Sarah & Dave's seaside wedding at The Clifton Hotel Southport

Thowback to those summer months with beautiful golden sunsets and warm afternoons. After getting ready at her mums house Sarah and Dave were married at ST Cuthbert's Church in ChurchTown. It was such a beautiful church and the perfect setting for this wedding and a welcome shade from the beaming sunlight on one of the hottest days of last year. It was an emotional service followed by a hefty showering of confetti outside of the church grounds. 

After the service we headed down the road to Southport Botanical gardens for some couples portraits, which were extra special as this is where Sarah's parents had their own wedding portraits. Luckily we were greeted with beautiful sunshine unlike their very rainy pre wedding shoot a couple of months prior. 

After the all important portraits we headed to the Royal Clifton Hotel in Southport which was the perfect setting for some seaside portraits.Following the all important speeches we headed out front for some lovely golden hour portraits down by the pier.

After kicking off the party with a first dance to Arctic Monkeys Sarah and Dave had such an amazing dance floor full of the best music! I absolutely LOVED this wedding and I'm so happy to be sharing it!

Best of 2017

2017 was such an amazing year for me. I met the most amazing couples sharing their big days documenting the tears, the laughter and the incredible parties that followed! I am so grateful to each and every couple that chose me to document their day. 

I've been lucky enough to work at some amazing new venues, tick some off my bucket list and return to some favourites from previous years. I've travelled up and down the country working with the BEST couples. I have second shot for some incredible photographers and undergone training from some of the best. 

The year kicked off at The Victoria hotel in Oldham and ended at beautiful Mitton Hall. In between I travelled to Kinross, Scotland, Swansea, Fawley Hill and Bristol and so many other incredible places.

I can't wait to see what 2018 holds, I'm nearly fully booked with just a couple of dates remaining and now taking bookings for 2019. I'll be travelling across Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Wales and further afield. If you're still looking for your photographer drop me a message to see what I can do for you. 

Happy New Year!

Olivia 

Michaela & Ken's Chester Zoo pre wedding shoot

Last month on a very sunny Saturday I headed to Chester Zoo (yay!) to meet up with Michaela, Ken and daughters Annabelle & Taliah to chat all about their wedding plans, stroll around the zoo and sneak in a few pictures ahead of their wedding day. 

I am so excited for this one and know its going to be an absolutely amazing wedding full of fun, love and incredible animals. 

Here's a little look at what we got up to when we met. 

Lauren & Ian's vintage village hall wedding in Chipping Lancashire

Lauren and Ian's wedding was definitely one of my favourites from last year. Full of love, family and beautiful hand made touches this is what rustic village hall weddings are all about! 

Prior to the big day I met Lauren, Ian along with their closest family and friends to document them dressing the room together. So much care and attention went into every single part of the day making it so personal and extra special. Lauren's mum and grandma created beautiful floral arrangements for the tables in an array of jars and vases collected in the year leading up to the wedding. The best man and groom were set to hang bunting that Lauren had handmade throughout the hall. Handmade handkerchiefs and napkins were tied and organised ready for ceremony and wedding breakfast and family photos of marriages previous were stacked on a ladder Lauren had found and up-cycled. Alongside their wedding cake Lauren and Ian opted for a table full of cakes ranging from gluten free lemon cake to chocolate cake (My idea of heaven!) 

Set in stunning rural Chipping in Lancashire the day started off in Plum Cottage with Lauren, bridesmaid Helen, daughter Emily and friends for bridal preparations. There was plenty of laughter as I photographed the bridal party getting ready along with all the special details including Lauren's vintage inspired Vivian of Holloway wedding dress and Irregular Choice heels (swoon!) 

We headed over to Parish church of St Bartholomews for an intimate service before Lauren and Ian were showered with dried petals. Following some family photos and a walk around the village with Lauren and Ian we made the very quick walk across the road to Chipping Village Hall for an evening of pimms, afternoon tea and plenty of dancing. 

If you're wanting a rustic vintage feel for your wedding this is definitely the way to do it! 

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!

Kirsty & Steve's Coalpit Heath pre wedding shoot

With Kirsty and Steve's wedding just around the corner I headed down to Bristol for their pre wedding shoot. We walked around the grounds of their venue and talked all things wedding. Their plans sound INCREDIBLE and its safe to say this is a wedding I cannot wait for. 

Making an early start from up in the North West heading to beautiful Coalpit Heath. We took a short walk across to the church they will be married in before heading back across the road to the beautiful gardens of The Manor Hall. With the flowers newly planted I can't wait to return next month for their big day. 

These two were absolutely amazing and laughed and smiled their way through the whole shoot, take a look at 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.