Stockport, a town south of Manchester where I am based, has a great variety of local wedding suppliers. It also has numerous wedding venues such as Bredbury Hall, Bramall Hall, Hyde Bank Farm and even Stockport Town Hall, who now host weddings on their stunning marble staircase. The town also boasts one of the regions biggest churches in St George’s Church, where I myself was married in 2002. The aim of this blog is to offer people planning their wedding a place to ‘meet’ a handful of reputable suppliers. Whether it be buying a dress through to dressing a wedding venue, I am confident that if the people here cant help you, they will know someone who can.
As a Cheshire Wedding Photographer, I started to think during this second lockdown how I could help some of the fellow suppliers local to me in the Stockport, Cheshire and Manchester areas and who are involved in the wedding industry as well as Brides and Grooms who may be trying to find reputable wedding suppliers for their wedding day. I decided a blog allowing suppliers to introduce themselves might just help them all. So, if you are planning your wedding and wanting to find highly recommended local wedding suppliers who cover the North West and beyond, then these are the people for you.
Stockport Wedding Venues
One very popular venue is Hyde Bank Farm, in Romiley. The Grade II listed building dates back to 1655 and is linked to Anne Hyde, daughter of Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon. Her husband, James, Duke of York, became king in 1685 after his brother Charles II died. Anne herself, died in 1671, after having 8 children, on 2 of whom survived.
The stone barn and grounds provide the perfect setting for a beautiful wedding. The wedding suite has superb character and atmosphere, with oak beams, dance floor and private bar. There are lots of Barn wedding venues in Cheshire so if you are searching for one closer to Greater Manchester then this could well be the one for you.
Hyde Bank Farm has been developed by the Blackhurst family into a beautiful wedding venue. Located within the beautiful Cheshire countryside, the farm provides the perfect setting for your spectacular wedding.
Bridal Shops
When the day comes for you to start looking for wedding dresses, trust me, there will be thousands for you to look through! Two of my absolute favourite wedding suppliers in Stockport are Belinda and Paula over at Love Lace Bridal in Davenport, and Jo and Haley at Sense & Sensibility Bridal in Great Moor.
Love Lace Bridal Boutique in Davenport, Stockport is owned and managed by Belinda and Paula, who with their love for bridal and helping brides find their dream dress, offer a warm, relaxed and friendly welcome to their ‘appointment only’ boutique.
After working together as Bridal Consultants, they came together and created Love Lace Bridal from their shared passion for anything creative, beading and lace.
Both been involved in the wedding industry for many years. Working as Bridal consultants, they understand every aspect of choosing everything from your bridal gown to the bridal accessories. Working with high quality well established brands such as Pronovias Group, Romantica of Devon, Mon Cheri, Rainbow Club, Richard Designs, Jupon Petticoats and Joyce Jackson Veils.
Their aim is to make every experience the best it can be whilst making sure the bride to be feels relaxed and comfortable throughout the appointment. The picture on the left was from a recent shoot we did to where our bride Natalie was wearing ‘Tuscany’ a gown by Romantica of Devon.
“Sense & Sensibility Bridal is an award winning family run bridal boutique situated in Great Moor, Stockport, Cheshire. Having been at the forefront of bridal fashion for over 20 years, we are one of the leading bridal boutiques in the North West.
We proudly work alongside the best bridal designers in the business from Maggie Sottero, Rebecca Ingram, Sottero and Midgley and Ronald Joyce.
Our brides mean the absolute world to us. It is important that every bride has the most fabulous wedding dress shopping experience. Once you enter our doors, you will be made to feel part of our SAS family. Even the most nervous brides will feel completely at ease as we get to know each other over refreshments and a chat about you, your wedding and your thoughts on your perfect wedding dress.
We strongly believe the day you say “yes” to your perfect wedding dress, should be as precious as the day you get to wear her. With that in mind we work by appointment only. All bridal appointments are completely private, allowing our brides exclusive use of our beautiful boutique, so that we can fully devote our time and experience. What you won’t get is any pressure, just our time, patience and expertise.
For a small shop we have a lot of wedding dresses, with over 200 to choose from! It is so important to us that we cater for all shapes, sizes and budgets and we welcome all our gorgeous girls with open arms. We are so proud to offer fully inclusive sizing and carry samples from a UK size 6 to a UK size 30. Our made to order dresses start at £750 and go up to £2200.
