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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

DIY Pub Wedding in Manchester with Fish and Chips!

Lloyd Street Registry Office Manchester

Keith and Catherine (AKA Pea) or The Eggs as they sometimes call themselves tied the knot at Manchester’s Registry Office on Lloyd Street before strolling through Manchester City Centre with their friends and family to Gullivers Bar, the pub that they had their first date in. Catherine or Pea as Keith affectionately has named her wore a red dress from Hope and Ivy as she didn’t really feel herself wearing a white dress and she looked bloody amazing!

Black and white photo of a blonde boy in a pram. (Copy)

Children greet grandmother in Manchester registry office waiting room. (Copy)

Little girl looks into the camera while sitting a family members lap. (Copy)

Lady smiles with little girl sitting on her lap. (Copy)

Groom greets guests in the registry office waiting room in Manchester. (Copy)

Bride wearing a read dress with a colourful red, purple, orange and green bouquet. (Copy)

The Ceremony

Pea gave Keith a little cheeky wink as she walked down the aisle and that set the town for the ceremony, both of them messing about and making each other laugh throughout.

Groom smiles into the camera as he waits for his bride to arrive in Manchester registry office. (Copy)

The bride enters being walked down the aisle by her brother. (Copy)

Bride give the groom a wink as she walks down the aisle. (Copy)

Bride and Groom exchange rings in Manchester registry office. (Copy)

Bride feels her wedding ring on her finger smiling. (Copy)

Bride and groom laughing as they put their rings on. (Copy)

Bride and groom happily married at Manchester registry office. (Copy)

Guests wait to ambush couple with confetti in Manchester registry office reception. (Copy)

Bride and groom have confetti thrown at them in Manchester registry office. (Copy)

Confetti on the floor in Manchester registry office. (Copy)

Confetti and Walking Through Manchester City Centre

After having a load of Confetti chucked in their faces the newly weds and their wedding guests made their way through Manchester City Centre to go and get the party started at Gullivers Manchester. We managed to sneak a few couples portraits on the way, including some outside the local green grocers and a couple on Oldham Street as Keith and Pea are big music fans, going to a gig nearly every week, Oldham Street and the music venues there are pretty important to them in their day to day lives.

Wedding guests make their way through Manchester city centre. (Copy)

Bride and Groom walk through the streets of Manchester together. (Copy)

Bride and groom have a photo outside the green grocers. (Copy)

Mid shot of the Bride and Groom laughing outside a vegetable stall in Manchester City Centre. (Copy)

Bride and groom laughing in front of some graffiti in Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom on Oldham Street, Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom outside the Night and Day Cafe Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom outside shop window on Oldham Street, Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom laughing together. (Copy)

Gullivers

Keith and Pea chose Gullivers as it was the place where they first met and had their first date, it’s also a pretty bangin’ music venue in it’s own right and great to go for pre and post gig bevies. Keith and Pea wanted to keep their wedding day super relaxed and low key. It was all about of their friends and family getting together on the day and having a great time so having their wedding reception at Gullivers seemed like the perfect plan and it was! Being massive music fans Keith and Pea put a play list together to cover the whole wedding day.

Fish and Chips!

Keith and Pea had the genius idea of asking the local chippy behind Gullivers to cater for the wedding! All the wedding guest were given wrist bands to get into Gullivers and a little token to have anything that they would like from the chippy. It meant that people could just eat what they liked when they liked and kept with the super relaxed feel of the day.

Keith and Pea also loved the idea of having their first wedding meal in the chippy together, the idea was so them, they fed chips to each other during a romantic candle lit dinner in the chippy.

The Duke box with a message from the bride and groom about the music choices for the night. (Copy)

Wedding guest having a pint at pub table. (Copy)

Group shot outside Gullivers bar. (Copy)

Wedding guests return from the chippy with their fish and chips wrapped in paper. (Copy)

Fish and chips sign at pub wedding in Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom are greeted by wedding guests armed with cameras at the chippy around the corner from their wedding reception. (Copy)

Groom shakes the hand of the chippy manager. (Copy)

Bride feeds groom a chip in the chippy on their wedding day, (Copy)

Bride and groom giggle as they eat their chips. (Copy)

Bride and Groom eat their chippy tea on their wedding day in Manchester. (Copy)

Couples Portraits in the Northern Quarter

After dinner we went for a little walk around the Northern Quarter and grabbed a few more photos of the two of them together. From pretending to be in the Titanic to Keith mock dragging his new wife back to the pub they constantly making each other laugh throughout.

