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City Centre Wedding Photographer // Shelley & Matt

City centre wedding photographer photo in a park.

City centre wedding photography is my speciality as a wedding photographer.  Great John Street hotel is located next to St. John’s Garden which was formerly where St. John’s church stood.  Next door to the hotel is the old Granada TV building where I worked as a TV editor before I became a wedding photographer although I still do that job except now I’m at Media City.  Having worked right next door for ten years I know the surrounding area like the back of my hand and I know all the best spots for photos.

Great John Street hotel is owned by Eclectic Hotels who own a growing number of hotels in Manchester and it was once a school.  Many of the old features have been retained and certain rooms in the hotel are named after the school rooms that they once were.

Shelley and Matt had a stunning wedding at Great John Street back in April.  It was a glorious sunny day, a rarity for Manchester!  We began with Shelley and her bridesmaids having their make up done in one of the gorgeous split level mezzanine rooms that Great John Street has.  This gives me the ability as a photographer to get some interesting angles.  The huge windows also give me plenty of light too which can be a struggle so often in hotel rooms for wedding photographers.

Matt arrived in his Range Rover and looked very smart in his suit and shades he then headed up stairs to the roof.  The matrimonial ceremony took place on the top floor of Great John Street which overlooks the city centre.  It’s a great room because it has a large room for the ceremony and wedding breakfast but also a large roof terrace so guests can move indoors and outdoors without having to go too far.

After the wedding ceremony which saw Shelley getting quite emotional everyone basked in the sun on the roof terrace and then we went outside for a few portraits.  As a city centre wedding photographer Great John Street is perfect for me.  I don’t like the portraits to take up too much time as the day is about the couple having fun with their guests, not about having a photoshoot so I used my knowledge of the city centre to create a very short route so we could keep moving from location to location and waste no time.  My favourite photographs from this session are probably the shots of the bride and groom in St. John’s park which I shot with my Canon 5D mkiii and my Canon 135mm f2 lens.  This lens is great for getting that creamy bokeh look associated with a shallow depth of field.  It gives a very dreamy look and feel to those wedding photos.  I also like them because Shelley and Matt are enjoying themselves, they are in the moment.  I try to keep things simple and relaxed when shooting portraits and I think this really shows here.

We headed back inside for the speeches which involved having shots of some really lethal alcohol and then it was time for the evening entertainment.  Matt is a musician so he was very much involved in the music for the evening and even though the wedding had quite a young crowd it was the older members of the wedding that were really killing it on the dancefloor!  It was a cracking wedding, thanks for choosing me as your city centre wedding photographer Shelley and Matt x

 

a photo of great john street hotel in manchester city centrethe great john street sign outside granada tvshelley looks through a book of photos her friend made for her the book of photos shelley looks across to one of her friends while sat on the bedone of the brdesmaids has her make up donea funky photo of shelley in a make up mirror a black and white photo of shelley smiling in her bath robe one of the bridemaids smiles at the bridethe groom arrives at the city centre wedding venue the rides dad gives some advice to the groomthe bride's mother looks on as the girls get shelley into her dress the back of the wedding dress is buttoned up the bridesmaids are veery careful with the buttons on the wedding dressmatt looks down the aisle as shelley enters the room shelley and her dad walk down the aisleshelley looks nervous when she sees matt for the first time the couple get married in the upstairs room one of the bridesmaids watches the matrimonial ceremony The groom smiles at the wedding registrar. The bride wipes a tear from her eye. The groom places the wedding ring onto the bride's finger.The married couple walk back down the aisle together. Matt smiles as he leaves the room. The bride is hugged by one of her friends. The view towards Beetham Tower. The bride hugs another one of the guests. Some of the guests share a funny joke. The bride's sister smiles at her. The groom wears some cool shades. The groom's dad photographs some of the wedding guests. A quick portrait photo on the streets of Manchester. The bride and groom pose for a kiss. The wedding party chat down a side street. The groom gives the bride a passionate kiss. The bride and groom walk down Quay Street in Manchester city centre. They laugh as they walk down the middle of the road. City centre wedding photographer photo in a park. A very shallow depth of field in this photograph. The speeches are very entertaining. The groom drinks a shot of a very alcoholic drink. He has a very strange reaction to the drink! The groom's Aunt laughs at him. Everyone laughs at the best man's speech. The groom has a very big smile on his face. The best man toasts the happy couple. A beautiful photograph of a sunset over Manchester city centre. The groom's niece smile's up at her mother. The bride's dad chats with his friends. A big laugh from one of the guests. The bride and groom share their first dance. Some of the younger guests have fun on the dancefloor. An old man uses a straw to shoot peas at his wife! A young couple take a selfie with an iphone. The groom's mum hugs her husband. Lots of girls laughing and having fun on the dancefloor at Great John Street. The father of the bride does a funny dance. A man points his fingers at the camera as he dances. A man in a kilt spins his wife around on the dance floor. A technically impressive off camera flash photograph.

City centre wedding photographer Johnboy Wilson