Peckforton Castle Wedding Photographer

In the heart of Cheshire is the enchanting Peckforton Castle. Steeped in romance, history and breathtaking beauty, it was the venue for gorgeous Nikki & Phil’s dream castle wedding.

Joined by their nearest and dearest, the couple’s day was filled with fun, love, laughter, tears of happiness and tonnes of WILD celebrations which carried on to the very small hours!

I’ve been fortunate enough to know Nikki for almost 10 years from corporate events and photographing for her businesses. She is one of the loveliest, kindest, most thoughtful people I know who puts 100% effort into everything she does and boy oh boy is her fun, zingy energy infectious. So when she got in touch about me being her Peckforton Castle wedding photographer I was absolutely thrilled.

Nikki and her delightful beau Phil planned their day perfectly and every part was delivered to perfection by all the incredible suppliers who worked so hard to ensure that they had the most wonderful day – see their details below this post.

As you can see from the photos there was so much going on throughout the day. The magic in the morning of everyone excitedly getting ready, champagne flowing, the guests arriving and filling the impressive ceremony room decked out with the most exquisite floral arrangements, that moment when our gorgeous bride Nikki walked up the aisle, and the excitement in Phil’s face when he first saw her.

Then the gospel choir that sang beautiful, harmonious tunes, the bubbles and confetti that filled the air as the newlyweds walked down the aisle together, when the sunshine burst through the clouds for us during the reception. It was the most beautiful setup for the wedding breakfast with heartfelt and hilarious speakers, a strong representation on the mic from the ladies including our bride, the mother of the bride as well an especially hysterical delivery from Paula…one particular home truth about the Groom that had absolutely everyone crying with laughter.

Commotion and chaos ensued from the surprise singing waiters who had people standing on their chairs singing, dancing and waving their napkins, the amazing tunes played to a packed dance floor with saxophonist extraordinaire Tom da Lips upping the gear to another level and who can forget the gorgeous Bride emerging onto the dance floor rocking carnival fairy wings embedded with fairly lights… it was all so wonderful and wild!

Dearest Nikki and Phil, it really was the greatest honour to photograph your incredible wedding day. You two are such lovely humans and deserve all the love and happiness in the world and I can’t wait to photograph more of your smiles and laughter, hopefully across the pond, Stateside!

A big thank you to my wonderful wedding photography colleague Peter Hughes who came and second shot this wedding with me. It was an absolute ball working alongside Peter who was the perfect wedding wingman!

Now over to the happy couple for them to share a bit more about their story and their wonderful wedding day…

How did you two meet?

We met almost a year to the day before our wedding. It was a swipe that connected us, but from the moment we had a conversation we realised we had a very natural way with one another. The conversation flowed effortlessly and I nearly missed my yoga class.

Who proposed to whom and where? Was it a surprise?

Phil took me to San Fransisco in February and we had an incredible meal at the Waterbar Restaurant that has close up views of the Bay Bridge. We had a stroll along the front afterwards and he popped the question with a stunning solitaire diamond ring.

Tell us about your dress:

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to wear my dress for the whole wedding so I needed something elegant for the day and for it to be suitably sparkly and party- like for the night party. I tried on a number of Julie Vino dresses at Knutsford Bridal and loved so many of them. But the Layla just stole it for me. We made a few tweaks and added a simple cape rather then a veil which just gave me the coverage I needed for the wedding ceremony. We had holidayed in Barbados earlier in the year and watched an incredible dance show. The Abakan Performers had these magnificent LED fairy wings and I knew I needed a pair for dancing in. We went back stage and obtained all the details and it was a fantastic surprise to all our guests when I hit the dance floor illuminated. I’ve never been called “extra” before but I guess Adam Wing, Videographer nailed that description. Hey doesn’t every girl need a pair of wings?

