BLOG

Midland Hotel Wedding Photographer

THE MIDLAND HOTEL MANCHESTER

The Midland Hotel is one of the most grand and historically rich hotels in Manchester. The Hotel was opened in 1903 and has had many famous visitors over the years, Charles Rolls met Henry Royce at the Midland Hotel leading to the creation of Rolls Royce Limited in 1904. The Queen Mother dined here and Adolf Hitler was said to be a big fan of the buildings architecture and ordered the The Midland Hotel to spared during the bombing of World War Two so that he could have it as his head quarters in Britain. Thankfully that grand plan did not work out for him. The Hotel is now owned by The Fattal Hotel Group.

One of my favourite bits of trivia about The Midland Hotel is that The Beatles got refused entrance to the hotels French Resturant for being “inappropriately dressed”. Legends.

The building has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage and was voted Manchester’s 2nd most favourite building by the readers of The Manchester Evening News.

Exterior shot of the Midland Hotel Manchester.

The Brides wedding dress hanging up in her hotel room at the Midland Hotel.

Groom reading a letter from his bride next to the window at the Midland Hotel Manchester.

Bride laughing as she gets her make up done at the Midland Hotel Manchester.

Close up of bride having her eye make up done.

Bride has her lipstick applied while her mother as sister get ready in the foreground.

Bride looks out of the window of the Midland Hotel.

View out of the window of the Midland Hotel.

Groom laughs with wedding guests in the Midland Hotel Bar.

Bride smiles as her mother helps her into her wedding dress.

Mother helps Bride put on her wedding shoes.

Bride sits next to her flowers in her hotel room at the Midland Hotel.

Brides mother helps Bride put on her necklace.

Bride sie down to read letter from her husband to be.

Brides father and sister arrive to see the Bride in her wedding dress.

Mother of the Bride laughing as they exchange gifts.

Bridesmaids arrive to see Bride in her wedding dress.

Father of the Bride cracks open some champagne.

Morning Preparations at the Midland Hotel

With a hotel as grand as The Infamous Midland Hotel there is plenty of room for all of your family, friends and wedding guests to stay over and make the weekend of it and that’s exactly what Alisha and Josh and their wedding party did. Making use of the Midland restaurant, bar, spa and numerous other facilities Alicia and her Bridesmaids were able to prepare for her wedding day in style.

On the morning of the wedding Alisha and Josh got ready separately but were able to stay connected by sending each other some lovely heartfelt hand written letters. They both took a moment alone to read them on the morning of their wedding day before getting together with family and friends for some celebratory drinks before heading down to the wedding ceremony.

A mother and her two children take a selfie together.

Groom walks the Mother of the Bride down the aisle.

Mother and father of the groom calm the grooms nerves before the ceremony.

Groomsmen sit nervously before the ceremony begins.

Groom waits at the end of the aisle for his bride.

Wedding guests waiting for the bride to arrive.

Mother and Father of the Groom laughing at him.

The Bride walks down the aisle with her father at the Midland Hotel.

Bride and Groom stand together white flowers in foreground.

Bride and Groom stand together surrounded by their friends and family.

Groom pulls a funny face as he puts a ring on his Brides finger.

Bride and Groom stand together during ceremony at the Midland Hotel.

Bride and Groom laugh together after being married at the Midland Hotel Manchester.

Bride and Groom laugh as they walk down the asile together as husband and wife.

Lady with blue dress and silvers shoes has spilt colourful confetti on the floor.

Wedding guests wait with confetti outside the Midland hotel.

Bridesmaids line up with their confetti outside the Midland Hotel.

Mother and Father of the bride wait with confetti.

Little boy wearing a blue shirt waits with confetti.

Bride and Groom laugh as confetti hits them in the face.

Wedding guests jumps at couple with a handful of confetti.

Bride and Groom are engulfed with confetti on thier wedding day at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.

Bride takes a moment to take confetti from her hair.

Bride and Bridesmaids walk down the street together.

Bride and Groom outside the Midland Hotel on their wedding day.

Bridal Party have a photo outside Manchester Central Library.

Bride and Groom walk together with their bridesmaids and groomsmen following them.

Bride and Groom walk under the arches together at Manchester Hall.

Bride and Groom Stand for a photo under the arches by Manchester Town Hall.

Bride and Groom Laughing together on their wedding day in Manchester City Centre.

Bride and Groom laughing under the arches.

The Trafford Room

Alisha and Josh were married in The Trafford room where The Queen Mother famously dined. The room is huge and was just the right size for Alisha and Josh’s epic 180 guests. The ceremony was full of joy with Alisha and Josh erupting into laughter throughout the ceremony. When the ceremony was finished the Bride and Groom’s friends and family met them on the steps of The Midland Hotel with hands full of rainbow coloured confetti. I don’t think I have ever seen so much confetti! There were plenty of hugs, happy tears and heartfelt congratulations from Alisha and Josh’s friends and Family before we head off for some quick natural portraits of the happy couple together in St Peter’s Square.

The Wedding Breakfast room in the Midland Hotel

Top Table sign with a photo of the Groom proposing to the Bride.

The Whiteheads neon sign underneath a white flower rose arch.

Female wedding guest dressed in green laughing.

Best Man gets some advice on his speech.

The Brides father stands to make his speech.

Brides sister looks shocked listening to her father's speech.

Bride smiles while listening to her fathers speech.

Blonde female wedding guest in blue dress smiles while listening to speeches.

Bride stands to make her speech at The Midland Hotel.

Brides father looks proud as he listens to her speech.

Bride and Groom laugh together at Best Mans speech.

Stylist wedding guest wearing jazzy suit and glasses laughing.

Two female wedding guests hold hands while listening to the speeches.

Sister of the Groom laughing at Best Mans speech.

Mother of the groom cries while her husband laughs.

Father of the Groom puts his hand up while his wife sipes tears from her eyes.

Bride smiles as her husband makes a speech.

Groom looks at his wife while she laughs at his speech. Whiteheads Neon sign behind them.

Female wedding guest laughs and wipes tears from her eyes.

Bride and Groom laugh and bump into one and other as they cut the cake.

Wedding guests gather to watch the First Dance.

Bride and Groom have their first dance at the Midland Hotel.

Mother and Father of the Bride dance together smiling.

Wedding guests dancing and looking crazy.

Father of the Bride laughing as he dances at his daughters wedding at The Midland Hotel.

Wedding guests dance and mime giving each other kisses.

Bride looking very happy as she dances with her friends.

Groom laughing with his mates on the dance floor.

Family poses with blow up saxophone and photo booth hats and glasses.

Female wedding guest in light blu dress smiling and dancing.

Woman in orange dress smiling and dancing with her eyes closed.

Male wedding guest in blue suit does a karate kick.

