Manchester Wedding Photography Archives - Cheshire Wedding Photographer

Saddleworth Hotel Wedding // Hannah and Tom

Wedding Photography in Saddleworth

Hannah and Tom had their Saddleworth Hotel wedding photography at the end of May. I was delighted to be asked to shoot their wedding at one of the leading venues in the north west. I love wedding photography in Saddleworth, living in the area I know how amazing the scenery is. The area is beautiful and has plenty of great views that make for amazing couple shots!

Morning Preparations

First of all, the morning preparations took place at Hannah’s parent’s house in Ripponden. With plenty of laughter and prosecco during the hair and make up it was a fun start to the day. A highlight was when Hannah’s dad Nigel saw Hannah in her dress for the first time. It was a lovely moment and the smiles continued all the way to the church in Ripponden village. One of my favourite photos of the year was at the top of the aisle when Hannah saw Tom and her smile could not be wider!

Reception at The Saddleworth Hotel

After the wedding service we made the short journey over to Saddleworth for the reception at The Saddleworth Hotel. The Saddleworth Hotel is one of the leading wedding venues in the area because it is simply stunning wedding venue. With modern decor, fantastic food and most of all, cracking staff I can highly recommend you have your wedding at the Saddleworth Hotel.

Awesome Light

Another reason to have have your wedding photography at The Saddleworth Hotel are the beautiful grounds and stunning views. Hannah and Tom made the most of the amazing scenery for their couple photos as we went into the woodland area at the back of the Saddleworth Hotel. With a low sun setting over the Saddleworth hills, Hannah and Tom made the most of the awesome light. It was a brilliant day and I cannot wait to return to The Saddleworth Hotel. I’m also delighted to now be a recommended supplier by the Saddlworth Hotel, so I look forward to many more weddings at an amazing wedding venue.

Here’s Hannah and Tom’s Saddleworth Hotel wedding photography. Music by Christine and The Queens, photos by me…

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The Saddleworth Hotel, Huddersfield Road, Oldham OL3 5LX. 01457 871888

2015: The best bits…

2 Comments/by James Tracey

2015 has been a brilliant year. I can’t believe how quickly it has flown by and how much has happened in the last twelve months.

I’ve been lucky enough to have shot some amazing weddings all over the UK, from Manchester to London and plenty of amazing venues in between. Of course, there was the small matter of a secret wedding in New York which I still can’t quite believe happened! I say it again, I am so lucky to have the most brilliant brides and grooms who allow me to photograph their day the way I see it and I am forever grateful that you guys chose and trusted me to cover one of the most important days of your life. To all my 2015 couples, I hope you love your wedding photos as much as I loved being there to capture them.

Throughout the year I have been able to meet some of the best wedding photographers and suppliers in the country and some of those talented people I can now call my friends. Working alongside such brilliant people makes my job so much easier and I am really looking forward to working alongside old and new suppliers in 2016. I’ve also attended some brilliant photography workshops with some of the best wedding photographers in the land who have massively inspired and challenged me to be a better photographer.

So after a brilliant year, here’s collection of the images that have stood out for me over the past twelve months. I’ve found that looking back over the year, a certain type of photograph has stood out more for me. Maybe they are more understated than the big couple photos (although there are a few of them in here) but I’ve found it’s the images with real emotion that I’ve been drawn towards. This is why I started shooting weddings, to capture the moments as they happen, whether they are the big ones like the first kiss, or those fleeting ones where two people catch each other’s eye for just a second. Hopefully you’ll see what really makes me tick in this collection and I cannot wait to get back behind the Nikon’s and to start photographing the stories, tears, laughter, selfies and hugs at my 2016 weddings.

Now, in any other year I wouldn’t pick a favourite photo, but 2015 wasn’t any other year, so once you get to the very end you’ll see my absolute favourite photo of the year (and one of, if not, the best photograph I have ever taken).

So I hope you all have a brilliant Christmas and New Year, I’m off to enjoy some time with my family and will be back on it in January! Cheers.

Here’s the slideshow, photos by me, music by The War on Drugs…

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So here it is, my best photograph of 2015. I wouldn’t normally pick one photo but in March our lives changed forever when my amazing wife Laura gave birth to our first child, Ana Vivienne. After a lengthy 45 hour labour and a horrific delivery in which Ana stopped breathing, thanks to the truly incredible staff at The Royal Oldham Hospital, we finally met our beautiful baby girl. I took this photo a few hours after Ana was born. In between all the wires and mess, there is just that moment between Laura and Ana. Simply my favourite photo of 2015!

Eleven Didsbury Park Wedding Photographer // Richard and Kenny

by James Tracey

Wedding at Eleven Didsbury House

I’ve said it before, I shouldn’t have favourite weddings, but if I did, then the day I was Kenny and Richard’s Eleven Didsbury Park wedding photographer would most certainly be one of my favourites of 2015. These guys were brilliant fun to be around and they are two of the most relaxed people I have ever met. So relaxed that they’d booked their wedding at Eleven Didsbury park over a year in advance and then completely forgotten to book any other wedding suppliers, including a wedding photographer. So I have to thank Sian at The Flower Lounge for pointing Richard and Kenny my way with just four (yes four) weeks left until their wedding. It was my only wedding free weekend of the summer left and I was delighted I was available to be their Eleven Didsbury Park wedding photographer.

