Arley Hall wedding photography

Jo and James’ beautiful summer wedding at Arley Hall in Cheshire

What a brilliant day this was! I absolutely love Arley Hall weddings, it is one of my favourite venues, so to photograph a wedding there on one of the nicest days of the year with a couple as lovely and fun as Jo and James was such a pleasure.

A few weeks earlier I had met up with Jo and James for their engagement shoot in London and we had such a good time that I couldn’t wait for their wedding. I knew it would be brilliant and that’s exactly what it was.

I will always remember Jo and James’ wedding for their beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony. It was all so perfect, with the sun shining and the setting for outdoor ceremonies at Arley Hall, in their stunning gardens, was so nice. It is not often I am able to photograph weddings outdoors so when it happens, it is always extra special.

A huge thank you to you both again Jo and James for asking me to photograph your wedding. It has been so nice getting to know you both this year and I am so pleased that you had such a perfect day. I know that you are going to have a very long and happy marriage together x

Here is Jo with her wedding story 🙂

How did you first meet James?

We met when we both moved to London and started a graduate training programme as accountants for the same company. After about a year of knowing each other, we both had a few too many drinks on a night out and never looked back!

How did James propose?

James proposed at a chateau in the countryside near Orange in France – a perfect location overlooking the vineyards. This cemented our love of France which we worked in to our wedding day with french food (including crepes in the evening), wine and table names.

How did you find wedding planning? Do you have any tips for other brides?

I found it surprisingly calm, having given ourselves plenty of time (over 18 months) to spread out the planning. I think it would have been much more stressful if it hadn’t been for my Mum who did all the invites, programmes, table plan, table names etc. – she was a lifesaver! My tip would be to go with your instincts, we spent a lot of time making sure we’ve checked out all options but then going back to our initial choice.

Why did you choose Arley Hall as your wedding venue?

We visited Arley Hall first before viewing 9 other venues across Cheshire and Derbyshire and there was no comparison. We loved being able to have the ceremony outdoors in the beautiful gardens and having a separate barn for the evening reception. After visiting, we couldn’t imagine having our wedding anywhere else.

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?

It all passed so quickly in a blur – it was all fantastic and the sunny weather just put the icing on the cake. The speeches were brilliant with lots of laughter, and we enjoyed dancing the night away in the barn. We actually also enjoyed having our photographs taken much more than we expected, largely thanks to Neil and his relaxed but professional approach.

Who were your favourite wedding suppliers?

Neil was wonderful as a wedding photographer – when we looked through the photographs there were so many shots taken with us having no idea he was there. He captured some amazing moments and was a pleasure to have around. >> Thank you so much Jo!

Tally Bookbinder who did my bridal makeup was also fantastic, being very easy going and providing perfect natural looking makeup.