Wedding Breakfast and Party at the Midland Hotel

Once the photos were out of the way it was time for Alisha and Josh to head back into the Midland Hotel to mingle with their wedding guests and get the party started. The Wedding Breakfast room was decorated in a stylish black and shite colour scheme with the elegant white rose arch from their ceremony decorating the head table and a funky neon sign with their new name as a married couple “The White Heads” added for extra effect. After some hilarious speeches and some delicious food Alisha and Josh cut the cake and hit the dance floor for their first dance as Mr and Mrs.

A Shout out to Alisha and Josh’s Awesome Suppliers:

Wedding Dress: https://www.becauseiloveyoubridalwear.co.uk/

Hair and Make up: https://www.hairandmakeupbysaskia.co.uk/

Flowers: https://www.margot-flowers.com/

Bridesmaids Flowers: Josh’s Auntie.

Venue Dresser: https://pureeleganceevents.co.uk/

Videographer: https://www.vlvideos.co.uk/

Venue: https://www.themidlandhotel.co.uk/weddings

Cotswolds House Hotel Wedding

So Shani and Dan got married at St James Church and The Cotswolds House Hotel in Chipping Campden. I didn’t meet Shani or Dan in person before the wedding as they were so far away but I knew from our Skype call that it was going to be an epic wedding day, not just because Shani and Dan had organised such a wonderful day for all of their guests but because they are such lovely warm fun loving people and guess what?! I was right. It was absolutely perfect, such a relaxed and fun feel to the day, everyone was having the best time and the setting was beautiful, it felt like we were in some gardens in Italys countryside.

I also had the pleasure of working alongside a fantastic team for the day including Ben from Tynegate Films, Richard , The Gloucestershire Magician and my awesome second shooter Siobhan McGill of MgGill Sister Films.

I’m going to let Shani and Dan tell you all about it in their own words.

Thanks for having us Shani and Dan. Lots of love xxxxx

Shani and Dan’s Story

We met at high school and fell for each other whilst in the process of failing A-Level Biology. We were both so terrible at the subject that the teacher sat us together and from that moment on, we didn’t get very much work done! We then completed our A-Levels, took a gap year and travelled to Asia and went on to study Business Management together at University - we really were inseparable!. We graduated with our degrees a few years later, somehow ended up gaining three crazy dogs in that time and continued to do some more travelling, our favourite being a road trip across America. We've now been together for almost ten years and live in the quiet Cotswold town of Chipping Campden, where we got married.

Getting Engaged

Dan took me to Paris for my 21st Birthday and proposed on the Champ De Mars, it was magic! When we returned our family threw us an amazing surprise engagement party. We were quite young when we first got engaged and we decided that we would get married a 'couple' of years later. This somehow turned into a 5 year engagement! So the wedding day was very special for us as we had been planning for it for a long time.

Shani’s favourite thing about Dan is how kind and selfless he is, always helping other people and looking after her in particular! Shani also love how passionate he is about his hobbies.

Dan’s favourite thing about Shani is her smile and how driven she is in everything she does. Nothing phases her and she's such a strong woman.

St James Church and The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden.

We got married at St James Church in Chipping Campden, which is close to our hearts from our childhood. We had our reception at The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden. The most important thing for us was for our guests to have a great day. We were so lucky with the beautiful weather that we were able to have our wedding reception outside in the gardens. There were moments throughout the day when we both stood together and looked around at everyone, it was such a lovely feeling watching people enjoying themselves, with the the kids running around the garden, the magician shocking everyone with his entertainment, people tucking into their food and lots of free flowing drinks! Overall there was a really lovely feel to the day and we are so happy with how it all turned out.

The Wedding Dress.

I wore an English Rose Bridal dress from The Bridal Room Broadway. The ladies in the shop were so amazing helping to choose my dream dress and the whole experience was so wonderful, they really made me feel special.

https://www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk/

A Shout Out to Our Wedding Suppliers.

My mum did my hair for the wedding day, I knew I didn't want anyone else to do it! She's the most wonderful hairdresser and it was so special for me that she was the one helping me to get ready in the morning. She did an amazing job, even though she was so nervous!

Christine Cara was my makeup artist, she was so much fun to be with throughout all of the trials leading up to the wedding day. I chose Christine because of how amazing other people had told me her work was, she didn't disappoint at all! She made me feel confident and helped me to create the look I wanted, even when I couldn't articulate it very well myself!

http://www.christinecaramakeup.com/

Our flowers were by Charlotte Gabb, we chose Charlotte because of her wealth of experience and knowledge of the church. Charlotte was brilliant and we were so happy with the beautiful arrangements.

We had The Gloucestershire Magician, Richard Parsons for our wedding reception entertainment. He was absolutely amazing! Our guests are still talking about how they can't believe the tricks he did. We are still talking about it too! Richard helped us to create that fun, relaxed feeling that we wanted to achieve on the day.

http://www.gloucestershiremagician.co.uk/

Sally Potter made our wedding cake. Sally has been making my birthday cakes since I was 4 years old, so it was really special for me that she did our wedding cake.

Our wedding stationary was made by Cherry Press. We chose Cherry Press because they are a local business who create traditional letterpress stationary the good old fashioned way!

http://www.cherrypress.co.uk/

Ben Tynegate was our videographer. We chose Ben because my sister showed us some of his work and we fell completely in love with it. We knew that his cinematic films were what we wanted to capture our day. We now can't stop watching them and will treasure our beautiful films forever.

https://tynegate-films.com/

We chose Katie Dervin as our wedding photographer as she was recommended by a friend. From the moment we saw Katie's photos we knew we didn't want anyone else to capture the wedding. The lighting and the way they are edited are so beautiful and we wish we could frame all of them and have them all displayed in our house!! Katie was so lovely on the day too, helping us to feel so relaxed and at ease in front of the camera.

We tried to keep the wedding and the decor low key and not too over the top but still with a classic, pretty feel to it. We had lots of fairy lights and candles everywhere to create a nice warm glow, but the venue spoke for itself so we didn't have to bring in too many other decorations.

We put a lot of effort into personalised touches throughout the day, for instance, we made all of the centre pieces ourselves, our wedding guest book and our polaroid timeline and it was so rewarding to see how it all came together beautifully on the day.

We wanted to have a really relaxed day so we chose to have a BBQ instead of a traditional three-course meal, which worked really well. For music throughout the day we made a playlist of our favourite songs growing up together and then we had a DJ in the evening for everyone to dance the night away to!

Shani and Dan’s Stag and Hen Do:

Dan went to Amsterdam for his stag do, he was amazed that he survived the weekend! It consisted of beer, beer tours and more beer. He loved it there and hopes to one day go back to enjoy the city a bit more sober!

I was truly spoiled as a hen, having three wonderful hen do's! The first was a bottomless brunch with all of my lovely girls. The second was a trip to the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos with my bridesmaids. The third was organised by my lovely mum, who got all of the ladies in my family together for a weekend in London and a party boat on the river Thames.

There isn't anything we would do differently really.

The only minor thing is I wish I had kept my veil on for longer! I took it off as it was getting caught on the floor but wish I had kept it on all day!