No Speeches

Keith and Pea got the fizz in for everyone but couldn’t really see themselves doing a speech or getting any of their friends and family to do one, so they just opted for a simple “Cheers” instead and it was perfect. Then after the toast they got Pea’s mammoth cake cut (all of the layers were different cakes and I can’t remember what they all were now but the Ferrero Rocher layer was hands down the best cake I have ever eaten!) Also look at the size of it!!! Cake paradise!

The party!

Once the cake was cut everyone headed upstairs. Keith and Pea had decorated the upstairs room with loads of photos of their favourite bands and things, including each other making it look a lot like the Gullivers they remembered from back in the Glory Days, there was even a sneaky photo of Keiths band that I took 10 years ago when I used to do a lot of band photos. A prize to anyone who spots it!

It was an absolute belter of a wedding day! Well done The Eggs you bleedin’ nailed it!

Bride and Groom have a Titanic moment on their wedding day in Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom have a walk down some back alleys in Manchester (Copy)

Bride and Groom in front of monkey graffiti in Manchester. (Copy)

Groom drags his wife back to the pub. (Copy)

Bride and Groom laugh as they walk down to the pub. (Copy)

Bride and Groom pose with wedding guest outside pub in Manchester. (Copy)

Wedding guest having a fag at Manchester wedding. (Copy)

Champagne glasses ready for the toast. (Copy)

Bride and Groom cheers their wedding guests. (Copy)

Wedding guests take photo of groom and other guest. (Copy)

Home made wedding cake, made by the bride. (Copy)

Wedding guests laughing together. (Copy)

Liam Gallagher poster welcoming guests with two fingers. Naughty! (Copy)

Party room, red walls filled with DIY posters. (Copy)

Polaroids of couple on a pegged line. (Copy)

Child dancing on stage photographed from mixing desk. (Copy)

Bride wearing glow stick bunny ears hugs guest. (Copy)

Wedding guest gets lost in the music. (Copy)

Bride dancing on stage with children. (Copy)

Groom and best man dance on the stage. (Copy)

Baby drinks bottle lying on pub table surrounded by wedding guests. (Copy)

Wedding guests eat their chippy tea in pub snug. (Copy)

Child smiling wearing headphones. (Copy)

Wedding guests singing with pints in their hands at pub wedding. (Copy)

Groom is presented with a certificate. (Copy)

Child wearing glow stick bunny ears and glasses at pub wedding party. (Copy)

Groom and guests laughing by the duke box at Gullivers. (Copy)

Bride wearing glow stick bunny ears an laughing with guests. (Copy)

Proud parents watching their daughter dancing on stage. (Copy)

Little girl dancing on stage with wedding guests. (Copy)

Wedding guests watching the dancing laughing. (Copy)

Little boy crawling on the the stage as guests dance around. (Copy)

Bride looking amazing in her red wedding dress. (Copy)

Wedding guests laugh and one tried to hide behind a transparent balloon at Manchester pub wedding. (Copy)

Wedding guests pose with balloon. (Copy)

Little girl dancing wearing glow stick bunny ears at Manchester pub wedding. (Copy)

Wedding guest wearing glow sticks. (Copy)

Groom and best man throwing some shapes together. (Copy)

Wedding guest applause first dance, photo in black and white. (Copy)

Guests cheer on first dance at pub wedding in Manchester. (Copy)

Bride and Groom laughing together as they have their first dance together at their pub wedding in Manchester. (Copy)

Dress - Hope and Ivy

Pumps - Kate Spade

Suits - Slaters

Flowers - Northern Flower Tibb Street

Chips - King Fisher Northern Quarter Chippy

Buffet - Morrisons

Wedding Cake - DIY by Catherine (Pea)

Venue and Venue dressing by Gullivers

Wedding Invites Printed.com

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. :)

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WHITE HART INN LYDGATE - A WINDSWEPT WINTER WEDDING

White Hart inn Lydgate

Amy and Ben chose the White Hart Inn in Lydgate after looking at loads of different venues including some as far a field as Vegas! They loved the White Hart Inn for it’s warm and friendly vibe, delicious award winning food, open fires and beautiful views making it the perfect location for their Winter Wedding.

Amy got ready at the one of the White Harts cottages just a short walk away from the venue and had a lovely busy morning, with her bridesmaids, parents and family members popping in and out to give their best wishes before Amy and left the cottage to brave storm Dennis and most importantly go and marry Ben!

