Mottram Hall Weddings

Before I even start writing anything about my incredible time as Matt and Hayley’s Mottram Hall Wedding Photographer, I have a little story to tell you about where this whole marriage journey began. Did Matt whisk Hayley out for a meal then pop the question? Nope! Did he lay down some petals and light some candles before getting down on one knee? Nope! Did he write her a song and broadcast it live on facebook? Nope! Our Matthew here went one step further. He designed and built his own app! Seriously. A lot of thought and preparation went into this proposal. Take Hayley to Disneyland Paris – check! Create a mobile app especially for her to tour Disney (a bit like Pokemon Go where she had to visit/find all the characters on the map on her phone) – check! Tell her if she manages to find and catch all the Disney characters she gets to win a prize – check! (Hayley at this point assumed she was playing for the chance to win one of the Disney hoodies she had been eyeing up in the gift shops!) Make the final characters on her screen appear as Mickey and Minnie in wedding outfits – check! Get down on one knee and BOOOOOOOM! Ultimate wedding proposal nailed! Thanks for the pic guys xxx

 

A September Wedding at Mottram Hall

Fast forward to September 1st 2017 and the day went a little bit like this…

Hayley and her beautiful bridesmaids got ready at her Mum’s house the morning of the wedding. It was such a relaxed morning and I was made to feel so welcome. Brucey bonus points for the many cups of tea that kept appearing nearby made just how I like them! 😉 More importantly, take a good look at that sparkler Matt chose for Hayley close-up. It’s incredible! I absolutely adore Hayley’s Anna Soranno wedding dress too. As soon as I saw it my hands delved straight for the hip area where I found what I instantly suspected was there. POCKETS! Nothing could make a dress more perfect in my eyes that pockets. My love affair with this wedding and couple just continued to get deeper!

The girls had such a fun morning together and looked absolutely stunning with a little extra help by the amazing The Glam Box MUA and Kat’s Mobile Hairdressing.

The Boys

A huge shout out to my fab second shooter Charlotte Giddings Photography who met the boys at Hayley and Matt’s home to capture the boys’ final preparations. Matt and Hayley’s son Max thoroughly enjoyed helping his dad get ready for his wedding day! Such a cutie!

Bridal Preparations

With a 12pm ceremony and a 30 minute drive to Mottram Hall it was all hands on deck back with the girls. With three bridesmaids on hand to help Hayley into her wedding dress and shoes however she was ready in no time and looking absolutely breathtaking!

When Max stopped off to say hello to Mum before the wedding however, his emotions got the better of him!

A huge shout out to Hayley’s mum Kathryn for letting me literally climb into her dining room window to take these gorgeous pics of them all. People often comment i’m a bit mad when it comes to climbing things/lying in puddles to get the shot I want but when i spot some perfect light, i’ll do whatever it takes to get it! The beautiful bouquets were made by High Peak Flowers.

Wedding Photography at Mottram Hall

Why the girls and I were making our way to Mottram Hall, Matt and the boys were already there, greeting guests and enjoying the fantastic sunshine.

Hayley and her Dad arrived in style in gorgeous white Range Rover.

Mottram Hall Wedding Ceremony

Disney Themed Wedding

After popping the question at Disneyland it wasn’t going to be difficult to guess the chosen theme for Matt and Hayley’s wedding breakfast. Each table named after their favourite Disney films and the top table being ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ The love letters were supplied by The Letter Light Company.

The speeches contained an huge amount of laughter and tears including Hayley’s dad Ian delivering his speech on a fold out stool to combat the fact he is ‘vertically challenged’ and Matt being tricked into downing a pint by his best man Adam.

Bridal Party Photographs at Mottram Hall

Anyone and everyone who has met me/worked with me/followed me on social media will know that I absolutely love shooting during the last hour before sunset. Known to us pro’s as Golden Hour for it’s beautiful, soft and warm light it is the most flattering light of the day for portraits. What I also love is that by this time my brides and grooms along with their bridal party are usually ‘well hydrated’ from champagne and up for some more fun and relaxed photos. As expected, these guys didn’t let me down! We all headed out of the front of the venue and onto it’s beautiful long tree-lined drive for some photographs in the beautiful light.

Let the dancing begin!

For those of you who maybe wondering, did Matt make an App for their wedding day? He did! Whilst evening guests arrived, having fun with Paparazzi Photobooth and greeting one and other Matt was actually controlling the music from his phone. That meant I even got to select what song I wanted on next so I could have my time on the dancefloor ( I requested Rhianna ‘We Found Love’ for any of you who are wondering) It was then time for the fantastic band The Still to take over the musical proceedings for the evening and the dancefloor was packed!

Before I left there was time for one more photo. Although sometimes apprehensive about heading out in the chilly air my brides and grooms always enjoy having a couple of quiet minutes away from the party, cooling off from the antics of the dance floor and having a moment to reflect on their day. We also get to make something cool like this!

Matt and Hayley – thank you so so much for allowing me to share your big day. I had the most incredible time with you both and your families. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!

P.S. – I’m also silly excited to see what kind of app Matt decides to make next!

Words from the Bride and Groom…

“Helen is the most genuine person I have ever met and that portrays through the amount of time, effort and passion she has. Even though our wedding sat within the busiest of her seasons, she never failed to make our wedding feel like the most important one. Helen’s energy is contagious and as a stressy, tired bride, she managed to pull me through to the final shots at night. I will never be able to recommend Helen highly enough and wish we could do the whole day again just to spend more time with her. I’ve currently only seen 4 preview shots of our day but in those 4 shots alone, she’s captured us perfectly. We cannot wait to see our final shots. Helen, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being fantastically you xxx”

Getting married at Mottram Hall?

I would love to photograph more beautiful weddings at Mottram Hall. If you have booked your date and are looking for your Mottram Hall wedding photographer, please get in touch via my contact page and we can get together to discuss your wedding day plans!

Want to see more of my recent weddings? Head on over to my blog.

Lots of love,

Helen xxx