Wedding Photography at the Merrydale Manor

Groom on his knees

Grace and Stephen’s luxurious Merrydale Manor Wedding Photography

A huge congratulations to Grace and Stephen, whose summer wedding was to take place at one of Cheshire’s most luxurious new venues. I hope you enjoy my Merrydale Manor wedding photography.

Wedding days have traditionally involved a fair bit of travelling from one place to the other. To remedy that, feature couples are increasingly opting for is a location where they can get ready, have the ceremony, wedding breakfast and evening celebration all in one place – which is great for me as a wedding photographer, as it means a little less rushing around! It was at the Manor, then, that Grace and her bridesmaids made their preparations. I’m a big fan of Grace’s gown by Love Bridal Cheshire , with its long, elegant train. The bride making her way downstairs is a classic shot you’ll find in just about any wedding album, so to reflect the poignancy of the moment I switched to black and white wedding photography.

Ceremony, Drinks and Canapés in the sunshine

In the ceremony room, flowers had been arranged by Jacob Massie in an unusual but striking arrangement. It’s always emotional when a relative steps in to walk the bride down the aisle, but Grace’s brother certainly did his sister proud. I love the look of pure delight on the couple’s faces as they’re reunited.

Whilst a wedding album will immortalise the sights of a wedding day forever, one thing it can’t capture is sounds – with none being more important than the vows. Joining me in making sure we captured every moment was Classic Video Productions , who I’ve worked alongside on numerous occasions. Andy retired to Ireland two years ago but made the trip back especially as he’s a friend of Grace’s family, so it was lovely for him to be able to take such an active part in their special day.

Documentary wedding photographer

Outside, congratulations were in order. As a documentary wedding photographer, I try my best to slink about unnoticed, and so I love this natural shot of Stephen with his groomsmen—a real moment no posed photo could compare with.

Whilst guests enjoyed a celebratory drink and canapés in the sunshine, the new Mr and Mrs took the opportunity to decompress whilst exploring the estate grounds. I find that directed photos can seem awkward and unnatural, so it’s best to let the couple behave as they choose. Check out those moves!

Special mother of the bride’s speech

Having burned all that energy, we were ravenous. Wedding speeches have traditionally been the domain of men, so it was lovely to hear the mother of the bride’s thoughts for once. Another effective image is of the groomsman’s speech, in which he’s looking directly at the camera. Contrary to my previous point, on this occasion, it proved quite humorous and reflected the sincerity of his words—a real favourite of my Merrydale Manor wedding photography.

Beneath the flurry of flowers and diamonds, marriage at its core is about two people coming together. What we sometimes forget, though, is that it’s also a fusion of two families. To reflect the timelessness of marriage then, I again switched to black and white photography.

DJ and Sax party

With the formalities out of the way, it was time to let loose. Evening entertainment came in the form of DJ and sax trio The Tonics and Six15 , and in an unusual move for a first dance, Stephen showed off his break dancing skills—if you’re in need of entertainment for your own wedding, I’ll be sure to put you in touch…

A selection of wedding documentary photos taken at the Merrydale Manor.

A huge thank you to the bride and groom for trusting me to capture your special day. If you’re in the need of a photographer to take care of your own Merrydale Manor wedding photography, or have another Cheshire wedding venue in mind, Get in touch!