Manchester City Centre Wedding Photography, by wedding photographer Karen Julia
Welcome to my blog!
I'm a full time professional wedding photographer based on the edge of Manchester City Centre. Whilst I mainly cover Manchester, Liverpool, the North West and Lake District I love travelling to other areas of the UK. I work in Liverpool City Centre with such regularity that I have a loyalty card for Q Park! I established my business in 2005, and since then I've covered over 200 weddings from Scottish castles, Priories in Kent, country house venues throughout the land from the Borders to deepest Hampshire and lots of gorgeous boutique & modern hotels in various Cities inbetween. I absolutely love weddings, and I work with my clients to provide a personalised, bespoke service so you'll get pictures that you love.
Grab a coffee and enjoy looking round my blog. I post pretty much all of my recent weddings on here, and have recently added engagement shoots. You're welcome to get involved with my Facebook page where I regularly post sneak previews & the occasional special offer. :-)
I really didn’t have far to travel for Carla & Darren’s Hard Day’s Night Hotel Wedding Photography as I’d shot Hayley & David’s wedding at the Hard Day’s Night Hotel the day before. After a huge breakfast (I’d highly recommend you visit Blakes restaurant if you’re staying at the hotel) and plenty of strong black coffee, I met Carla and the girls in their room at 10am. The ceremony was 1pm, so this gave me loads of time to get some creative shots of details like flowers, shoes and dresses whilst catching those natural candid shots inbetween shooting details. It’s all these little details that couple spend so long choosing. I love experimenting with different aspects of the venue for different pictures. The pink gemstone ring was shot on the decking on the balcony attached to the bedroom, and the flowers were shot on the mini faux hedgerow that separates the balconies.
A portrait of the couple from later in the day that was taken on the main stairway at the Hard Day’s Night Hotel:
One of the detail shots of the gorgeous pink flowers taken in the morning:
This ring was a gift from Darren to Carla on the day of the wedding. How gorgeous is this??!!
After the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed to Harry’s bar for drinks and to catch up with guests. After a half hour or so, we done two large group shots opposit reception. These were each family, so there a couple of dozen people in each picture. After this we headed up to the John Lennon suite with Carla, Darren & the bridal party. We had time for loads of combinations before heading back downstairs for the wedding breakfast.
After the wedding breakfast, there was plenty of time to get guest pictures. I encourage guests to get pictures of themselves and any family they’re with. They can then get copies of these pictures from the couple.
Some feedback from Carla: ‘OMG! Love them!!’
Thanks guys, you were both great to work with!
Hard Day’s Night Hotel Wedding Photography – Slideshow video:
Saint Francis Xavier Liverpool Wedding Pictures (+Hard Day’s Night Hotel)
I had really been looking forward to Hayley & Davids Saint Francis Xavier Liverpool wedding pictures as it was my first time shooting at the amazing church in Liverpool so their wedding really couldn’t come quick enough! You can visit the website here.
Hayley had asked for some pictures of her and David in front of the red doors at SFX, and this is one of my favourites:
But I’m skipping ahead a bit… so back to the start: I met Hayley at home first. I arrived at 11am, and she had completely forgotten I was shooting preparation pics so was omewhat surprised to see me! I joined all the girls in the kitchen where the hair and make-up action was happening and was made the most amazing strong black coffee. I’d had an espresso before I left home, but that had been a good 90 minutes or so ago, so another was definitely due!
I got loads of candid shots of preparations and the girls, and then it was time to head to SFX for pictures of the groom and the guys. The weather was dry but it was blowing a gale so those shots were somewhat windswept, we got them done fairly quick before heading in to the warmth of the Church.
Hayley soon arrived with her Dad – in plenty of time for a few quick shots next to the wedding car – and I then found a corner to unobtrusively hide in to shoot the ceremony.
After a few group pictures & some portraits of the couple, we all made our way to the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, the location of the wedding reception. When the couple arrived, they relaxed with guests and enjoyed a selection of canapes and drinks, and once they’d had a chance to catch up with their guests we headed to the John Lennon suite for some pictures of the bridal party.
I left the couple partying the night away and headed up to one of the hotel rooms. I had a wedding at the hotel the following day so was staying over. The Hard Day’s Night is a gorgeous boutique hotel, so after shooting so many gorgeous weddings there, it was lovely to finally stay there. I sent the couple the link on their return from honeymoon and this is the reply:
”Karen we love them!!!!!!!!! Thank you sooooo much!!! They are great the way they are….we will just take out USB pleaseof corse you can put them in Facebook!!!
Thank you again so much
Hayley and Dave xxxx”
Another happy couple!
