Larkspur Lodge Wedding Photographer
I knew from the minute Naomi & Carl first messaged me that we’d get on. Not only did they compliment my photography 😉 but they dropped in Friends references, had already chosen my Morning ’til Midnight package and promised not to play the Cha Cha Slide! I mean, what more could I want?!
Larkspur Lodge is a lovely venue, with a cool bar area and a rustic bare brick “Lodge Room” with tones of daylight streaming in through the huge windows all down one side. The ceremony room on the other hand is wood panelled and romantically lit with candles and soft lighting.
Outside there’s a patio area and a lush lawn to soak up the sun while celebrating with champagne and cocktails.
Naomi and Carl planned their day perfectly, and this is how they did it…
Planning a Larkspur Lodge Wedding – Naomi & Carl
- Can you tell everyone a little about yourself?
Carl (32) is a qualified PT and Manager at a Gym and Naomi (30) is a qualified social worker and is currently a Team Manager within an Independent Fostering Agency. We have been together for 3 years – we met in August 2020 on Bumble! (and never did we think an online dating app would take us both to marriage!). We had our first date at the Wharf, in Manchester, 2-3 weeks after first speaking. Then everything just grew from there!
- What about the proposal?
We got engaged Friday 10th December 2021 – we went to London for a long weekend and Carl popped the question one night, by Tower Bridge (very beautiful when lit up!). We then went to celebrate at The Shard over food and cocktails. We had already discussed marriage etc before Carl proposed and had been to try on rings a few months before. So we knew it was coming, it was just a matter of “when”. The actual moment was a lovely surprise!
- How long were you engaged / how long did you spend planning your wedding?
Around 15 months in total – We started planning almost straight away as we wanted to enjoy the process and limit any stress as much as possible. We wanted to have the ability to have breaks from wedding planning if needed, so some months we didn’t do any planning!
- What were you most looking forward to about your wedding?
We just couldn’t wait to be married and celebrate with all our family and friends. Our Caterers Fork & Field were insanely good – so we would be lying if we weren’t dreaming about the food for the best part of our planning!
- Where did you get ready?
Naomi got ready at the venue with her bridesmaids and mother of the bride. It was strange – Naomi said it felt quite surreal until the moment she sat in the makeup chair! But then it was just feelings of excitement! There is nothing better than getting ready with the people you love!
Carl got ready at a local Airbnb that he booked with his groomsmen. Unfortunately, Carl had food poisoning from the night before – so that definitely wasn’t the plan!
Thankfully he managed to dose up on medication following the groomsmen’s trip to the pharmacy, and also managed to sleep some of it off! He made it and was wise enough not to tell Naomi until after the ceremony! (the suppliers who knew also managed to keep a good secret at Carl’s request!!) However, it didn’t stop him from enjoying the day – he said he would have made it down the aisle one way or another! We still had the perfect wedding day and Carl was able to feel much brighter as the day went on! - How did you feel when you saw each other for the first time?
Words can’t describe – it was a moment we will both treasure forever (and captured so beautifully on camera & video too!) - Was there any part of the day you were particularly nervous about?
It’s normal to feel nervous, but we actually weren’t nervous at all! - Did you or Carl plan any surprises for each other? If so, tell us all about it!
We both wrote cards to each other and gave them to each other the day before the wedding, ready to read on the morning of – before we meet each other at the end of the aisle. This was honestly a beautiful & personal touch to our day! - What was your favourite part of your day?
Our ceremony was everything we dreamed – hard to pick one moment!
- Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette?
All things rustic! We chose dusky pink for bridesmaids and champagne for our maid of honour. Then everything was planned around that really. Our Florist, Bridget at Knutsford Bloom, was incredible at bringing our vision to life!
Our faith means a lot to us, so we wanted to replicate a traditional Christian Church wedding at Larkspur Lodge. It was perfect! We had to do the legal ceremony before to enable us to do that, but it was an excuse for 2 celebrations! - Where did you find inspiration when planning your wedding? How did you come up with your ideas?