What would your advice be to couples planning their wedding day?

Enjoy it, it really is so much fun! Don't get too bogged down in the detail and lost in small stuff that doesn't truly matter, try to be well organised in advance and that way you can enjoy it as a couple.

Brides bouquet, pink flowers and pale green leaves. (Copy)

Wedding Dress hanging in the hall way. (Copy)

Brides shoes on windowsill with 6 pence inside. (Copy)

Bridesmaid shoes and the bottom of the bridesmaid dresses. (Copy)

Bride getting ready in the hall as bridesmaid watches from the sitting room. (Copy)

Bridesmaid help to arrange wedding dress hanging from wardrobe. (Copy)

Bridesmaid has a necklace put on her. (Copy)

Bridesmaids watching bride getting ready smiling. (Copy)

Bride getting her make up put on. (Copy)

Mother of the Bride and Sister of the Bride have a moment together as they look at the bride getting ready at Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Bride comes down to see her bridesmaids in their dresses for the first time. (Copy)

The bride stands in window light as her mother helps her put on her dress. (Copy)

Long shot of Bride having her dress put on in the window light. (Copy)

Bridesmaids see Bride in her wedding dress for the first time. (Copy)

Mother of the brides hat, jacket and purse in some speckled window light. (Copy)

Father of the Bride comes to see his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. (Copy)

Bridesmaids peeping through the window. (Copy)

Speckled sunlight coming through the trees into the doorway. (Copy)

Bridesmaids waving outside The Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Groom and Groomsmen leaving the house on the way to the church. (Copy)

Groom leading his groomsmen to the church. (Copy)

St James Church, Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Groom getting a hug from a wedding guest. (Copy)

Bridesmaids waiting for bride to arrive. (Copy)

Onlookers wait to see the bride enter the church. (Copy)

Bride walks down the church pathway with her dad. (Copy)

Groom waits inside the church with his groomsmen. Best Man looking at his watch. (Copy)

Bride and Father of the Bride walking down the aisle in St James Church in Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Close up of the brides dress and the grooms suit as they stand together. (Copy)

Bride and Groom photographed through foliage. (Copy)

Bride and groom stand before vicar smiling. (Copy)

Bridesmaids clapping as bride and groom kiss in foreground. (Copy)

Bride and groom walk down the aisle as husband and wife. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk down the church path towards their guests. (Copy)

Bride and Groom have confetti thrown at them. (Copy)

Bride and Groom laugh as they have confetti thrown out them outside St James Church, Chipping, Campden. (Copy)

Bride and Groom smiling surrounded by guests and covered in confetti. (Copy)

Brides sister cuddles her boyfriend outside the church where her sister has just been married. (Copy)

A little boy watches on from the pavement and people fuss over him. (Copy)

The bride gives her friend a hug as her friend cries. (Copy)

A little hand on the skirt of the brides wedding dress. (Copy)

The bride and groom lead their guests away from the church. (Copy)

The sister of the bride helps her with her veil. (Copy)

Close up of the dress, flowers and veil as the bride and groom walk by. (Copy)

Photograph from the back of the veil. (Copy)

Bride and Groom leads their wedding guests down the street. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk past the local shops together. (Copy)

Buildings viewed from Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Lavender in Cotswolds House Hotel Grounds. (Copy)

Wedding Time Table Painted on a Pallet. (Copy)

To The Bar Sign hanging from a tree. (Copy)

Mother and Father of the Bride Cheers each other with champagne at the bar. (Copy)

Bride and Brides sister cheers one and other with champagne. (Copy)

Little girl is picked up so she can play Connect 4 with her two taller friends. (Copy)

Little girl plays connect 4 shot through holes. (Copy)

Little girls running through the garden. (Copy)

Wedding guests enjoying the magic. (Copy)

Bridesmaid fixing grooms suit as bride has a fag. (Copy)

Little boy playing Connect 4 on blanket. (Copy)

Wedding Guests laughing in the bushes. (Copy)

Wedding guests sitting at table laughing. (Copy)

Two male guests chatting together in gardens wearing sunglasses. (Copy)

Brides sister and her boyfriend laugh together. (Copy)

Brides mum laughs with her friends around a table. (Copy)

Brides sister looks excited while holding a card during a magic trick. (Copy)

Magician shows guests a magic trick with a bent fork. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Stand Side by side in Italian looking tree rowed path. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Laugh together in Italian garden. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Having the best day ever! (Copy)

Bride and Groom standing in pathway together. (Copy)

Bride and Groom Holding on and other in front of a row of tall trees. (Copy)

Bride and Groom hold each other laughing in Italian gardens, Cotswolds House Hotel. (Copy)

Bride and Groom together in old Chipping Market Hall. (Copy)

Bride and Groom two step pose outside shop. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk their dogs under arches. (Copy)

Bride has her dog beg for a treat. (Copy)

Bride stands in the sunlight holding her dog on a lead. (Copy)

Guest Dog Wearing a blue bow tie. (Copy)

Guests standing in garden to listen to speeches. (Copy)

Father of the bride giving speech. (Copy)

Father of the bride giving his speech. (Copy)

Another guest dog looking super cool. (Copy)

The groom gives his speech as the bride looks on supportively. (Copy)

The crowd sit in the garden laughing. (Copy)

Two red haired children and a dog sit listening to the speeches. (Copy)

The 3 men standing to give a speech cheer the bride. (Copy)

The bride laughs while the best man gives his speech. (Copy)

Guest looks on looking emotional. (Copy)

Bridesmaid and mother of the bride crying. (Copy)

Two male guests laughing together. (Copy)

Two female guests laughing together while drinking a cup of tea. (Copy)

Wedding guest holding her daughter. (Copy)

Bride throws bouquet and her sister catches it. (Copy)

Brides sister is very excited to have caught the bouquet. (Copy)

The Bride is also very excited her sister has caught the bouquet. (Copy)

Sister is doing a victory dance with the bouquet as the Bride points at her laughing. (Copy)

Suppliers:

Photographer: Katie Dervin, 2nd shot by Siobhan McGill of mcgillsisterfilms.com/

Videographer: https://tynegate-films.com/

Dress: https://www.thebridalroombroadway.co.uk/

Magician: http://www.gloucestershiremagician.co.uk/

Stationary: http://www.cherrypress.co.uk/

Make Up: http://www.christinecaramakeup.com/

Didsbury House Hotel Wedding Photographer

Katie and Gordon’s Wedding was very special for a lot of reasons. Katie is one of my old friends from my Charity fundraising days, it’s always an honour to journey through my couples wedding day with them, but when it is already someone you know and have love for it makes it extra special.