Conversion Ceremony

Kenny and Richard had their preparation and wedding service at Didsbury House Hotel, just down the road from Eleven Didsbury Park and Didsbury House Hotel is a beautiful venue in its own right without modern decor and plenty of great photo opportunities. Kenny and Richard’s service was a first for me as it was a conversion ceremony to switch their civil partnership into a marriage, but the actual service is almost exactly the same as any civil marraige. As always, Manchester has the finest registrars who make the service relaxed, fun and emotional and Kenny and Richard’s service was both moving and amusing in equal measure. The absolute highlight for me was Sigur Rós’ Se Lest played as Kenny and Richard signed their wedding register. It turns out we are all total Sigur Rós geeks and have even been to the same gigs!

The Flower Lounge Didsbury

After the service the wedding party took the short walk up to the reception venue, Eleven Didsbury House for drinks and canapes in the beautiful gardens. With wonderful summer sun and some of the most spectacular wedding flowers I’ve ever seen, the outdoor seating for the wedding breakfast was stunning. Sian at The Flower Lounge Didsbury is absolutely amazing and her work speaks for itself.

Fletcher Moss Park

With the guests in full on party mode, Kenny and Richard joined me for 20 minutes at Fletcher Moss Park for some natural, relaxed couples photos before we returned for dinner, speeches and a proper wedding party. This was one of the best weddings I have shot, with a really cool, relaxed couple who made the absolute most of their day having an amazing time with all their guests at a fantastic venue. I loved every minute of being Kenny and Richard’s Eleven Didsbury Park wedding photographer. I’ve also photographed a Vicky and Stefano’s Didsbury House Hotel wedding photography at Eleven Didsbury Park’s sister hotel, so you can see how beautiful these two venues are.

So here’s their Eleven Didsbury Park wedding photography. Music, naturally, by the sublime Sigur Rós, photos by me…

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Credits:

Service Venue: Didsbury House Hotel
Reception: Eleven Didsbury Park
Kenny’s Suit: Ted Baker
Richard’s Suit: Kooples
Flowers: Sian at Didsbury Flower Lounge
Caterers: Eleven Didsbury Park
Cake: M&S
Special touches: Lego

Eleven Didsbury Park, 11 Didsbury Park, Manchester M20 5LH. 0161 448 7711

Elixir Ibiza Wedding Photography // Vicky and Matt

by James Tracey

Elixir Ibiza Wedding Photography

Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am in my job. Being booked to shoot Vicky and Matt’s Elixir Ibiza wedding photography was definitely one of those moments. I’d met Vicky and Matt when I shot Debbie and Karl’s wedding at The Saddleworth Hotel in 2013. At the time Vicky was thinking of heading off abroad for a destination wedding and she asked if I traveled (which I emphatically said yes to!) A few months later Vicky and Matt had found their dream venue and had set their hearts on Ibiza and Elixir Shore Club. So I booked a Jet2 flight and in the middle of August flew out to the White aisle for my first ever Elixir Ibiza wedding photography job!

Wedding in Ibiza

Vicky was getting ready in Cala Llonga so I met her there for the bridal prep before sharing her taxi over to Cala Codolar to Elixir Shore Club. What a venue. A shabby chic paradise, set high on the cliffs over a small beach, Elixir is something else. Vicky was walked down the aisle by her brother before Matt and Vicky shared their wedding blessing in front of the stunning views of the sea. With glorious sun shining down it was one of the those moments where I had to remember I was actually working. A totally amazing service finished and the open bar started (so I knew it was going to be an amazing wedding). Although it did get a little hot (even the staff said it was a little warmer than usual, peaking at just over 40 degrees), everyone soaked up the sun and prosecco before I took the wedding party down to the beach for the group shots. Vicky and Matt didn’t want anything boring or stuffy, so we set the lads up to look cool and the girls to have fun. I LOVE the group shots, easily some of my favourite I’ve taken.

Ibiza Sunset

I was then invited to eat with the wedding party and I can hand on heart say this was the best wedding food I’ve ever eaten. A barbecue to beat all barbecue’s. It’s worth having your wedding at Elixir Shore Club for the food alone it’s that good. Then, as the sun started to set I grabbed Vicky and Matt and we went back down to the beach to get the classic Ibiza sunset in the couple shots. It was a spectacular experience and I think the shots do the sunset justice, before we headed back to the speeches and a huge party (which I get thoroughly involved with when the Nikon’s were packed away!)

Without doubt, the coolest wedding of the year and one of the highlights of my wedding photography career. Ibiza is a brilliant venue for your wedding blessing and Elixir is one of the best venues I’ve ever worked at. A stunning venue with amazing views and it’s run brilliantly by the team there. I cannot recommend it highly enough and if you are planning on heading out there, I’m more than up for a some more Elixir Ibiza wedding photography.