Lancashire Documentary Wedding Photographer – Liz and Gareth

Liz and Gareth’s wedding at Stirk House is undoubtedly one of mine and my favourite weddings of all time. As Lancashire Documentary Wedding Photographer I love an emotion driven wedding and this day overflowed with love and laughter and many happy tears. This is one emotional story, therefore I hope you have your tissues ready.

Before we take a look at their wedding day, you should know that this Liz and Gareth’s story could easily be from one of my favourite movies, Love Actually. They even met in an airport when Liz was working in Boots alongside teaching dance and Gareth was a police officer at the airport. Despite Liz being a dance teacher, it was Gareth that won Liz over with his moves, in one of their hilarious dance-offs on a camping trip.

Their Love Story

Gareth’s proposal was like all great love stories, full of ups and downs, but a fantastic ending. So I laughed out loud when Liz told me the story of their proposal. As people who like to live life to the fullest, Gareth had planned to propose via zip wire. When the weather got in the way, Gareth tried many suggestions of places to go on an unsuspecting Liz, to no avail. With a drizzly walk in the woods, Gareth took his moment. As Gareth got down on one knee, Liz suddenly realised that Gareth has been trying all day. The words “no, don’t do it” were probably not what he was expecting. Luckily Liz made it clear this wasn’t quite what she meant. Most importantly there was a lot of laughter, some happy tears and of course a happy ending.

 Because family is everything to Liz and Gareth. Sadly Liz’s amazing mum was diagnosed with lung disease and Alzheimers not long before they got engaged. As a result Liz and Gareth brought their wedding plans forward to make sure she could be there to celebrate with them.

Wedding Ceremony at Stirk House, Lancashire

I’d got to know Liz and Gareth pretty well in the lead up to their wedding. We had a great time on their pre wedding shoot (you can check that our here).  Consequently by the big day, it felt like I had known them for years. When I arrived at Stirk House Liz was incredibly calm getting ready.

It didn’t last long. As her dad walked her down the aisle, Liz caught sight of Gareth shedding a tear at his beautiful bride. And who could blame him? Liz looked amazing in her simple yet elegant gown. They certainly weren’t the only happy tears shed that day.

The ceremony was genuinely moving, and now all that was left was to celebrate and celebrate they did. With ivy curling around the walls of the majestic 17th century manor house and its 22 acres of landscaped gardens, woodland and nature trails, it’s not hard to see why Stirk House is very popular wedding venue in Lancashire. Liz and Gareth certainly chose well as guests enjoyed everything this venue has to offer, from amazing views to fantastic food.

 Relaxed and Fun Wedding Day

One of my favourite parts of wedding photography is capturing real emotions through my relaxed documentary style. (click here to see more about My Style ). This was exactly what Liz and Gareth wanted when looking for a Lancashire Documentary wedding photographer. Someone who would let them enjoy their day and not pose them for endless portraits. Liz and Gareth loved being able to party the night away, knowing they were in safe hands.

Liz told me she was worried there might be some moments when the dance floor would empty, and she would be a lonely bride trying to get people up to dance. She needn’t have worried though as everyone was up for a dance. Even her wonderful mum managed a dance. Certainly capturing such precious memories for my couples and their families is everything to me. Therefore I was over the moon when Liz and Gareth told me just how many favourite moments We had captured for them. Their story was epic, and I may have shed a few tears of my own. Huge thanks goes to my very talented second shooter Jawad whom with I photograph most of my weddings

I love taking the time to get to know my couples, and I can honestly say I am so looking forward to a get together with Liz and Gareth soon. If you are planning a wedding at Stirk House or think we would be a great fit for your wedding day, please get in touch HERE. I’d love to get to know you too.