Bride smiles as she gets her hair done at her winter wedding in Lydgate

Groomsman gets his red tie put on in bath room at White Hart Inn

Mother and Father of the bride get ready

Mother of the bride smiling as her dress is fixed for her.

Bride is surrounded by her friends wearing her wedding dress.

Bride is helped into her dress by bridesmaids

The Ceremony

Amy and Ben got married surrounded by their friends and family in the large ceremony room at the White Hart Inn with Storm Dennis howling outside the the large open fire roaring inside keeping Amy and Ben and all their wedding guests nice and toastie for the duration of the ceremony. There was lots of laughter and these two couldn’t keep the massive grins off their faces for a millisecond!

Groom and best man laugh together waiting for the bride.

Bride laughs at groom and holds his hand as the ceremony begins at The White Hart Inn Lydgate

Bride and groom say their wedding vows to one and other.

Bride and groom kiss to the applause of their wedding guests.

Bride and Groom look at each other in their first few moments as husband and wife.

Couple laugh together with the registrar.

Couple walk down the aisle at the White Hart Inn.

After the Ceremony

Amy and Ben were joined by their beautiful dogs Dexter and George, to have some very important family time before they headed off into the storm to grab some lovely windswept wedding portraits of just the two of them.

The bride and groom have a moment with their dogs.

Bride looks shocked as the groom laughs.

Bride and groom walk down a country lane together.

Bride and groom have a country file style photo.

Bride and groom hug, photo in black and white

Bride and groom laughing together in the wind.

Bride and groom laugh as the storm howls around them

Bride and Groom laugh together with the rolling hills of Lydgate behind them.

Bride and Groom laugh with wind swept hair.

Groom laughs and back away from his bride.

Bride and Groom laughing into the howling wind.

CONFETTI, SPEECHES AND SNEAKY NIGHT TIME PORTRAITS

After braving the storm Amy and Ben headed back inside to warm up and be ambushed by their wedding guests who were more than happy to chuck a load of confetti at them before they headed in to the wedding breakfast and some wonderful heartfelt speeches. After the speeches were finished and everyone had finished their delicious food me Amy and Ben sneaked off to take some night time portraits but all was not as it seemed, Amy had a card up her sleeve that Ben knew nothing about… A surprise that was secretly being set up while we went about taking our night time couple photos….

Bride and groom get their confetti indoors at the White Harty Inn

Bride and Groom laugh at the Father of the Brides Speech.

Bride, Groom and Best man laughing at the speech.

Bride and Groom clink their glasses laughing.

Bride and Groom listen to Best Mans Speech.

Bringing Vegas to Lydgate

Amy had thought that if they couldn’t have their wedding in Vegas, Amy would bring Vegas to them! Ben had absolutely no idea! After playing some casino games, they feasted on pizza, cut the cake and hit the dance floor to party the night away with their friends and family.

Thank you for having me Amy and Ben you threw an absolute belter of a wedding! xx

Groom marvels at his brides gift to him.

Guests have fun playing casino games, a gift to the groom from the bride.

Guests looking glamorous at Casino tables.

Party on the dace floor at the White Hart Inn Lydgate

A Shout Out to Amy and Ben’s Awesome Wedding Suppliers:

Dress: Anna Campbell Bridal purchased from Jean Jackson Courture
Shoes: Rainbow Club
Wedding Jacket: The Mermaid Effect
Trainers: Converse from Office
Suits: Next
Flowers: DIY
Band: Pac Band
Casino Tables: Ace of Diamonds fun casino hire
Hair & Make: The Bridal Luxe (Charlotte Riley for Hair & Charlotte Laskey from Make up)
Cake: Sweets by Sarah
Videographer: https://www.facebook.com/KukjansProduction/

Winter Wedding at The Old Grammar School Middleton

December wedding

I LOVE photographing weddings in December. There’s Christmas magic in the air, people are excited, there are twinkling Christmas trees with carefully wrapped presents scattered beneath them, stockings hanging up on fire places, cups of mulled wine and there are fairy lights EVERYWHERE. Note: Wedding photographers bloody love fairy lights! AND people are ready to PARTY!!!

The Victoria Hotel

Chelsey and Darren chose the Victoria Hotel in Oldham as their ceremony venue, the hotel has a beautiful Victorian ceremony room and 92 rooms for guests to stay at the night before and evening of the wedding. Chelsey and her bridesmaids had their hair and make up done and got ready together in Chelsey and Darren’s room while having a good laugh together, sipping champagne and keeping any wedding nerves at bay with some good old fashioned larking about.

