David & Zoe – Norton Grange Hotel & Spa

A very English wedding…with an international twist! 

David & Zoe were married at the Norton Grange Hotel & Spa on the 4th October 2014 and they chose me to cover their entire day from bridal prep through to the end of the evening reception at midnight. You’ve likely heard me say this before but I absolutely love shooting the bridal (or groom) preparation; it’s probably my favourite part of a wedding day. I’ve often found that my couples’ favourite photos aren’t necessarily from the actual wedding ceremony, but from the part of the day when they are getting ready with their closest friends and family. I suppose it makes sense, during the preparation the couple are surrounded by some of those closest to them: the bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents. This can be a very emotional time and I’m on hand to document these often incredibly raw moments that you just can’t stage – smiles, laughter, tears, nerves, excitement…it’s all there.

Zoe was having her hair and make-up done at her parent’s house in Manchester, so I arrived around 10:30am to get started. The girls were on great form; the Champagne flowed, there were a few (happy) tears from Zoe’s mum and Bobby (Zoe’s dad) provided the entertainment with his guitar and harmonica!

Zoe had booked a white limousine to take her and the bridal party to the Norton Grange Hotel for the ceremony, I left Zoe’s parents house before the limo set off so I could be sure to capture the bridal party arriving at the venue. Upon arrival I couldn’t resist climbing inside the limo myself to get a few shots of the last minute hair and make-up adjustments.

There had been a few worries during the week about what the weather had planned for the day; rain was forecast but I reassured Zoe that we could do the formal group shots inside if necessary – I always have a plan. In the few days leading up to a wedding I admit to being a little bit obsessive about the weather; in fact I generally know what every single cloud is up to within a 50 mile radius of the venue! From experience I’ve found the UK Met Office to be the most reliable source of forecasts and it didn’t let me down on this occasion; their forecast was spot on and the morning rain showers soon made way for some beautiful autumnal sunshine.

David spent a big part of his childhood in Madrid before moving permanently to the north of England; a large number of the wedding contingent had flew over from Spain for the big day. David split his speech between English and Spanish, and Zoe’s Dad read part of his speech in Spanish too which went down very well indeed!  In fact, the whole wedding was a rather international affair with guests from Spain, Italy, Poland, Wales and Scotland in attendance.

After the speeches it was time for the cutting of the cake followed by the traditional first dance which took us nicely into the evening reception. The drink had been flowing by now and the party was in full swing!

It was a brilliant day and I would like to thank the happy couple for letting me be part of it. David & Zoe wrote me a lovely review on my Facebook business page:

Steve was an absolutely fantastic photographer on our wedding day. From the bridal prep right to the end he was there capturing those special moments. The photography part of the day was one I was least looking forward to as I’m not too comfortable in front of the camera at the best of times, but Steve put us all at ease with his friendly, relaxed yet professional approach. I really did enjoy every minute! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Steve to anyone who was looking for a wedding photographer. We received our beautifully presented photographs on a usb stick which we have found to be a brilliant idea as it has meant we can choose our favourites ourselves and can print as many as we need whenever we want. Thanks again Steve for doing such amazing job. Love Zoe & Dave xx

I delivered David & Zoe’s photos on one of my personalised USB sticks complete with stunning presentation box; you can read more about how I deliver your photos here.