New for 2021 is our ‘Take me home with SAS’ Sale lounge. Ideal for our brides with a smaller budget or short wear date, here our brides can still get a stunning designer wedding dress at a fraction of the original price.
I can’t wait to welcome you,
Love Jo.”
Dresses for flower girls
Now, when you are planning your wedding day, you don’t want to leave out the little ones do you? Well, Emma over at Little Betty’s Boutique in Hazel Grove is someone you MUST visit. Whether it’s Flower Girl dresses, Unique Holy Communion gown’s, or beautiful vintage lace Christening dresses there is something for every little Princess at this pretty boutique.
Over the last 8 years, Emma has built up a loyal customer base through social media sites resulting in an eye watering 60,000 followers! Starting the business in her dining room, Emma opened her boutique just 2 years later and hasn’t looked back since, becoming the Supplier of The Year in the North West Wedding Awards in December 2020. “The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the faces of the little girls when they walk into my shop which is fit for a princess. The casual approach I take enables your children to visit my boutique, try on any dress they like and leave feeling $1million.”
A private bridal style fitting, where Emma can offer advice on design , shade & take measurements can be made via appointment, which take place 16 weeks before the big day. If though you are unable to make it to the boutique, there is also the option to browse the designs on the website and order them through the site itself.
Wedding Videographer
Kristian at Diag Media is the first of my suppliers who, technically, isn’t in Stockport! He’s right on the edge in Whaley Bridge but as a Derbyshire Wedding Videographer, a large amount of his wedding videography work is around Stockport and the Cheshire area. Kristian runs the business alongside his wife Laura. You may see them side by side at wedding fayres. Below is the highlight film from a wedding that Kristian and I worked on together. Click play to check out his fantastic work.
Priding himself on telling stories through his wedding films, he learnt his videography skills both studying and working in the professional media industry. “I put a huge amount of effort into the wedding video editing, as well as the wedding day itself. The edit a huge part of the finished product that I like to deliver to my couples along with selecting the music to play alongside it. The music in my films is set to match the moment and the emotion that is expressed at that part of the wedding day.”
Some of his best TV employment memories include working on the UFC and on a film set with Danny Glover. The latter happening when he lived in Canada for 12 months.
Bridal Hair and Make Up
Sisters Hayley, left, and Nikki. 
The first bridal hair and make-up supplier know each other pretty well! Sisters, Nikki and Hayley combine to offer their bridal clients a combined package for their wedding day.
Alone, Nikki is the proud owner of Nikki Jaye make-up whilst Hayley runs “Dirty Blondes Hair Design.” Nikki also has an extensive knowledge of make-up products as well as colour and shade matching. Her list of high end make up products seems endless and her constant thirst for learning more about her craft really is to be admired. Both Nikki and Hayley are Stockport based but cover weddings all over Cheshire and the North West and you can easily contact them both through Facebook or Instagram.
My second supplier offering hair and make up is Danielle who runs Danielle Horan Hair and Make Up. I have worked with Danielle on a couple of the fun shoots that we have created along with Love Lace.
“Hi I’m Danielle, a hair and makeup artist based in Manchester. I specialise in all aspects of hair and makeup from nights out to photo shoots and weddings, traveling to the client if required. I’ve 20 years experience in the business and started out in photographic studios around Manchester then moved into bridal work. My work has taken me to some beautiful venues all across the country and I love nothing more than getting to know my clients and making them feel special on there special day ! Please feel free to find my page on facebook danielle horan hair and makeup or my instagram is dan0604 . Thank you. Danielle x”
Wedding Florist Packages
In January 2019 I went to do some photographs at a beautiful family run florist, just outside of Stockport. I first met Caroline from Flowers at the Dutch Barn at my very first wedding fayre in 2019 at Crewe Hall. Our stands were very close to one another and so began talking about photography and also wedding bouquet ideas. She is based in Knutsford and having worked with her on several weddings can honestly say she is a delight to work with.
Flowers at the Dutch Barn believe in creating floral magic for your wedding day or special occasion. Their natural, wild style encapsulates the beauty of nature. They use premium flowers and foliage, sourced directly from Holland and the growers. They also try and use British, seasonal, locally grown materials when we can!
Caroline, the owner and founder of ‘Flowers at the Dutch Barn’ is passionate about flowers and weddings; her knowledge is vast and she has an eye for all things floral.
