Wilmslow Wedding, with Portraits at Alderley Edge - Hannah & Chris
Some weddings are all about the big party, some are full of family moments, and some manage to bring the two together perfectly. Hannah and Chris’s wedding had a lovely mix of both, with a church ceremony rooted in Hannah’s connection to the local community, a trip to Alderley Edge for their portraits, and speeches that kept everyone laughing well into the celebrations.
Getting ready: one escaping cat and one speech to write
Hannah spent the morning getting ready at her mum’s house, surrounded by a small group of friends and family. It’s a lovely way to start a wedding day: familiar surroundings, your favourite people nearby and a little time to take it all in before heading off to get married.
Chris was getting ready at home with his best man. There were two important jobs on the agenda: getting himself ready for the wedding and writing up his speech.
There was also a certain Black Cat who apparently had other plans for the morning, repeatedly making a bid for freedom!
Wedding mornings rarely go entirely to plan, and that’s part of the fun. There’s always something happening somewhere, whether it’s a last-minute job, a family member lending a hand or a cat determined not to stick to the schedule. These are the little details that help tell the story of the day, so I’m always happy to photograph things as they unfold rather than interrupting everyone to make moments happen.
A special ceremony at Wilmslow United Reformed Church
Hannah and Chris were married at Wilmslow United Reformed Church, a particularly meaningful choice because Hannah had been a long-standing part of the church community. When a couple gets married somewhere that already means so much to them, it adds another layer to the day. This wasn’t simply a beautiful place to hold a ceremony; it was somewhere connected to Hannah’s life and the people around her.
With friends, family and members of the community gathered together, it was time for Hannah and Chris to make their promises and begin married life.
As a documentary wedding photographer, these are the moments I love to capture naturally. I’m not looking to direct the ceremony or ask people to repeat a reaction. I want to photograph the real expressions, the glances between family members and all those little interactions that happen when people are simply being themselves.
A wedding car trip to Alderley Edge
After the ceremony, Hannah and Chris climbed into their wedding car and headed to Alderley Edge for their couple portraits.
I always like to make time for photographs of just the two of you. Weddings can be wonderfully busy, with people to catch up with, family photographs to organise and a whole room full of guests waiting to celebrate with you. A short break away from it all gives you a chance to breathe, enjoy each other’s company and take in the fact that you’re actually married!
We headed out around Alderley Edge to make some portraits together. My approach is simple: no long list of awkward poses and no disappearing for hours. We take a relaxed walk, find some lovely spots and create photographs that you’ll want to print, frame and hang on your wall.
Then it’s back to the party. After all, you’ve invited all those people to celebrate with you, so you should get to spend time with them!
The wedding breakfast at Alderley Edge Hotel
From Alderley Edge, the celebrations continued at Alderley Edge Hotel for the wedding breakfast.
This is often where the different parts of a wedding day come together. Everyone has arrived, the ceremony excitement has settled a little, and guests can relax over a meal before the speeches and evening celebrations get going.
And Hannah and Chris had quite the line-up of speakers.
Speeches, stories and plenty of laughs
The speeches featured Hannah’s mum, Hannah’s dad, her mum’s cousin, Chris’s best man, Chris himself and Hannah. That’s a fair few opportunities for a good story, a cheeky bit of teasing and perhaps the odd embarrassing memory!
With contributions from both sides of the family and the newlyweds themselves, there was plenty of scope for laughter and personal stories. The best wedding speeches don’t need to be grand performances. Often, it’s the little details, the shared memories and the stories that only the people in the room really understand that get the biggest reaction.
I love photographing this part of the day because everyone’s reactions tell their own story. The proud smiles, the laughter, the looks between relatives when a familiar tale gets told — these are the photographs that help bring the atmosphere of the day back when you look through your wedding album years later.
And with six speakers taking their turn, there was certainly plenty to keep everyone entertained!
Dancing into the night
Once the speeches were done, it was time to turn the attention to the dance floor and carry on celebrating.
After a day that began with preparations at home, a meaningful church ceremony and portraits at Alderley Edge, the evening was a chance for Hannah and Chris to let their hair down with the people who had shared the day with them.
I’m always happy when the dancing gets going. It’s a chance to capture people exactly as they are: friends letting loose, family members joining in and those spontaneous moments that no one could have planned in advance.
There’s no need to stop the music or arrange people into position. I can move around, keep an eye on what’s happening and photograph the evening as it unfolds.
Hannah & Chris, what a day!
Hannah and Chris’s wedding was a wonderful combination of personal connections, family humour and a proper celebration. From getting ready at home — with one particularly determined cat in the mix — to a ceremony at a church that meant so much to Hannah, portraits at Alderley Edge and a lively evening at Alderley Edge Hotel, the day had its own lovely rhythm.
Thank you, Hannah and Chris, for having me along to photograph it all.
Getting married in Cheshire or the North West?
If you’re looking for a relaxed, family-friendly wedding photographer who captures the day as it happens, gets those important family photographs done without fuss and makes time for a few beautiful portraits of the two of you, I’d love to hear about your plans.