Santa on a bauble in a Christmas tree with fairy lights

3 gypsey grass bouquets sit on a wintery windowsill.

Silhouette of bride getting her make up done.

Bride has the finishing touches done to her lipstick on a December morning.

Bride smiling having her make up done on the morning of her wedding day.

Bridesmaids laughing together in hotel room.

Shoes and flowers sit in December window light.

Bride smiles as she is helped into her wedding dress.

Portrait of bride as her bridesmaids do up her wedding dress.

Bride looks at herself in the mirror as the finishing touches are done to her wedding outfit.

Close up of the back of the brides dress.

Close up of the bottom of the brides dress in winter light.

The Ceremony

Chelsey and Darren exchanged their wedding vows in front of their closest family and friends in the beautiful victorian ceremony room at the Victoria hotel, before making there way out to the hotel foyer and bar to enjoy and few drinks together and have a good catch up.

Old lady smiles and poses for a photo with her grandson.

The groom stands at the end of the aisle waiting for his bride.

Bride looks back at her father laughing.

Bride and Groom sign the wedding register laughing.

Bride and Groom face wedding guests as husband and wife.

Father and brother of the bride have a good laugh together.

Wedding guests sit nice and cosy at a winter wedding

The Wedding Bus

When organising a wedding it’s always a good idea to consider transport for guests, even more so in the winter months when the weather is usually much colder. Chelsey and Darren thought about this when organising their day in December, they wanted their guests to be able to relax after the ceremony and have a drink and liked the idea of everyone travelling to the reception venue together so booked a Red London Bus so that everyone could relax and stay together, there’s something quite nice about keeping the wedding guests together in this way and it means that the festive atmosphere of the wedding continues without being interrupted by having to wait for an Uber or getting stuck in traffic, the celebration and conversations continue on the bus and as you can see from the top window the party was already in full swing.

Bride and groom lead guests off the bus.

Bride and groom laugh as they walk to the venue with guests.

Wedding guests laughing and pulling tongues at the camera.

Winter Wedding Portraits

If you are planning a winter wedding one of the things to consider is what time the sun sets on the day you are getting married. Chelsey and Darren got married on the 7th of December and chose to have their ceremony at 1pm meaning that they had plenty of time to get married, have some drinks, jump on a bus, get their group shots, munch some canapes and get some couple shots before the sun set at 3.51pm.

If you are planning a winter wedding and have booked a later ceremony it can sometimes be an idea to have some photographs such as your group photographs and couple shots before the ceremony if you love the natural light light look and your aren’t too superstitious about seeing one and other before hand. Otherwise your photographer should be able to do some shots for you using flash, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your photographer if you are planning a later ceremony to see what photographs will be possible after sun set.

Chelsey and Darren didn’t want to spend ages on photos as they were itching to get inside and join their friends and family for the party so we had a nice relaxed portrait session where they had a little wander and mess about looking magnificent as I’m sure you will agree they both do.

Later on when the sun had gone down we also took a few portraits inside The Old Grammar School as Chelsey and Darren loved the venue and wanted some of the atmosphere of the venue captured in their wedding portraits.

Bride and groom walking together smiling.

Bride and groom look at one another outside The Old Grammar School.

Bride and Groom laughing with trees behind them on a winters day.

Groom kisses bride on the head during outdoor portraits at a December wedding in Manchester.

Bride and groom smiling with wintery sky and bare branches behind them.

Bride and Groom mess around outside The Old Grammar School Middleton on a winters day.

Bride and groom walking away, the bride is wearing a hand painted biker jacket.

Bride and groom laughing in a natural candid moment together.

The Old Grammar School Middleton

Chelsey and Darren were both really excited to have their wedding reception at The Old Grammar School in Middleton as they fell in love with the building when they first went to see it. The Old Grammar School was built in 1412 and is a Grade 2 listed building. The School has tons of character was the perfect setting for a beautiful winter wedding with the tons of fairy lights and large roaring open fire as soon as Chelsey and Darren walked through the door and saw how beautiful the venue looked they were both moved to tears.

Table set with red roses, candles and Christmas baubles.

Red roses and evergreen foliage as a table decoration with fairy lights behind.

Bride cries at how beautiful the room looks.

Table number is glass casing and wrapped in fairy lights.

YOUR MY WIFE NOW! Sign at winter wedding Manchester.