We always knew we wanted a “rustic” vibe to the wedding. Our venue was just perfect! We had visited for an open day in Feb 22, and our florist had actually dressed the venue for the open day – from there, we knew we wanted to get married there and book Knutsford Bloom for our day. I suppose seeing the venue was what allowed us to have a really strong vision for what we wanted. Etsy was honestly our best friend for getting ideas! - Did you involve friends & family in any way?
Our family are so important to us so we really wanted to involve them in our day as much as possible. Naomi’s Dad did the vows, Mum did a prayer in the ceremony, Brother and sister sang in the ceremony and younger brother DJ’d in the evening. Our nephews and Naomi’s godson were Page boys. Then all our best friends with bridesmaids & groomsmen. Carl’s mum made our three-tiered naked wedding cake, which was then decorated with flowers by our florist. We honoured Carl’s Dad, who had sadly passed away in our order of service and during the speeches – which was really special. - Did you enjoy the planning process?
We really enjoyed the planning process – this was largely down to us giving ourselves enough time before the wedding to get things done gradually and be able to take breaks. Once we had our main suppliers and venue booked, we could relax a bit more and do things in our own time. So if there were weeks where we didn’t feel like we had the capacity to do things, or wedding planning felt overwhelming, then we had the breathing space to just chill and take time out.
Throughout the planning process, we have always had the attitude of “whatever happens, it will be an amazing day!” and having that mindset honestly changed the whole perspective of the wedding and took the pressure off us.
Don’t get us wrong, there were things that may not have gone to plan on the day. For example, we had a guest with a dietary requirement that we didn’t know about – the venue sorted it for us and we didn’t even know it was an issue until we were told after the wedding! So we were grateful to the staff at the venue for discreetly managing any small issues that came about.
The most stressful part was chasing outstanding RSVPs from guests. We gave a deadline, well in advance, but many forgot to respond! So we definitely would recommend leaving enough time between the RSVP date you give to your guests, and the date you have to confirm numbers with your venue!
In terms of what we would have done differently … Naomi probably wouldn’t have written her bride’s speech the morning of the wedding, but it would almost be too perfect if everything was done ahead of time!! 🙂 - How did you choose your wedding venue?
Naomi searched the whole of Instagram for venues and viewed loads of websites and packages. However, we came across Larkspur Lodge on Instagram and the pictures were stunning. There was an open day coming up, so we quickly booked on and we went along in Feb 22;
It was the first and only venue that we viewed in person – we fell in love straight away! The location was perfect, the venue is stunning and has its quirks. For example, the ceremony room had a chequered floor and cinema seats – which were really unique features! There was a pizza engine which we could book for the evening (Pizza is Carl’s favourite food!).
We also set ourselves a budget. We were also really surprised by the venue costs in comparison to other venues we had seen! Yet it ticked every box for us in terms of what we wanted for our special day. The staff were also just incredible from start to finish.
Fork & Field, the venue’s caterers, were also incredible – their food is insanely good! - What advice would you give to couples looking for a wedding venue?
Open days really help to bring a vision to life – definitely go and see a venue in person! We booked some of our suppliers from the open day, so it can also be an easy win for getting things booked or getting ideas of what you want to incorporate into your day!
We chose a venue without accommodation but made sure that the venue was in a location in close proximity to B&Bs, hotels, etc.
Paying for a wedding can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be! We saw so many amazing venues and our jaws dropped when we saw the prices! Shop around – there really is a venue to suit every budget! If your venue has an Instagram account, have a look at previous pictures they have posted – this can also help bring your vision to life!
- What was your biggest worry or concern when choosing a photographer?
We wanted beautiful wedding photos, but our worst nightmare was having to do any “forced” posey wedding shoots – like the ones you see on Married At First Sight! We wanted a photographer who would capture the natural, candid moments of our day.
We didn’t want to be worrying about forcing moments, or stressing about getting “the right pictures”. We didn’t want the stress of that to take away from us enjoying our day with each other and our guests. - What advice would you give to couples who are looking for a photographer?