This Cheshire Florist is a small, unique, enthusiatic team of florists based in their lovely workshop on the outskirts of Knutsford, Cheshire. From a cosy, small set up to extravagant displays, they can cater for your every flower need, taking into consideration your flower preference for whatever your special occasion may be. Their aim is to create memorable flowers such as buttonholes, bouquets, centrepieces and every little detail in between. They create memories just for you by fulfilling your flower dreams. Do not hesitate to contact Caroline should you require any further information, or to book a complimentary, no obligation consultation to discuss your floral requirements.
Wedding Celebrant
Quite a lot of people are often unsure what role a celebrant plays in a wedding. Well, it isn’t just weddings for a start, as the lovely Sarah- Jayne explains below. You can find out more about what she does on her website.
I write and conduct wedding ceremonies, vow renewals, naming days and celebration of life funeral services.
A celebrant led ceremony means that you’ll be truly represented as a couple, family or individual. If you want to walk down the aisle to ACDC, include readings from Disney films or incorporate a family tradition, I will make it happen. I will listen to your wishes and incorporate everything to give you a unique, bespoke and personalised ceremony.
So, if you want flexibility over where you have your ceremony (with a celebrant it can be anywhere!), no limitations when it comes to the content of your service (traditional, modern, funny, the choice is yours!), then please get in touch. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, I will most certainly encourage you to do so!
Having trained with the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants I’m a member of the organisation. I abide by their code of ethics and I also have Public Liability Insurance under their umbrella scheme.
Wedding Stationary Packages
Stockport based “I Do Designs” is an award winning wedding stationary company. Run by business partners Emma and Becky, their website is packed with all kinds of helpful information and examples about the wedding stationary they can produce for your wedding day. I will let them tell you more about it though.
“We create high quality, hand finished wedding stationery and have been designing and creating bespoke wedding invitations and stationery since 2009. We want your wedding stationery to make a statement about your wedding day before your guests even arrive. Whatever ideas, dreams, budget or themes you have, we can work to make them become a reality. We embrace a flexible, mix & match approach to design, where options and choice are almost unlimited.“
“I Do Designs literally means I do designs – new ones, all of the time in fact! Whether you are looking for a more traditional design or a more contemporary style… we can create something that’s perfect for you. We are currently offering one free personalised sample to every new customer, so please browse our site and if there is something you like, take advantage of this special offer.“
If you have any questions about our wedding stationary packages please just get in touch either via our website at www.idodesigns.org.uk or direct via email at info@idodesigns.org.uk
Wedding Venue Dressing
Another team of sister’s are Holly and Natalie at I Do Venue Dressing. I Do have been styling beautiful events for over 8years based in Stockport.
The two sisters share the same passion for event dressing and can transform a room into something magical. From birthdays or weddings to Christmas decorating or a beautiful wreath for your door, their creative ideas are superb and rest assured, they can pretty much do anything you need, and more!
“I Do”, have the WOW factor and their work has become recognisable by all over the years. Since starting, Holly & Natalie have won over 3 awards for Best Venue Stylist covering North West. As wedding venue decorators go, they have become one of the most established in the North West. The Majority of work comes from recommendations and they run the family business between them and with the help of their husbands and friends.
‘The most successful people follow passion not pay cheques’
Honeymoon Packages
“Hi, my name is Alex. I am a personal travel consultant. I’ve been creating incredible holiday experiences for my clients for 2 years now and despite the turbulent year we have had, it is clear that people are now wanting to give themselves something to look forward to. As with the travel industry, it is clear that there is also a pent-up demand for weddings and indeed honeymoons waiting to go ahead which is why I have teamed up with Adam at Mean, Clean and Lean, a Stockport based personal trainer to deliver a unique offering.
By arranging your honeymoon through me, not only will you benefit from my services to help you navigate through the industry and have access to my support 24/7 but you will also unlock an exclusive, heavily-discounted training package for you and your partner to help you both smash your fitness goals in time for your dream wedding and honeymoon. It’s time to blow off the lockdown cobwebs and get to work!
For more information visit my website and book a call so that I can talk you through the details. Thanks and I hope to speak to you soon.”
Your next step
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. If you would like to speak to any of the suppliers then please click on their links and drop them a line. If I can help you at all with any wedding photography questions that you may have then I would love to hear from you too. Thanks again and have fun planing your wedding day!