Katie and Gordon had also been through a lot to get to this day. Their original wedding date was the weekend just after the Covid restrictions came in, meaning that they had to cancel their wedding and deal with the scary reality of a global pandemic all at the same time. After rescheduling their date the venue that they had booked went out of business, then there was more new waves and restrictions… I think we maybe had 3 dates in the diary before getting to Katie and Gordons actual real-life wedding day. In that time some wonderful things happened. Nora their beautiful baby girl had entered the world and they had found the perfect wedding venue close to Katie’s Family home in Didsbury.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, just a few days before the wedding Queen Elizabeth II died, the country was in mourning and I was scared for a moment that this would mean another postponement. Luckily such traditions like cancelling everything for 2 weeks when the head of the monarchy dies are no longer in place in the UK, so Katie and Gordon could finally have the wedding they had been waiting for.

Getting Ready

Katie got ready at her family home in Didsbury. I love it when my couples choose to use their family homes to get ready, it adds an extra layer to the story. I was able to photograph Nora’s beautiful little daisy dress hanging in the window of Katie’s old childhood bedroom, maybe Katie had daydreamed about what her future children would be like looking out of that very window. Katie also got into her wedding dress in her old bedroom, with her best friends surrounding her, old books, CD’s even an old childhood teddy watching on from the surrounding shelves. The life lived in this room, the songs listened to, books read, homework done and tears shed all leading up to this moment…

Brides wedding dress hanging up in brides family home in Didsbury.

Brides daughters tiny white floral dress haging up in the brides childhood bedroom window.

News on the Queens death in The Guardian Newspaper

Bridesmaids chatting in the hallway of the brides Didsbury family home.

Brides daughter looks at the camera suspiciously.

Bridesmaids and brides mother having a drink and chat on the teal sofa.

Bridesmaid helping to feed Brides young daughter.

Bride is filmed by a family friend while having her make up done by Rebecca Anderton.

Brides laugh as they pour glasses of Champange for the bridal party

Bridesmaids claps as her friend poses with wet hair in doorway.

Bridesmaids and Brides mother playing with the brides daughter

Brides daughter watching her mother get ready

Bride playing with her daughter on the morning of her wedding day.

Bride has a glass of Champagne with her bridesmaids.

Bridesmaids look at brides daughter cute tiny dress

Bridesmaid holds up brides wedding dress

Bride standing in her wedding dress in her childhood bedroom smiling.

Bridesmaid helping bride with her dress.

Bride checking herself out in the mirror.

Brides mother pops her head in the door to see her daughter wearing her wedding dress.

Bride looking at her hair in the mirror as her bridesmaid fastens her dress.

Bride looks at her full length reflection in the mirror.

Didsbury House Hotel

Didsbury House Hotel is a beautiful Victorian Town House, with elegant arching Victorian door ways and huge windows to let all of that beautiful daylight in whatever the weather. Didsbury House comes fully equipped with it’s own bar and heated and sheltered outdoor space so that your guests will be properly looked after, but it does have a nice house party feeling to the place for those that are looking for a wedding venue with a more relaxed and informal vibe .

Groom and his groomsmen standing in bar at Didsbury Hotel.

Groom puts button hole flower on his Father's suit.

Grooms Father puts button hole on on groom on his wedding day.

Groomsmen help one and other with cufflinks

Father of the bride has help with his button hole.

Groomsmen laughing at something on iPhone.

Grooms mother wearing amazing colourful dress and head dress gives her son a meaningful look.

Man wearing keffiyeh holds smiling baby.

Bride walked down the aisle by her father at Didsbury House Hotel

Bride and Groom stand together holding hands at Didsbury House Hotel.

Brides family watch the ceremony from the front row at Didsbury House Hotel.

Groom gives a confused look as Bride looks back at the guests and laugh.

Bride and Groom laugh together holding hands during their wedding ceremony at Didsbury House.

Bride and Grooms daughter watching her parents getting married.

Bride laughing and holding her wedding ring.

Bride and Groom laughing as they leave the wedding ceremony.

The Ceremony

One of my favourite photos of the day is Katie and Gordon leaving the ceremony, the joy and happiness on both of their faces, everything it took to get here, getting through Covid, numerous cancellations, wedding venues going bust, all of that excitement, disappointment, stress, planning and in that tempestuous journey to this moment they morphed from a unit of two into a family of three and brought their beautiful daughter Nora into the world and now finally, FINALLY they are husband wife. I feel this last photo so much. “We made it!”

Black and white photo of Bride and Groom sitting on the sofa together at Didsbury House.

Bride and Groom having a glass of Champagne after the ceremony.

Bride standing in door way waiting for groom at Didsbury House. Photo in black at white.

Bride and Groom stand in doorway together at Didsbury House Hotel.

Wife fixes her husbandss button hole on their wedding day.

Bride and groom have a cuddle in the doorway at Didsbury House Hotel.

Bride and Groom stand together in front of Didsbury House Hotel.

Bride and Groom walking in front of Didsbury House Hotel.

Groom kisses bride on the head in front of Didsbury House Hotel.

Bride and Groom, Hello magazine portrait.

11 Didsbury House

After the Wedding Katie and Gordon had a bit of time to chill out and have some nice informal portraits done while the wedding guests made their way to Didsbury House’s Sister Venue; 11 Didsbury House, the venue is just a short walk away and has a beautiful terrace and walled garden with borders bursting with seasonal flowers. 11 Didsbury House also has a large getting-ready space for the bridal party in the morning if you need it. While we made our way to the reception venue the guests organised themselves to ambush Katie and George with confetti on arrival and a great ambush it was!

Bride and groom approach the confetti ambush that awaits them at 11 Didsbury Park.

Wedding guests laughing holding confetti.

Bride and Groom are ambushed with confetti.

Bride and groom smiling together with confetti in the air around them.

Small child with blue glasses holding confetti.

Group Photos

After the confetti ambush Katie and Gordon’s guests enjoyed the garden, played games, had some drinks and canapes and we were able to grab some quick group photographs. Gordon’s best man had travelled to the wedding from down south and had been stuck in traffic during the ceremony so arrived later in the day. Gordon and his Groomsmen decided to mark his arrival by throwing confetti at him and luckily I was there to capture this fleeting moment.

Bridesmaids have photo together in front of greenhouse.

Bridesmaids laugh holding their flowers.

Bridesmaid playing with children on garden bench.

Sofreh

In honour of Katie’s Iranian heritage one of her aunts put together a beautiful Sofreh, which is a Persian tradition of a table put together for the couple with lots of symbolic elements to bring the couple good luck and fertility in their future lives together. The table was comprised of lots of beautiful herbs, sweets and, spices and looked and smelt wonderful. You can find a list of the components and their historical and cultural meaning below:

The Mirror (Ayneye-Bakht) is symbolic of purity, light and brightness. In a traditional Sofreh Aghd Ceremony the first thing the groom would see in the mirror is his new wife removing her veil, Katie and Gordon didn’t do this put they did have a photograph together reflected in the mirror instead.

Two Candelabras (Shamdan) are placed next to the mirror and symbolize clarity and energy in the couple’s life together.

