Gemma and Matt were hoping for a little snow to add that extra sparkle to their winter wedding and they literally got it by the truck load!  Their snow-capped wedding was held at the fabulous Saddleworth Hotel just a week before Xmas and I for one thought I’d never make it after experiencing the heaviest of snow falls the day before.  Being a winter wedding photographer always poses new challenges, especially with Lancashire wedding photography,and the stunning backdrops around the hotel meant I was amply rewarded for my efforts.

  As the day dawned beautiful and clear, with alpine-blue skies and the met office advising against all but the most essential travel, I set off very early and prayed that the snow ploughs had been hard at work on the notorious Saddleworth Moor.  I managed not to get stuck, arriving in plenty of time to grab a few snow scenes before the guests arrived, and did rather better than Anthony who, liking a challenge, bravely decided to collect the Groom and Best Man from Saddleworth Village in his Rolls Phantom Drophead Coupe (with the top down of course!)  The inevitable happened, but at least the Groom and Best Man’s late arrival gave the guests plenty of time to arrive in time.

Gemma looked wonderful and wore a white fur stole to help her brave the elements for the happy couple’s outdoor ceremony.  This was a truly memorable Lancashire wedding, not just for the pristine snow and blue skies, but also for the all pervasive sense of fun which bubbled through the guests throughout the day.  In spite of the sunshine it must have been a good few degrees below freezing in the shade but this didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

I was a Manchester wedding photographer again at the end of October for Laura and Peter’s Manchester Town Hall wedding photography.  Laura and Pete charmed the pants off me when we first met up in 2010 and so it was at our pre-wed meet nine months later when I was greeted like a long-lost friend. Their warmth brings out the best in people and the Registrar (Manchester Registrars are tops!) made their ceremony so unique and heart-warming that I have to admit to fighting back the tears at times.

Lovely Laura got ready at the Radisson Hotel and looked stunning in a beautiful Spanish dress with fantastic detailing – just look at the sleeves for instance.  After the memorable ceremony I got everyone outside for some confetti and group shots, making as much use of the backgrounds in Albert Square as possible.  You’d never know from the pictures of Laura and Pete that the Square was full of Xmas tents and banners!  Back in the warm embrace of the Town Hall I had plenty of time (if only it was always so!) to complete for people pictures and the rest of the group shots, and after the wedding breakfast I had Laura and Pete for just long enough to make full use of the warm interiors for some really nice personal shots. This was a lovely emotional wedding bursting with warmth and happiness and it was a pleasure being Laura and Pete’s Manchester wedding photographer.

I believe I have the distinction of being one of the world’s first ever Manchester Museum of Science & Industry wedding photographers.  The MOSI is well known throughout the North West as a leading museum attraction and also as a corporate conference venue but weddings are new to them.  A bit like the wheel, you wonder why they hadn’t thought of it before, because they can provide a unique experience like no other which appeals on many different levels.

I love being a Hindu wedding photographer so I was really pleased Suchira and Mark chose me.  Hindu wedding photography is very colourful and the ceremony so symbolic it can be easily understood by all creeds. The getting ready pictures are such fun to shoot and Suchira’s were all that I’d hoped for.

Suchira and her bridesmaids looked stunning, a real treat for the lens, and you could hear the wow as Suchira entered the room.  I have to say that Mark’s outfit was also a great improvement on the traditional gentleman’s suit. The Hindu ceremony went off beautifully and made the civil ceremony which followed in the Station Master’s House seem very short and pale in comparison.

After a couple of group photos it was all aboard the Suchira and Mark Steam Express for a tootle down the tracks, and a happy by-product of the steady mancunian drizzle was plenty of atmospheric steam from the engine. After a leisurely drinks reception in the Power Hall the Wedding Breakfast was held in the Revolution Gallery where there is plenty for the children to do when they got bored with trying to be grown-ups. A wedding to remember!

