Julie and Lee’s wedding at The Village Hotel in Bury

Keeping rolling through these August weddings, my next stop was this great day. Julie and Lee are long time family friends of my wife, so I was honoured to be asked to cover this special day.

My day started at Julie’s parent’s house (next door to my Mother-in-law’s!) with Julie and her sister/bridesmaid having their make-up done (by my wife!). Julie had a bit of a nightmare week in the run-up to the big day, feeling poorly and not getting much sleep. Thankfully on the day wedding preparations took over and the bridal party were kept busy with Page Boy Harvey’s shirt refusing to stay tucked in.

I left Julie and her bridesmaids to make their final preparations and headed over to The Village to meet Lee and his Groomsmen, as they greeted arriving guests. As Julie arrived, so did the notorious Manchester weather but this didn’t dampen the celebrations.

Julie couldn’t hide her emotions as she headed down the aisle but managed to get through her vows in what was a lovely ceremony. This couple know how to have a good time and by the time I left, the party was in full swing (which was disappointing for me as I had to depart to prepare for my following day’s work).



























Congratulations to Julie and Lee and thanks for letting me be part of your special day.

New Exciting Promo Stuff!

I attended a marketing workshop yesterday to try and get some new ideas for promoting my business. Right at the start of session, the lady running the workshop asked who had business cards. I was the only person to put my hand up. She asked me to show her my card and as I was getting my wallet out, I felt a shiver of embarrassment run through me. This was because I knew full well that I’d given my last business card to a close up magician I'd met in a Parcel Force collection office the previous day. Anyone who is friends with me on Facebook may have noticed that I've had a bit of a running battle with Parcel Force this week over their 'Express 1 day service' that I eventually received 3 days late after 3 phone calls, 2 visits to the depot and a strongly worded letter! Anyway this magician did a trick for me whilst we were waiting to be served and was quite good so I said I'd recommend him to my clients where necessary. He didnt have a business card on him so said he'd email me his details through, which he is yet to do.

Anyway, I’ve digressed into a babbling and ranting idiot now. Back to the marketing workshop. So I didn’t have a business card and felt quite ridiculous admitting this after just saying that I had one. The workshop leader gave me a mild dressing down and instructed me to never leave the house without them! I wanted to tell her that I was leaving to pick up a batch of business cards (at a 3rd attempt) immediately following the workshop. But I didn’t as this would have made me look like the a schoolboy (that I used to be) making excuses for not doing his homework.

Here they are anyway, I love them! I got 13 different photographs printed onto the front of the cards. It's like carrying a mini portfolio around in my pocket. I've simplified the contact details on the back going for a 'less is more' look. The print quality is superb and I couldn’t be happier with them. (Which is more than I can say for these poor quality iPhone photos of them.)


Pics!


Lots of pics!


Back of the cards


The postcard front


Postcard rear

The only problem I have now is that I really don't want to give them away!

Sarah and Tony at Heaton Park Orangery, Prestwich.

Starting off a busy October for me were Sarah and Tony. The couple had chosen The Orangery at Heaton Park to tie the knot which was my second time shooting there (my third happened to be just 3 weeks later, but more on that to come on another post). I love doing photo shoots at Heaton Park for two reasons:
1) It’s a wedding photographers dream (as long as the weather behaves). The park is beautiful, as are the flowerbeds at The Orangery. The temple on the hill is a great spot for portrait shots and the staff are extremely helpful.
2) I just live around the corner so I don’t have far to drive after my work is done :-D

The wedding itself was held in Heaton Park Hall. The room where the service was held is breathtaking. Loads of light flooding in through the big windows at the front meaning I get to turn my flash off for more natural lighted shots. The wedding had the couple reading their own personal vows with neither of them being able to suppress their emotions. From there we moved outside for the group shots before I took the bride and groom for a walk to get some nice portraits. The whole day ran very smoothly thanks to the ushers who were great at organising everyone and helped me a great deal on the day. Many thanks lads! Highlights below.





























All the best for the future to Sarah and Tony! I really enjoyed being a part of your day and I hope you love your photographs.

Leanne and Dave at The Worsley Marriott, Worsley, Salford

So after leaving Hilary and Carl's fantastic bash (see previous post), I had to head home, download the images taken to my computer and back them up, clear the memory cards, charge the camera batteries and get to bed so I was bright and fresh for Leanne and Dave’s wedding the very next day. So up I got and headed over to the Marriott Hotel in Worsley. It was a beautiful day, sun shining all day long. Leanne and her bridesmaids looked amazing and were amazingly calm and serene as they made their preparations for the event. Dave is a top lad and his best man and ushers were all round good blokes on the day. The couple wrote and read their own vows on the day, which made the service itself really personal to them. The Marriott at Worley is a great venue for a wedding with lovely rooms and grounds, which were great for getting some special shots.

























I must give a special thanks to the Toastmaster, Stephen, who was simply a legend on the day. He organised everyone throughout the whole event, which aided me no end in being able to just concentrate on getting some great photos for the couple. I cannot recommend this man highly enough. He comes as part of the wedding package at the Marriott but if you want him at your wedding then get in touch and I’ll pass his details to you.

Congratulations to Leanne and Dave!

Hilary and Carl at The Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa, Clayton Le Moors

The Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa in Blackburn was the setting for Hilary and Carl's big day. A beautiful stately home which is a perfect set up for a full day's service and reception. Hilary and her bridemaids looked great even before they were completely dressed… and by that I mean they all looked fab in their matching pyjamas! Carl, seemingly not one to do things by half, arrived at the venue by helicopter before making his way to the room for the service. The tough looking groom completely melted when he saw his gorgeous bride walking down the aisle. This set the tone for a great day filled with laughs, tears and a whole lot of fun! Highlights below.

























All the very best to the both of you! I really hope you love looking at your pics as much as I loved taking them!