Cheshire Wedding Photography at Combermere Abbey
When Libby and Lewis decided to spend the rest of their lives together, there was only one place that really stood out to them as a wedding venue, and that was Combermere Abbey in Cheshire.
What were your Cheshire wedding must-haves?
There were three things that were absolutely vital to us. The first two were fantastic wedding photography and videography. Cheshire is such a beautiful place for a wedding, especially Combermere Abbey, so we wanted to perfectly capture the day so we could look back on it with delight for the rest of our lives.
The third thing that we had to have was an exclusive venue, where there were no distractions and we could enjoy that intimate feel.
Why did you choose Combermere Abbey for your Cheshire wedding?
Libby says:
“We were looking for a wedding venue that offered an air of exclusivity. We’d been to a few weddings recently, which were lovely, but we just wanted something a little different, and that illustrated our kind of vibe as a couple.
“We looked at a number of wedding venues in Cheshire, but nothing was giving us ‘that’ feeling, until we came to Combermere Abbey. At that point, we couldn’t imagine our big day taking place anywhere else.”
How did you style your Cheshire wedding so it was true to you as a couple?
Libby and Lewis said that something they really wanted was a natural and ‘outdoorsy’ vibe. So they made sure we didn’t overdo it with the venue dressing.
Libby said:
“Combermere is such a beautiful Cheshire wedding venue that it can simply speak for itself. Lewis and I are all about adventure, having fun and living life to the full. So we were intent on making sure our day ticked all those boxes.
“We hired Dotty About Ice Cream for our reception. Lewis and I are big foodies, so the thought of having all our guests together on the lawns enjoying ice cream whilst we all celebrated our big day together was inspiring. And of course, we were lucky enough to have the beautiful weather for it too.
“I personally enjoyed choosing the finer details when it came to styling our Cheshire wedding. Things such as personalised fans for guests were a good choice, as the day turned out to be a scorcher, and everyone had the perfect memento of our day to take home with them.
“We also commissioned one of our close family members to create our table place names. She has her own ceramics business, and she crafted the pieces as personalised pebbles. It went down brilliantly with our guests!”
How did your Cheshire wedding ceremony go?
The ceremony took place inside the glass house at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire. Wedding guests numbered around 85. We had a live guitarist playing as they arrived and also as I walked down the aisle – a real tear jerker!
We wrote our own vows to make the ceremony more personalised. It was very emotional.
And the wedding reception?
A shower of confetti opened the drinks reception outside the Glass House, then we enjoyed Pimms and beers with our nearest and dearest inside the Fruit Maze at Combermere Abbey. This was the first time we’d been reunited with family and friends after the pandemic, so it was a very poignant moment.
It really was the perfect setting. A beautiful sunny day, guests sat on the grass enjoying their drinks, playing games and chatting.
The speeches were a lovely part of the day, the perfect mix of humour and personal touches, truly special.
What about the first dance?
There was no way our first dance track was going to be cliché. So we simply chose a song that we both loved, and that was Paulo Nutini’s Loving You.
So as not to make a spectacle of ourselves, we enlisted the help of my sister in law Lyndsay, conveniently a ballroom dancer by trade. She taught is a little routine, although Lewis was the only one who remembered it on the day. But we had lots of fun dancing to a song we adored, and were thrilled to have everyone join us on the dance floor, which is just what we’d wanted.
How did you choose your Cheshire wedding photographer?
One thing that Lewis and I specifically wanted for our Cheshire wedding photography was a natural and candid feel. We really wanted to capture all those emotional moments naturally, rather than having a set of posed wedding photographs.
It was important to us that the wedding photos captured us being present and taking in the day, as it all goes so fast. What we didn’t want was to be posing for hours with staged shots.
We also felt it was essential that we had a photographer who had specific experience of wedding photography at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire, so they would know the venue and how to capture the best of it.
Combermere Abbey is expansive and has many beautiful spots, so we wanted a wedding photographer who knew all the best places for the perfect shots.
When we found Hervé Gillet online and saw his Combermere Abbey wedding photographs, I recall giggling at some of the charming moments he’d managed to capture so brilliantly. So we got in touch with Hervé and instantly felt he shared our vibe. His style of wedding photography was just what we were looking for.
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