Hannah and Steven’s black and white wedding was hosted at the beautiful Ashfield House in Wigan. Built in 1755, this country house wedding venue provides the ideal setting for a couple looking for a warm and informal wedding. Ashfield House is a family-run venue, dedicated to giving couples complete freedom when planning their day. With a layout designed specifically for weddings, as well as in-house catering and 15 guest bedrooms, the chic Ashfield house is the perfect blank canvas and a fantastic wedding venue.
This cool couple took every opportunity in their wedding planning to fill the entire wedding day with quirky details and their own brand of creative style to make it a memorable occasion, not just for their closest friends and family, but also for me as their wedding photographer.
Bridal Prep in The Sitting Room
The bridal party started the wedding day in The Sitting Room, a bright space filled with natural light, full-length mirrors and lounge spaces, meaning the bride and her party (bridesmaids and mum) enjoyed a fun, relaxed morning. Once the Bridal Party was ready, the ladies ripped Hannah’s top to avoid any possible damage to hair or makeup. She went and put on her wedding dress in the bridal suite. Hannah had an enormous overskirt that she could remove later to be more comfortable and I captured some special moments as her bridesmaids helped with the final touches.
Groom’s Prep
Steven came slightly later, arriving in style in a surprise Rolls Royce! He was joined by his dad and groomsmen, all dressed very smartly in black and white suits. Steven and his dad had the extra personal touch of tartan bowties. All the groomsmen received a bobblehead statue of themselves, another of many surprises through the day.
Personal Touches
I met Hannah a few years ago at a wedding fair where she was exhibiting her wedding cake business. Being in the industry, she has experience with all types of weddings, so she knew how to make her special day one to remember with lots of personal touches. For example, in addition to the bobble heads and tartan bow ties, the couple had a big beardy flower man instead of the traditional cute flower girl, who covered the aisle with petals before Hannah made her entrance down the grand staircase.
Ceremony
The ceremony room was decorated beautifully with black and white florals, set perfectly to frame some lovely shots of the couple at the altar. Holding up to 120 guests, Ashfield House’s ceremony room is the ideal space to be creative with setup and decorations. The room has a vaulted ceiling, along with a skylight and a stunning crystal chandelier. With the in-house decorations to the minimum, the team at Ashfield provide couples with a space that completely matches their vision – go simple, or go crazy! Hannah and Steven wanted to prioritise time with family and loved ones so opted for a short and sweet wedding ceremony, meaning that the rest of the day could be enjoyed even more. The newlyweds made their way back up the aisle together, accompanied by a confetti throw from guests.
Wedding breakfast and activities
Now the wedding ceremony was finished, the couple and their guests headed to the breakfast room; a bright, beautiful light space which overlooks the gardens and terrace, and another perfect space for couples to work with. Steven was set on ensuring all the speeches were done before the breakfast started, so all guests and party members could fully relax and enjoy the meal.
The couple had loads of exciting surprises for their guests throughout the day, one of which being their dog (Ralph), arriving after the ceremony dressed in an outfit to match the wedding colours! As a gift to their guests, Hannah and Steven hired Rebecca, a live sketcher, who drew every guest and couple in her unique style.
The guests were also able to enjoy an ice cream cart, but had to stay alert for the peg game all through the day. This was a competition between guests (and unknowingly me too!), where players had to clip as many pegs as they could onto other players, without them knowing. Each of Hannah and Steven’s unique and beautiful details for their wedding day, made it an exciting, unforgettable day for both them and their wedding guests.
Space for Couples Portraits
With rain falling for the majority of the day, myself and the couple took the 10 minute pocket of sunshine and used it to capture some unposed couples portrait photos. I like to work in a documentary style for my wedding photography, ensuring that the couple can enjoy precious, genuine moments together, without having to stop and start for posing and setting adjustments. This creates candid moments which couples will cherish more than any stiffly posed shots. That’s the key to amazing wedding photography in my opinion.
Evening reception at Ashfield House
As the day drew to a close, the couple and their guests started the party, opening with Hannah and Steven’s first dance to an acoustic version of ‘No Matter What’ by Papa Roach. The couple chose their favourite drinks to be served throughout the night, as well as ‘speech bingo’ for all the guests, which got very competitive. With plenty of space, guests made use of the dance floor and later, Hannah and Steven decided to organise a t-shirt toss on the dancefloor. Many of their guests were throwing moves wearing a t-shirt that said “I went to Hanna and Steven’s wedding and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”
If you’re after a country house venue you can really put your own stamp on, Ashfield House is well worth a look. My guide to Ashfield House wedding photography covers the rooms, the gardens, the food and what to expect on the day, and if you’d like to check my availability, get in touch! 🙂
