Arley Hall wedding fair Sunday 20th March 2011

This one feels a bit like a homecoming gig!

I've had my studio based on the Estate at Arley Hall for almost three years now, just a two minute walk from the hall itself.  So I love the place!  I love driving there and working there every day, love being one of their preferred suppliers, love shooting weddings there - just love it, period!

Come along this Sunday to the wedding fair between 11am and 4pm to say hello, talk weddings and look at some fantastic images.

Wedding fair at Capesthorne Hall and Pavilion Sunday 31st October

If you've read some of my earlier posts during the summer you'll know I'm one of the preferred suppliers for Capesthorne Pavilion.  I've always loved shooting weddings at the Hall and Pavilion - one of the best venues in Cheshire, in my opinion.

Just a quick mention that there's a wedding fair being held there this Sunday between 11am and 3pm.  I shall be exhibiting in the Pavilion itself.  Please do come along to say hello and talk weddings.

Carly and Ben's wedding at Rowton Castle

I first met Carly and Ben at a wedding fair at Peckforton Castle in 2009.  That summer they asked me to be their wedding photographer for their marriage at Rowton Castle the following year. 

Well, I have to give them 10 out of 10 for good taste.  Rowton Castle was a new venue to me, but from their description, not just of the look of the place, but of the friendliness and professionalism they were met with whenever they'd visited, I was looking forward to seeing the place for myself,  never mind the excitement of working there.

I arranged a visit a few months before the wedding date, as I always do.  I always visit a new venue or church before a wedding if at all possible.  There's simply too much going on on the wedding day itself to waste time looking for shots.  I like to arrive at a wedding with ideas in my head.  That way I can shoot more for a couple and adapt to the unexpected (such as rain - which is perhaps not always unexpected in Britain) much more quickly.  My visit confirmed all that Carly and Ben had told me.  The place was stunning; the staff were friendly and helpful; an air of professionalism shone.  I left knowing it was going to be a great day.

And so it proved to be. 

I arrived early to capture some shots of Carly and her bridesmaids, Kara and Stacy, getting ready in the bridal suite.  Kara, who runs her own hair and make-up business, was very busy getting everyone looking their best. 

A bridal portrait of Carly

Ben is a military man, and was dressed in full uniform.  Fantastic!

Here he is with his Best Man and brother, Sam

Being a military wedding there was, of course, a ceremonial Guard of Honour.  This was after the civil ceremony, as the couple came outside to the lawn to meet their guests.

Ben's dad, Frank, even supplied the meat for the wedding breakfast.  Well, he is a first class butcher, running Taylors of Sale. 

Kara and Stacy, the lovely bridesmaids.

And with the Guard of Honour

 It was a very hot day - the guys in their black wool uniforms suffered in the heat - but that meant a beautiful evening too.  Just look at the light on the castle - a perfect backdrop for this portrait of the happy couple.

The tree in front of the castle is both ancient and spectacular.  The last shot of the night had to feature it.

The full wedding can be viewed in the client of my website.

Ruth and Matthew's wedding at Statham Lodge, Lymm

In my last post I talked about some of the work I do for the Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce.  It was through a contact there that I was asked to photograph this wedding.  I've done work for the accountancy firm Milner Boardman before, and was contacted earlier this year by Matthew, the son of the Managing Director, to see if I was interested in photographing his wedding this summer.

It was a fairly local affair, with the service taking place at St Mary Magdalen church in Sale. 

Inside St Mary Magdalen, Sale

The highlight of most wedding ceremonies!

Then it was on to Statham Lodge in nearby Lymm for the wedding reception.  I hadn't photographed a wedding there for several years, but a quick visit a few weeks before was very reassuring - still as friendly and professional as it had been last time round.  A special thanks here to Lance, who ran the day smoothly and discreetly.

Ruth, the bride, looked gorgeous (of course!)

As you can see, blue was very much the themed colour for the day.

Blue and pink bridesmaid

This fantastic bridal bouquet was by Eaden Floristry of Altrincham.

They also supplied the table decorations, of course. 

This is the Gainsborough suite at Statham Lodge, where the wedding breakfast was held.  I love the bold colour of the sashes on the chairbacks here - it really makes the shots. 

Ruth and Matthew had wanted some shots in the grounds, which have always been one of Statham Lodge's features.  One of the reasons to visit a venue before a wedding, even if I know it well, is to see if anything has changed since last being there.  One of the first things I noticed when going back was the pergola that had been constructed in the rear garden, as it's an ideal backdrop for portraits.  We got some great shots there - here's one of Ruth posing solo. 

Here are the happy couple together.

The bridal party:

A fnal shot of the happy couple, taken in the evening after the wedding breakfast had finished.

A great day and a lovely return to a wonderful venue.  Congratulations to Ruth and Matthew, and very best wishes for your future life together.



Capesthorne Hall and Pavilion

One of the big perks about being a wedding photographer is visiting some fantastic locations.  In Cheshire, that means a stately home and one of the loveliest I'd had the privilege of working at over the years is Capesthorne Hall, just a few miles from Alderley Edge. 

It's a stunning venue, both from the front and rear aspects.

  

Of course, the interior is something special too!

Not forgetting the grounds.

A little over a year ago, a permanent marquee was built in the grounds, Capesthorne Pavilion, which allows this lovely venue to cater for larger weddings than previously.

Earlier in the summer I shot a superb wedding there, which I'll blog at a later date, but here are a couple of images of the pavilion from that day.

I've just been invited by the Pavilion to become their preferred wedding photographer - a great honour, and one that I'm very happy to accept!  I'm putting the finishing touches to a slideshow of wedding images of both the Hall and Pavilion which will be available for any couples interested in booking their wedding there.  If you'd like a copy, please contact either Vicki Thomson at Capesthorne Pavilion or myself at the studio.

To end, here are a couple of shots showing both the hall and pavilion at the end of a fantastic wedding.

Natalie and Tim's pre-wedding shoot

Natalie and Tim contacted me back in December last year.  They were living in Australia and looking for someone to photograph their wedding when they returned to the UK this year.  They found my website through Google, were impressed by the examples of my work, we exchanged a few emails and they asked me to be their wedding photographer!

We finally met in July; our first meeting included the pre-wedding shoot that I offer all my wedding clients as part of the preparation for their big day.  Despite suffering from a slight migraine, Natalie was keen to go ahead with the shoot, which turned out to be great fun.  The couple visited me at my studio on the Arley Hall estate, we dodged the few showers that were around and generally had a bit of a laugh.  Oh, and took some great photos too.

Here are some more shots from the session.

I love doing pre-weds.  It's a great opportunity to see what a couple are like in front of a camera, and helps me in advance of the big day to plan some shots at their chosen wedding venue that will best suit their personalities. 

Their wedding is coming up later this month, on Sunday 26th, at Sandhole Oak Barn near Congleton, a venue which I haven't worked at for a while, but which I'm looking forward to enormously.

It's going to be a great day!

A summer wedding at Arley Hall

With the summer wedding season well and truly underway, I've been a bit busy to blog as often as I should, but these are a few pictures from the wedding of Cate and Nick Barker at Arley Hall, which is where my studio is.

Cate and Nick got married at St. Vincent's in Altrincham and then made their way to Arley Hall for the wedding breakfast and evening reception.

For any of you who don't know Arley, it's a beautiful country house, with fabulous gardens.  See for yourself...

For all of Nick and Cate's guests, there is a 3 for 2 offer on prints from the wedding for 30 days.  Just go to my website and follow links to the Client Area, weddings, and you can review the all the wedding photographs and make your selection online.