Meols Hall Wedding Photographer

Meols Hall Wedding Photographer

I loved being the Meols Hall wedding photographer for Violet & Henry’s Meols Hall Wedding. What a day it was! One of the biggest weddings I have ever photographed with 250 guests in attendance it certainly kept me busy trying to photograph as many guests as I could! It’s always such a privilege to capture the day for wonderful couples. I was asked by the Hesketh Family to photograph the wedding completely candidly. All of the images below are real moments with no direction apart from the obvious portraits!

 

Check out the photo film below!

 

 

 

 

Bridal preparations at Meols Hall

Violet was with her bridesmaids, many little flower girls, and page boys at the main house as I arrived to photograph the day’s events. When I got there, the bride was busy in the kitchens organising place settings for the wedding breakfast. Big sister applied the bride’s make up and once she was helped into her wedding dress it was time for the hairdresser to place the most exquisite diamond wedding crown onto her head. With the stunning veil, the bride was ready to head to the church with her flower bouquet as the wedding car waited outside to whisk her to St Cuthbert’s church, where her groom was waiting in a very crowded church. I try to use a large aperture on my 35mm lens to blur out the background in the bridal preparation photographs.

 

Meols Hall, ChurchtownBride having her make up appliedClose up of bride having her make up appliedFlower girl being helped into her dressPortrait of flower girlFlower girl getting into her dressPage boy getting dressed with fatherPortrait of page boy on stairsFlower girls holding handsHairdresser placing flower garland on Flower girls head.Portrait of flower girlBride being helped into her wedding dressFlower girls and page boy being photographedBride smilingHairdresser placing wedding crown on brides headBride reflection in mirror Bride smiling in mirror

 

Wedding Ceremony at St Cuthbert’s church

After leaving the bride at Meols hall, it’s only a short walk to St Cuthberts church in the village of Churchtown and when I arrived the groom was chatting away at the altar with his best man and ushers. The wedding guests were chatting away excitedly in anticipation of the bride’s arrival. After getting some good shots (using a high ISO on my camera) of the groom I waited outside with the flower girls for the bride to arrive in the wedding car. The father of the groom had passed away, the bride was walked down the aisle by her big brother. Such an exciting time as the groom watched his bride walk up the aisle towards her fiancé

 

 

Usher waiting at church entranceGroom sharing a joke with best manFlower girls look at bride arriving at churchBride arriving at church in wedding carBride smiling as she leaves the wedding car Bridesmaids and flower girls wait at entrance to church

Bride holds her brothers arm as she walks towards the church

 

Bride walks toward the church

Bride smiling as she walks up the aisle with her brother

 

A church wedding, especially in such a magnificent church as St Cuthberts, is so much more dramatic than a civil ceremony. After the exchange of vows and rings to massive applause from the guests, I captured a fabulous photograph of the happy couple moments after the first kiss. Using a mirrorless camera it’s easy to shoot from a high vantage point using the rear screen. I love capturing real moments like this when you can see the real connection between the couple. After signing the register with the help of the witnesses, it was time for the newlyweds to walk back down the aisle as man and wife to the cheers and applause from the whole church!

 

Groom smiling as he watches his bride walk up the aislebride walks towards the altar The happy couple smile at each other at the altarBride is given away by her brotherClose up of groom placing ring on brides fingerBride smiles as groom places ring on brides fingerMother of the bride looks on during the exchange of ringsBride smiles as she places wedding ring on grooms fingerThe newly weds kiss as the church applaudsBrides family applaud the happy coupleGrooms family applaud the newly wedsBest man and usher applaud the bride and groomBride and groom walk back down the aisle

Road sign for Meols hall

 

Drinks reception at Meols Hall

The massive wedding party lined the path back to the Meols Hall waiting to throw confetti over the happy couple. It’s the longest confetti throw I have photographed! It’s important to have a longer depth of field with the camera lens so more guests are in focus. With drinks and canapes waiting on the lawn outside Meols Hall the drinks reception was super lively and it was such fun photographing the guests hugging and congratulating the bride and groom. As it’s bright and sunny I can normally only have my aperture at f2 before the camera reaches its highest shutter speed. So much going on as the guests had fun on a lovely sunny day. We photographed the family group shots and just a couple of portraits for the newlyweds as they wanted the day to be shot completely naturally with no direction, in the style of a documentary wedding photographer. I normally have a shallow depth of field at f2 in my portrait photographs so the background is very blurred.

