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A Wedding Photographer’s Guide to Cheshire Wedding Venues (Part 1)

As a wedding photographer based in Flintshire, I’m ideally placed for weddings across North Wales, Chester, Cheshire, and the North West. This means I get to work at some truly fabulous venues: I believe that Cheshire and North Wales really do have some of the finest wedding venues in the UK.

As a wedding photographer in Cheshire, I often get asked which are my favourite wedding venues to shoot at, so I decided to start to put together a run down of my most-loved wedding venues throughout the North West. This will be a mini-series, with each blog shining a spotlight on a couple of my favourite venues. This month I’ll be focusing on two wedding venues in Cheshire…

Wedding Photography in Cheshire

When it comes to venues that provide the perfect backdrop for wedding photography, Cheshire is hard to beat. Cheshire has an abundance of stunning stately homes, breathtaking castles, stylish hotels, and beautiful wedding barns, so whatever the theme of your wedding you will be sure to find the ideal venue in Cheshire.

As a wedding photographer, it’s a pleasure to shoot at Cheshire venues: there is such diversity in terms of the type of venue available, which makes for some unique wedding photography.

So without further ado, here are the first two of my favourite Cheshire wedding venues to shoot at, along with a sneak peek of some beautiful wedding photography from each venue…

Thornton Hall, Cheshire, North West

As a wedding photographer, Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa in Cheshire is one of my favourite venues to shoot at. Thornton Hall is based in the heart of the Wirral countryside, and is a delightful wedding venue for all seasons.

One of my favourite features of Thornton Hall are the landscaped gardens: I’ve captured some beautiful wedding photography in the grounds. For couples really wanting to make the most of the picturesque gardens, Thornton Hall is licensed for civil marriages/ceremonies and same sex marriages/civil partnerships which can take place Garden Pagoda and Lakeside Arbour, making for some stunning wedding photos.

All the Suites at Thornton Hall, Cheshire are also licensed for ceremonies. I love shooting in the impressive Torintone Suite, which can accommodate up to 350 wedding guests. Thornton Hall has recently completely refurbished the Torintone Suite, and it’s pure sophistication and style: a luxurious, sumptuous and truly amazing wedding venue. The room boasts 16 crystal chandeliers, elegant wall dressing, and state of the art LED mood lighting systems which add atmosphere and colour to the space: basically a wedding photographer’s dream setting!

For a Cheshire wedding with a difference, couples getting married at Thornton Hall can enjoy a Twilight wedding ceremony, which includes a ceremony from 5pm, and late night bites. Evening light always makes for some stand-out wedding photography, and a Twilight wedding is a lovely unique twist on the day.

Thornton Hall, Wirral, also has an award winning Spa and fantastic leisure facilities on site, including a 20 metre indoor pool, outdoor spa pools, hair spa, makeup studio, nail bar, wedding accessories, and tanning experts. Perfect for that pre-wedding prep and the ideal opportunity to shoot some fantastic ‘getting ready’ photography!

The Grosvenor Pulford, Chester

The Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa is a 4* luxury hotel wedding venue situated between Chester and Wrexham.

I’m always thrilled when I’m invited to be the wedding photographer at this fabulous Chester venue. Featuring stunning, contemporary decor, and surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds, the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa is renowned as one of Chester’s finest hotels and is certainly the dream setting for wedding photography.

For couples looking for a wedding venue in Chester, the Grosvenor Pulford is ideally located, being just a few minutes drive from the historic city centre of Chester. It is also just over the Wrexham border from stunning North Wales.

The Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa, Chester is quite a unusual wedding venue in that it lends itself to any wedding, whatever the theme you have in mind. It’s the perfect venue for something traditional, a fairytale day or even something a little rock ‘n’ roll! As a wedding photographer it is always brilliant to shoot at a venue where the weddings can be so personal and unique.

The Grosvenor Pulford is licensed for civil ceremonies, same-sex marriages, partnerships and celebrations for people of all faiths and beliefs; providing an unforgettable setting for wedding ceremonies of all shapes and sizes. This venue is always a joy to shoot at, and I can’t wait to be the wedding photographer for more happy couples at this beautiful Chester wedding venue very soon.

Hopefully this has been a useful glimpse into two of Cheshire’s loveliest wedding venues. Stay tuned for more instalments where I’ll be shining a light on more of the Cheshire venues that I love to work at as a wedding photographer.

If you are thinking of getting married at either of these venues (or any venue in the North West) I would love to discuss your plans for the day and offer some tips and advice on your wedding photography- please get in touch for a chat.

April 16, 2022

Blog, Real Weddings

A fairytale wedding at Tyn Dwr Hall

As a wedding photographer in North Wales, Tyn Dwr Hall is one of my absolute favourite venues to shoot at. This beautiful venue boasts all the features that are straight from a wedding photographer’s wish list: think handcrafted fireplaces, stained-glass windows and dark wood staircases inside, and romantic waterfalls bordered by trees and wildflowers outside. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when the lovely Emma and Matthew Dugdale asked me to photograph their wedding at Tyn Dwr Hall.

