SPOTLIGHT ON

from Your Cheshire and Merseyside Wedding - Issue 57 May/June 2021

by County Wedding Magazines

FLORAL PARADISE

Spotlight ... Knowsley & St Helens

Tie the knot in a local hotspot

ST HELENS TOWN HALL

01744 676 789 | www.sthelens.gov.uk/marriage

This stunning Victorian building hosts a multitude of beautiful features that will certainly add the wow factor to your special day, not to mention your treasured photos. A structure of timeless elegance, St Helens Town Hall, is a wonderful place to host your nuptials. Whether you choose to get married or form a civil partnership, the team recognises that, just like you, your ceremony should be special and unique. There are various options offered when it comes to the vows and a number of ways to make them truly individual to you.

The “I dos”

You have a choice of two gorgeous locations for your ceremony depending on the size of your guest list: The Ceremony Room, 60 guests

This gorgeous space complete with wood panelling and period features is available Monday to Saturday. The Council Chamber, 100 guests

Ideal for larger wedding parties, the Council Chamber boasts characterful historical décor and is available on

Fridays and Saturdays.

Celebrate in style

The Main Hall provides a superb setting for your wedding breakfast and evening bash. It can accommodate 120 of your nearest and dearest to enjoy with you your fi rst meal together as newlyweds, then as you move into the evening portion of your celebrations, you can invite an additional 30 guests taking the total capacity up to 150. The Hall is fully equipped with a bar and is licensed to sell and sell and serve alcohol until 1am.

THE BARN AT YEW TREE FARM

0151 488 6625 | www.thebarnatyewtreefarm.co.uk

Set on the rural outskirts of Liverpool in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, The Barn at Yew Tree Farm is a family-run working farm sitting amongst 25 acres of countryside. The 300-year-old barn was sensitively renovated in 2019 to maintain its rustic charm and simple elegance. A new timber-clad extension is now connected to it, which is home to the bar and lounge area adding an extra layer of comfort and sophistication.

From the advantage point through the large windows of The Barn you’ll see working farmyard and lush green fields where alpacas and sheep graze. It has its own private lawned area where you and your guests can enjoy a drink or two and relax in the evening sun. The farm also provides an array of rustic and industrial backdrops as well as vast open spaces, all ideal settings for those all-important photographs.

The “I dos”

You have a choice of two gorgeous locations for your ceremony depending on the size of your guest list: Meadow Barn, 80 guests

The 300-year-old renovated barn boasts high ceilings, exposed brick work and original wooden beams offering you the ultimate wow factor. Orchard Room, 20 guests

This is a beautifully intimate space closed off by grand wooden barn doors allowing your nearest and dearest to share in your special moment. A large bifold door can be fully open and leads into the private garden to let the outside in.

Celebrate in style

Wedding receptions are hosted in the Meadow Barn. There’s ample space for 80 loved ones to be seated at round tables for the wedding breakfast or at charming wooden trestles for a banqueting-style feast. The wooden barn doors open up allowing the space to flow through to the Orchard Room and the spacious bar. Then for the evening revelries you can welcome 140 guests in total. The mezzanine is also a lovely feature offering a great view of proceedings for guests and photographers alike.

www.facebook.comDanTyackPhotography

GREENACRES RAINFORD 01744 649189 | www.greenacreswoodlandweddings.co.uk Ceremonies take place in the Woodland Hall, which has been constructed using individually placed larch wood panels, with fl oor-to-ceiling glass windows offering a panoramic view of Windle Brook Valley, wildfl ower meadow and surrounding woodland.

RUSKIN 01744 28866 | www.ruskinsthelens.com The Percival Suite at Ruskin St Helens is a versatile venue with a modern interior featuring atmospheric lighting, which can be customised to your colour scheme, and an integrated sound system, ideal for those all-important speeches. HOUGHWOOD GOLF 01744 894 754 | www.houghwoodgolfclub.co.uk Houghwood is beautifully situated with panoramic views over the Lancashire Plain and Welsh Hills. The sweeping drive through the golf course leads to the stone-built clubhouse complete with terrace and colourful mature shrubbery, which frames the 18th green. Here, the red carpet will literally be rolled out for you.

SUITES HOTEL & SPA 0151 549 2222 | www.suiteshotelgroup.com This luxury Hotel boasts an opulent interior that runs throughout the venue from the rooms to the event suites right through to the onsite spa. It hosts a number of wedding-ready spaces including The Atrium, complete with ceiling lights and a cascading waterfall feature.

