Merrydale Manor Wedding Photographer

Getting ready

The bride's side gets ready in the bridal suite in the Manor House, or the Bridal Lodge. Laura started her day in the Lodge before the whole party moved across to the manor. The groom's side get the Cave by the car park (you'll also hear it called the Man Cave or the groom's room): arcade games, a pool table and giant bottle top signs on the walls, so the groomsmen have plenty to keep them busy.

Merrydale's staircase is made for a first look. Bethany came down it to her mum, her dad and her bridesmaids waiting at the bottom, and her dad was gone the moment she hugged him.

The ceremony

The Ceremony Room is the big timber building with the clock tower on top. Inside it's oak beams, crystal chandeliers, flowers hanging from the beams and candles all the way down the aisle, with a huge glass end that glows after dark. All that glass means the light does half the work before I've even started.

The venue also offers outdoor ceremonies, weather permitting.

Confetti

Straight out of the Ceremony Room door and into a confetti tunnel is the classic Merrydale move. Gemma and Tyrone's was a proper one. At Bethany and Dean's, guests grabbed petals from wicker baskets and let rip with the clock tower right behind them. In December, Abbie and Jamie did theirs inside, straight back down the aisle. In December that is the smart move.

Drinks and group photos

Family formals happen on the lawn in front of the hedges, or in the hedge garden, which has room for a big group and gives a clean green backdrop. Nobody ends up hiding behind a tall uncle.

Want every single guest in one photo? I send the drone up over the lawn. The striped grass looks brilliant from up there. Then there's the balcony: Bethany threw her bouquet off it to the crowd below, and the scramble was fierce.

Portraits

• The lake, fountain and wooden jetty. A real lake, so real reflections, no mirror tricks needed. The octagonal platform at the end of the jetty looks brilliant from the drone too
• The long grass, for the last of the sun
• Blue hour at the lake. Big old trees, the whole lot reflected in the water
• The fairy light gazebo in the gardens, great once the light drops
• The front of the house: red brick, clipped topiary on the lawns
• The copper hedge and the floral wall, lovely backgrounds even on a flat grey day
• The staircase and candlelight after dark, especially in winter when the venue is dressed with garlands and candles

The evening

The reception room has a ceiling of hanging crystal lights, and the dance floor is starlit, so the party photos have colour built in before I've added any of my own. Bethany and Dean finished the night with sparklers out in the dark.