There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over a room just before a bride gets into her dress, and I got to sit in it twice at Alice and Steven’s wedding. Once in Room 36 at Rainhill Hall, where four women in pink silk robes were already three glasses of something fizzy in by half eleven in the morning, and once down the corridor in Room 31, where Steven was doing his cufflinks with the kind of focused calm that always tells me a groom has been ready for this day for a while.
I’ve photographed a lot of weddings at this point, but Rainhill Hall never gets old. If you haven’t been, it’s a genuinely stunning wedding venue just outside Liverpool. Grand white pillars, a sweeping staircase, huge windows that throw the most beautiful soft light across a room all morning. As a Cheshire wedding photographer who ends up all over the North West for weddings, it’s one of those venues I’m always glad to see on the schedule.
Getting ready, the calm before it all begins
Alice had asked for a first look with her bridesmaids before the ceremony rather than saving every reaction for the aisle, and honestly, I loved that choice. There’s something so lovely about capturing that first proper look between a bride and the women who’ve been with her through everything, without fifty other people watching too. Emily, Shannon and Amy walked out onto the balcony to see Alice for the first time in her dress, and the reaction was instant, that sharp intake of breath, hands flying up, a couple of tears before anyone had even said a word. Moments like that are exactly why I always build first looks into the timeline when a couple wants one.
Meanwhile Steven was getting suited and booted with Aaron and Ethan by his side, and there’s a particular energy to a groom’s getting ready room that’s completely different to the bride’s. Less champagne, more laughing at something on someone’s phone, but just as much love in the room. Alice’s hair and makeup team, Danielle Marouze Hair Design and the brilliant team behind hcarson_mua, had her looking effortless, and the finishing touch, a delicate hair piece from Glorious by Heidi, was the kind of detail I always try to get a proper close up of before the dress even goes on.
The ceremony
Rainhill Hall’s ceremony room is one of my favourites to shoot in. The flower arch this time was an absolute showstopper, dressed by the brilliant Thornton Events and Covers and Bows, and it framed Alice and Steven perfectly as they said their vows. A string quartet played them in, the Northern String Quartet, and there’s nothing quite like that first swell of live music to make a room full of guests go quiet and turn around. I always try to get right up high for at least one shot of the room during the ceremony, because it’s the only way to really show how a space comes together on the day, guests, flowers, light and all.
There’s a moment I caught right as the officiant read out their vows, Alice’s face completely open, Steven watching her like nobody else in the room existed. That’s the kind of shot that makes this job feel like more than just pointing a camera at people. And then the kiss. Every wedding has one perfect kiss photograph, and theirs, taken as a quiet black and white under that flower arch, is one of my favourites from the whole day.
Confetti, bubbles and happy tears
Walking back down the aisle as newlyweds, then straight out onto the front steps of Rainhill Hall for a proper bubble exit, this is the part of the day where everyone’s emotions just spill over. I got a beautiful, unposed hug between Alice and her mum in the middle of all that confetti chaos that says more about the day than any formal portrait could.
Portraits around Rainhill Hall
We stole away for portraits with the house itself as the backdrop, that white Georgian facade is just made for wedding photography, and then again later for the golden hour session as the sun dropped over the grounds. That golden light through the long grass, Alice’s dress catching the breeze, is honestly one of my favourite parts of any wedding day to shoot. It’s quiet, it’s just the two of them, and it always produces some of the most timeless images from the whole collection.
I also snuck in one off camera flash portrait once it got properly dark, Alice’s dress mid twirl against the night sky. If you’ve followed my work for a while you’ll know this is very much my thing, using flash creatively rather than just as a torch, and it’s one of the reasons couples book me for their Cheshire or Liverpool wedding in the first place. It’s a completely different look to a natural light portrait, more dramatic, more cinematic, and it’s always my favourite part of a wedding day to shoot once the sun’s properly gone down.
Speeches, cake and the party
Back inside, the flower wall behind the top table (another gorgeous touch from the florals team) made the perfect backdrop for speeches, and Emily’s bridesmaid speech had the whole room somewhere between laughing and crying. Canapés, a full wedding breakfast and cake cutting all came before the real fun started, with the cake itself a beautiful creation from Bake A Licious Cheshire that almost felt too pretty to cut into.
By half seven it was first dance time, and from there the evening simply did not let up. Party 247 had the dancefloor lit up all night with their 360 booth pulling in guests between songs, and by the time evening food arrived at half eight nobody wanted to sit back down for long. When the karaoke mic came out later in the night, Alice’s whole guest list was in on it, and honestly some of my favourite images from the entire day came from that last hour, when everyone’s stopped performing for the camera and is just genuinely having the best night of their lives.
Fifty eight guests for the day and another ten joining for the evening, and every single one of them looked like they were having the time of their lives by the time the disco ball came out.
Days like this are exactly why I love doing what I do. A couple who trust you enough to let you into the quiet moments as well as the loud ones, a venue that gives you beautiful light at every turn, and a guest list that dances like nobody’s watching. Alice and Steven, thank you for having me.
With huge thanks to
Venue: Rainhill Hall @rainhillhallhotel
Dress: @liverpoolbridalboutique
Hair piece: Glorious by Heidi @gloriousbyheidi
Hair: Danielle Marouze Hair Design @daniellemarouzethairdesign
Make up: @hcarson_mua
Dressers and styling: @thorntonevents and @covers_and_bows
Cake: Bake A Licious Cheshire @bake_a_liciouscheshire
String quartet: Northern String Quartet @northernstringquartet
Dancefloor and 360 booth: @party247
Videography: Tom Harrington Films @tomharringtonfilms
Bride: @alijoc.xx / @alijoconnor
If you’re getting married at Rainhill Hall, or anywhere else across Cheshire, Liverpool or the North West, and you love photography that feels honest and a little bit editorial, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch to check your date.
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