Rachael and Jimmy's pre wedding shoot at The Plunge Edenfield

A couple of weeks ago I met with Rachael and Jimmy at The Plunge in Edenfield ahead of their Last drop village hotel wedding. I was extra excited for this one as they were bringing along their two dachshunds YAS! As the biggest dog lover and someone who grew up with dachshunds I was super excited.

We walked down by the water and through the trees chatting planning and all things weddings. I love meeting couples prior to the wedding for a chance to get to know one another and squeeze in some photos.

If you’d like a relaxed pre wedding shoot drop me a message to see what I can do for you :)

Emily and Ed's colourful wedding at The Old Grammar School Middleton

The Old Grammar School in Middleton is such a hidden gem tucked away just out of the centre of Middleton. Standing over 600 years old its full of character and charm whilst being super close to Manchester city centre. As a Lancashire wedding photographer I love having the opportunity to explore venues for the first time.

I first met Emily when I photographed her brother and sister in laws wedding 2 years ago and was absolutely thrilled when she got in touch to see if I was available to shoot her big day. 

The day started off nice and relaxed with the girls getting ready together at Emily's mums home surrounded by bridesmaids, with flower girls Poppy and Ada excitedly waiting upstairs jumping on the bed. I was super excited to see Emily’s “light up” shoes and colourful bouquet that she had previously told me about and it did not disappoint! If you want to inject some colour and fun into your flowers then take note because this is how to do it!

After a drive in the appropriately named “Emily” wedding car Ed and Emily were married in a beautiful service at St Marie’s church in Bury surrounded by their closest family and friends.

A quick showering of rainbow confetti and time for some portraits of the pair outside of the church and it was time to head over to The Old Grammar School. The traditional stone and oak building looked incredible filled full of rainbow flowers and fairy lights – the brighter the better!

After an afternoon spent in the sunshine with family and friends Ed and Emily settled down for a BBQ and speeches before kicking off the dance floor to sound of The Midnight cats. Thanks so much for having me at your big day Emily and Ed it was beautiful !

Here’s a little preview of what the day looked like

Wedding Suppliers:

Venue: The Old Grammar School

Make up: Vicki Sillett

Hair: Alicia Davies

Flowers: Bealey’s florist

Cake: Julia’s icing on the cake

Band: The Midnight Cats

A very special couples shoot in the Lancashire hills

I love each and every shoot that I get the chance to do and I especially love working alongside couples to capture their personality in beautiful settings. And this shoot above any other stands out because its my very own lovely mum and dad. Right on the door step of my childhood family home is the beautiful setting of Ashworth Moor in Lancashire just on the outskirts of Rochdale, growing up we would head up the lane to this beautiful setting of rolling hills, waterfalls and reservoirs to walks our two dachshunds and now I love to spend weekends up in the hills. 

Seeing heather in bloom on impulse I quickly grabbed my mum and dad and took them up to the moors for a walk in the hills and a few photos. It was extra special to see how they reacted with one another especially after 33 years of marriage, my mum and dad have always been a massive inspiration and shown me exactly what a relationship should be like. 

This was the first time since their own wedding they had the opportunity to have some photos with one another (which is crazy considering they had a photographer in the family). Unlike the traditional photos taken on their wedding I wanted to be able to inject some fun and personality into these photos are really show off the amazing relationship they have. These pictures will always be super special to me and I am so excited to finally be showing them off. 

I love exploring the great outdoors and especially love going for adventures in new places so if you’re planning your wedding and would like a pre wedding shoot or know someone who would love some new portraits drop and message and get in touch and lets plan something awesome!

Styled bridal shoot

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to collaborate on a beautiful styled bridal shoot in Leeds. Working alongside the wonderfully talented Emma Louise Bartlam whose make up studio is based in Leeds city centre we created 3 bridal looks. 

In true Yorkshire style the temperamental weather restricted us from having the opportunity to head outside as originally planned but that didn't stop us from being able to create some bridal portraits within the studio.

If you're looking for a makeup artist for your wedding or even just fancy a pamper I cannot recommend Emma enough so drop her a message or pop into her studio.  

Here's a little bit of what we got up to...

Hannah & Matt's Gauntlet Birds of Prey engagement shoot

A couple of weeks ago I headed to Knutsford to spend a very rare day of sun with Hannah & Matt at Gauntlet birds of prey centre for their pre wedding shoot. With their wedding just a few weeks away this was a great chance to hear a little bit more about their big day and their plans. 

From the moment Hannah emailed me to tell me about her surprise engagement shoot handling birds for fiancé Matt I was super excited. I absolutely adore animals and LOVE owls so combining this with a couples shoot was my idea of heaven!

After walking around to have a little look at all the beautiful birds and meerkats that are kept at the centre we were greeted by Shelley one of the handlers at the centre. Throughout the shoot Matt and Hannah handled 5 different types of bird including Slick Sid the harris hawk, a vulture and a beautiful owl while learning a little bit about each of the birds. 

Wedding Photography Workshop at Owen House Wedding Barn

Last week I was lucky enough to bag myself a place on Jonny Draper's latest workshop at Owen House Wedding Barn in Cheshire. All I can say is what a venue, what a photographer, what a day!

Being self employed can be a bit lonely at times so I absolutely love having the opportunity to meet and catch up with other photographers from not only the North West but around the country whilst taking the time to learn new skills and gain inspiration. 

I feel so lucky to be able to say this is my second course with Jonny (an immense achievement as his courses seem to sell out in under 30 minutes every time!) and just like the previous course this one did not disappoint. Teamed with a whole host of incredible suppliers, the venue and models looked AMAZING! 

We spent the morning shooting in the barn with models Sarah, Suzy and Ollie creating beautiful couples shots and bridal portraits against the hay bales and beautiful exterior. 

Following this we stopped for pizza (my favourite) created by Smith Street Kitchen (a horse box converted into pizza oven). With each pizza cooked in around 90 seconds, and tasting unreal, these guys are a definite must for anyone looking for a relaxed, alternative/ fun option for catering their wedding. 

In the afternoon after a quick dress change we headed round the back to play with smoke bombs, some inquisitive cows and beautiful country views. I even had a chance to pull out my prisms to create some beautiful lighting effects. 

Thank you so much to Jonny and the team who helped put together this INCREDIBLE day! 

Here's a few pictures from the day.

Special thanks go out to 

Venue: Owen House Wedding Barn

Workshop host: Jonny Draper

Dress: Love Bridal Boutique

Suit: Whitfield & Ward

Bouquet: Red Floral

Catering: Smith Street Kitchen

Model: Sarah Rowlands

Couple & Light up letters: Ollie and Suzy from The word is love

Olivia x