Book Chris Morse – you will honestly not be disappointed! You know you have booked a special photographer, who not only captures your day so beautifully but helps you enjoy your day and take in every moment.
The images that we have received are honestly breathtaking and have allowed us to relive such special moments! Chris made us laugh, put us at ease, wasn’t intrusive and was just so accommodating. We honestly cannot recommend him enough! - What was the best thing you spent money on for your wedding? What was the best value for money?
This is a difficult one because our suppliers were honestly incredible – from the venue, to the florists, to the caterers, photographer, videographer, etc. However, spending money on a photographer and videographer was THE best decision. Having beautiful, high quality images and videos of your day is so so special.
Your wedding day will honestly fly by and some of it will be a blur. But being able to relive the memories and missed moments of your day, and watch them over and over is the most amazing gift! - Would you like to give a shout-out to anyone in particular? Did anybody exceed expectations or go above and beyond?
All our suppliers have been incredible and, without a doubt, all went above and beyond to make our day the special day that it was.
- And finally… Any words of wedding planning wisdom?
The best advice anybody gave us was to remember that you are preparing for a marriage, not just a wedding day! Your wedding day will be perfect because it is a celebration of your love and with the people you love… but whilst the day is important, it’s also just the start of an exciting chapter!
Other pearls of wisdom…
This is your day and you are the people that matter! This is a day you will never get back; try not to be so worried about what other people think and don’t get so caught up in trying to please other people. We are all humans, so it’s only normal for others to have an opinion. But don’t let it overshadow your day or steer away from what you want to happen. Difficult conversations may need to happen, but this is about you as a couple, not others. At the end of the day, everyone will enjoy the day because they love you and want the best for you.
More advice given to us from other married couples (which we felt was golden!) is in relation to the actual day: Be intentional about spending time with your bride/groom. That may sound silly because you’re getting married, but it really is so easy to get caught up with saying hello to your guests etc that you lose each other – and time passes so fast! Of course, separate and speak to other people, but make sure you come back together – otherwise, you will find that the memories of your day end up being mainly with other people and not each other!
And finally, enjoy your day – it will be one that you will treasure for the rest of your lives!
Congratulations & Thank Yous
I’d like to wish Naomi & Carl a massive congratulations. I must also say a huge thank you for choosing me to photograph your day and taking the time to share your wedding planning story with us all.
Also, a big thank you to all the other suppliers who helped make their day so perfect. But a special shout-out has to go to Richardson Video for being an absolute joy to work with and Fork & Field for feeding us so well ????
Larkspur Lodge
Larkspur Lodge, Bexton Ln, Knutsford WA16 9BQ
Website: larkspurlodge.co.uk
Instagram: @larkspurlodge
Facebook: @larkspurlodge
Everyone Else
Caterers: Fork & Field Catering | Pastor: Steve Robbo | Florist: Knutsford Bloom | Hair: Hair By Emily Rose | Makeup: Hannah Cliffe MUA | Dress Alterations: Sew Jayne Moon | Videographer: Richardson Video
Cheshire Wedding Photographer
If you’re planning your wedding and like what you’ve seen here then please drop me a message. I photograph weddings in Cheshire and all over the UK. Oh, and if you’re not married, but are thinking about popping the question – check out my Surprise Proposal Photography.
- Huntstile Organic Farm Wedding Photographer
Huntstile Organic Farm Wedding Photographer, photographs hill-top stone circle wedding ceremony, with tractor rides, trapeze performances + live music! - Longlands At Cartmel Wedding Photography
It was an absolute pleasure to photograph Lisa & Josh’s wedding at Longlands at Cartmel. I’d been looking forward to photographing their wedding ever since they booked me and it did not disappoint! When I initially spoke with Lisa about photographing their wedding, she said “the main thing […] - Gisburne Park Wedding Photography
Gisburne Park is one of the UK’s most amazing exclusive use wedding venues. Set in 1000 acres of Ribble Valley countryside, Gisburne Park Estate is ideal for those couples who love the outdoors but also want luxury. Getting married at Gisburne Park. Imagine getting married in a 10-acre […]