04 — Your day, stage by stage
How your day unfolds.
01 — 12–18 months before
Enquiry & first chat
Tell me your date, venue and what matters most. We talk through the day, photography, film or both, and whether it feels like a good fit.
The photographs
- Nothing yet — just save photographs you love from the portfolio and send them with your enquiry.
Tip · Popular summer Saturdays go first. Enquire as soon as the venue is confirmed.
02 — 4–8 weeks before
Planning the timeline
We go through the running order together: timings, family group list, key people, and where the light will be at your venue at each point of the day.
The photographs
- Agree a short family group list (8–10 groupings keeps it to about 20 minutes).
- Name anyone who must not be missed — grandparents, godchildren, best friends.
Tip · Ask your venue what time sunset is on your date and where the ceremony room faces.
03 — Morning · 2–3 hours before the ceremony
Getting ready
I arrive while hair and make-up are finishing. Nobody is posed — I photograph the nerves, the laughs and the helpers as they happen.
The photographs
- Details: dress hanging, shoes, rings, flowers, letters.
- Your mum, bridesmaids or kids watching the final touches.
- Buttons, laces, veil — the last fastening.
- A first look with dad or a parent, if you'd like one.
Tip · Get ready in the brightest, least cluttered room, near a large window. Keep the dress out of plastic.
04 — 20–45 minutes
The ceremony
Photographed quietly, without flash, from discreet positions agreed with your registrar or minister.
The photographs
- The walk down the aisle and the first glance between you.
- Reactions in the front rows.
- Vows, rings, the first kiss.
- Signing the register and the walk back out.
Tip · Ask for an 'unplugged' ceremony so guests' phones don't block the aisle. Pause for a second at the first kiss.
05 — 60–90 minutes
Drinks reception & family groups
The most relaxed part of the day. Family groups are done briskly from your list, then I go back to documenting guests, children and conversations.
The photographs
- Confetti exit.
- Hugs, laughter and candid guest moments.
- Family groups, largest to smallest.
- Children doing what children do.
Tip · Give a confident usher the group list so people are ready when called.
06 — 15–25 minutes, plus optional 10 at golden hour
Just the two of you
A short walk away from guests. Prompts rather than poses — walk, talk, hold each other — so it feels like a breather, not a photoshoot.
The photographs
- Walking together through the grounds.
- Close, quiet portraits in open shade.
- A wide frame with the venue or landscape around you.
- Golden-hour light just before sunset, if timings allow.
Tip · Most couples say this was their favourite 20 minutes of the day. Protect it in your timeline.
07 — 2–2½ hours
Wedding breakfast & speeches
Room details before guests enter, then speeches photographed for the reactions as much as the speakers.
The photographs
- The room set and untouched.
- Your entrance.
- Laughter and tears during speeches.
- Cake cutting.
Tip · Speeches before the meal relax nervous speakers — and give better light.
08 — Evening · 1–2 hours of coverage
Evening & first dance
First dance, the dance floor filling up, and the last of the light outside.
The photographs
- First dance and the guests watching.
- A packed dance floor.
- Sparklers or a final exit, if planned.
Tip · Schedule the first dance soon after the evening guests arrive, so coverage can end on a high.
09 — Afterwards
After the wedding
Your photographs are carefully edited for natural skin tones and faithful colour, and delivered in an online gallery to share and download. Film is edited separately. Current delivery times are confirmed when you book.
The photographs
- A full documentary set of the day, from first fastening to last dance.
Tip · Back up your gallery downloads in two places.
Plan your timings
Your day, drafted in a minute.
Three answers give you a sensible first timeline, including when the light is best. It’s a starting point — we refine it together.
- 11:00
Photography begins — getting ready
Details, hair and make-up finishing, quiet moments with family.
- 12:45
Into the dress
Allow a calm half hour; it rarely takes less.
- 13:30
Ceremony
Usually 20–40 minutes. No flash, no fuss.
- 14:00
Confetti and drinks reception
Mostly unposed — guests, hugs and laughter.
- 14:20
Family group photos
About 20 minutes for a well-prepared list of 8–10 groups.
- 14:45
Portraits of the two of you
About 20 minutes together, away from the crowd.
- 16:00
Wedding breakfast
Entrances and the room; we pause while you eat.
- 17:30
Speeches
Reactions matter as much as the speakers.
- 19:30
First dance
Then a little of the evening party before we leave.
- 20:50
Golden-hour walk
Sunset is around 21:35. Ten minutes outside is plenty.
Sunset times are approximate for the region.
Reading the light
How the light is judged.
Four questions asked at every venue, on every walk, before every portrait.
- Direction
- Where the sun is relative to you. Soft side-light flatters; harsh overhead midday sun gets avoided by moving into open shade.
- Quality
- Bright overcast days are a gift — even, soft light with no squinting. Full sun means finding shade, trees or a building's shadow.
- Time of day
- The hour before sunset (golden hour) is warm and low. In winter it can arrive as early as 3pm, so we plan around it.
- Indoors
- Large windows and pale walls do the work. I check the ceremony and breakfast rooms ahead, and only use discreet flash in the evening.
Best spots, venue by venue
Each venue guide suggests where to go for your portraits, based on what the venue offers. We confirm the plan together on a walk-round or call.
- Crewe Hall
The long drive and the mansion frontage for a wide, grand portrait.
- Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa
The open lawns and parkland, with the château tower behind you.
- Nine Mill Street
A short walk through Nantwich's black-and-white streets.
- The Crown Hotel
Nantwich High Street and the timber-framed frontages around the hotel.
- Congleton Town Hall
The Victorian Gothic interior and staircase, then the town streets.
- Peckforton Castle
The castle courtyard for soft, enclosed light.
- Combermere Abbey
The lakeside parkland for wide landscape portraits.
- Colshaw Hall
The Japanese-style garden and lake for quiet, reflective portraits.
- Capesthorne Hall
Parkland and lakeside for wide, open frames.
- Arley Hall & Gardens
Old brick walls and the famous gardens for a slow portrait walk.