 

 

Bride and groom confetti throwBride and groom walk towards Meols HallHappy couple smiling as they walk towards Meols HallGlasses of champagneGuests congratulating the groomWedding guest hugs the brideBride chatting to guests during drinks receptionIced biscuitsFlower girls playingBride laughs while chatting to guestsGuests share a joke during drinks receptionWedding breakfast place settingsFlowers on tableFlowers and place setting at wedding breakfastPlace setting with name of guest on table matWedding guests chattingPage boy being thrown in the airFather throws his son into the airwide shot of Wedding guests Wedding guests having fun

 

Speeches outside the Summer Marquee at Meols Hall

Absolutely hilarious, heartfelt and emotional speeches by the bride’s brother, the best man and the groom. With so many guests and great speeches, I had plenty of laughter and tears to photograph. It’s important to focus on the mother of the bride and groom and the fathers of the bride and groom during the speeches to capture their reactions during the most emotional parts of the speech. I have a telephoto 85mm lens to capture things far away and a 35mm wide-angle lens to capture things close to me. The happy couple cut the cake outside on the lawn before heading into the summer marquee where I was able to take some summer marquee wedding photos

 

 

Brother of the bride gives his speechBride laughing during her brothers speechBride sheds a tear during her brothers speechBride hugs her brother

Groom giving his speech

Guests enjoy the grooms jokeBride laughs during grooms speechUshers laugh at grooms joke during his speechBride cringes during grooms speechGuests applaud grooms speechBest man giving his speechGuests laugh at best mans jokeGroom laughs at best mans jokeGuests laugh at grooms speechGuests toast the happy couple after best mans speechBride and groom cut the wedding cakeBride and groom simple portraitNewly weds portraitWedding cake

 

First Dance in Marquee at Meols Hall

The bride and groom wanted a more relaxed evening and decided not to do the first dance. This gave the wedding guests extra time on the dancefloor to the tunes of the most amazing band. The dance floor was genuinely bouncing all night! I normally set up my off-camera flashes to light up the first dance and the evening dancing. They can be triggered by remote flash transmitters on my camera.  Capturing great moments on the dancefloor kept me busy with my cameras!

 

 

Meols hall with uplightsBand entertain the guestsGuests dancing Wedding guests having a great time on the dancefloorGuests dancingBride dancing on the dance floorGuests with hands in the air on the dancefloor

Meols Hall is the perfect Wedding Venue

I love being a Meols Hall Wedding Photographer. Meols Hall is Southport’s oldest manor house and dates back to the 12th century. Set in 100 acres of parkland and just on the edge of Churchtown it’s the perfect Lancashire wedding venue if you love Barn wedding Photography , they have a beautiful Tithe barn to have the most wonderful wedding ceremony. Meols Hall is a fantastic stately home venue if you like a grand wedding!

The Tithe barn has been fully renovated by Local craftsmen, keeping all original features, also adding a fully fitted kitchen, bar facilities and a PA system. The Tithe barn can host 120 wedding guests for the day and 140 guests in the evening. Larger numbers can be accommodated by the addition of a marquee on the lawn.

I hope you enjoyed my Meols Hall wedding photos. It was such an honour to shoot  Henry and Violet’s Meols Hall wedding. I loved photographing such an amazing wedding. If you are looking for a Meols Hall wedding photographer for your wedding at Meols Hall, please Get in touch to tell me more about your plans for your special day! I would love to hear more about you!

 

 

 

 

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