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Merrydale Manor - Liz & Gareth | North Wales Wedding Photographer

Nathan Roberts
Aug 15, 2024
3 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

Back in August, I had the chance to photograph Liz & Gareth’s wedding – and what a day it was. Set at the always impressive Merrydale Manor in the heart of Cheshire, the whole day had a proper buzz from start to finish. A bit of classic British wedding weather – rain for the ceremony, sunshine by the afternoon – gave us a bit of everything, but overall it turned out to be spot on for photography.

The setup at Merrydale is hard to beat – countryside views, a private manor, loads of space to move, and that feeling that the whole place is yours for the day. Even with the wet start, it never felt like anything could put a dampener on the day.

Morning Prep – Bridal Pod & The Cave

The morning kicked off with Liz and the girls at the Bridal Pod – loads of laughs, a bit of calm before the storm, and some great moments during hair and makeup. Bit of emotion too, especially around the dress reveal later on. After getting ready, we made the short trip over to the main Manor House, where the final touches came together – buttoning up with Mum, hugs with the bridesmaids, and some quality moments with Dad.

Meanwhile, Gareth and the lads were down in The Cave – getting ready with a bit of gift swapping going on. Bad weather hampered the lads group shots, so we left it until later in the day, once the rain had stopped..

Off to Church – St Oswald’s, Lower Peover

The ceremony took place at St Oswald’s Church in Lower Peover – a proper old English church with plenty of character. Rain was coming down steadily by this point, but that didn’t stop anything. Liz arrived in style, and after a few quick portraits in the Rolls with her dad, she made her way to the church doors.

Inside, the ceremony was full of those beautiful wedding moments – emotion, vows, rings, a kiss, and a couple of laughs in between.

Back to Merrydale

By the time we were back at Merrydale Manor, the rain had simmered and the whole place looked fresh.

Guests were mingling, enjoying the booze and canapes, and the group shots were split across Merrydale and the church – a good mix of relaxed and a bit of organisation.

The venue setup looked unreal – and it’s worth mentioning the room decor and florals from Flowers at the Dutch Barn absolutely nailed it.

Wedding Breakfast & Speeches

Into the evening space, the wedding breakfast was kicked off by speeches – some really personal ones from family, with a mix of laughs, stories, and a few touching words.

Golden Hour, Glow Sticks & Robbie Williams

We managed to sneak out for an evening shoot after speeches – light was perfect by then. Some relaxed portraits, just the two of them, away from the madness. We got a few standout portraits with the Bride & Groom at the Ceremony Hall, plus a quiet moment with Liz by the big window inside the Manor – definitely one of those shots that’ll last.

The evening kicked off with the cake cut, then into a big first dance reveal with glow sticks – I was on the other side of the curtain to catch the reactions of the guests, and the atmosphere when it opened to the special guest - Robbie Williams’ (well, an extremely accurate tribute act).

A Brilliant Day All Round

This one had everything – an iconic venue, great crowd, classic wedding weather, and two people who were clearly just loving the day. Big thanks to Liz & Gareth for letting me be part of it and capture all the chaos, laughs, and moments in between.