Traditional Persian Embroidered Cloth (Termeh) Traditional Persian silk or embroidered cloth usually handed down from generation to generation as part of the Sofreh Aghd and symbolises family and traditions.

The Holy Book A symbol of God’s blessing for the couple.

Spice Tray (Sini-Ye Aatel-O-Baatel) A beautiful decorative tray of seven herbs and spices to guard the couple against the evil eye.

Decorated Persian Flatbread (Naan Sangak) is a decorative display of flatbreads and symbolises prosperity for the feast and the couple’s life together. It can be accompanied with feta cheese and fresh garden herbs.

Decorated Eggs, Almonds, Walnuts and Hazelnuts Symbolic of fruitfulness, fertility and abundance. It is the hope to have a marriage as strong as the nut shells.

Rock candy (Shakheh Nabat): Symbolizes a sweetened life for the newlyweds.

Honey (Asal): The honey represents sweetness in the couple’s life together.

Two Sugar Cones (Kalleh Ghand): This is to shower the couple with sugary sweetness for happiness for a good life together.

Wild Rue (Espand) is a herb burned as part of a ritual for purification. It is believed to keep away the evil eye and bring good health.

Sweets and Pastries (Shirini): This is to symbolise the sweetness of life.

Rose Water (Golaab): Rose water is part of the immense history and culture surrounding a traditional Persian wedding ceremony. With its distinct taste, fragrance and influence in Iran, Golaab is the perfect fragrance to accompany the Sofreh Aghd. It is symbolic of the love that flows between the couple.

Sugar Cloth (Tureh Ghand): A piece of material, made of silk or other fine fabric, to be held over the Couple’s heads throughout the ceremony by happily married female relatives and friends.

Sofreh table with Bride and Groom reflected in the mirror.

Bride and groom enter their wedding breakfast to a round of applause.

Brides and groom listening to the speeches.

Bridesmaids laughing and raising a glass during the speeches.

Speeches and Portraits

After the speeches Katie and Gordon braved the rain and headed out again for some portraits. I like to keep my portrait sessions short and snappy with 10-15 minutes after the ceremony and then the same again later in the day (if we have time) and you like it. The second portrait session can be loads of fun as you have eaten, drank and had a good time with all of your guests already and to be honest a lot of couples comment on how it’s nice to get a little break from the day. Katie and Gordon had a little mess about in the door way and then we retreated to the greenhouse for a few more photos before making our way back in and getting the party started!

Bride and groom have a photo in the doorway of Eleven Didsbury Park

Black and white photo on bride and groom in greenhouse.

Bride and groom laughing in green house.

Black and white photo of Bride and Groom laughing together in greenhouse.

Colourful photo of Bride and Groom in greenhouse full of plants.

Soft focus photo of Groom kissing his bride.

In focus photo of Groom kissing his Bride.

Dark photo of Bride and Groom kissing through greenhouse glass.

Bride and groom kissing in green house, focus on the rain.

Black and white photo of Bride holding her ear as if to listen to someone.

Wedding guests sitting at table laughing.

Wedding cake with plants dangling above it.

Bride and groom laughing during first dance, photo in black and white.

Bride smiling and dancing with her husband as guests take photos in the back ground.

Bride and Groom together in door way at Eleven Didsbury Park on their wedding night.

A Shout out for this Wedding’s Awesome Suppliers!

Florist: https://www.flowersbybethany.co.uk

Make-up artist: https://www.rebeccaanderton.co.uk

Dress: https://https://www.puurebride.co.uk .puurebride.co.uk

Ceremony Venue: https://www.didsburyhouse.co.uk/

Reception Venue: https://www.elevendidsburypark.co.uk/

Thornbridge Hall Wedding

Thornbridge Hall

Thornbridge Hall is a grade II listed stately home in the peak district, set in 100 acres of parkland and 14 acres of formal gardens even inch of the place is oozing with personality. Maybe even multiple personalities, the building has had many owners over the years all with different styles and tastes and this comes together in the most fantastic, spell bindingly way. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Thornbridge Hall was just how many pairs of eyes there are looking at you for the faces calved into the wooden mantelpieces and fire places, to the garden statues whose eyes follow you around as you make your way around the extensive gardens. All of this character means your wedding guests will have plenty to look at and explore on your wedding day, it feels like being on a film set and the mix of styles makes it a fancinating place to wander around.

The Carraige House; a clock towered, glass walled dining hall even boasts a secret underground night club to spring on your guests later in the evening once the party has already been started, again making the experience of being in this venue an adventure in itself.

Thornbridge Hall is a family home and part of the gardens are open to the public, so it isn’t a venue that you can stay in overnight but if you are looking for something with the wow factor, breathtaking English countryside and a wedding venue that is as beautiful and weird as you are… This might just be the place.

Getting ready at Thorn bridge hall

I knew I loved this venue as soon as I saw the suite Ruth was getting ready in, not only is The India Suite huge giving you and your bridal party loads of room to get ready in but the light coming through the huge leaded glass windows was beautiful and it made for an epic start to the day. Having a nice big room to get ready in can really help take the stress out of the morning, with everyone having enough space to relax, take time out and get ready it can really start one of the most important days of your life off with the right tone, plus with loads of space and light you can get some lovely photos of that morning too.

While the Bridal Party had an epic Bridal suite to get ready in, George’s Lads pad downstairs did take the biscuit with a pool table and private bar, the groom and groomsmen had plenty to keep them busy and calm their nerves in the morning. I always think sometimes if the men don’t have much to do in the morning it can let the nerves set in. George and his groomsmen spent the morning greeting wedding guests, playing pool, having a few beers while planning their hilarious and heartfelt speeches. Two perfect wedding mornings running along side one and other.

Thornbridge Hall a wedding venue in Derbyshire

Statue of a bearded man in Thornbridge Hall Formal Gardens

Archway leading onto the back garden of Thornbridge Hall, autumnal trees in the distance.

Two female wedding guests dressed in fancy winter coats chat outside the wedding venue.

Wedding guests arrive on foot back lit by the winter sun.

Wedding guest arrive by taxi wearing a navy blue dress.

The groom laughs as he greets wedding guests outside Thornbridge Hall.

Groomsmen enjoy some beers in the pool room.

A face of an eerie painting reflecting in the bathroom window.

Groomsmen laugh together while writing their speeches.

Groomsmen enjoy the sunlight steaming through the windows while sipping on a beer.

The wedding dress hangs in the hallway of Thornbridge Hall in front of a colourful stained glass window.

Brides red shoes sit in front of a stained glass window.

Bride and her bridesmaids relaxing in The India Suite on the morning of her wedding at Thornbridge Hall.

Mother and sun take some time out together on the bed in The India Suite

The bride and her mother smile and look at a scrap book wedding gift the bride has received from her bridesmaids

Bridesmaid getting her make up done in The India Suite, Thornbridge Hall.

Bridesmaid tell the bride a story as she is having her hair done.

Mother gives her baby some treats at the foot of the bed as the bridesmaids get ready around her.

