Phil + Sarah | Meols Hall

Phil + Sarah; what a lovely pair of people, from the moment we had our video call right through to today, I have to say it’s been a pleasure to be able to document the special connection and adoration for each other that these pair have! I could tell how much Phil loved Sarah when he got in touch with me not too long after the video call to ask if he could book in a pre-wedding photoshoot and keep it a surprise, including helping plan a place to stay to make it a lovely weekend away for them both. It was so kind to meet them at the pre-wedding shoot to also find that they have brought me a gift, the way to my heart as most will know is through food and beer, so I was super happy to be getting some wedding favours before the big day :-)

I’d never photographed at Meols Hall either so it was exciting to book in a new venue for me and I wasn’t disappointed with this gorgeous venue offering so much space for a wedding and loads of potential for great wedding photos. Before I got to Meols Hall though it was time for bridal prep at The Vincent Hotel where Sarah and her bridal party were busy getting ready, it was lovely to be in Southport, which has a great little seaside town vibe to it. Everyone was having a nice time at prep and keeping things really chilled for Sarah so I used this time to capture the girls having fun, chatting and laughing together before heading over to meet Phil at Meols Hall.

Meols Hall was an instant “ooh hello, this is a gorgeous little venue” kind of place when I pootled up the driveway to get parked up and go to meet Phil for a few groomsmen photos ahead of the main event. Meols Hall is full of lovely open grassy areas, a gorgeous formal lawn and garden at the back of the house as well as plenty of little hidden gems and an impressive cobbled yard. It wasn’t long after capturing some photos of Phil and the chaps, Meols Hall itself and some of the stunning details they had planned for the ceremony before Sarah was arriving. Pulling up in a beautiful classic car to a great reaction from Dad seeing her in her elegant wedding dress, a proud moment for them both, that’s for sure.

I loved how the aisle was lined with candles and stunning tall flower arrangements in the old red brick barn with stone floor to boot, I love ceremony rooms like this, even if they do offer tricky lighting for photography. Their ceremony was lovely, and they even had a little ring bearer to help them make sure they had rings to pop on each other’s hands.

After the ceremony, the lovely wedding staff at Meols Hall organised everyone into a little confetti tunnel out of the barn into the courtyard while Sarah and Phil had a few minutes to spend in each other’s company in the rear courtyard. I used this time to capture them just being themselves and I love these photos of them clearly still on a high after becoming the latest newlyweds. After an exciting confetti tunnel, we headed straight into some photos with the car and the whole wedding party before then going on to get the formal family photos that Phil and Sarah had decided to have. We used a short 15 minutes to nip around the grounds as well for some couples portraits before getting Phil and Sarah back to their guests, including Sarah throwing the bouquet and hilariously it was caught by one of the young girls at the wedding, much to the disappointment of the young lad who was then chased around the courtyard with a bouquet. Needless to say, it got quite the chuckle!

The evening was great, with plenty of dancing in the barn and even an appearance for Phil on the barbecue, something they were really keen on getting a photo of since Phil is (much like myself) a very keen BBQ’er! Anyway enough from me, have a watch of their photo highlights video below or you can always scroll through the images underneath. Enjoy.