
A glorious summertime Church and Marquee Cheshire Wedding
A Cheshire wedding at home in Nether Alderley for R+S
Catering and Co-ordination: Pink Pepper Catering
Marquee: The Canvas Tent Co
I was born in Cheshire, I grew up in Cheshire and I live in Cheshire. But honestly it’s rare for me to photograph a Cheshire wedding these days! Over the course of my career this job has taken me to many corners of the globe – I’ve photographed tea ceremonies in Hong Kong ballrooms, wedding parties in New Orleans bars, sophisticated London weddings in famous hotels, and sub zero ceremonies in Finnish ice caves. But I would seriously, truly, please LOVE to do many more Cheshire weddings. Please!
Especially weddings like S+R’s summertime church and marquee wedding at home in Nether Alderley. It was a total joy of a day from start to finish, and I began by saying hello to everyone at the house, before heading off to meet R and his groomsmen and the two dads over at the local country pub. The atmosphere was already high and it really set the tone for what was going to be an absolutely wonderful day of people just having a great flippin’ time with each other. Just the way it should be!
After hot footing it back to get some photos of S getting ready, it was over to a church I’d worked at for a Cheshire wedding over a decade earlier! I don’t remember names of venues and churches all that well but it’s always nice to have that “oh I’ve been here before” feeling! And the ceremony was incredible – I remember from Claire and Mike’s Cheshire wedding way back that it was a joy, and this time because S+R had planned a singalong section of the ceremony (not just the usual hymns) it created some really amazing iconic moments for me to capture.
Afterwards we headed back to the house, and I was beyond excited to see my old friends from Cheshire wedding caterers Pink Pepper Catering, who it turns out were the ones who recommended me to R+S! I’ve known Neil, Sarah and the team from my first year as a photographer when I used to work a lot at the gorgeous Styal Lodge, I used to really look forward to seeing Neil’s friendly face and I was so happy to see him at this wedding I think it freaked him out a bit! Their food is amazing, and their hosting and co-ordination of the day is equally amazing too and that’s so important when you’re planning an at home wedding like this one. They’re also just some of the friendliest people in this industry.
After a moment-filled drinks reception on the lawn and some group photos, we headed into the marquee. This was from The Canvas Tent Co and it was a cosy place to spend the rest of the day as the Cheshire weather took a turn for the worse! R+S had long tables to seat their guests for dinner because they wanted that feeling of togetherness instead of little satellite tables. They wanted it to be a really sociable dinner and it truly was. R+S sat right in the middle of everyone too and I could tell they absolutely loved it.
Speeches and dancing followed and all the iconic moments. Honestly I couldn’t have loved this wedding any more, it was great to do a Cheshire wedding and be a Cheshire wedding photographer for once and I’m manifesting many more weddings over the coming months and years in my home county please world!
I hope you enjoy this selection of my faves from R+S’s Church and Marquee wedding in Cheshire












































































Questions about planning a church and marquee wedding in Cheshire
How will you capture us getting ready if we're not at a wedding venue with accomodation?
Just like at this wedding, we'd have a good chat about logistics of the pre-ceremony part of the day so I know where you're going to be and what your plans are. For this one the boys wanted to open some whiskey and make some toasts at the pub, so we made sure I was there for that while there wasn't as much to capture with the girls, then I went back to the girls before heading to the church! Anything is possible with a good bit of planning between us!
I'm worried there won't be anywhere in our garden to take the photos?
Leave that to me. Us photographers see the world differently and we can see photo opportunities where you might not. I could make great photos in a car park so I will definitely be fine, promise!
Any other tips for planning a marquee at home wedding?
Absolutely - either get an amazing wedding planner who's going to help you from the off (you shouldn't be stressed while planning your wedding and without a venue, there are many more fine details to plan. I recommend Kate Park Events. But if you do plan it all yourself, I'd still recommend making sure someone is there to co-ordinate on the day itself like the Pink Pepper Catering team did for this one. There are so many logistics, and you don't want to be worrying about anything or giving your families the stress of that on the day, pay someone to do it so you can enjoy yourselves instead!
What sort of marquee is best for wedding photos inside the marquee?
I'm glad you asked this! There are so many options for marquees, stretch tents, tipis and more that it's worth looking around. The marquee for this wedding was a traditional one from The Canvas Tent Co and it was amazing I'm sure you'll agree the photos turned out amazingly. The whole setup was gorgeous. I always recommend a marquee that lets as much light through/in as possible. I can use flash in darker tents and marquees but natural light is always a preference.
Any other tips for an at home wedding?
Entertainment is always important - especially music, they had an acoustic guitarist in the garden for this one. Toilets are an unsexy but vital investment and you can actually get some really nice 'weddingy' luxury toilets now instead of sticking with the basic kind. And then just make sure the food and drink is never-ending!
Do you have a favourite moment or photo from this wedding?

I can rarely pick a favourite but I did love this moment as we'd finished some group photos and I walked away, but I'm always paying attention so when S started dancing I got this cute shot through the garden. It's a tiny moment she might otherwise forget but felt so important to me to capture for them!
So how do we book you for our church and marquee wedding in Cheshire or anywhere else?
I would love this. Head over to my wedding photography pricing page, have a read, and drop me a line over there and I can't wait to speak to you soon!