Of all the years and gorgeous weddings I have filmed at Thornton Manor in the Wirral I was excited to have my very first wedding at the Lakeside Marquee, and what a wedding it was…
Laura and Alex’s wedding. Honestly, I could gush about it for hours! But sadly I have to go pick my daughter up from nursery soon so I will try to keep it short(ish) and sweet!
They kept things simple by having everyone get ready on the grounds of Thornton Manor. They have so many cute cottages on site it’s easy to enjoy getting ready nearby without the worry of bumping in to your Groom.
The girls got ready at one of the manor cottages by the main road which was perfect for them all to get ready without feeling under each others feet.
I loved how Laura’s dress was eagerly awaiting her upstairs and the room had such gorgeous light in to get ready.
The guys got ready over in the gardeners cottages before their wedding photographer (the awesome award winning Ioan at Celynnen Photography who kindly recommended me) whisked them out for some cool groomsman shots around the grounds.
Laura was soon looking fabulous thanks to her hair and make-up team (Vicky and Anna at The Bridal Hair and Makeup of Cheshire) and it was then time to get herself in to her wedding dress with the help of her bridesmaids.
She was super organised at this point and allowed enough time to ensure the dress looked and fitted perfectly.
It was then time for Dad to see her, and the bit that gets us all (me included) needing tissues!
Everyone was soon getting seated in the Lakeside Marquee to await the bride. The combination of the heat and nerves meant a lot of fanning needed up front!
Laura was ready and enjoying the breeze outside the cottage before the car picked her up to take her to the ceremony. There was just enough time for a selfie with her Dad before getting herself ready to walk down the aisle.
Being the camera at the back I get the pleasure (and pressure) of catching that ‘first look’ and it was enough to make most of the crowd get a little teary. Alex was clearly very smitten and grinned the whole time (with a slightly watery eye I’m certain of it).
They kept the ceremony short and sweet with simple vows and exchanging rings before walking back up the aisle as husband and wife.
It was straight in to a fun confetti walk before Ioan swiftly got through the family photo side of things.
Guests were then left to enjoy the canapes in the glorious sunshine.
A little before it was time to head in for the wedding breakfast Ioan’s assistant and I helped Laura and her dress make her way in to the woods for some photos with her Groom.
Ioan and Alex eventually joined us (easily distracted) and they got to enjoy a little time together away from their guests whilst we captured some relaxed newlywed footage of them.
They were soon welcomed to loud cheers as they made their way to the top table in the marquee. Dinner was served by Barrett’s Catering who to this day are still one of my favourites!
I couldn’t get over how amazing the room looked with it’s beautiful personalised wedding stationary and detailing too. It was down to the talents of The Complete Invitation Company!
Towards the end of the meal one of the poor waiters tripped and threw cutlery all over the floor. A few of the guests were quick to race to his side and help him!
But, they need not of bothered as he jumped up and burst in to ‘Let Me Entertain You’ by Robbie Williams. Turns out he was one of those Singing Waiters
Laura and Alex were the only ones in on it so it was brilliant watching all their guests reactions go from ‘oh no’ and embarrassment to ‘oh my god this is brilliant’!
No-one was left seated by the end of their act and a few guests even had the confidence to grab the mic and sing along!
It was then time to follow that with the speeches. No easy feat but they did amazingly well. I LOVED everyone’s because they kept it personal and shared stories of them growing up.
The full on shocked belly laugh was the reaction to Dad’s comment about ‘she’s a popular girl Laura…’!
Guests then enjoyed the sunshine on the lakeside decking before the evening kicked off with the first dance. Laura and Alex were ‘revealed’ as the curtain came up and guests soon joined them on the dance floor as they swayed to their favourite band ‘King of Leon’ (the songs not the actual band!).
It did’t quite end there as Laura then had a dance to ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ with her Dad which was fun to watch.
Then the guests got to enjoy the DJ as we said our goodbyes and made our way home…
Wedding Ceremony and Reception – Thornton Manor Lakeside Marquee, Wirral
Wedding Photographer – Ioan at Celynnen Photography
Wedding Hair and Make-up – Vicky and Anna at Bridal Hair & Makeup of Cheshire
Wedding Catering – Barretts Event Caterers
Wedding Stationery – The Complete Invitation Company
DJ – Matt Tolley
Wedding Flowers – Nancy Moon
Surprise Singing Waiters – Silver Service Singers