MERCURE ST HELENS HOTEL 01744 453 444 | www.sainthelenshotel.com

Situated in the heart of St Helens, this hotel is easy to access from Liverpool and Manchester, so your wedding party can be there to celebrate by your side wherever they’re travelling from. Whatever your vision the team of wedding coordinators with more than 15 years’ experience are on hand to assist with a variety of tailored wedding packages to suit you. THE TOTALLY WICKED STADIUM 01744 455 086 | www.totallywickedstadium.com Home to one of the most successful rugby league teams of all time, the Stadium offers panoramic pitch views. You’re also offered exclusive pitch-side access with views of the worldfamous Red V and access to the fi rst team changing rooms – a dream wedding location for any rugby fan.

Our roundup of the region’s waterside and coastal venueswaterfrontON THE Lakeside l ely DELAMERE MANOR

01606 261 361 | www.delameremanor.co.uk

Through wrought-iron gates, along a driveway fl anked by lime trees sits award-winning wedding venue Delamere Manor. Set in more than 100 acres of rolling Cheshire countryside, it overlooks a six-acre lake and was once the former residence of the powerful Wilbraham family, and more recently Gary Barlow. This country house is now privately owned and has undergone a dramatic transformation over recent years to provide a classic yet contemporary backdrop for your big day.

You can choose between no less than fi ve outdoor licensed spaces for your vows, accommodating 140 of your nearest and dearest: The Terrace, The Jetty, The Folly, The Pergola and The Summer House. Moving into the afternoon and evening, celebrations can be held in the beautiful glass-fronted Courtyard, with retractable roof, while The Terrace, Folly and Jetty are also available for you to utilise with capacity for 140 during the day and 180 in the evening. Finally, the pièce de resistance: Delamere Manor has its own private night club, an uber-cool monochrome space where you can dance the night away.

The venue offers a complimentary food and wine tasting, and accommodation is also available.

AK54Photo

Coastal classic

LEASOWE CASTLE

0151 606 9191 | www.leasowecastle.com

https://bancroftphotography.co.uk

This 16th-century Castle boasts grand furnishings alongside plenty of historical charm, complemented outside by a rolling lawn and red-carpet entrance. Overlooking the idyllic Wirral coastline, the venue is surrounded by greenery with impressive sea views and the beach just fi ve minutes away – it certainly isn’t short on photographic opportunities. It’s also home to Brasserie 1593 as well as Wreckers Bar, which serves a variety of signature cocktails.

Leasowe Castle offers two licensed locations for the “I dos,” including the Star Chamber and new chapel setting, The Keep, which is located at the heart of the historical property. Filled with natural light, it features solid oak fl ooring and can accommodate up to 110 of your loved ones. Outdoor ceremonies are also an option.

The larger Castle Suite, can hold 70 to 200 for a sit-down meal, and 140 to 240 for the evening celebrations. Alternatively, wedding breakfasts can be hosted in the Turret Suite, which has capacity for 40 to 70 nearest and dearest, or between 60 and 110 for the evening reception.

For an even more magical experience the Castle allows you to book the entire venue with its exclusive-use package, meaning you’ll truly feel like queen and king of the castle! To continue the merriments, guests can stay overnight in the hotel’s rooms and join you, the newlyweds, for breakfast the next day. In fact, if you’re booking a Friday or Saturday date for your wedding, you’ll automatically qualify for the venue’s 20 per cent discount on best available room rates when reserved direct.

M e wat side w d s…

https://bancroftphotography.co.uk

FORMBY HALL GOLF RESORT & SPA

01704 875 699 | www.formbyhallgolfresort.co.uk

Nestled in 200 acres of lush, green parkland complete with picturesque lake, the hotel offers two contemporary function suites as well as 76 individually designed bedrooms, a luxurious spa, state-ofthe-art leisure facilities, and a world class 18-hole golf course.

MERSEYSIDE MARITIME MUSEUM

0151 478 4780 | www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/weddings

This Grade I listed venue boasts an impressive location on the Royal Albert Dock. Steeped in industrial history, it has been lovingly transformed from a storage warehouse where valuable shipping cargo was stored over 100 years ago.

