroom during the awards evening.
Dinner tables prepared for guests at the Galenicals Awards gala dinner in Bristol.
Red, gold, and clear balloons beneath chandelier at Bristol Grand Hotel gala dinner venue.
Champagne flutes waiting on tables during the Galenicals Awards gala dinner in Bristol.
Black, gold, red, and clear balloons scattered across the dance floor before the Bristol awards event.
Crystal chandelier hanging above the ballroom ceiling at Bristol Grand Hotel in Bristol.
Champagne being poured into glasses during the Galenicals Awards evening at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guests holding champagne glasses during the Bristol Grand Hotel awards evening reception.
Smiling guests chatting with champagne during the Galenicals Awards event in Bristol.
Two guests hugging during the gala dinner reception at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guest laughing during conversation at the Bristol Grand Hotel gala dinner reception.
Guests drinking champagne during the Galenicals Awards evening in Bristol.
Three guests posing with champagne glasses at the Galenicals Awards gala dinner in Bristol.
Guests laughing beside champagne glasses during the Galenicals Awards dinner at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guests in black tie chatting during the awards evening at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Black and white photo of guests holding champagne glasses during the Bristol awards evening.
Three guests posing together during the Bristol Grand Hotel gala dinner reception.
Guests laughing together during the Galenicals Awards evening at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Champagne being poured into a flute during the Galenicals Awards celebration in Bristol.
Blonde guest listening during the Galenicals Awards dinner reception in Bristol.
Students chatting and laughing at the Galenicals Awards dinner in Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guests reacting and laughing during the awards dinner at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guests smiling across the dinner table during the Galenicals Awards celebration in Bristol.
Wine being poured into glasses during the awards dinner at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Wide portrait of the Galenicals Awards host speaking beneath a chandelier in Bristol Grand Hotel.
Speaker holding a microphone during the Galenicals Awards ceremony at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Wide view of the Galenicals Awards banquet hall decorated with balloons and chandeliers in Bristol.
Detail of a traditional Scottish kilt during the Galenicals Awards ceremony in Bristol.
Certificate of Recognition for Bristol Peer to Peer Teaching displayed during the Galenicals Awards.
Two guests smiling together at the Galenicals Awards dinner in Bristol Grand Hotel.
Two guests laughing and posing beside table six during the Galenicals Awards celebration.
Emotional hug between guests during the Galenicals Awards celebration at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Overhead view of guests dining around decorated tables at the Galenicals Awards in Bristol.
Guest laughing during conversation at the Galenicals Awards dinner in Bristol Grand Hotel.
Blonde guest smiling across the table during the Galenicals Awards dinner at Bristol Grand Hotel.
Guests posing together during the Galenicals Awards dinner celebration at Bristol Grand Hotel.

Thinking about

a Gala Dinner Photographer for Your Bristol Event?

Hi, I’m Eszter, a Bristol event photographer. Most event organisers I work with want the same thing before the evening starts: photos that feel like the night actually felt, not a set of staged shots that could belong to any event anywhere.

That’s exactly the brief I work to. I move through the room quietly, stay out of the way of the evening, and find the moments that matter without interrupting them.

You don’t need to brief me on every shot. You don’t need to round people up. Just let the evening run and I’ll handle the rest.

If you’re planning an awards dinner, society gala, or corporate event in Bristol, I’d love to hear about it. Fill in the enquiry form and tell me what you’re putting together.

Eszter Szalai, the owner of Emerald Photo UK is wearing leather jacket and patterned scarf.

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Let’s start our journey

Start by filling in the enquiry form, and we’ll take it from there. Don’t worry, you don’t need everything planned out yet. That’s why we are here, to help you on the way!

Hit send, and I’ll be in touch within 2 working days (I promise).