Matt + Catherine | Allerton Manor Golf Club

I met Matt & Catherine just a couple of days before their wedding day, this was an emergency covid cover for a good friend of mine. Normally I like to have a bit of time to get to know couples before the day but after a short phone call, it was clear we were all going to get along just fine with this lovely pair being great on the phone. I headed over from the Peak District to one of my favourite cities, Liverpool, to meet Catherine and the bridesmaids for bridal prep at Matt & Catherine’s home.

It was a lovely chilled out morning full of Christmas still only being a few days after the big guy in red had been visiting houses with his reindeer and presents. The Christmas tree and some cracking lights made for some great foreground bokeh in some of the prep images. It was a great chance to get to meet and chat with everyone as well, including Catherine’s mum and brother as well as helping Catherine’s brother with his tie; all those years of having to wear one to school finally paying dividends these days at weddings! No bridal prep session is complete without the emergency delivery of a Maccy D’s from one of the bridesmaid’s partners as well.

It was just a short drive across to their church, St Charles Borromeo, where a beautiful wedding ceremony was held with plenty of readings, some gorgeous singing from the partner of Catherine’s brother (honestly, it was nothing short of AMAZING!), plenty of Christmas decorations and a nativity. What a lovely Christmas themed wedding! After a few group shots inside the church and a confetti walk outside the church, it was time to head off for some couple’s portraits with the newlyweds.

As a suggested location from Matt & Catherine, we visited Allerton Towers since it was close to Allerton Manor Golf Club and had the potential for some beautiful photos! Oh boy did it deliver, with a remaining structure of the orangery we had plenty to play with, draped in Ivy and surrounded by trees as the structure has been given to nature. It made my favourite type of light against some of the dark and dramatic features of the orangery and the surrounding greenery and brickwork of the building.

After a short time with the couple’s portraits, we headed to Allerton Manor Golf Club for the wedding reception, travelling back there in style in the Daimler wedding car they had hired. Matt & Catherine were welcomed into Allerton Manor Golf Club by their guests with some pre-dinner drinks before heading straight into the lovely meal everyone was about to enjoy (and me, since both had been kind enough to feed me as well). It was delicious!

After the meal, the speeches began and every single one was both unique and lovely. Plenty of laughter and a few tears later the speeches were finished and it would soon be time for the evening celebrations to begin! Matt & Catherine had a beautiful wedding cake surrounded by flowers which I asked them to cut in the middle of the dancefloor in front of all their guests so we could include everyone in the photo as well as see their excited faces to be cutting their first cake as Mr & Mrs Gotts.

I stayed with everyone through the first dance and then for the dancing that then ensued, I’ve said it so many times before but this is one of my favourite parts of the day seeing everyone having fun and busting some moves on the dancefloor. I loved my time photographing their Allerton Manor Golf Club wedding in Liverpool and even more so when Matt requested the DJ give me a special thank you. If not a little embarrassed (I have this tendency to shrug off compliments) but really touched and grateful that they wanted to make such a lovely gesture. I took my leave and headed back home to The Peak District to backup and get the images safe.

Anyway enough from me, have a watch of their photo highlights video below or you can always scroll through the images underneath. Enjoy.

Suppliers…

If you were a supplier and need to use any of the images please get in touch with me for the high-res versions.