Tell us about the finishing touches to your wedding day:

Well a wedding all starts with a theme and we were inspired by Ian Lloyd and his floral creations. We loved the simplicity of white and how its modernity sat beautifully with the ancestral backdrop of Peckforton Castle. We wanted an elegant day with a big musical theme. We had one of our first dates at Albert Schloss in Manchester and absolutely loved the AMC Gospel Choir. We were delighted to have them sing at the wedding service and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place when they dedicated Amazing Grace to my beautiful daughter. They then brought the house down when they sang all the classics in the evening. We added gorgeous little extras like happy tears tissues, bespoke candles that were burning in the hall and library and were then given to the guests as favours, plus fun selfie booths with tonnes of props and a sweetie cart. Who doesn’t love a cola bottle! The stationery set the tone from the minute it landed on people’s door step and that was carried through with personalised menu cards, the table plan and thank you cards.

Describe your dream wedding day from start to finish and what you planned, how it went and all the little details:

We wanted people to go home and say it was the best day ever. We wanted to include all our friends and family and make them all feel a part of our day. We asked some very special people to say a few words and I have to say every speech was just incredible, both moving and hilarious and left the whole room either crying or laughing. We both love music so wanted this to play a big part in our day. From the surprise dedication of Amazing Grace to our daughter and the grand entrance of the Waiters That Sing, we moved seamlessly into a full-on party with Six 15 artists on the decks and the super talented Tom da Lips on Sax. I don’t think the dance floor was ever empty. It turned out to be all we could ever have wished for and loved how everyone mingled together, laughter together, danced together and cried together.

What was the favourite part of your wedding day?

It’s so hard to pinpoint just one thing. The intimacy of saying our vows in front of all the people we love in such a stunning venue was truly special. However we loved the surprise of the Waiters That Sing and everyone standing on their chairs for my entrance with my LED fairy wings to party on the dance floor. There were just too many wow moments really!

The highlight for Phil was the Cornish pasties served at 1am. You can take the man out of Cornwall but never his desire for his home food.

What made you pick the venue you did for your wedding?

What’s not to love about Peckforton- it’s such a wow venue! We had lots of international guests and we loved that we chose such a classic British venue steeped in history and beauty.

Any advice you would give to other couples planning their dream wedding day?

Don’t stress…..focus on the vision of your day and ask yourself if everything you are booking or designing fits with the chosen theme. Have a few surprises up your sleeve for your guests and spend the money on entertainment. It sets the tone of the day and it’s what everyone talks about. Ask the people who’ve watched your life to speak…..their words mean the most. Finally, take time out with your partner just to reflect on what’s going on as the day passes in a blink.

Tell us about your experience with Juliet from Juliet Lemon Photography on your wedding day:

I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to photograph our day. I’ve known Juliet for over 9 years and followed her amazing work. She is not only one of the best in her field, she is the most positive, talented and organised people I know and she made everyone feel so at ease. I never really knew she was taking pictures which is always a great sign of a brilliant photographer. We love all our photos so much and can’t stop looking at them.

A MASSIVE shout out to the incredible Peckforton Castle wedding suppliers who worked so hard and with such care, love and incredible attention to detail to deliver absolute perfection for Nikki and Phil’s big day, it really was such a delight working with you all:

Wedding Venue: Peckforton Castle | @peckfortoncastle
Wedding Flowers: Ian Lloyd Florist | @ianlloydeventsltd
Handmade Candles Wedding Favours: Perfect Chaos UK |  @perfectchaosuk
Bridal Hair: Kirsty Stewart Hair  @kirstystewartartistry
Bridal Make Up: Lisa Murray
Wedding Dress Shop: Knutsford Bridal Gallery |  @knutsford_wedding_gallery
Wedding Dress Designer: Julie Vino | @julievinobridal
Peckforton Castle Wedding Photographers: Juliet Lemon Photography |  @Juliet_Lemon & Peter Hughes Wedding | @peterhughesweddings
Wedding Videographer: Adam Wing | @adamwingfilms
Wedding Music: AMC Gospel Choir | @amcgospelchoir
Wedding Music: Waiters That Sing |  @waitersthatsing
Wedding DJ: Six15 Events  | @six15
Wedding Saxophinist: Tom Da Lips Saxophonist |  @tomdalips
Wedding Cake: Churchmouse Cheese |  @churchmouse_cheeses
Wedding Jewellery: Donns Jewellery |  @donnsjewellery
Wedding Stationery: Elite Invitations  | @elite_invite
Wedding LED signs and Sweetie Cart: The Added Extra  @theaddedextra
Wedding LED floor and uplighter: Hip Swing UK  @hipswinguk