I had fun with Natalie and Steven at their engagement session today!  We went to Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury, had a walk around and got some great pictures of them. Here’s a little sneak peek – but there’s plenty more where these came from to follow in a few days…

Can you believe Natalie was nervous of having her photo taken?!  She’s going to be a stunning bride.  Reckon you’re gonna look pretty good on the big day too Steven!

On Sunday, Lucy married Griff at the Norbury Parish Church in Hazel Grove, Stockport before enjoying an amazing (and eventful!) reception at the incredible Belle Epoque in Knutsford, Cheshire.  They had a great day and I had a great time taking photos of it.  I can’t wait to blog some more of their images in a couple of weeks!

Congratulations Lucy and Griff!

On Saturday Gina and Andy were married at Hilltop Country House in Prestbury, Cheshire.  They had an amazing wedding day and Hilltop is one of those magical venues which is just so photogenic from any angle and in any light.  Congratulations Gina and Andy.  Here’s a sneak preview.

You might remember late last year when I blogged some photos I’d taken at Hilltop Country House in wonderful Prestbury, soon after Gina and Andy had booked me to be their wedding photographer (even in the middle of winter it looked stunning!).  Well after a couple of attempts at their pre-wedding photos where rain stopped play, we finally managed to meet up at Hilltop on a glorious July day and had fun for a couple of hours taking photos of Gina, Andy and their gorgeous little daughter.

Here are some favourites from the day…

They spend a lot of time and effort keeping every corner of Hilltop picturesque and beautiful.  As a photographer, I’m always looking for nice backdrops for photos, but here no effort is required as everywhere you look is perfect.

Gina and Andy’s little girl loved picking up apples in the little orchard.

This fella was very curious about what we were up to!

Gina and Andy just have natural chemistry and they made my job enjoyably easy!

We had a very interested spectator at the end of our shoot too!

Gina and Andy were actually married this Saturday just gone at Hilltop and I’ll be posting a sneak peek of their wedding tomorrow!

You know what? I don’t think I can quite put into words how privileged I feel to have been part of Ruth and Rick’s wedding day at The Cinnamon Club in leafy Bowdon, Cheshire – and their love story.

Believe me – it’s a love story which belongs in a Steven Spielberg (ok, maybe Woody Allen) script, not real life. Anyway, all you’re getting is a quick preview for now… Enjoy.

Congratulations Ruth and Rick.  And thanks for having me.

Friday was fun! I was Beckie and Mark’s wedding photographer at the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel.  I enjoyed it immensely, and here are a few teasers from the day for you to be going on with…

The rest will follow once the happy couple get back from their honeymoon in the sun!

Leanne and Scott are such happy people with an incredible ability to just make each other smile and laugh. They got married in June at the Royal Toby Hotel in Rochdale (remember I posted a sneak peek at their photos).

Some of my favourites from their brilliant wedding day…

Scott and Leanne’s cake was amazing… ”Do you do this full time?”, I asked the guy who had made it. “Nope, I’m a Tattoo Artist!”.

Where possible, I like to try to reflect my couple’s lives and personalities in their wedding photography… Scott and his best men used to be doormen, and today they are his wingmen!

Leanne’s bridal party were so much fun!

Scott had been trying to tell everybody he wasn’t nervous in the morning – unfortunately Scott this picture tells a different story!

Leanne’s bridesmaid Michelle was desperate to catch the bouquet… So we made it a bit easier for her!

The wedding breakfast was held in the Fallen Angels restaurant at the Royal Toby Hotel, such an interesting venue, definitely one of Manchester’s hidden gems.

Look at these two – they loved having their photos taken!

Anybody who tells me it’s not possible to get some beautiful newlywed portraits at a hotel with limited outside space, have a look at these.  Scott and Leanne’s natural chemistry really shows through on these photos.

I like to do the couple portraits away from the wedding guests but Best Man Tommy and Usher Marley were insistent on breaking the rules!!

Before the evening guests arrived, Leanne and Scott had arranged for a mini casino to be set up which was a great idea.

The first dance was absolutely brilliant.  They had their ‘normal’ first dance, and then Leanne had organised a surprise choreographed dance with the bridesmaids… But Scott had found out and had a surprise of his own planned!

Leanne and Scott – congratulations.  Your wedding was brilliant, you’ve clearly each found your soulmate and I wish you a long and happy life together.

