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.