Emma and Matthew’s wedding took place on 11th March 2022- the perfect Spring wedding date. However, as anyone who lives in North Wales knows, the weather can’t always be relied upon, and it rained for most of the day! However, Emma and Matthew just embraced the weather, which made for some uniquely beautiful photographs:

The day began with one of the most unusual bridal gifts that I’ve seen in my time as a wedding photographer. One of the things I love about my job are the personal touches that couples bring to their wedding day, and Matthew certainly didn’t disappoint with his gift for Emma: private registration plates for each of their cars!

Wedding Photographer North Wales

Matthew stayed over in Tyn Dwr Hall’s Yew Tree cottage the night before the wedding, which gave me the opportunity to capture some great shots of him leaving the cottage and heading up to the Hall to get ready, along with his groomsmen.

Emma wore a beautiful bridal dress from Wed2B, and her gorgeous bouquet was by Vivid Floral Design in Wrexham. As a wedding photographer, one of the reasons I love Tyn Dwr Hall is the stunning dark wood staircase: it makes for the ideal photo opportunity and the images I shot of Emma walking down the stairs show this to perfection.

The ceremony took place at 1pm, and Emma was walked down the aisle by her lovely uncle, as sadly both of Emma’s parents have passed away. The photos I captured of Emma meeting Matthew at the end of the aisle, with her uncle looking on proudly, are the kind of emotional moments that really do make being a wedding photographer a dream job.

Tyn Dwr Hall’s Garden Room is the perfect space to celebrate, with lots of natural light streaming in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows that look out across the grounds and rolling hills. The room was beautifully-dressed by Uplift Event Hire, and I captured some fantastic shots of Emma and Matthew’s family and friends relaxing and enjoying themselves at the wedding reception.

North Wales Wedding Photographer

Wedding Photographer North Wales

Emma and Matthew’s wedding really was the dream day for me as a wedding photographer: a gorgeous bride and groom looking so happy, surrounded by fabulous family and friends, and all at one of North Wale’s most stunning wedding venues. Which just goes to show: no matter what the weather, your wedding day really will be the most magical day of your life.

If you are planning a wedding in North Wales, and have fallen in love with Tyn Dwr Hall as much as I have, please contact me to chat more about wedding photography at this stunning venue.

April 6, 2022

Blog

Winner: Creative Wedding Photographer of the Year Award

I’m delighted to share some very exciting news…

Last week I attended The Welsh Wedding Awards 2022, hosted by Creative Oceanic at Portland House in Cardiff.

I was thrilled to be nominated in the category of Creative Wedding Photographer of the Year… and I’m even more thrilled to say that I won! I am over the moon at being awarded this accolade: it’s such a prestigious award and means the absolute world to me. Two years ago I was the runner up in this same category, so to be the winner in 2022 is a huge achievement and I couldn’t be more pleased and proud.

I absolutely love being a wedding photographer in North Wales: I get to meet fabulous couples and shoot in beautiful venues, so I feel lucky every time I go to work! And for my work to be recognised in this way really is the icing on the cake.

I know it’s such a cliche to say that “it’s an honour just to be nominated”, but when it comes to The Welsh Wedding Awards that statement couldn’t be more true, because nominations come from past couples voting for you. Therefore, achieving a nomination shows that my past couples are delighted with the work I did for them, and made the effort to vote for me to win an award as a result. As a wedding photographer you really can’t ask for more than that.

The final decision on the winner is then judged by an expert panel, and out of 6 other photographers in my category I was delighted to be the one to take home the award.

I would also like to give a mention to my lovely friend Cassie from Cassie M Bridal. Cassie is a super-talented bridal hair and make up artist for North Wales and Cheshire. We originally booked to go to the awards ceremony together but sadly Cassie couldn’t make it at the last minute due to illness. I’m so pleased to say that Cassie also won in her category, Freelance Wedding Hair & Makeup Specialist of the Year. I had the honour of collecting Cassie’s award on her behalf, and want to say a huge congratulations on a very much deserved win!

A bit more about the Welsh Wedding Awards

The Welsh Wedding Awards recognises exceptional wedding suppliers that go above and beyond to ensure the uniqueness of every wedding. The Awards provided a platform to showcase those who promote excellence in the industry, inspire others by their achievements and add the fairy-tale sparkle to any wedding.

A Spokesperson for The Welsh Wedding Awards 2022 said: “The winners represent the industry’s gold standard that work tirelessly to meet the demands of the couples and their guests.

“The Awards showcase some of the best wedding specialists that operate in the industry, whose excellence and commitment brought them to the forefront of the industry. These champions are tried and tested specialists that know how to create a stress-free wedding experience, keeping the romance in the air. We would like to congratulate all finalists and winners for their amazing achievements.”

The event was a brilliant night, with over 150 wedding specialists in attendance. And of course, winning the award for Creative Wedding Photographer of the Year really did make it a night to remember for me!

A little note from me…

I want to say a huge thank you to all my lovely couples who took the time and effort to nominate me for this award: it means the world to me to know that you’re happy with my work, and went out of your way to put me forward for an award. Making brides and grooms happy is the reason we do this job, so it’s wonderful to know I’ve achieved that. Here’s to many more happy couples, beautiful photos, and (hopefully) more awards too!

March 28, 2022