I’d fallen out of love with my old logo, mainly because it was just black and white and square.  To me it didn’t say what ARJ Photography was all about and had very little personality.  Well ARJ Photography has a new friend – and that’s super-talented graphic designer Emily from Atkinson-Roberts. We love the new ARJ logo, and now it’s all ready and in place I can catch up with some blogging!

Thanks for all your hard work Emily, and for making sense of my very vague brief!

Any feedback on the new logo – please let me know below!

You might remember Lianne and Rob’s Cheshire engagement shoot from a month or so ago… Well on Friday they were married in front of my lenses at the stunning Salford Cathedral and brilliant Marriott Worsley Park Hotel in Manchester. They had an amazing wedding day and I had an amazing time being their photographer so it was generally amazing all round. They’re now off on their honeymoon as Mr & Mrs so here’s a sneak preview in the meantime.

Meet Colin and Joanne.  Two of the loveliest and most in love people I’ve had the pleasure of pointing my camera at. They should totally make a film out of these two.  And judging by Colin’s speech it would be an epic!!  Only joking Colin!  Yep, it was a long speech but definitely not in a bad way.  I still love the chinatown wedding joke!!

I’ve been looking forward to blogging the full story of their wedding – my website has never received so many hits and I’ve never had so many blog comments as when I posted the sneak peek of Colin and Joanne’s photos, so hopefully the same will happen again once it’s appeared on Colin’s facebook wall!

I started the day at their gorgeous venue – Davenport Green Hall in exclusive Hale, Cheshire – to capture some of the details.

Then headed over to Colin and Joanne’s house where Joanne was getting ready with her bridesmaids…

Colin had bought Joanne some earrings as a wedding day gift…

How cute are these two?!  Very.  Even cuter was that they insisted on calling me ‘Mr Photographer’.  In fact I think I might insist on being called that at all future weddings!

Next I headed back over to Davenport Green Hall in time for Colin to arrive.  Colin and Joanne’s little boy Harrison was getting in a quick power nap to make sure he was wide awake when the action starts.

Harrison is such a cool little boy – no surprise with parents like Colin and Joanne.  They are super cool.

Super cool Colin with Best man Martin and Best Boy Harrison.

After Colin and his groomsmen had greeted all the guests, a luxury Merc delivered the bridesmaids.

Followed by a stunning Rolls Royce carrying the leading lady and her Dad.  All part of the package at Davenport Green Hall.

While Joanne had her final meeting with the registrar before the proceedings could begin, Harrison had a little practice of carrying the ring cushion.  I know, he’s brilliant isn’t he?

Now Colin and Joanne have a lot of lovely friends and family.  A lot.  And their ceremony room was cosy.  There wasn’t a lot of shoulder room but it certainly made for a very intimate ceremony.  And I’m sure it made them feel like the stars that they are.

I LOVE the fact that Colin and Joanne decided to have their confetti thrown as they came up the aisle as man and wife.  Mr and Mrs Doherty.

They are huge music lovers and also there’s an Irish connection – these two were brilliant.

We had some fun with the guys!  Lots of laughing.  And the glasses shot worked well eh Colin?

And the gorgeous bride with bridesmaid and sister Lorraine and mum Josie…  It was PERFECT weather for a wedding day and such a gorgeous venue for outdoor photography.

My camera very rarely leaves my eye during a wedding day, and this series is the reason why.  Harrison brings his mum a flower, gives her a big kiss and a hug.  There’s usually at least one moment where everybody turns to me and asks ‘did you get that??’.  Oh I got it.  I totally got it.

Brilliant.  Just brilliant.

Look at this cake.  So delicate and detailed but yum, I want to eat it.

A homage to the upcoming Cuba honeymoon!

I really enjoy wedding speeches.  Long or short, they’re always brilliant.  The speeches at Colin and Joanne’s wedding certainly weren’t short but they were the perfect mix of hilarious, heartfelt and emotional.  When Colin said that he and Joanne were in love before they’d even kissed, despite Joanne’s regular rejections, well there wasn’t a dry eye in the barn!!

After the speeches we headed off into the extensive grounds at Davenport Green Hall to get some portraits of the newlyweds.

…and Harrison!

After the first dance, Colin and Joanne were surprised with some Irish dancing.

And then some more special shots of the bride and groom who by this stage of the evening were really enjoying the party.

I’d love to take some artistic credit for this photo of Joanne but it was all her idea.  Works brilliantly though doesn’t it.

Guys – you already know I had an absolute blast as your wedding photographer.  You had an amazing day, you’ve got amazing family and friends, and I wish you all the happiness in the world.  Congratulations!