More Cheshire wedding photography for me, this time as a marquee wedding photographer in Cheshire.  With so many couples getting married at a “sensible” age it made a refreshing change to photograph a younger wedding for a change.  There’s always that feeling of slight unpredictability that keeps you on your toes.  Sure as fate when I arrived for Nicole’s getting ready pictures both her parents were casually pottering about, blissfully unaware of the time (Dad still in shorts and wellies!),  sorting out the final details in and around the marquee.  Nicole’s parents have an absolutely fabulous property, with woodland, lawn and meadow spread over several acres, making this the perfect setting for their daughter’s marquee wedding photography.

All was calm as Nicole readied herself before setting off for the very pretty Dean Row Chapel for the wedding ceremony.  Naturally it was raining when Nicole arrived but miraculously the sun came out as the very moment the couple exchanged their vows, and stayed out for the rest of the day.  Nicole and Mat arrived back in a very regal 1938 Rolls-Royce Phantom III from Avril’s Vintage Wedding Cars who provide many of the cars my couples travel in.  This one was previously owned by Sir Michael Redgrave,  has only just finished restoration, and looks absolutely stunning.  It seats eight in comfort.  Hummer-Vees, eat your hearts out!

Yes, this wedding did have that extra spontaneity and slight unpredictability, it did have that edge, and above all else this wedding was a hoot.  Fun couple, fun parents, fun guests.  I love being a wedding photographer, and I get paid for it.  How lucky am I!

]]> http://tompollockphoto.com/blog/2011/09/cheshire-wedding-photographer-%e2%94%82-nicole-and-matthew/feed/ 0 http://tompollockphoto.com/blog/2011/09/saddleworth-hotel-wedding-photographer-%e2%94%82-jennifer-and-nathan/ http://tompollockphoto.com/blog/2011/09/saddleworth-hotel-wedding-photographer-%e2%94%82-jennifer-and-nathan/#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:37:07 +0000 Tom http://tompollockphoto.com/blog/?p=388 3^rd September 2011

This was my first Saddleworth Hotel wedding photography for over a year and my and how things have changed! The new extension is a spectacular success in every sense, with Anthony’s trademark quirky detailing adding the wow factor that makes this venue a cut above the rest. The execution is first class, with black marble flooring throughout. Downstairs there is a grand baronial fireplace, with fine wood panelling cladding the walls. Upstairs the look is sleeker, and the high-tech lighting system is a real talking point. Brilliant!

I was a Lancashire wedding photographer for Jennifer and Nathan in early September. Jennifer readied herself at the nearby Cherry Clough Cottages and wore a very pretty dress with beautiful flower detailing around the single shoulder strap and neckline. St. Chad’s in Saddleworth was only a short distance away and the upstairs gallery which runs on all three sides gave me some different angles to work with.

 As it was a little nippy we didn’t hang around too long after the ceremony and soon were back in the warm embraces of the Saddleworth Hotel. Again we were reasonably lucky with the sometimes drizzly weather, managing to get nearly all the important formal pictures shot outside before the rain set in and low cloud enveloped the hills. Having Toastmaster Alan Callow around was a great help and made rounding up the guests for the group shots so much easier.  This was a relaxed wedding and nothing was rushed.  Jennifer and Nathan both possess an inner calm which made them a joy to photograph and I stayed for the first dance.

I was a Derbyshire wedding photographer for Claire and Adam’s Buxton Pavilion Gardens wedding in late August.  Buxton often seems to have its own micro-climate, and true to form the weather was so unpredictable I was beginning to wonder if I’d got my seasons mixed up! Bright sunlight one minute was immediately followed by April showers the next. At least the tricky weather got its timing right and in the end made little difference to the pictures I took.  In fact it gave me a bonus.  Shortly after the ceremony the rain kept us indoors and I was able to capture a charming series of pictures of the little bridesmaids looking at the goldfish in the Orangery.  Every cloud has a silver lining!

