Eaves Hall Wedding Photographer — Michael Townsend Photography
Hello, let’s start with a bit about me. I’m a North West wedding photographer and photograph weddings at venues all around the North West. I’m based in Manchester but cover Cheshire, Lancashire, North Wales, Yorkshire, The Lake District and beyond. I do have a particular love for the Forest of Bowland, though; it’s such a beautiful area.
Eaves Hall was one of the first venues I photographed a wedding at, so my style has evolved a bit since this one.
I changed my hosting a while back and must have missed transferring this Eaves Hall Wedding.
Eaves Hall Wedding Photography
Situated in the Ribble Valley in the Forest of Bowland, Eaves Hall is a fantastic wedding venue. It is a beautiful country house with elegant gardens. These make the perfect backdrop to your special day, giving you so many photographic opportunities.
Eaves Hall takes excellent care of you as the bride and groom and, of course, is very welcoming to your family and wedding guests.
I visited in the summer, and the weather that morning was glorious. I love summer weddings!
Mary-Ann and Michael
I had been booked by Paul Walker Photography to photograph the wedding of Mary-Ann and Michael. They wanted me for the whole day, from Bridal prep to the first dance.
Mary-Ann is from South Africa, and Michael was a local. As always, I’d had a phone consultation with the couple, so we all knew what was expected on the day. I find it essential that I go into detail with them before the wedding so that on the day, everything runs smoothly.
Mary-Ann wanted a few staged photos, which you can see below. These aren’t something I usually do, but I am always happy to help.
Bridal Prep
The Bridal suite at Eaves Hall is truly stunning. Lots of natural light and plenty of space to get ready. There is a definite feel of luxury, which makes taking great photos so easy.
Groom Prep
Michael was getting ready in another room nearby. Not as grand as the bridal suite, but still a nice room. It was just him and his best man, so I spent some time with them as they got ready. They had some help from Michael’s mum.
Once the guys were ready, we headed downstairs for some photos, and they even visited the snooker room for a quick game.
Soon, Michael and the best man had to go to the ceremony room, where Michael greeted his friends with evident pleasure.
With Michael in place, I headed back upstairs to get a few more shots of his bride-to-be. We took a few more photographs including on the staircase, which is a great spot for photo highlights.
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Eaves Hall Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony was lovely. The ceremony room didn’t allow for much movement, but like the other rooms in the hotel, it was stylishly decorated. I am used to sometimes being stuck in a corner and am able to ensure superb shots are captured.
Mary-Ann was escorted down the aisle by her brother, who looked so proud of his sister. There were a couple of tears shed, tears of joy and happiness.
The readings were a mix of love, comedy and poignancy. Mary-Ann is very bubbly, and her natural good humour rose to the surface a few times.
Confetti Shot
After the wedding ceremony, we all headed outside Eaves Hall for confetti and group shots. These went surprisingly smoothly, and we soon had all that we needed.
While they were there, I went upstairs to the balcony for a photograph of the newly married couple from above, which they had requested.
Couple Portraits at Eaves Hall
I was going to take the bride and groom around the stunning gardens, but before that, the bride wanted a few more shots with her bridesmaids and flower girl.
After the final group shots were done, I took the bride and groom around the grounds and approached the portraits in my usual way. I am not a big fan of staged portraits, so mostly, I had Mary-Ann and Michael explore the beautiful gardens together. I love capturing the personal moments of a newly married couple taking some time together surrounded by nature. The looks, smiles and kisses are captured, and the photographs are natural.
Of course, Mary-Ann and Michael had a lot of fun doing these photos, as you can tell. Neither of them was camera shy.
Wedding Reception
At this point, it was time to head inside Eaves Hall for the Wedding Breakfast. The staff had done an excellent job turning the room around and decorating it ready for the meal and speeches. The Bride and groom had a quick look at the room, and then their guests were invited in. The couple even managed a few shots before returning to the wedding breakfast.
The Wedding Breakfast
The speeches were after the meal, so at this point, I took a break, and Eaves Hall provided me with a delicious meal. It’s great when wedding venues look after the suppliers and makes the wedding day much easier for all.
I kept an eye on things in the main room, and when it was time, I went back in to photograph the speeches. These were heartfelt and lovely.
After the speeches, there was a surprise performance by some singing waiters. They performed well and had everyone singing and dancing in no time.
The guests had a fantastic time and soon moved the party out to the bar, and things moved quickly towards the first dance.
The First Dance
Eaves Hall has a separate area that they can set up for the dance and general partying afterwards, which is what they had done today.
I had set up my lighting earlier, ready for the first dance. I find there is usually a quieter time before the evening guests arrive, which is perfect for this.
Around 8 pm, the bride and groom were called up for the cutting of the cake, and then they went straight into the first dance. Roughly halfway through, they invited their friends onto the floor, and everyone got dancing.
The bride and groom wanted some portraits outside Eaves Hall. So after they had danced for a while, I took them back out and got the photographs they wanted.
After that, I was pretty much done, so I bade them farewell and headed home. It was a lovely wedding.
Why I love taking wedding photographs at Eaves Hall
I have only worked as an Eaves Hall wedding photographer once, but I do think it is one of the best wedding venues in the area. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite wedding venues.
What makes Eaves Hall wedding photography so good is that there is everything a photographer could want. It is a wedding venue that is well set up with beautiful rooms and extensive gardens.
This, combined with the way they look after you, makes it a pleasure to work at.
Please get in contact to enquire about your Eaves Hall wedding photography.
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Take a look at some of my other Ribble Valley or Lancashire blogs:
Gisburn Park Wedding Photography