Bride has her hair done while bridesmaids get ready around her.

Reflection of bride getting her make up done in the mirror.

Mother and child look out of huge leaded window in The India Suit at Thornbridge Hall.

Mother of the Bride laughs while drying her hair.

Brides sits on the floor at a coffee table while writing her speech.

Mother of the bride puts on some earrings.

Bridesmaids partner arrives to pick up his son.

Mother of the Bride smiles as she looks in the mirror

Bridesmaids smile and look on as the Bride begins to get dressed.

Mother of the Bride kneeling on the floor smiling as she helps her daughter into her dress.

Bridesmaids huddle round to watch the instructions of how to fasten the dress on brides phone.

Bridesmaids react to bride wearing her dress!

Bride stands in the window light while putting on her earrings.

Bride stands in the window light and is reflected in the mirror.

The Ceremony

Ruth and Georges beautiful ceremony took place in The Great Hall of Thornbridge Hall, surrounded by stunning Autumnal flower arrangements by the very talented Swallows and Damsons (check them out for some seriously beautiful flowers!). The couples popularity really showed filling the ground floor with guests and then having the rest their friends and family watch the ceremony from balconies over The Great Hall. The ceremony was heartfelt and emotional, with tears and laughter throughout before the couple made their way out of The Great Hall to be met in the back garden by their wedding guests for one of the longest confetti walks I have seen in a while!

After the confetti had been thrown and everyone had had a good old mingle, we grabbed some nice relaxed group shots against the beautiful back drop of the autumnal Derbyshire hills before Ruth and George came for a wander with me through Thornbrigde Halls beautiful manicured gardens to get some lovely relaxed wedding portraits and give them a bit of time out to enjoy each others company of their wedding day.

If you are thinking of having your wedding at Thornbridge Hall there are plenty of different places to hold your ceremony; for couples that want to brave an outdoors ceremony and feel those wonderful Derbyshire manicured lawns underneath your feet as you say I do there is the South Lawn Temple and for smaller indoor ceremonies there is the Music Room or if you are having a bigger winter wedding like Ruth and George you can take advantage The Great Hall and your friends and family watch you for two levels.

wooden calved face in the fire place of The Great Hall

Autumnal flowers dressing the fire place of The Great Hall, Thornbridge Hall.

Guests huddle together to facetime a friend on an ipad.

Sister of the groom laughing while sitting on the front row.

Master of ceremonies greets the wedding guests.

Sister of the groom has tears in her eyes.

First two bridesmaids walk down the aisle.

Sister of the bride walks down the aisle alone.

Two final bridesmaids walk down the aisle.

The groom looks up at his bride making her way to him with tears in his eyes.

Bridesmaids and guests look up as the bride circles them from above

Bride is walked down the aisle by her mother.

The groom greets his bride with a kiss on the cheek.

The bride and groom stand together as they are addressed by the registrar.

Bride and Groom hold hands facing on and other and laughing during the ceremony.

Bride and groom look back at wedding guests as they stand.

Close up of Bride and Groom looking at their rings

Tearful from the mother of the bride, bridesmaids and other guests.

Groomsman holding wedding ring box with tearful eyes

Bride and Groom stand and look at one and other laughing as guests stand an applause.

Mother of the bride with tears in her eyes.

Bride and groom laugh while signing the register.

Bride and groom walk down the aisle together.

Wedding guests form confetti line through stone arched door with the rolling hills of Derbyshire behind them.

Bridesmaid holding her autumnal bouquet.

Grandmother of the Groom waits in the confetti line with her confetti.

Grooms family wear sunglasses and wait to throw confetti at the bride and groom.

Close up of the bridesmaids holding their autumnal flowers.

Bride and groom walk through the stone arched doorway in the garden at Thornbridge Hall

Groom holds his wife's hand up like a prize as he walks down the confetti line

Bride and groom laugh as guests throw confetti at them

Groom trips over and bride folds over laughing.

Bride and groom laughing while confetti is being thrown at them in Thornbridge Hall Gardens, Derbyshire

Groom wipes confetti from his face while Bride laughs.

Bride and groom look at each other laughing.

Groom looks at camera laughing as confetti is till being thrown at them.

Bride laughs as they get to the end of the confetti line.

Confetti gathered in the folds of the brides white dress.

Bride and Groom hug their guests in an outdoor receiving line.

Black and white photo of Bride and Groom receiving guests in the gardens of Thronbridge Hall.

Bride and groom photographed with all of their wedding guests behind them.

Bride and Groom with grooms family casually standing together.

Bride and Groom with brides family, standing together laughing.

Groom steals a kiss from his bride in the walled gardens at Thornbridge Hall.

Bride and Groom stand together laughing in the long grassed gardens at Thornbridge Hall.

Bride and Groom have a quiet moment together in the walled gardens of Thornbridge Hall, Derbyshire.

Tail of wedding dress amongst the autumn leaves.

Bride and groom sit on the walled gardens drinking champagne and laughing.

Bride and groom walk together in the walled gardens

Groom kisses bride in Thornbridge Hall Gardens with the rolling hills of Derbyshire behind them.

The Carriage House

Ruth and George held their wedding reception in The Carriage House an old stable building that has been beautifully renovated and given a glass ceiling and front. On their tables waiting for their guests they had some autumnal flower arrangements, hand calved wooden name places and homemade marmalade!

After the Speeches

After the speeches it was time to get the wedding cake cut and get the party started and Ruth and George didn’t waste any time before they got on the dance floor and started tearing it up.

Autumn leaves with Carriage House clock tower in tower in the back ground.

Carriage House at Thornbridge Hall, Derbyshire.

The cork board table plan with twinkly lights and chairs behind.

White table clothed chairs and tables with twinkly lights and autumnal flower arrangements.

Hand engraved grooms name on wooden disk.

White wedding cake, with heart icing and twinkley lights behind it.

Bride and Groom enter The Carriage House

Wedding guests stand and swirl napkins in the air on couples arrival.

Black and white photograph of wedding guest smiling.

Wedding guest laughing while listening to Mother of the brides speech.

Bride looking at mother while she makes her speech.

Grandmother of the groom look emotional during speeches.

Wedding guest filming speeches on her phone.

Mother of the bride expressively giving speech.

Head table cheers to the Mother of the Brides speech.

Bride smiling as Groom gives his speech.

Black and white photo of guests cuddling up to one and other as they listen to the speeches.

Wedding guest listens to speech on the edge of her seat!

Female wedding guest having a good belly laugh.

Mother of the bride dances with bridesmaid.

Male wedding guest throwing some shapes on the dance floor.

Mother of the bride holds onto her hat while dancing.

Couple chasing each other across dance floor.

Wedding guests laughing and dancing at Thornbridge Hall.

Female wedding guests throw some shapes.

Child smiles while doing the limbo on dance floor.

Adult laughs as he does the dance floor limbo.

Groom whispers in Brides ear on the dance floor.