Ping Pong

I love a good game at a wedding. It’s nice to have something to keep your guests busy and although I see a lot of lawn games and fun things to do and Summer and Spring time weddings, Winter Weddings deserve some fun too! I have to admit this was the first time I’ve seen a Ping Pong table at a wedding before and it was a massive hit with the guests, even the ones who couldn’t actually hot anything!

Bride and groom have a cuddle in The Old Grammar School next to some fairy lights.

Indoor portrait of bride and groom at their winter wedding in Manchester as they share a cuddle and a laugh.

Wedding Breakfast and Speeches

While the guests were busy trying to find the lost ping pong ball under some furniture we sneaked off to get some portraits upstairs in The Old Grammar School. Before Chelsey and Darren headed back down stairs to get enjoy their wedding breakfast and speeches. There was a lot of laughter and a few sneaky peeps at the football before one more portrait of Chelsey and Darren in front of the epic amount of fairy lights before I bid them farewell and set off into the wintery night and the party rumbled on.

Guests admire some of the best mans props.

Best man and friends enjoy some drinks together.

Bride smiling while her new husband makes his speech.

Wedding guests laugh at the speeches at winter wedding.

Brother of the bride cheers while bridesmaid looks shocked.

Groom laughs making his speech while standing under mistletoe.

Father of the brides laughs at his son in laws speech.

Guests watching December football game on iphone.

Bride and Groom look at each other smiling infront of a cascade of fairy lights.

A Shout Out to Chelsey and Darren’s Awesome Wedding Suppliers

Dress: Adele Howarth Winstanley Bride - https://www.ahwbride.com/

Suit: https://www.slaters.co.uk/

Shoes: https://www.rainbowclub.co.uk/

Flowers: Milly Davey Flowers - https://www.millydaveyflowers.com/

Jacket: Mimosa Couture - https://etsy.me/2w8KqZq

Cake: Homemade

Table plan: Homemade

Catering: The Old Grammar School - https://oldgrammarschool.com/

Bus hire: http://www.weddingbuses.co.uk/

Venue dresser: - https://www.millydaveyflowers.com/

Bowlicious provided the chairs and tablecloths - https://www.bow-licious.co.uk/

Hair - Emma at Studio Em https://instagram.com/studioem_?igshid=1f7vn5bfplksk

Makeup - Ashley Elizebeth https://instagram.com/makeupbyashleyuk?igshid=y9bljxbycp7d

Penny Lane Wedding Photographer

St Georges Hall Ceremony

Nikki and Stu got married at St Georges Hall in front of their closest friends and family. Nikki and her bridesmaids wore dresses from Hope and Ivy and flowers crowns from Mary Mary Floral design, giving the wedding a 60’s aesthetic. As big music lovers music was a big part of the day. Nikki walked in to a song by the The Beatles and had their reception Party at Dove Dale Towers on Penny Lane.

Nikki and Stu had their wedding guests picked up in a big white bus that was decorated with ribbons, lace umbrellas and bunting. The party started on the bus, with guests being greeted with a glass of fizz as they got on board.

When we arrived at Dove Dale Towers we grabbed some group photos on Penny lane and the street that Nikki used to live on in her pre Stu days.

Dove dale towers

At Dove Dale Towers Nikki and Stu’s guests got straight into the party dancing to an acoustic set played for them by Paul Duffy from the Coral. Keeping with the music theme Nikki and Stu had a guitar instead of a guest book that Stu had designed, guests wrote their messages on the guitar with sharpies and some even had a little sing song with it.

Nikki and Stu went for a relaxed buffet style wedding breakfast and skipped the speeches keeping the focus on the music and the party and making the evening more relaxed. A family member made the main wedding cake for them and they had Beatles cup cakes designed for them by Terry Tang Designer Cakes.

Once the cake was cut and the first dance had been had we popped outside to grab a few family night portraits before I left them to get back to the party.

Thanks for having me shoot your awesome wedding day Nikki and Stu. xx

A Shout out to Nikki and Stu’s awesome Wedding suppliers:
Dress: Hope & Ivy
Suit: Moss Bros.
Shoes: Debenhams
Flowers: Mary Mary Floral Design
Hair: Toni & Guy
Make up: MAC Cosmetics
Cake: Family member Hannah Jones
Cup Cakes: Terry Tang Designer Cakes
Guitar: Stuart sprayed/designed himself
Flower crown: Mary Mary Floral Design
Bridesmaid dresses: Hope & Ivy
Catering: Dovedale Towers
Bus hire: Presidential Travel
Music: Paul Duffy from The Coral