There is nothing more special to me than capturing someone's wedding day but it becomes truly magical when it's the wedding of two people I know and love personally.It's a daunting task photographing a dear friend's wedding because you want to soak up the day but also do all of their painstaking preparations and planning justice.I had the wodnerful double duty of playing photographer and guest and what followed was a crazy, laughter-filled Manchester Town Hall extravanganza!

Suzanne and Matthew got married last September at the spectacular Manchester Town Hall, which is an iconic Manchester city centre wedding venue just a few months before this iconic building shuts for weddings for the next 6 years whilst it undergoes a dramatic refurbishment and renovation.  It was one of the most fun weddings I’ve shot and even the rain didn’t dampen the day!

Getting ready

Suzanne got ready at the historic Midland Hotel, and the atmosphere was super giddy! Suzanne and I met whilst working at Nicky Clarke hair salon years ago (I working in admin and she's GENIUS colour technician!) and it was awesome to spend the morning with former work mates Roisin (who was doing Suze's hair) and Hollie. The bride then walked the short distance to get to the ceremony. Matthew got ready at home and then met up with second shooter Amy and the rest of the wedding guests at Albert's Chop House where he was joined by his best men, Karl & Gav. The boys travelled to the ceremony on foot and Amy managed to shoot some portraits of them walking through the city centre - looking very rock n' roll!

The serious part

The ceremony was a beautiful service in the upstairs of the town hall. The best part of the town hall is how rich the setting is, the space is so steeped in history that it requires very little adornment and so additional decoration was kept to a minimum in favour of lettin gthe room speak for itself. During the ceremony they had a beautiful reading. It was a real tear-jerker and so emotional. And the giggles balanced out the tears, you could feel so much love in the room.

The party

The reception was was held on the same floor at the venue. They chose Manchester Town Hall because it’s where they always wanted to have their wedding and they just love it there. It was a romantic, joy-filled wedding, which made the day feel so much less like work and more like a party filled with some of my favourite people. I love shooting Manchester Town Hall weddings because the light is absolutely delicious. Suzanne & Matthew kept numbers low and the result was that, despite a full room, it still felt intimate and relaxed.

They had a drinks reception in the afternoon, and a fabulous singer in the evening. As the light dipped and the town hall closed to the public, it felt like we had the incredible space all to ourselves and more than a few of us had a bit of a wander around, exploring the town hall's hidden nooks and crannies. They decorated the venue with flowers and each table was named for an iconic couple of fiction - Carrie & Big, Vivian & Edward, etc, because they wanted to celebrate LOVE (and are big film/TV fans!).

For dinner they served a slap up meal, which was absolutely delicious. The first dance was to Starship's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us, and they finished off the evening with a 'battle of the hairdressers' dance-off. It was HILARIOUS and such a perfect end to a beautiful day.

The best part of the day was knowing I was helping to capture priceless memories for two people I absolutely adore, because I rarely get to see weddings from both sides!

The couple

Suzanne wore a stunning minimalist gown (with pockets!) by Jesus Peiro and Matthew wore a dapper blue 3-piece suit and they looked so perfect.

The couple met on Tinder! and have been together for 4 years. They got in touch with me as soon as they booked the town hall and their enquiry was really touching. They said they wanted me and my husband at the wedding regardless so how perfect that I could also photograph it for them.  I loved that they were so relaxed about the day, knowing that everything was in hand by their venue and suppliers.

Suzanne and Matthew’s wedding was so much fun and everything I love about weddings. Here’s their epic wedding!

If you’re planning a Manchester City Centre wedding, get in touch!

Suppliers

Venue: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/townhall/

Dress: http://www.thewhitecloset.co.uk

Flowers: http://www.didsburyflowerlounge.co.uk/

Video: http://jameswrayweddings.com/

Singer: https://www.russellshaun.co.uk/

Groom Prep/Second Shooting: http://www.amylouisephotography.co.uk/

Cake: http://www.theprettysugarcakecompany.co.uk/

And check out the amazing James Wray Weddings Video of the day!