Kat & José - A Culture-rich DIY Manchester City Centre Wedding at HOME - Manchester Wedding Photography
Manchester is, perhaps, one of the most vibrant best-kept secrets in the world. From it’s rich history as ground zero for the industrial revolution and suffragette movement (shout out to my girl Pankhurst!) to the foot stomping beats of the Haçienda, the Gallagher brothers and the Stone Roses - more recently the artists Stanley Chow & Akse & Sarah Yates & Mateus Bailon whose work adorn the brick walls and alleys of our gritty, grey perfectly imperfect city. It’s a city of street food and fine dining, immigrants and students, 1000 accents and it’s own slang and secret histories. Where you can go to the opening of a new gin distillery and end up singing kareoke on a Monday night (and yes, I know this from experience). I have been so warmly embraced by this incredible city and and am so so proud to call it my home. As a Manchester wedding photographer, I feel like I get to read a love story to my city over and over, capturing couples decked out to the nines, glowing from the triumph of their forever vows and getting catcalled by the merry Mancunians they walk past.
Shooting Kat & Jose’s September Manchester City centre wedding felt like the next colourful chapter in the love-letter archive: a joyous and joyful celebration by two people completely enamoured by our extraordinary city, who have made it their home and wanted to stay wrapped up in it for the beginning of their next adventure. José & Kat met at university in Birmingham 12 years ago but eventually made their home in Ancoats before Ancoats was the polished, glittery epicurean centre of Manchester that it is today. Composer José is originally from the Dominican Republic, like myself an immigrant who has felt so welcomed into our adopted city and loves it wholeheartedly. He and his WONDERFUL fiancée Kat - an actress whose infectious smile surely could power the whole of the North West - knew from the earliest stages of planning that they wanted a knees-up Manchester wedding. And what better place to start than the ICONIC St. Ann’s church in St. Ann’s square.
There is something to be said for forward planning…whilst the majority of my couples seem to plan/get married within a year of getting engaged, I do still get the few that are super clear on what their wedding will look like and get organised with plenty of time to spare. Kat & José first got in touch in September 2017, a whopping 2 years before the main event! They wanted to keep things simple but also show off their city to José’s family visitng from the DR, joining together the two families. The crux of the wedding day centred on an emotional, tradition-heavy CoE ceremony at St. Ann’s. Following the ceremony (and an EPIC confetti tunnel exit), the wedding party made their way through our sunsoaked city to the (very fitting) cultural hub of HOME on First Street, with a quick detour for some photo fun. The evening stretched ahead with incredibly touching, tearful speeches, amazing food and some truly exhuberant dance-offs.
I LOVE shooting Manchester weddings and working as a Manchester wedding photographer. I LOVE my city so much and feel so lucky to remind it of that in my ‘love letters’ each weekend. A HUGE thank you to the Lunney/Puello clan for welcoming me into their beautiful day and allowing me to have a play and capture what I hope are priceless memories for them. Here’s a bit of what we got up to…
Manchester Wedding Vendors
Ceremony Venue - St. Ann’s https://www.stannsmanchester.com/
Reception Venue - HOME https://homemcr.org/
Florals - Frog https://frogflowers.co.uk/
Hair & Makeup - Rebecca Anderton https://www.rebeccaanderton.co.uk/
Dress - Katya Shehurina "Summer" dress from Case of the Curious Bride http://www.thecaseofthecuriousbride.com/
Suit - Ted Baker https://www.tedbaker.com/
Venue Dressing & Coordination - Stef at Alt Weddings Manchester https://alternativeweddingsmcr.com/
Band - Gypsyland Jazz https://www.bandsforhire.net/jazz-swing-bands/item/297-gypsyland-jazz
