Lisa and Adam's Fairytale Wedding

Wow, I am writing this exhausted but so happy. We didn't get back from Lisa and Adam's wedding at Stanley House in Mellor until the early hours of this morning. Jamie and I simply cannot think of a nicer couple to spend the day with. The day started early when I arrived at Cabello hair salon in Ormskirk where the bride Lisa and her fabulous bridesmaids were being pampered by the wonderful team there. The salon was buzzing with excitement that overflowed from the wedding party and spread to the rest of the customers. A little girl who was waiting patiently whilst her mum got her hair cut watched in awe until she could resist no longer and sheepishly walked up to Lisa to tell her that she looked beautiful. As you can imagine this was the start of the happy tears that flowed throughout the day. 

Despite the wet weather, the girls spirits couldn't be dampened as they headed back to Lisa's mum's house for breakfast before they got dressed. Jamie and I took a quick detour to the guys house to catch up with them and see how they were getting on. The guys were really chilled out and seemed to be really enjoying their sausage butties so we left them to it while we photographed their suits and accesories.

By the time we arrived back at Lisa's mum's house the preparations were well under way. The girls were sipping on their pink champagne so I took the chance to photograph her amazing Dune  shoes and the rest of her fabulous outfit. 

Lisa couldn't wait to put her beautiful Madeline Gardner  gown from The Brides Room of Birkdale and as she did, the rain outside stopped and the shone shone onto her through the windows making her glow with beauty.

We arrived at St John the Baptist church in Burscough just in time to see the boy's arriving in style.

The church made a fantastic backdrop for some really dramatic photos.

And then we had a quick shot to check Adam's great best men had the rings ready for the ceremony, which of course they did!

Lisa couldn't hide her excitement as she pulled up to the church with her Dad to be greeted by friends and family. Getting married at St John's church was super special to Lisa and Adam as it was where Lisa's Mum and Dad got married when they were younger.

Adam was overjoyed to see Lisa walking down the aisle and the look of pure love he gave her was simply beautiful.

The ceremony was very moving and really celebrated Adam and Lisa's love for each other. 

As Lisa and Adam stepped outside the puddles showed there had been a huge downpour whilst they had been tying the knot; however as any good bride knows, it is very lucky to have rain on your wedding day as a wet knot is harder to untie than a dry knot.

The Bride and Groom were waved off by their guests through a flurry of confetti as they made their way to Stanley House for their glamorous reception before more rain came.

Luckily the weather broke and the sun came out just in time to capture Lisa and Adam at their happiest.

Lisa and Adam were so natural together and just couldn't stop smiling.

They even remembered some of the hints and tips they picked up at their engagement sessions which helped them to be more confident in front of the camera.

Lisa was desperate to show off her fantastic wedding and engagement ring from Josephs the jewellers in Ormskirk so I made sure there were plenty of opportunities to do this.

The garden's at Stanley House were perfectly manicured and provided tons of places to photograph the happy couple.

Just as we finished the last of the formal photographs the heavens opened again and the rain came down.

We made a quick dash for the bedroom block to wait for the rain to end and discovered yet another fantastic location for photos.

Adam made the most of waiting for the rain to stop by snuggling up on one of the old chairs with his new wife.

The rain stopped for long enough for us all to dash over to the reception which was beautifully decorated  with flowers and lights.

The food and the staff at Stanley house were amazing and the guests had a wonderful evening. We played our same day edit slideshow for the guests as they enjoyed the rest of the reception and people crowded the dancefloor to dance to Gary Carney,  Lisa and Adam's awesome singer as he played classics from the Beatles right up to modern day floor fillers. We left the party at 12am though it showed no sign of ending as the happy couple and their guests danced into the small ours. What an incredible day.

Mel and Roy's Special Day

When Jamie and I woke up on Friday morning with the sun streaming through our curtains, we just knew it was going to the perfect day for a country house wedding and we knew Mel and Roy's wedding wouldn't disappoint! When we booked Mel and Roy's wedding we were so excited, we both fell in love with Arley Hall the moment we visited it a few years back and have wanted to shoot it ever since. Mel and Roy met watching their beloved Everton and as they chose to have their engagement shoot there we had no doubt in our minds that this theme would feature heavily in their special day. We arrived at Arley Hall early to document the girls getting ready and it looked so majestic in the morning sunlight as we pulled up the long gravel drive. Mel and her fantastic bridesmaids were busy getting ready in the bridal powder room so I went downstairs to the beautiful library to grab a couple of detail shots. For those who know me well, it will come as no surprise that I made my way straight to the place with all the books, I'm a real sucker for them, especially beautiful old leather bound ones. Anyway I found a fantastic old set of shelf steps which made the perfect backdrop for the wedding shoes which set the tone for the day's theme in the Everton colours of blue and silver.

Mel has to be the most organised bride I have ever worked with, that or she was just super excited to be marrying Roy as she was ready half an hour before she needed to be. She did have an army of bridesmaids to help her into her fabulous Alfred Angelo dress though which was... as expected white with Everton blue detailing.

This was a rare and fantastic opportunity to ged some beautiful shots of Mel sat in the beautiful soft light that was bouncing through the old windows.

Mel looked so radiant as she waited patiently for the moment she could walk down the aisle to meet Roy and although the room was buzzing with excitement she looked so serene.

The moment Mel's Dad walked in to the room to escort Mel down the grand staircase at Arley and into the wedding ceremony the atmosphere shifted from giddy excitement to nervous anticipation which signalled the start of an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved in the day.

As Mel and her Dad walked down the grand staircase the soft strains of a string quartet drifted upwards from the bottom of the stairwell to announce their arrival.

Roy had been waiting nervously at the front of the room but relaxed the moment he saw Mel's smile beaming up at him. Mel couldn't hide her happiness as Roy made his vows to her, nor could she hold back the tears when she made her's to him.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Mel and Roy showed their love for each other and promised to spend the rest of their lives together.

After the ceremony we made the most of the amazing weather and the stunning gardens that surround Arley Hall.  The wedding party looked fantastic and were great fun during the photographs.

The men were hilariously funny during their photo's and Roy's stepdad kept everyone smiling by shouting out the names of Manchester United players.

Mel and Roy were so blissfully happy and in love that it made my job a dream to capture this on camera.

The gardens were everything I hoped they would be and more, the colours were phenomenal and smelt amazing, there were also lots of beautiful butterflies fluttering between the flowers.

The sun was scorching so after we had finished all the formal photographs and the guests had enjoyed their drinks on the lawn everybody headed back into the welcome coolness of the main hall for the wedding breakfast.

The weather lasted all day and it was a lovely balmy evening for all the guests to sit out under the stars and soak up the party atmosphere that carried well on into the early hours. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Congratulations Mel and Roy and we'll see you when you get back from your honeymoon.