Since moving to the North-West of England in 2022 I’ve been craving a seaside booking and then voila Alice and James get in touch asking if I can come along and photograph their Southport Town Hall Wedding. The plan was to head for some portraits around Southport before meeting their families and a few close friends at Southport Town Hall for their ceremony.
We were all SO happy that the weather was beautiful on their wedding day. It was one of those crisp, sunny winter days with beautiful low golden sunshine peeking out from behind the buildings. I headed there early to have a little wander around and find some cute spots for their portraits and Southport did not disappoint with SO many locations I could have chosen. There are gorgeous buildings, doorways, a park, and of course the seafront (spoiler alert – we didn’t make it here!). I then met them in a cafe where they were having a cheeky pre-wedding drink and we headed outside.
I think clients often have a preconception that doing portraits in a public place like this is going to be uncomfortable but it’s never as bad as you think. Alice and James though said they weren’t worried about that at all! We headed to each different place I had planned and then I just gave them a simple prompt or game to play. My aim with a portrait session like this is for my clients to look and feel as relaxed as possible – no stiff, super formal poses like your parent’s wedding photographs. We are looking for fun, laughter and overall capturing a sense of who you are as a couple and how you both enjoy being together.
The place I had on my list was a sweet shop that had a lovely pink exterior and all the sweets in jars. I loved that Alice and James went along with this idea and even bought lollies inside!
We then headed back to Southport Townhall where their families and close friends were waiting. We did some group photos before the ceremony whilst we still had some light. I believe we were in the Council Chamber which holds up to 64 people. It’s an unusual ceremony room as the fixed seating faces inwards (think a small Houses of Parliament!) but that meant that I got a brilliant view of them throughout and the staff were happy for me to wander around and get different angles too.
All in all, it was a wonderful day and I am so glad Alice and James asked me to be their photographer.
If you’re planning a small/micro wedding, I have a special blog post with lots of tips and tricks here. If you’d like a peak at another North West elopement, check out this St George’s Hall Liverpool Wedding
