Shai & James' autumnal couples shoot at Heaton Park

This weekend is a little throwback to my favourite time of year when the leaves have fallen and the ground is scattered with the perfect shade of orange. I met Shai and James down by the boating lake in beautiful Heaton Park in Manchester. Full of beautiful spots spanning over 600 acres in the grounds of an 18th century country house there was plenty of amazing photo spots. 

We walked around chatting about all my favourite things- weddings and animals! We even befriended some of the squirrels that occupy the park. 

There was plenty of laughs, cuddles and pictures to show off how perfect these two are for each other! 

Heaton park made the perfect setting for photos. With a stunning backdrop of autumnal colours and animals it is an idyllic haven from the busy centre of Manchester.

Sarah & Dave's rainy pre wedding shoot at Southport Botanic Gardens

One of the things I get asked most is "What do we do if it rain's on our day?" The short answer is we grab an umbrella and carry on. Don't be afraid of a little (or a lot) rain and never underestimate how beautiful the rain can and will look on your pictures. 

I kicked off what is turning out to be a very wet April here in Lancashire meeting with Sarah and Dave on one of the wettest days of the year, for what was undoubtedly the soggiest shoot I have ever done. But lucky for us that also meant the Botanic gardens in Southport were empty for us to get some lovely pictures in the spot Sarah's parents had their own wedding photographs. 

We sheltered from the rain with Charlie the puppy before digging out the umbrellas and heading out and walking round the botanical gardens talking about their wedding and getting some snaps. These guys were awesome full of love and laughter and I cannot wait for their wedding!

Styled bridal shoot

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to collaborate on a beautiful styled bridal shoot in Leeds. Working alongside the wonderfully talented Emma Louise Bartlam whose make up studio is based in Leeds city centre we created 3 bridal looks. 

In true Yorkshire style the temperamental weather restricted us from having the opportunity to head outside as originally planned but that didn't stop us from being able to create some bridal portraits within the studio.

If you're looking for a makeup artist for your wedding or even just fancy a pamper I cannot recommend Emma enough so drop her a message or pop into her studio.  

Here's a little bit of what we got up to...

Hannah & Matt's Gauntlet Birds of Prey engagement shoot

A couple of weeks ago I headed to Knutsford to spend a very rare day of sun with Hannah & Matt at Gauntlet birds of prey centre for their pre wedding shoot. With their wedding just a few weeks away this was a great chance to hear a little bit more about their big day and their plans. 

From the moment Hannah emailed me to tell me about her surprise engagement shoot handling birds for fiancé Matt I was super excited. I absolutely adore animals and LOVE owls so combining this with a couples shoot was my idea of heaven!

After walking around to have a little look at all the beautiful birds and meerkats that are kept at the centre we were greeted by Shelley one of the handlers at the centre. Throughout the shoot Matt and Hannah handled 5 different types of bird including Slick Sid the harris hawk, a vulture and a beautiful owl while learning a little bit about each of the birds.