Saint Francis Xavier Liverpool Wedding Pictures – Slideshow video:
Jill & Matt’s Sandhole Oak Barn Wedding Photography on a gorgeous summer day in August.
Well, what an amazing day today! I arrived at Sandhole Oak Barn at around 9:15am… I was due to meet bride Jill at 9:30am, but wanted to get a few quick venue shots first. I was glad I got there early as it meant I had time to get these gorgeous blue sky shots below! I then went to find Jill who was getting ready with bridesmaids. I got some shots of the details and the dresses and it wasn’t long before groom Matt arrived and I got someSandhole Oak Barn Wedding Photography of him and the guys… we were missing an usher at this stage though, who was awol, and the Dad’s hadn’t arrived yet, but I just had to take advantage of that blue sky so I done the ones I could.
Jill & Matt had booked awesome toastmaster Steve McTigue who I can’t recommend highly enough. I can honestly say in 7 years of shooting weddings, he’s the best toastmaster I’ve worked with & he was friendly, fun, amazingly helpful and helped the day run to plan. He also stays until the first dance, which is rare for a toastmaster, and it worked really well! Visit his website here.
As guests arrived I got lots of nice natural shots, and before long it was time for the ceremony. I love Sandhole Oak Barn inside. The neutral decor and exposed beams complement any colour theme, but it looked really gorgeous with the sage colour Jill and Matt had chosen.
After the ceremony, Jill and Matt relaxed with drinks and canapes and mingled with their guests. I shot documentary coverage during this time so that I could get the natural reaction of everyone relaxing and enjoying themselves in the sun.
At 1pm, it was time for group shots, so with assistance from toastmaster Steve, and my assistant for the day Mike, we got through the various group combinations in about 45 min. The couple then went to grab a quick drink before we started their wedding portraits. We done a fairly short portrait set, the plan being to do a few more portraits after the meal when the light was different.
Te rest of the day was great and the weather stayed lovely until after the group shots. I stayed until after the first dance and made sure I had plenty of pictures of the party getting in to full swing before I left!
Manchester Town Hall Wedding Photography – Nichola & Robert’s sunny August wedding, with the reception at Manchester Radisson Edwardian (Free Trade Hall).
I met the guys at the Town Hall for a few posed shots before guests arrived – it’s ideal to do this earlier if possible, that way groom & ushers are in the right place to greet / direct guests. After getting a selection of shots, I got lots of candid documentary coverage of guests arriving at what is one of Manchester’s most impressive wedding venues. Nichola soon arrived – and in plenty of time for a few shots of different combinations with bridesmaids and her Dad. Nichola’s make-up was stunning! She’d booked Jodie A Smith to do her make-up, so it was absolutely flawless!
Here’s a few of my favourite pictures from Manchester Town Hall:
After the ceremony, the guests and myself walked over to the reception venue which was Radisson Edwardian. (Manchester Free Trade Hall). The weather was glorious, and it was a nice stroll in the sunshine. There were iced drinks and canapes for the guests arrival, and I got loads of documentary style coverage in the main atrium area where all the guests were mingling.
Manchester Radisson Edwardian is great for wedding photography, especially the Free Trade Hall entrance with it’s pillars and grand facade. The plan was to do a few wedding pictures at Manchester Town Hall, then have a break for drinks, and then do another short set at the Radisson, this way the couple wouldn’t be away from guests for too long, and they would have both of the fabulous wedding venues in their wedding album.
Some feedback from Nichola & Robert: ‘Thank you so much, they look amazing’.
Nichola & Robert were great to work with, I felt privalefged to spend their special day with them & wish them both health & happiness for the future!
Manchester Town Hall Wedding Photography – Slideshow Video:
Wonderful town hall wedding! I really like grand and intricate structures, and the Manchester town hall caters to my taste. I’m a photographer in SF and I really like the San Francisco City Hall for the same reason. I also like the somewhat faded tone in these photographs. Great photography and editing skills!
Hard Day’s Night Hotel Wedding Photography – Kathryn+Paul
Hard Day’s Night Hotel Wedding Photography – Kathryn+Paul’s awesome August wedding in Liverpool.
On Saturday 25th August, Kathryn and Paul got married at one of Liverpool’s lushest and most unique wedding venues; the Hard Day’s Night Hotel. Kathryn and Paul had booked the John Lennon Suite on the fourth floor to use for pictures of their wedding party, and here’s a picture below of Kathryn looking stunning in her seriously gorgeous Ian Stuart designer wedding dress.
I met Kathryn in the morning to get those all important details… then it was downstairs to meet the guys. I tend to use either Matthew Street or the pillars at the front of the hotel (or both!) as a backdrop for the guys pictures depending what the couple prefer. Bar Four is popular too due to the Beatles paintings and walnut panelling but it can be very busy on a Saturday. The ceremony was a lovely intimate affair in ‘The Two of Us’ suite, and afterwards guests enjoyed drinks and canapes in Harry’s bar.
