Yesterday, I joined Jo & Nigel for to photograph their lovely wedding at Arley Hall and Gardens in Cheshire!
It was a fabulous, crisp winter’s day (albeit scattered with rain & hail!), and a lot of fun was had by all.
I hope you enjoy our the story of this special day!
If you’ve never been to Arley Hall, do go check it out! The place is immense! Â It’s super Downton Abbey and has the most incredible gardens that seem to go on for ever!
The hall itself is one of the interesting and attractive stately homes in the North West, and I believed has been lived-in by generations of the same family for over 550 years!
These service bells remind me most of Downton, but the grand staircase is equally something to behold eh?!
I joined Jo (soon to be Mrs Carvell!) and the gang having their hair and makeup done upstairs in the hall.
The grand library makes quite an imposing place to photograph the details, and I love these following shots of the dress, shoes & jewellery…
The flora was by Ian Lloyd in Wilmslow
The little (& not so little) flower girls were great fun
Meanwhile, my wingman Hamish Irvine joined the gents at the Park Royal Hotel only 10 minutes drive away
The pageboys were given suitable distractions!
It didn’t take long before the gang were messing about!
Jo & Nigel’s son certainly looked the part!
Love this set from Hamish of the chaps putting on cufflinks!
PAGE BOY PHOTOBOMB!
Back at Arley, Hamish had a bit of time to grab some relaxed teamshots of the gents
The stunning room was set for the wedding…
Meanwhile, in one of the grand old Arley bedrooms, Jo was being gowned up by her ladies in waiting!
I really like this portrait of Jo
Switching fingers, to make room on the ring finger!
The gang were all watching guests arrive from the window, so I took this little relaxed portrait of Jo in the beautiful window light.
Jo’s son turning up was a fun little event. He seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the women!
Once Jo’s sister had arrived, the bridal party was complete, and so it was time to head to wed!
Here comes the bride!
The kiss!
Literally as soon as everyone was outside it started HAILING!
Happy days!
But before long the sun was back out and we headed out for a few relaxed portraits of Jo & Nigel around Arley
The gardens are pretty special for portraits, as we’d found on our pre-wedding explore a little while back (you can see the blog of their practice shoot here)
This old Barn makes for a fun background for a few casual portraits
Just as we wrapped it started drizzling again, and on heading back into the hall we spotted all the kids waving down to us!
Before heading in for the meal we rattled through a quick batch of family groups…
And one more everyone shot, just in case everyone wasn’t out when the hailing kicked off!
The stunning wedding breakfast hall was beautifully dressed for the occasion
Speeches were great fun…
…if peppered with some top humiliation!
Then before heading off, we cut the incredible cake, intricately created (and wrapped in handmade, woven marshmallow lace!!) by their good pal Paula!
Here’s hoping Jo, Nigel & the gang had an amazing day, and the fun continued into the evening!
Here’s to a very happy life indeed, and a wonderful honeymoon in Lanzarote later this year!
Cheers,
Barns & Hamish