A Shout Out to Some Awesome Suppliers!

Flowers: Swallows and Damsons
Hair and make up: Jenn Edwards and co
Groom’s suit: Dooley and Rostron
Groomsmen suits: Slaters
Dress: Cheadle Bride
Bridesmaid dresses: Rewritten Bridesmaids
Venue: Thornbridge Hall

Five Four Studio Salford - Rock n Roll Dinosaur Wedding!!!

When I first spoke to Becky and George about their wedding day I knew it was going to be a belter, they were both super excited and seemed to be having so much fun planning the day. They got stuck right in throwing most traditional wedding ideas right out of the window and just creating a day that was playful and fun and 100% them! It wasn’t until I stepped into Five Four Studios and was greeting by a 15ft tall T-rex and Brachiosaurus and a 10ft long Stegosaurus I knew that Becky and George really weren’t messing about, they were taking this as far as they possibly could and from then on the day just got better and better.

A welcome to remember them by

Becky and George didn’t mess around with security at the front door they had their best man and three Velociraptors on the front door, patting guests down, checking their bags and making sure everyone had their best party faces on! The greeting was one their wedding guests would certainly not forget! Gorgeous jungle foliage, dry ice and three hungry little raptor faces isn’t what most people would expect walking into a wedding for the first time. The welcome set the tone for the rest of the day straight away, this wasn’t going to be a formal affair, it was all about having fun and celebrating Becky and George and everything that makes them Becky and George!

Velocirator Welcoming guests through open door

Velociraptors in hall way at wedding in Salford, Greater Manchester

Vase and jungle foliage next to industrial glass window

Ground floor room of Five Four studio with a T-rex and Brachiosaurus centre stage.

T-rex and Brachiosaurus couple shot on their wedding day.

Danny Devito life size card board cut out.

Bride laughing with her bridesmaids as one of them wears a pink dress and looks confused.

Bride laughs as her friend tries on a dinosaur costume.

Bride laughing as she talks to her dad while having her hair done on her wedding day.

Blonde bridesmaid puts on earings in the mirror.

Bride had her make up done on her wedding day at Five Four Studios.

Brides mother smiles while looking at her daughter on the morning of her wedding.

The Wedding Dress

Becky had her beautiful wedding dress hand made especially for her by the super talented Erica Stacey Couture, who not only designed Becky’s amazing one of a kind wedding dress but also designed her arm band to match Becky’s tattoo and her mum’s dress. The detail on this dress was out of this world and it definitely fell in line with Becky’s personal style, with a punk rock and roll vibe while still having all the glamour and finesse of a traditional wedding dress. I am still to this day gob smacked at how stunning this dress was and we haven’t even seen her in it yet! Prepare your greasy little eyeballs for an absolute feast! Oh yes you are probably going to want to know who designed those amazing shoes, they are by Dolce and Gabanna but I’m not going to spend all day here singing their praises (although bloody heck look at those bad boys) those guys get enough press already! Check out Erica Stacey though she is definitely in the same league design wise and has a lovely little shop in Stretford, Manchester where you can go and meet her and have a good rummage through all her amazing designs!

Bridemaids prepare wedding dress as the Bride peeps out from the loo.

The Brides Dolce and Gabanna wedding shoes lie on the floor next to the bridesmaids Doc Martins.

Bride looks at herself in the mirror smiling,

Bride smiles wearing her wedding dress, looking like a punk.

Close up of the dress being hooked up at the back.

PUNK WEDDING GODDESS

So as Becky was behind the scenes looking like a punk wedding goddess the wedding guests were beginning to arrive and being ushered in by Becky and Georges pre-historic security guards, after the surviving a run in with three velociraptors the guests quickly made their way up to the bar to get a quick drink in before the ceremony and quieten their nerves!

Best man and velociraptors wait for the wedding guests.

Wedding guests look on behind the toothy mouth on a Velociraptor.

Blue, Velociraptor emerges out of the dry ice.

Velociraptor amongst the red jungle foliage.

Wedding guests leg it through the dinosaur infested hall way.

A vintage pink and green lamp next to a blue butterfly in a glass.

The colourful vintage bar at Five Four Studio Salford.

A large blue butterfly in a glass case, photographed from above with a red vintage rug behind it.

Portrait of grandmother sitting in the bar.

Water splashing out of crystal glasses as a cocktail is stirred.

FIve four studios creative wedding venue

Five Four Studios is the ultimate wedding venue for creative couples, there are 3 floors including the huge ground floor where there is plenty of room to seat and feed wedding guests, a room for getting ready and another large side room and bar which can double up as a place for catering staff to prepare meals and can also come in handy as a small photography studio that can be used for group shots and even couples portraits if that’s your vibe or if the weather is horrible outside and you need to do all of your planned photos inside it could be super useful. On this occasion I didn’t need it as Becky and George wanted Pure Documentary Wedding Coverage (no couple shots or group shots), but it’s a pretty handy thing to have around just incase.

On the first floor floor there is a super fancy bar. I love this bar! The rich colour pallet of the gorgeous vintage lamps, furnishings and the wonderful diffused light coming through the windows just looks like a super cool film set and yet it feels really comfy and relaxed like a massive living room, except this one has a really fancy bar with super tasty cocktails!

On the second floor there is the studio painted white and with an industrial angular vibe and oodles of natural light you can hit this space creatively with everything you have or keep it super minimal. Becky and George had their ceremony in this space had the super talented team at Manchester’s Citibloom come and give the space a pre-historic jungle vibe.

Outside there is a small courtyard for wedding guests to relax outside and a small car park, so if you are bringing guests here from another venue it might be worth hiring a bus or some other form of transport so they can dropped outside with minimal fuss.

Five Four Studio top floor ready for the ceremony decorated with jungle foliage.

Card board cut out of The Rock in his best wedding gear.

The groom doing his best dinosaur impression.

Bride is walked down the aisle by her father.

Mother of the bride comforts father of the bride who looks emotional.

Father of the bride looking at his daughter.

Bride and groom looking very happy about getting married.

Mother of the bride gives her daughter a knowing smile.

Best Man gives bride and groom their wedding rings.

Bride and Groom stand in front of their wedding guests for the first time as husband and wife.

Bride and Groom exit their wedding ceremony at Five Four Studio Salford as husband and wife.

the ceremony

The ceremony was beautiful with jungle foliage and white walls, it was like Becky and George were getting married in a beautiful very well lit urban jungle. Everyone had their best glad rags on and even The Rock made an appearance although he was standing quite stiffly in the corner for most of it… None of the dinosaurs seemed to make it to this bit, either they couldn’t make it up the stairs or they were just interested in the party. Probably the last one, I’ve seen those raptors move!

Bar man prepares cocktails at the bar in Five Four Studios, Salford.

Bridesmaids enjoying a cocktail at the bars

Male guests sit in a group having a chat.

Wedding guest gets excited telling a story

Beautiful wedding dress catches the light.

