- Nov 29, 2023

Nunsmere Hall Wedding Photography

Jon & Jay's beautiful, joyous day at stunning country house hotel nestled in the heart of Cheshire

A same sex couple stand under a canopy of trees looking upwards, holding champagne flutes.

Picture the scene: a sunny mid-August early afternoon in the Cheshire countryside, with beautiful blue skies and the smell of the woods in the air. Lake views stretch out ahead of you, and somewhere from inside a beautiful historic building you hear romantic music and excited chatter.

This was the gorgeous moment that I arrived to on a warm Wednesday lunchtime this summer for the wedding of wonderful Jon and Jay. Getting ready in adjacent grand suites surrounded by their 'bests', the nerves and anxious excitement were starting to build as suits jackets were shrugged on, boutonnieres attached and cufflinks put on.

A groom fastens his cufflink and smiles to his friends who are out of shot.

Nunsmere Hall wedding photographer

I always think there's something totally magic about the getting ready time on a wedding day, and this gorgeous start at Nunsmere Hall was no exception. As a wedding photographer, you get to be behind the scenes of everything, reassuring both parties and seeing the special little moments that other people don't get to see. It's really lovely!

As you'll see from the photos, Jon and Jay's wedding day had styyyle. With an earth-toned colour scheme, luxurious textures and fabrics and thoughtful floral accents which were pulled through both attire and ceremony decor, the whole affair exuded a relaxed and effortless elegance that was only enhanced by the beautiful surroundings of Nunsmere Hall. A fairly intimate group of loved ones meant that the day felt personal and comfortable, and little pockets of friends and family soaked up the August sunshine, drinks in hand, on Nunsmere's adjoining terrace.

Two grooms kiss as they exit their wedding ceremony.

After an emotional but light-hearted wedding ceremony, Jon, Jay and I snuck off through the woods and down to the lake for couples portraits and as you can see, they were a literal joy to photograph. Positively model-esque, the vast majority of what you see in their photos was candid, unposed and unscripted. They just knew what to do and let their very obvious adoration of each other shine through. Totally dreamy.

Two grooms hold hands and laugh in the gardens at Nunsmere Hall

As the day moved towards the party end, we moved through into Nunsmere's marquee for the wedding breakfast, speeches and a good ol' boogie! I left the gathering in the early evening with Jon, Jay and their guests having so much fun, and could just tell a proper good party was about to kick off!

If you're looking for a Nunsmere hall wedding photographer for your big day, drop me a message and let's have a chat!

Jon & Jay's Nunsmere Hall wedding: In their words

How did you meet?

We met officially at Jon’s mum’s birthday party and the rest was history! However, Jay did message Jon five years before that on Christmas Eve on Facebook Messenger and Jon blanked him until Boxing Day (Jon was clearly busy). Jon started working at Jay’s place of work after that so destiny was definitely working.

Tell us your engagement story.

When Jon graduated as a teacher, Jay took him to Edinburgh to celebrate. Little did he know that Jay has been planning for months to surprise him. Jay took Jon out to Dean Village (very quirky) and told Jon to climb down into the river to overlook the waterfall. Jon refused of course! Eventually after persuading, Jon was taking a picture of the waterfall, turned around and Jay was on one knee asking Jon to marry him.

What made you choose Nunsmere Hall as your wedding venue?

We originally visited Peckforton Castle and discovered that it had a sister venue, Nunsmere Hall. We visited Nunsmere and instantly fell in love with the surrounding lake and the grounds. It felt very much 'us' and was the first venue that we both agreed on.

What was your highlight of your wedding day?

Obviously marrying each other, but having our family and friends celebrate our love. Seeing each other for the first time and feeling those nerves was like nothing else. We have never felt anything like that before! The excitement in the morning and the night before were personal highlights but knowing that everyone was there to celebrate our love was phenomenal.

Any advice for other couples planning their wedding?

To go with your gut, try not to listen to everyone else’s opinions and dictate your guest list because it’s your wedding and should be only about you. Choose the food that you want to have at your wedding and try not to please everyone else, sounds selfish but it’s your special day! Plan something for after it, luckily we had our honeymoon in Italy and was the trip of a lifetime but wedding blues are a real thing so have something else to keep you going.

A group of wedding revellers lean into each other on the dancefloor at Nunsmere Hall

Kind words from Jon & Jay

"We honestly could not love our photos more than we do! You're such an amazing photographer and we cannot thank you enough. You were truly amazing and we are so lucky that you were our amazing photographer. You have captured all the emotion and happiness on our special day! Honestly speechless with them, they are beautiful. Thank you so so much!"

Two grooms rest their foreheads against each other in the woods at Nunsmere Hall

A bit of background about Nunsmere Hall

Nunsmere Hall dates back to 1900 when it was built as a private residence and venue for many an Edwardian soiree, and was owned by Sir Aubrey Brocklebank, Chairman of The Brocklebank Line, and his wife Lady Grace Brocklebank. Now a stunning hotel and wedding venue in the North West, it's surrounded on three sides by a 60-acre lake and woodland and is home to beautiful gardens (the photography opportunities are endless, as you can imagine!) which offer ample space for a romantic outdoor wedding ceremony if you're planning a summer wedding. As well as the historic building, Nunsmere Hall is also home to a large permanent marquee complete with a luxurious bar and dance floor, providing great wedding reception options for all couples and perfect for everything from dinner to first dance to dancing the night away with loved ones.

What is the parking situation at Nunsmere Hall?

Reached by a sweeping driveway through woodland, Nunsmere Hall has a spacious car park to the front and side of the main building. Several parking spaces are prepped for electric vehicles, so you can expect EV charging points to be added at some point in the future.

Is Nunsmere Hall accessible?

Nunsmere Hall's car park is gravel. They have a ramp up to the main doors, as well as ramps throughout the main grounds and between the main building and marquee.

As for bedrooms, with Nunsmere Hall being a listed building there are some limitations with regards to accessibility. There are a number of bedrooms that can be access via lift, as well as a handful of ground floor rooms.