An elegant, stylish Chester hotel

I’ve been lucky enough to stay over at The Queen Hotel, Chester twice so when Gem and Chris asked me to photograph their wedding there I couldn’t wait. It is regal stately building in the heart of Chester with amazing vaulted ceilings and spectacular staircases. In the past, regular guests included the socialite, Lillie Langtree and famous author, Charles Dickens. There is so much history in the hotel with 2,000 year old Roman columns, statues and suits of armour and samurai karuta armour lining the Kings’ Walkway.

It was amazing to see Gem’s brother and sister-in-law, Kev and Sian, again whose wedding I shot back in 2016. Fun fact: Kev spent hours tattooing me since then 🙂

Morning Wedding Preparations

On the morning of Gem and Chris’ wedding, I first met up with Gem and her bridesmaids who were relaxing and sipping champagne in one of the amazing, luxury suites at The Queen Hotel. It was a rainy November day but the natural light pouring in through the large sash windows was beautiful. Apart from the incandescent light it was fairly dark in the room (which I prefer) which meant setting my camera to a high ISO. Gem was having her make-up applied right next to the window which is always a must for a photographer as it means beautiful, natural daylight. A dream to photograph.

Next I headed to meet up with Chris and his groomsmen who were getting ready in a different part of the hotel before they headed down to the amazing, atmospheric bar area to greet the wedding guests and sink a couple of beers before the start of the wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Ceremony at The Queens Hotel

The ceremony room at The Queens Hotel was decorated with stunning blossom trees that lined the aisle. As Gem made her way through the hotel to marry Chris, she was a picture of nervousness but the nerves seemed to disappear as soon as she walked down the aisle. After Gem and Chris had tied the knot, it was time to sip cocktails and celebrate.

The Drinks Reception

As it was very rainy just as the ceremony had finished, standing in the beautiful Baltic Exchange Gardens was a no-go but thankfully, the hotel has so many charming bars and lounges that it was no problem at all. We headed to one of the lounges where the bride and groom sipped cocktails while they chatted and laughed with their wedding guests. The lounge had quite low light which meant that I had to balance my flash with the available light from the lamps around the room so as not to obliterate the ambience. 

Speeches and Evening reception

The reception room was wonderfully dark with no windows. It was almost entirely lit by candle light which I absolutely loved. It looked amazing at seriously atmospheric. I used flashes placed around the room during the speeches to make sure that I could capture every laugh, tear and embarrassing moment.

After some relaxed photos of the bride and groom it was time to dance the night away to Gem and Chris’ band. Even better, Gem’s dad, who used to play guitar with the band jumped on to perform a few songs for them. It was such an incredible day. Thank you so much for asking me to be your Queen Hotel Chester Wedding Photographer. Here are a few of my favourite images from Gem and Chris’ big day:

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