Brides mum smiling as bride approaches her.

Bride laughing and enjoying a cocktail in the bar.

The Wedding Breakfast

After plenty of messing about and cocktails in the bar upstairs at Five Four Studio the weddings guests were ready for some grub and had lots of exciting things waiting for them downstairs… A Stegosaurus, T-rex, long neck, some dry ice and The Rock in his pants to name a few!

Bride and Groom have a dance outside photo in black and white.

Bride and her mother laugh as the dry ice fires behind them.

Succulent decorations in moody lighting.

Dramatically lit banquet hall in blue, pink, yellow and green.

Bride and groom laughing in black and white.

Grooms mother sitting at her table chatting.

Wedding guest gets a bubble in her face.

Bride hides her face as her bridesmaid makes a speech.

Wedding guests smile listening to speeches

Father of the bride listening to speeches.

After the speeches

It was back up to the bar for a few more cocktails and a good opportunity for Becky to get into her dancing shoes, white Doc Martin’s with dinosaurs drawn on them!

Bride welcoming guests back into the bar.

Long shot of everyone sitting down chatting in the bar.

Guest laughing with a cocktail in her hand.

there’s no party like a guns and roses party!!!

If having full sized dinosaurs, dry ice, an urban jungle and celebrity cardboard guests isn’t enough for you. Becky and George had another final trick up their mischievous wedding sleeves they only went and hired a bloody Guns and Roses Tribute band!!! Even The Rock, Ronaldo and Danny Divito got involved smashing people over the head with their corrugated card board arses all over the place. It was glorious. Is anyone still reading this?

Guns or Roses Back Drop, Guns and Roses Tribute Band

Bride dancing wearing her punk style wedding dress.

Bride dancing with her mother, photo in black and white.

Bride dancing with light trail effect in photo.

Bride and groom dancing with card board cut out guests.

Bride and guests holding up card board cut out guests and dancing with them.

Wedding guests singing and dancing at Five Four Studio.

Groom being a scary dinosaur in the dark

Bride and brides mother dancing with the grooms mother.

Bride and groom looking cool on the dance floor

Ariel shot of everyone dancing on the dance floor in black and white.

Wedding guest dancing with finger in the air and light trails.

Wedding guests arms in the air singing and dancing.

Bride dancing with best man and laughing

Bride and groom kiss on the dance floor.

Thank you to Becky and George for having me and having the courage and vision to pull this epic day off seamlessly. It’s definitely one I will never forget. Of course this belting wedding day couldn’t have happened with out Becky and Georges wonderful family and friends and the awesomely talented wedding suppliers that pulled their vision together behind the scenes.

A Shout Out to The Awesome Suppliers:

Venue: https://www.fivefourstudios.com/studios/homepage

Catering: https://www.garni.events/

Dress: https://www.ericastacey.co.uk/

Flowers and Decor: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CITIBLOOMS

Band: https://www.gunsorroses.com/

Brides Shoes: https://www.dolcegabbana.com/ and https://www.drmartens.com/

Make up: @rebeccacatupmanmua

Halle St Peters - Micro Wedding - Manchester

City centre micro wedding

Ilona and Chris live in Manchester City Centre and spend a lot of their time there so having their wedding in the City Centre seemed the most natural thing to them. Ilona and Chris got ready separately to maintain the element of surprise but met back at their City Centre Apartment. Ilona arriving in a beautiful green Volkswagen camper van on loan to them from a family friend. They travelled to Halle, St Peter’s together in the camper van while their guests made the best out of that glorious sunny April morning and walked to the venue.

Halle St Peters

Halle St Peters was a small live music venue, playing orchestras from all over the world and it is a beautiful building with high ceilings, stain glass windows and interesting architecture smack bang in the heart of Ancoats. More recently Halle St Peters have began putting on weddings and events and it is a beautiful setting for it. The staff were really lovely and helpful too and were on hand to make sure Ilona and Chris has everything that they needed.

The Ceremony

Ilona and Chris had a beautiful heartfelt ceremony full of loads of smiles, laughter and teary eyes. After a long wait it was so evident that they were both just totally made up to finally get to marry each other. There may have only been 6 people at the wedding but that huge room was absolutely bursting with pure joy and happiness from everyone in there to witness these two legends finally making it official after a long Covid induced wait

Guests laugh together at city centre micros wedding

Groom chats with his friend at his city centre micro wedding in Manchester.

Mother of the bride exits green VW camper van looking stylish

Father of the Bride exits VW camper van looking excited to see someone.

Bride exits VW camper van and looks for her Groom

Groom looks at his beautiful, intelligent Bride for the first time that day and is very happy to her!

Bride and Groom hold hands next to green VW camper van and take each other in before going off to get married.

Bride and Groom stand together in front of their green VW camper van

Groom kisses Bride in front of the green VW camper Van.

Bride and Groom say their wedding vows in Halle, St Peters, Manchester.

Couple stand together during their wedding ceremony at Halle, St Peter's Manchester.

Couple exchange rings with a stained glass window behind them at Halle St Peters Manchester

Couple kiss in front of stained glass window and their wedding guests

Friends wait outside with confetti at Halle St Peter's Manchester.

Bride's mother and father wait outside the wedding venue with confetti.

Bride and Groom exit Halle, St Peter's Manchester

Bride and Groom have confetti thrown at them at Halle St Peter's Manchester.

Bride and Groom laugh as they have confetti thrown at them.

Bride and Groom kiss outside Halle, St Peter's, Manchester in the sunshine on their wedding day.

After the Ceremony

Ilona and Chris were greeted by some friends and family armed with confetti before making their way through the city centre to the near by canal for a picnic. On the way they were greeted by friends who had made them their very own special wedding sign and another friend was kind enough to pass by and deliver home made wedding cake for them to enjoy on their first few hours of being Mr and Mrs Higson.

Members of the public in St Peter's Square cheer for the newly weds and they stand in the square.

The couple walk with their wedding guests to have a picnic in Manchester City Centre.

Friends of the couple have made a sign for the news weds congratulating them.

Bride stands in the sunshine shielding her eyes from the sun.

Bride and groom walk together laughing as they approach the canal in Manchester City Centre.

Bride and Groom have confetti thrown at them as they arrive at the canal for a picnic.

Bride and groom sit of the grass and have a cuddle while they cut their cake.

Hand made wedding sign in foreground of mother and child who made the sign, un posed.

Bride and groom walk laughing together in the sunshine at their micro wedding in Manchester city centre.

Bride and Groom stand in front of the canal together.

Groom give his Bride a kiss at their micro wedding in Manchester city centre.

A shout out to the awesome Wedding Suppliers!

Venue: Halle St Peters https://www.halle.co.uk/venue/halle-st-peters/

Biker Jacket: https://www.themermaideffect.co.uk/

If you were a supplier on this wedding and would like your business linked to this blog please just send be an email and I’ll be happy to link you up. :)

Book your wedding photography