My wedding photography style is a mix of informal documentary coverage and relaxed and fun portraits, and The Royal Exchange Theatre is a perfect venue for this. Right in the city centre just off St Ann’s Square, The Royal Exchange Theatre is a quirky venue with lots of fun features to bring excitement to your special day.
Royal Exchange Theatre Wedding
When you think of wedding venues, most people don’t think of the theatre. Most people aren’t Naomi and Neil though. Naomi and Neil thought the Royal Exchange Theatre was the perfect venue for a wedding with Chinese Lions, and I was the natural choice for their wedding photography. I’ll get into why it was the perfect venue for them in a bit but first, a little more about this unique venue.
A Theatre in the Heart of Manchester
This place is amazing, honestly, if you’ve never been it’s worth a visit just to look around. The building is beautiful inside. From its vaulted ceiling with domed windows letting in plenty of natural light, to its trading board, marble columns and elevated walkways. There is a cafe inside with tasty food and good drinks too. Lastly, there is the theatre module which is a circular stage. There is something truly unique about getting married where your guests can surround you as you tread the boards to marriage (was that too much of a dad joke?).
The exchange boards suggest the history of the building. At one time it was the stock exchange in Manchester necessitated by our cotton trade in the area. It used to be a much larger space but was reduced by the German’s during WW2.
From 1976 the Royal Exchange became a theatre and in more recent years, a wedding venue.
The theatre module has several entrances and access to the different levels. This gave me plenty of options for citing a few cameras to film the lion dance performance.
Naomi and Neil
I’ve known Naomi for years now and worked with her on many occasions. I first met her when I was teaching at Sunshine Studios in Manchester, she dropped into one of my lion dance classes and fell in love with Terrance the lion. That or my teaching was just too amazing to pass. She even came to some of my kung fu classes.
We stayed in touch over the years with me doing some photography jobs for her and her amazing productions, and Naomi would model for me from time to time. She’s been in two of my major projects.
So when Naomi and Neil decided to get married, Naomi told me I was the obvious choice and what’s more, she wanted lions at her wedding! I don’t have my own team anymore so we brought in my sifu’s lion dance team from Northern Dragons.
Naomi is a writer and dramaturg, and Neil is an author, so the obvious place for them to have their wedding was the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. It was a fun place to shoot made more challenging by the theatre lighting. Actually, that added to my enjoyment and when I was done shooting, I put the cameras down. It was time to enjoy being with friends.
The wedding day started off bright and clear. I parked in one of the many multi-stories nearby and carried all my gear in. Shots of The Royal Exchange Theatre from St Ann’s Square would have been good. Unfortunately, there was building work being done.
Royal Exchange Theatre Wedding Ceremony
The stage lighting was perfect for the ceremony. Naomi and Neil walked in at the same time but each took an opposite side of the stage and then came together. The entrance of the theatre module I mentioned earlier made this easy. I have fond memories of photographing Naomi’s plays and the setup at the Royal Exchange was very similar.
Royal Exchange Chinese Lion Dance
After the ceremony was the Chinese lion dance performance to bless their wedding. I used to have my own team and Naomi had helped me out a few times. She even had the role as the lion’s head. For the Royal Exchange Theatre wedding I brought in my sifu’s team. The dance went well and they wowed the guests. It was fun to photograph a performance instead of being in one for a change.
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After the ceremony and dance, I took Naomi and Neil around the Royal Exchange Theatre for their portraits. Then there was some time to check out the Exchange suite before we all headed into the Rivals for food. The Rivals is a great restaurant within the Royal Exchange.
For other Manchester city centre weddings, you can read about Jay and Amanda’s city centre wedding at Manchester Hall and Laura and Steve’s wedding at the Manchester Marriott Hotel.
Getting married in town? Get in touch!
Check out my packages, portfolio and contact me.
To see more of my weddings at venues in this area, head over to my Manchester wedding photography page.
Castlefield Rooms Wedding Photography
Photos and Video at Norton Grange
Pre-Wedding Photos at Grains Bar