Kathryn and Paul had decided to have a toast master on the day, and a surprise touch of this was that the toast master had written a poem and presented this to the couple with a picture of them both that had been taken that day. Another lovely touch was the star light dance floor, which was a present from best man Si. These lit up dance floors look amazing, and first dance shots look ace with them! The only slight problem was that no one knew how to change the lights on the dance floor to remain on, so they were flashing on & off. So, if you are having one of these dance floors, it’s worth asking them to show one of the venue staff how to get the lights to remain constant for the first dance. It’s just that bit more dramatic in the photos with the whole thing lit up!
Some feedback from Kathryn & Paul:
‘Karen, we just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your hard work, your expertise on the day, and our wedding photos we received are amazing! And the chocolates are a lovey touch..yum! Thank you again for everything you have done for us, Kathryn & Paul McNally xx’
A huge thank you to you both for booking me. It was a pleasure to spend your wedding day with you both!
Hard Day’s Night Hotel Wedding Photography – Slideshow Video:
Manchester Town Hall Chinese Wedding Photography – David+Diana
Manchester Town Hall Chinese Wedding Photography – David+Diana’s fabulous wedding in one of Manchester’s best ceremony locations, with their reception at Glamorous restaurant.
I hadn’t shot a Chine wedding in a couple of years, and previous ones had been where one of the couple were Chinese, so it wasn’t as full on, so I was super excited about David and Diana’s day.
I met Diana at home at 8am where she was having hair and make-up done. After getting some documentary coverage, it was time for games and then the tea ceremonies. The couple lived round the corner from each other, so the back and forwards between tea ceremonies was fairly quick, which for such an action packed day was a bonus!
After the tea ceremonies, I headed in to town to be at Manchester Town Hall for Diana’s arrival. I can’t tell you how much I loved this venue! David and Diana wanted lots of family group combinations afterwards, and there wasn’t a lot of time but I got through the post ceremony group list in under 20 minutes, so that left plenty of time for the couple portraits.
This is one of my favourite shots of the couple which was taken at the town hall:
The couple received 850 high resolution pictures on a high speed USB drive. I went round all of the tables in Glamorous and got pictures of all guests, plus there were more group shots at the restaurant itself as there were more guests there than had been at the ceremony at Manchester Town Hall. After the meal there was the firecrackers, with everyone moving outside to see that and the first dance – where Diana featured another gorgeous dress.
Here’s a selection of my favourite pictures from throughout the day:
Bridge Hotel Wedding Photography – Sam & Mike’s Wedding
Bridge Hotel Wedding Photography – Sam & Mike’s hot and sunny August Wedding in Prestbury.
I’ve shot weddings at the Church in Prestbury a few times, so was excited to have the opportunity to shoot Sam & Mike’s wedding at The Bridge Hotel, just down the road. I’d seen the gorgeous perfectly manicured gardens when I’d been in Prestbury previously, and I thought that they would provide an amazing backdrop for an outdoor drinks reception on a summers day in August.
It was a total heatwave of a day, but the garden had areas with shelter, and one of my favourite pictures from the day is this one of the happy couple under the shade of the trees:
Sam was getting ready at the hotel, so I met her there in the morning. She’s chosen the most gorgeous Irregular Choice shoes, they matched perfectly with dress and flowers. See the picture gallery below for the amazing shoes! After the ceremony, the couple and their guests relaxed in the gardens behind the hotel with pimms cocktails. It was perfect summer weather for basking in the sun with an iced cocktail in hand!
You’ll see there’s rather a lots of speech pictures. The best mans speech was hilarious, and I was laughing so much myself it was quite tricky to keep taking pictures. He literally had the room in stitches but the faces on the top table were a picture!
I could imaging Bridge Hotel Wedding Photography being great at any time of year, and one of the benefits of this venue is that there’s plenty of room inside if it’s raining. Sam & Mike didn’t need this on their wedding day, but it’s certainly handy to have as an option.
Some feedback from Sam ‘We absolutely love the pictures’. Thanks so much for booking me guys! You were both lovely to work with and it was a pleasure to share your wedding day with you.
Bridge Hotel Wedding Photography – Slideshow Video:
In my wedding portfolio below you'll find a selection of weddings I've shot over the last couple of years. All of the posts are of real couples at real weddings or pictures from my couples engagement shoots. Enjoy looking through them! :-)
.jpg "Hard-Days-Night-Hotel002")
.jpg "Hard-Days-Night-Hotel003")
These are great! Love how you’ve made full use of all the different aspects of what looks like an amazing venue!