Blog Archives

Wedding at the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel, North Wales

North Wales is my home, and so I love photographing venues all over this area. Last March, I shot a wedding at the beautiful Grosvenor Hotel and Spa, based in Pulford.

About the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa

Situated in North Wales just a few miles outside of Chester, Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa is a 4* venue that boasts 73 stunning bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, piano lounge and spa.

Built in the 18th century, the building was originally a hotel as well as a working farm, where ale was sold to workers. In 1874, it was known as the Grosvenor Arms. There have been many owners of this historic building, including the Duke of Westminster. Now it’s run by the Nelson family (hence where the name of Nelson’s Bar originates), who have lovingly restored the building and added exceptional facilities, such as additional bedrooms and full leisure facilities.

The wedding of Hazel and Craig

Hazel and Craig’s wedding took place on a beautifully crisp and sunny spring day in North Wales. The Grosvenor Pulford is the perfect place for a dramatic arrival as you can walk down the stunning staircase and into the ceremony room, making for a picture-perfect entrance.

As avid travellers, Hazel and Craig chose to adorn the ceremony room with centrepieces of globes, suitcases, books, cameras and magnifying glasses. These looked really beautiful and were quite different from the traditional flowers that many couples opt for. The globes really stood out during the signing of the register against the white tablecloth and showed the couple’s true personality.

The main colour theme for the wedding day was blue. The groomsmen wore blue ties while the groom wore cream to make him stand out. The bridesmaids wore navy and the bride had a bouquet made from white and blue roses that were specially dyed.

Hazel wore a stunning white dress that was both simple and elegant. The lace sleeves combined with a chic up do made her look beautiful and was a very classic look. The belt accentuated her waist and her shoes added a bit of sparkle to the outfit.

One of the most beautiful aspects of this venue is the bridge that spans over a small pond. The large willow trees combined with the blue sky make for some truly stunning images. I love finding nooks and crannies at a venue that makes for beautiful photo opportunities, and this venue has plenty of those. Discover the daffodils in spring, the many bridges and water features as well as the stunning aspects of the building itself.

It’s for this reason that I visit a venue multiple times before doing a wedding there, particularly if it’s a place I haven’t visited before. It’s so important to see what photo opportunities there are and for me to get to know a place properly.

The travel theme continued through the wedding day. The name cards on the tables were mini suitcases and their wedding cake was three suitcases stacked on top of each other, topped with mini bride and groom. It’s these small details about weddings that I absolutely love and haven’t seen a theme used as creatively as this.

As a photographer, I love taking wedding shots but I also love experimenting with some different techniques. For Hazel and Craig, we tried using smoke bombs and lighting to create stunning pictures like these:

These would look incredible over your fireplace or framed on a table. I always provide a USB containing all of your photos as well as a link so you can download the photos via my website. Downloads are unlimited, so you can go crazy and send them to friends and family, get them printed on mugs, cushions, anything you want!

March 5, 2020

Blog, Photography

How to choose photos for your wedding album

If you’ve decided to book a professional wedding photographer for your wedding day, you’ll likely want to flaunt the finished images anywhere you can: in your home, on your Facebook page, as your background on your work computer. But there are so many beautiful images to choose from, where the heck do you start?

How many photos does a wedding photographer give you?

First, we’ll start with how many finished, edited images you can get from your photographer. Each wedding photographer will differ, however it’s usual to receive any amount from 300 to 1000. Obviously you can’t put 1000 wedding photos into one album, so how on earth do you choose your favourites?

If you’re based in North Wales or Cheshire and would like to book me as your photographer, you’ll receive access to an online gallery so you can download each image as many times as you like. You’ll also receive a USB that contains EVERY image I’ve taken on the day. This means that you need to create an album yourself using your favourite images.

How do I choose my favourite wedding day pictures?

When it comes to creating an album and choosing the photos to go in it, there are some suggestions I have that you should keep in mind.

Memorable moments

Are there any particular aspects of the day that really stand out to you? Maybe you loved the car ride from the church to your venue, dropped a piece of wedding cake down your dress or a bridesmaid did a drunk impromptu speech at 1am. These moments, the ones that really stand out to you, should be included in your wedding album.