GAME OF Natalie and Adam’s big-day theme love was inspired by their favourite TV show

Images courtesy of Wedding Photography by Joe Bickerton

Natalie and Adam became firm friends after meeting at a birthday party in their teens and started dating several years later. Adam proposed during a trip to Belfast, where they were on a pilgrimage around the various Game of Thrones filming locations. After walking miles in the wind and rain to find the very spot where Jon Snow bonded with Drogon on the cliffs of Fairhead, Adam presented Natalie with an official HBO dragon ring and popped the question. Natalie explains, “He knew I wanted to choose my own ring should we ever get engaged, so this was perfect. We were soaked and freezing but felt like we were the only two people in the world.” The decision to tie the knot in Liverpool was a natural one since the city holds so many memories for the pair. “My nan was a Scouser born and bred. She passed away in 2008 and would have been so proud of us marrying in her home town,” Natalie tells us. So, Liverpool Town Hall and The Corinthian Grand were booked for 13th “Walking into the April, 2019 – the one-year anniversary of ceremony room was nerve-racking Adam’s clifftop proposal. Here, the bride shares her account of the big day… but exciting, it’s so intimidating having SETTING THE SCENE all eyes on you, but Natalie and Adam’s choice of colour palette was quite ingenious! “We chose

I managed to do it green and white. Green because we got without falling over!” engaged on the Emerald Isle and White for our surname,” the bride explains. The glorious floral arrangements and bouquets romantically reflected this using white hydrangeas, ivy and gypsy grass. With a Game of Thrones theme being a must, the couple opted for themed mini bottles of liquor for wedding favours – gin, vodka, absinthe and rum. The table plan had a parchment effect to it and guests’ names were written in the Game of Thrones’ font. The place names were designed to match. Mini iron throne photo clips held the table names, all labelled in honour of castles featured in the series. The ceremony space at Liverpool Town Hall was decorated beautifully with a white flower arch, scattered white rose petals and tealight cylinders. At the reception, tables were adorned in gorgeous centrepieces featuring a combination of glass cylinders, flower-filled vases, floral crowns, and creeping ivy candelabra. These were no doubt the source of great admiration as guests dined on a starter of goat’s cheese tartlet or game slice, blade of beef or roast chicken for main, and crème brûlée or apple frangipane tart for dessert.

Abbeywood is a 45-acre family estate nestling in the heart of Cheshire. Our nine seasonal gardens are wonderful areas to entertain or relax in, and offer a stunning backdrop for your wedding photography. Popular features include our chapel garden, formal pool garden and beautiful pergola walk.

We have six distinct areas licensed for civil ceremonies, each offering a unique setting for your day: Nico’s Glass House, Garden Cafe, The Orangery and The Gazebo, The Barn and The Function Room in Abbeywood House.

The venue hire charge includes exclusive use of Abbeywood’s grounds on your chosen Friday or Saturday and exclusive options on all other days. We also include an overnight stay in our luxurious bridal suite located on the estate. There’s also plenty of further accommodation should you need your guests to stay.

The venue provides a highly versatile space for weddings; all bookings are guaranteed exclusive use of key function rooms and gardens. To enquire, visit us or provisionally reserve a date, please contact our team on 01606 888 251 or email info@abbeywoodestate.co.uk

LOOKING THE PART

Natalie looked stunning in Tate by Ronald Joyce. “It ticked all the boxes for me. After trying on several different silhouettes, I knew I wanted something backless with a high neckline and subtle embellishment,” she says. The look was completed with her nan’s engagement ring, worn on a necklace underneath her dress, a diamond bracelet gifted by her mum and Pandora earrings to match her bridesmaids’.

Adam wore a grey, three-piece suit paired with silver cufflinks that his bride bought him as a wedding present. They tied elegantly “I think we were both into the theme featuring a direwolf head, nervous but excited the Stark family crest. The groomsmen were dressed to match and wore smaller at the same time.” buttonholes allowing the groom to stand out.

When it came to the bridesmaids’ dresses Natalie tells us, “I found it so difficult to find the right shade of green to suit all my girls, in fact it was a bit of a nightmare. So, I changed my mind and went for a blush pink, which looked beautiful against the flowers. I’m glad as they all looked stunning and got so many compliments throughout the day.”

TIME TO CELEBRATE

The hugely talented Harmony String Quartet entertained guests and played the Game of Thrones theme as Natalie walked down the aisle. Later, the newlyweds entered their reception to The Rains of Castamere, the soundtrack behind the show’s most famous scene, The Red Wedding. Natalie says, “They played so many of our favourite songs by artists including Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Sigur Rós and Guns ‘n’ Roses. They were magical to listen to.”

Later in the evening a DJ played the couple’s requests, all tunes from their younger years. “We felt like teenagers again singing away on the dancefloor,” Natalie remembers.

THE GETAWAY

The newlyweds jetted off to another Game of Thrones location for a three-night minimoon: Dubrovnik, Croatia. “Where else could we have honeymooned but King’s Landing?” Natalie asks. The trip was short as they didn’t want to leave their daughter for too long, but they needn’t have worried as she was off having a whale of a time at Butlin’s with her grandparents!