I was so glad that Kerri and Chris chose me to be their Tatton Park wedding photographer because this is one venue that had so far eluded me.  I knew after meeting up at Tatton that time would be a limiting factor for all the pictures I had in my mind.  The gardens close-by are a treat but go a little further and a whole new world opens itself up to you.  Now if only Tatton would put a golf buggy or two at the photographer’s disposal ………

As it turned out it wasn’t time but the unpredictable English summer weather that was the limiting factor on the day. The morning started so clear you’d never have thought there was any rain in the offing, but it eventually came quite suddenly at Tatton Park at around 4.30 in the afternoon, just after we had finished the main group shot.  Magically the skies cleared cleared about 20 minutes before the evening guests started to arrive, giving me just enough time to get some lovely pictures of Kerri and Chris in the surrounding gardens.

I was Georgina and Barry’s Sandhole Oak Barn wedding photographer last year and Tara was one of Georgina’s bridesmaids.  Tara and Danny were so enthusiastic about my pictures they chose me to do their Cheshire wedding photography two weeks later. Neither of them are camera shy so I knew I was off to a flying start!

I met up with Tara and Danny at Tara’s parents’ house a month before the wedding to get an idea of the lie of the land and the final timetable for the day.  A glass (or two!) of wine and three hours later I think I had a fair idea.  The marquee was going to be there and that huge tree in the middle of the lawn wasn’t going to be there!  I think that was the plan.  No, really, all was clear, and I was really looking forward to using Dad’s beautifully restored gypsy caravan as a prop. Best of all the wheat fields down the lane should by then be golden.

The day dawned fine and clear and right from the start I felt it was going to be one of those perfect days. So it turned out to be.  Tara and Danny were on fine form and were a pleasure to photograph throughout the day.  Gorgeous Bride.  Handsome Groom.  Fun guests, all up for it.  I even got my shots in the wheat fields.  A lovely wedding full of joy and emotion.  What a happy photographer!

I always look forward to being a Palace Hotel wedding photographer in Buxton. It occupies an imposing position overlooking the heart of the town and the rooms are grand in scale, with big, big windows that flood the interior with great light for photography, making Plan B  rain pictures not a problem.  The grounds are only a stone’s throw away from the Pavilion Gardens so if time allows there are a further new set of locations to add to the mix.

Claire got ready for her Derbyshire wedding photography at The Palace  and was married by the charismatic new vicar Fr. John Baines at St. George’s in nearby New Mills.

The weather sort of held out until we arrived back at The Palace, though with judicious timing between showers we managed to get all the group shots done outside.  Claire and Barry chose orange as their theme colour and they made a very happy and handsome couple.

The ceilidh got the evening off to a hilarious start and it seemed obvious to me this was the first time for everyone.  Talk about treading on toes!  Just as everybody got the hang of one dance the band changed the routine for another.  I’m sure they do it on purpose just to keep the photographer guessing where to focus next!

Philippa and Daniel chose me to be their Derbyshire wedding photographer little knowing that I live almost within throwing distance of the famous Torr Vale Mill in New Mills, the historic venue for their Derbyshire wedding photography in early June.

The mill was built in the late 1780s and was powered by two waterwheels to spin and weave cotton. It was rebuilt in 1856 and a steam engine was added. It continued to be driven by steam and water till the 1940s when electricity took over.  It was still in use producing towelling products until December 2000, the longest continuous period of cotton production in the UK.  In 2000 Torr Vale Mill was depicted on Royal Mail postage stamps to commemorate the Millennium Walkway in the Torrs Gorge. From this walkway, on the opposite side of the Gorge, dramatic views of the Mill may be had. In 2001 a fire destroyed one of the main buildings of the mill.

Against all the odds and with almost no financial assistance Daniel has managed to make the mill not only sound enough to run the Chemquip business from, but also, in a very short space of time, Dan, Philippa and their friends have also managed to restore the previously derelict second floor, and this was where the wedding reception was held.

The weather was kind to us and after a cloudy start the day got brighter by the hour.  Philippa and Dan were married at St. Thomas’ Church in Mellor with its spectacular views, and then, after taking some fantastic shots on and around the Millenium Walkway, it was back to Torr Vale Mill for the celebrations. A nicer couple you couldn’t hope to meet and this lovely wedding was made all the more special by the very personal involvement of the Bride, Groom, their parents and several of their guests.