A blog category where you can find all the North Wales and North West weddings Stacey has photographed

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Wedding at Soughton Hall, Mold, North Wales

I came to Soughton Hall to photograph the beautiful wedding of Phil and Aleisha and it’s a place that I’ve fallen in love with. Based in Mold, North Wales, the stunning Georgian building is surrounded by acres of Welsh countryside and is full of character and history.

 

About Soughton Hall

Soughton Hall is a Grade II listed family home that was built in 1720. There are 15 bedrooms, allowing your nearest and dearest to stay overnight, as well as many beautifully decorated rooms, including the Drawing Room, Library and Dining Room. For summer weddings, there’s the option to say your vows outside on the lawns or in the secret garden.

 

Phil and Aleisha’s Wedding

The weather was a little overcast on the wedding day, with touches of sunshine, but this didn’t matter – Soughton Hall has plenty of stunning indoor spaces to use, and the bride and groom hired out use of the marquee too. As a photographer based in North Wales, it’s actually easier for me to shoot in overcast weather, which is lucky considering it rains a lot in this country! The rain held off so we could get plenty of shots outside, including in the secret garden.

Aleisha chose a beautiful corset-back princess dress. Her bouquet was mostly a mixture of white and pink roses that were hand-tied with some white ribbon. The pink roses in her bouquet perfectly matched the blush pink colour of the bridesmaids dresses.

 

Wedding dress hanging on a door frame next to shoes and bouquet

 

I adored Aleisha’s shoes which had small pink flowers on them and looked so pretty.

The bridal prep room at Soughton Hall is the perfect place for you to get ready surrounded by your bridesmaids, your mum, your friends, whoever! There’s plenty of space and it can be a really fun time to get ready together, with enough mirrors and natural light for everyone. I captured this beautiful image of Aleisha looking out the window while drinking her champagne.

 

Bride getting ready at Soughton Hall and looking out of the window

 

In my opinion, there isn’t a colour that goes with pink better than blue. The groomsmen wore blue suits complete with pink ties and handkerchiefs to bring the whole colour scheme together. Their buttonholes were white roses that matched the bride’s bouquet.

 

Groomsmen walking outside Soughton Hall

 

The ceremony itself took place inside Soughton Hall and Aleisha’s mum walked her down the aisle.

 

Mother walking bride down the aisle at Soughton Hall

 

 

The ceremony room has decor that is perfectly fitting with the building’s character, emphasising the stunning ceiling rose with a large chandelier. The wallpaper is modern while also keeping some feeling of grandeur.

 

Bride and groom kiss during wedding ceremony at Soughton Hall

 

The venue has plenty of beautiful outdoor spaces to take some photos of the newly-weds and their guests. Phil and Aleisha chose to have some group photos as well as some fun ones of themselves in the grounds, playing on Soughton Hall’s swing. You can see that Aleisha chose to swap her simple heels for a pair of pretty trainers complete with bows!

 

Group photo of wedding at Soughton Hall

 

Bride and groom playing on the swing at Soughton Hall

 

When you hire Soughton Hall, not only do you get use of their stunning hotel, but also the marquee for use during the wedding breakfast and evening. Phil and Aleisha kept the pretty-in-pink theme by adding bouquets to the wedding tables and pretty table names. The chair covers were made from delicate lace that adds a vintage feel to the whole area.

 

Wedding breakfast - decorated table with bouquet of flowers

 

Phil and Aleisha chose to make their wedding cake a statement by placing it on a large swing suspended from the ceiling, surrounded by stunning foliage. The cake was the centrepiece of the dance floor and was the backdrop to their first dance. Guests often don’t get to see the cake, as it is cut and whisked off to be portioned out, so this was a lovely way for guests to be able to see it in its full glory. I especially love the iced characters of Phil, Aleisha and their children, complete with the colour scheme of the day.

 

Wedding cake suspended from the ceiling at Soughton Hall

 

Congratulations again to Mr and Mrs Dennan!

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A Winter Wedding at Leasowe Castle

What a magical start to the new year. A Christmas themed wedding at the stunning Leasowe Castle, with Rachel and Graham.

I’d previously met Rachel while photographing her friend’s wedding last year. She was a bridesmaid and mentioned she had begun preparations for the big day. Her photographer was booked, with half the payment made, so as you can imagine I was very surprised to hear from her soon after asking if I was available. She’d enjoyed my work so much that she decided to forgo the deposit already made and asked me to capture the day. To say I was flattered would be an understatement!

Rachel and Graham were married at St Laurence’s Church, Frodsham. The service was emotional, as sadly Rachel’s dad passed away last year. It was a beautiful moment when Rachel’s mum walked her down the aisle, with her dad’s ashes. It truly felt he was walking with them and there wasn’t a dry eye in the church. There were so many touching moments like this that added his presence to a day filled with happiness and joy.

After the ceremony, we made our way to Leasowe castle, which had been chosen after a visit from Rachel’s mum and dad, who loved it and took Graham and Rachel during their engagement and they fell in love with it too. The castle was still decorated for Christmas, as they had wanted a Christmas theme and it added so much to the enchantment of the setting, especially the beautiful lighting. Rachel and Graham arrived in style, with a stunning white Rolls Royce and a surprise bagpipe player!

Just as we arrived at the castle I was able to capture some amazing shots of the unexpected sunset. There was also a beautiful staircase that provided the ideal setting for more intimate photos of the happy couple. I have to say Rachel looked so elegant in her dress, everything matched beautifully and throughout the day her happiness shone through.

My favourite photo has to be the one of Graham delivering his speech. He had a bit of a wobble as he began talking about Rachel’s dad, and both his mum and Rachel put their hand on his arm at the same time, which was just so beautiful. It really shows the love that was felt during their day.

I’m so happy Rachel changed her mind and decided to ask me to be her wedding photographer, I feel blessed to have been part of such an emotional and magical day.

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An Enchanting Day at Tower Hill Barns

I knew from the moment I arrived at Alicia’s parent’s home in Wrexham that this was going to be a day of fun and laughter.  The bride was surrounded by her 5 bridesmaids chatting and giggling, and her mum and dad, Linda and David were on hand to help with all the preparations.   

Alicia & Dan were married at St Mary’s Cathedral in Wrexham, which is also Alicia’s family church. It’s a beautiful traditional building, and one I was familiar with as I shot Alicia’s brother’s wedding there just last year.  

After the ceremony we made our way to the enchanting Tower Hill Barns for a perfect afternoon of delicious food and drinks and plenty of entertainment, some of which came in the form of Dan and his rugby playing friends who were in fine voice, singing lots of rugby songs, the best one being Calom Lan – which really made me all goosebumpy again as it’s my dad’s favourite song too. 

I was so happy to be back at the barns, not just for the amazing setting (have I mentioned how fabulous it is??) but also to see the all the lovely staff who make everyone feel so welcome. Tower Hill Barns is a family run business and they go out of their way to make you feel right at home. Having people around who obviously love their job and want their guests to have the best time really does make a huge difference to a wedding day, they were all amazing.      

We had a great time with some different coloured smoke bombs that the bridal party danced around with, and I’m so pleased the pictures capture the exuberance of the moment! 

Alicia’s dad, David, is Italian and it’s a big tradition in Italian families for all the men to gather in the evening and smoke the biggest cigars they can lay their hands on.  This was one photograph I knew I just HAD to get, so as the evening was drawing to a close, I got the menfolk together and got one of my favourite shots of the day. 

What a day to remember!