For example, if you loved the car ride, find an image of one of the wedding cars. It is these memories that made your day, so they have every right to go into the album.

Being attacked by an owl is surely one for the photo album.

People you love

The people that were a big part of the day should feature in the album somewhere. It should include at least one photo of every bridesmaid and groomsman. If you had any flower girls and pageboys, these should be featured somewhere too. You’ll need a photo of your parents/grandparents in the book and of course at least a few of you as the happy couple.

Making sure that all of the best people feature in the book will make it that much more special.

An overview of the day

Aside from your favourite moments, the album should also include a photo of each part of the day. You’ll likely want some photos of the bride and groom getting ready separately, the bride getting into the dress, leaving the house to go to the church/venue, pictures of the ceremony, and then the wedding breakfast/speeches. Don’t forget any crucial moments like cake cutting, bouquet tossing or midnight dancing.

How you arrange these is up to you, but chronological order tends to work best.

Your favourites of YOU

After getting caught up trying to include all of the above, don’t forget to include the photos of you that you love or the ones where you look your best. These photos are just as important as the other ones we’ve mentioned.

If you have a favourite of you and your new husband or wife, definitely include it (and maybe download it so you can save it everywhere else too. Hello, new Twitter profile picture).

February 22, 2020

Blog

How to look good in your wedding photos

Although it’s a given that you’ll look your most beautiful on your wedding day, the photos are the one thing that will last forever. This means you want them to come out looking perfect. So how do you make sure that you and your new husband or wife look amazing in all of them?

I’ve photographed many weddings across Cheshire and North Wales but not everyone is comfortable having their picture taken. I wanted to provide my specialist tips on how to look good in your wedding photos while being at ease.

How to look good in photos

First, it’s a good idea to start looking through some old photos that you like of yourself. Study them and try to work out why you like the way you look in them. Are you stood a certain way, or facing a certain way? Maybe you’re smiling naturally instead of forcing it. Once you’ve sussed the reason you like the photo, it’ll be easier to recreate the look on your big day.

Once you’ve figured this out, you should start practising in the mirror. You might feel pretty stupid doing this but it’s a good way of finding what works best! Instead of looking straight on, try smiling while tilting your head slightly. This sideways angle tends to be more flattering and adds depth to your face. Then try out different kinds of smiles. You could do a smile showing your teeth or keeping your mouth closed.

The right lighting always helps as well, but this is something you don’t have to worry about. As a wedding photographer, it’s my job to sort this out. Direct sunlight can sometimes be unflattering, as the light falls directly onto your face, causing harsh lines. If your wedding day is really sunny, the best time to get photos is in the evening. When the sun starts to set, it creates a really soft light that is just beautiful.

I’ll be sure to find the best lighting on the day for you.

Stacey’s Pro Tips

Keep your eyes closed until just before the photo is taken to avoid blinking
Avoid a double chin by looking up slightly
Ask your makeup artist to avoid using whitening powder as this can show up if the camera flash is on

How to pose for wedding photos

Now that I’ve determined how you can find your best side and ensure you get the right photos, I want to run through how you can pose for your wedding photos.

The most important thing is to try and relax. If you’re feeling nervous about your photos, it will show in your body language. You should try and un-tense your shoulders, hold your head up and relax your arms.

Many people feel unsure about what to do with their arms in photographs. If you can, avoid keeping them too close to your torso, as this will make them look bigger than they are. Lift them away from your body ever so slightly to make them look as slim as possible. You could even try putting one arm on your hip, keeping your elbow tucked behind you. This will also accentuate your waist.

Many brides forget about what their legs are doing in photos, and why should you need to think about this? Your legs are covered by your dress, right? But what your legs are doing can impact the way you stand in your photos. Either keep one knee slightly bent so that you don’t look too stiff or cross your ankles to make your hips appear narrower.

It’s more flattering to have your body facing at a 45-degree angle instead of directly onto the camera, just like in the photo above.

Finally, stand up straight! You don’t want slumped shoulders in your photos.

February 16, 2020