Rowton Hall Wedding Photography – Jenny + Stephen

Rowton Hall Wedding Photography

On an epic day of sunshine and storms back in May, Jenny and Stephen got married at Rowton Hall in Chester. It’s the first time that I’ve photographed at Rowton Hall and it would be great to go back. It’s such a fantastic venue and all of the staff were great.

Here are Jenny and Stephen to tell you more about their Rowton Hall wedding

How did you both meet?
Thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web we met in Nov 2013 and went for our first date to the Christmas Markets in Manchester. Afterwards we had pizza in Croma & I told Stephen the story of my friend who had proposed to his girlfriend at this restaurant with the help of a choir…..little did we know that 2.5 years later you would be photographer at our wedding!!

What was the proposal like?
Rushed and not at all to plan, but a complete surprise and wonderful – we were on our first trip away since the birth little boy – up in Glasgow for the night to see Elton John.

How did you find wedding planning?
We were pretty impulsive and booked our wedding with only 4.5 months to go, with 7 bridesmaids and two families 230 miles apart it was pretty hectic – but our advice would be try and enjoy the process leading up to the big day – it’s likely to be the most well thought out, considered, planned event of your life, be decisive, compromise where needed and try and steal a quiet moment or two together amongst the madness of the day.

Why did you choose Rowton Hall your wedding venue?
Within 10 mins of our first trip to Rowton Hall we knew we’d found the right venue for us! The fact that we would have exclusive use of the hotel, the beautiful setting, it is a family run business and nothing was too much to ask. They were flexible and open to ideas, made suggestions and genuinely seemed as excited about our big day as we were.

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?

Jenny: Getting ready in the morning with my best friends & parents was lovely, being pampered and having my hair & make up done was great and as soon as I had my dress on I couldn’t wait to get to the church and see Stephen…walking down the aisle with my Dad and seeing Stephen smiling and waiting for me is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Stephen: After our first dance, Jen joined the band and sang ‘Feel My Love’ which was a complete surprise – so my second dance of the evening was with my Mum to my wife singing…it’s fair to say there were a few tears shed at that point.

What song did you have for your first dance and why did you choose it?
Absolute Beginners by David Bowie was our first dance and a pretty obscure choice, some people didn’t know it and many hadn’t heard it for a very long time. He’s an artist we both liked, but it was the lyrics of the song which really resonated with Jenny – and seemed perfect for the occasion, take a listen and you won’t be disappointed!

Who were your favourite wedding suppliers?
Apart from our fab photographer, Nicole from Pearl Bridal Boutique in Sale was amazing and incredibly patient as often I had my little boy in tow during appts – she even altered the bridesmaids dresses so they were a perfect fit, even though they were from Debenhams.
Amy Leigh make up did a fantastic job – 7 bridesmaids, mother of the bride & the bride all in one morning…never flustered, just incredibly professional and stunning results.
Emma Jones from Tyler James also was a star, we had many trials beforehand to perfect the vintage effect – which we know she practiced many times on her daughter, along with the bridesmaids style. Her dedication and pursuit of perfection was clear to see, and even through the never ending queue of bridesmaids & then Jenny she just kept smiling 😀
The staff at Slaters Menswear in Manchester were excellent, the range of suits was impressive and their guidance on styles etc was much appreciated.
Finally our Best Buy was our wedding cake from Marks & Spencer – a beautifully decorated 4 tier cake – sponge, fruit, chocolate, lemon – meant there was something for everyone, it tasted lovely, served 150 people and was an absolute bargain at £350 – well done M&S!!

Here are some of my favourite shots from Jenny and Stephen’s Rowton Hall Wedding Photography: