Owen House Wedding Barn Wedding Barn - Becky & Liam
Some couples you get to know a little before the wedding day, which makes photographing their wedding even more special. I’d already had the pleasure of photographing Becky and Liam with their son during an engagement shoot at Bramhall Park, so it was lovely to catch up with them again for the main event.
And what a day they had planned! A beautiful old church, confetti with me dodging traffic, a brilliant wedding breakfast at Owen House Wedding Barn, speeches that had me laughing and reaching for the tissues, and a dance floor that was absolutely bouncing.
Let’s get into it!
Getting ready at the family home
Becky started her wedding day at her family home, getting ready with her mum, her son and a small group of family.
I love photographing wedding preparations at home. There’s something lovely about getting ready somewhere familiar, surrounded by the people who know you best. It’s often a more relaxed start to the day, with plenty of little interactions happening naturally while everyone gets ready.
Having already photographed Becky and Liam with their son at Bramhall Park, it was particularly nice to see them all together again on their wedding day. Weddings are about two people getting married, of course, but they’re also about the families and relationships that make up their lives.
Coming from a big family myself, that’s something I really enjoy capturing. The hugs, the laughter, the proud looks and all the little things that happen when people are together. You don’t need me to arrange those moments. Just get everyone in the same room and let them get on with it!
A beautiful old church in Woodford
Becky and Liam chose Christ Church in Woodford for their ceremony. Built in 1841, it’s a lovely old church and, by all accounts, felt like a special place for them to get married.
There’s something about an old church that gives a wedding ceremony a real sense of occasion. The history, the architecture and the feeling of being somewhere that has been part of a community for generations all add to the experience.
It was the perfect setting for Becky and Liam to make their promises to each other, surrounded by their family and friends.
My job during the ceremony is to photograph what happens without becoming part of the show. I’m not there to interrupt the moment or ask anyone to do something again for the camera. I want to capture the expressions, the reactions and the little glances between the people who matter most.
Confetti at the Lynch Gate — and a little road awareness!
After the ceremony, everyone gathered outside in front of the Lynch Gate for the confetti photographs.
Confetti is one of my favourite parts of a wedding day. Everyone gets involved, there’s usually a lot of laughter, and the photographs are full of movement and happy faces. My advice is always to get plenty of confetti and throw it properly. Nobody wants to be gently sprinkling three paper petals over the newlyweds!
There was just one small complication on Becky and Liam’s confetti run: the road.
To get the photographs I wanted, I was shooting from the middle of the road and keeping a very close eye on the traffic. Nothing quite like trying to create a cracking photograph while also making sure you don't end up as a bonnet ornament!
Fortunately, we got the shots and I made it out in one piece. A successful confetti moment all round.
On to Owen House Wedding Barn
From Christ Church, it was on to Owen House Wedding Barn for the reception.
Owen House is a brilliant venue for a wedding, with plenty of character and lots of lovely spaces for guests to enjoy. After the church ceremony and confetti, everyone could relax, catch up with family and friends, and settle into the celebrations.
The drinks reception took place in the courtyard, with the summer sun making it a lovely spot to enjoy a drink and chat. These quieter parts of the day are just as important to photograph as the big moments. People catching up with relatives they haven’t seen for ages, old friends sharing stories and children doing their own thing while the grown-ups get a chance to talk.
I tend to wander around and let things happen. I won’t drag everyone away from their conversations to pose for the camera. The aim is to capture the atmosphere of the day as it really was, with all the people and relationships that made it Becky and Liam’s wedding.
A wedding breakfast full of laughs and a few tears
The wedding breakfast was cracking, and the speeches were a real highlight.
There were speeches from the mother of the bride, Becky’s son, Liam and Becky themselves, as well as the best man. It was a proper mix of emotion, personal stories and plenty of laughs.
The best man had me absolutely rolling with laughter. There’s always a risk when you’re photographing speeches that you’ll be trying to hold a camera steady while laughing behind it, and this was definitely one of those occasions!
But there were some emotional moments too. Hearing from Becky’s son, along with the words shared by Becky and Liam, made for some genuinely moving moments. I’ll admit, I had a bit of a lump in my throat myself.
That’s one of the things I love about photographing weddings. The speeches bring together so many parts of a couple’s life: family stories, friendships, memories and the people who have helped them get to where they are. The reactions around the room can be just as meaningful as the words themselves, so I’m always keeping an eye on the couple, the speakers and the guests.
You never quite know who’s going to be laughing, crying or doing both at once!
Portraits in the Secret Shooting Gallery
After the celebrations had got going, Becky and Liam took a little time out for their couple portraits in Owen House Wedding Barn’s Secret Shooting Gallery.
This is a brilliant spot for photographs, with its giant disco ball and twinkly fairy lights giving it plenty of character.
I love making portraits that you’ll actually want to hang on your wall. They don’t need to take over the wedding day, though. I like to take couples away for a short break, make the most of the setting, create a few beautiful photographs together and then get them straight back to their guests.
You’ve spent months planning a day to share with your favourite people, so I’m not going to disappear with you for an hour while everyone else gets on with the party!
The Secret Shooting Gallery gave us a chance to create something a little different from the outdoor portraits you might expect, and the disco ball and fairy lights made a cracking backdrop.
A dance floor that never stood still
If the speeches were a highlight, the dancing was certainly a close contender.
The dance floor filled up early and stayed busy, with a conga line that seemed to stretch for miles. You know a wedding party is properly getting into it when the conga line starts collecting people as it goes!
This is exactly the sort of thing I love photographing. I’m not going to stop the music, arrange people into a line and ask everyone to pretend they’re having fun. I can simply get amongst the action, keep my eyes open and capture the real thing.
The big dance moves, the laughing faces, the friends pulling each other onto the floor and the moments that happen when everyone forgets about the camera — that’s the good stuff.
By this point, the formalities were well and truly behind Becky and Liam, and everyone was free to enjoy the party.
Becky & Liam, what a wedding!
It was brilliant to see Becky and Liam again after their engagement shoot at Bramhall Park, this time surrounded by their family and friends for their wedding day.
From the lovely old Christ Church in Woodford to a summer reception at Owen House Wedding Barn, their day had a bit of everything: family moments, a confetti dash beside the road, speeches that had me laughing and tearing up, portraits under the disco ball and a dance floor full of people who clearly knew how to celebrate.
Becky and Liam, thank you for having me along to capture it all. And thank you for giving me a wedding with such a cracking set of speeches and a conga line that just kept going!
Planning your own wedding in Cheshire or the North West?
If you want relaxed, natural wedding photography that captures your family, your friends and all the brilliant moments as they happen — with the family group photos sorted efficiently and some beautiful portraits of the two of you along the way — I’d love to hear about your plans.
