Aughton & Holmes DIY Barn Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · July 20, 2016 · 6 comments

Helly & Andy

Helly & Andy won my competition last year and so received the top prize of having their wedding covered by me, all day long! As soon as they had emailed me, I knew this deserving, charity fund-raising, musical duo were having the type of wedding I love to cover with loads of interesting plans and an express wish that the wedding be covered simply as I saw fit all day long – this farm wedding was going to be superb.

On the day:

After bridal preparations, Helly took her tractor-drawn, converted carriage (built by dad) on it’s maiden journey to Christ Church Aughton followed by a reception in a barn which they, their family and friends had converted and decorated over the last month. Helly’s dad had stayed up until 3am putting the finishing touches to the barn and the level of detail was incredible with childhood mementos, verses from Corinthians (as featured in the service) and instruments for guests to play. But more amazingly, it never felt cramped, despite fitting in an entire wedding party, a fully staffed bar full of fridges and beer pumps and the entire Wigan Ukulele band! Outside on the farm, there was camping for guests, a bit like a festival except amongst the tents and caravans there was a monstrous 4×4 Soviet military vehicle which a guest rumbled in on to camp in…Helly & Andy know some cool folk.

It’s not often a bride and groom will play their own wedding but these talented musicians performed their wedding song written by themselves especially for this day – keep watching for the link to the video of it soon.

Congratulations Helly & Andy!

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The Pinewood Hotel Pre-Wedding Photoshoot ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · July 5, 2016 · leave a comment

Rachel & Dom

Rachel & Dom are getting married later this year at The Pinewood Hotel which is where we are for this pre-wedding photoshoot.

They had quickly outlined that they want relaxed, naturally posed photos so we choose secluded spots around the gardens so they felt comfortable to show me what they could do. They quickly relaxed in front of my camera once we had reviewed some of their photos and talked about the process taking place – entirely what I’d consider to be the key point of a pre-wedding photoshoot (as well as getting some superb portraits together!).

Here’s a small selection of Rachel & Dom’s set:

Manchester Town Hall, Midland Hotel and Hotel Football Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · July 4, 2016 · 7 comments

Anwen & Adam

This was a big wedding day by anyone’s standard with no less than three different venues spread all across the city: we started at the Midland hotel, on to Manchester Town Hall for the ceremony, back to the Midland Hotel for drinks and the wedding breakfast, then taxis to Castlefield for a city centre cruise up the canals to Old Trafford’s Hotel Football.

The day turned very interesting around the evening at Hotel football as the lovely guests got very silly making their way up in the lifts, I’m not entirely blameless but it certainly demonstrated which way the wind was blowing when it came to what lay ahead! The band ‘Friends of the Bride’ put on a stirling performance and had a rammed dancefloor whenever they played their 90s classics; they must have also had an inkling that the guests would know what to do when Sit Down was played (you guessed it, they sat down…) and duly obliged with more of their three-piece magic, tailored to their crowd into the night.

What an incredible wedding this was, I’m hoping the photos will tell the story and convey the energy of the day, the kind of energy that had even the oldest guests dancing as I was packing my bags up around 11pm!

Apologies in advance for the amount of photos in this blog; there was always something lovely happening for me to take a photo of and my cameras were non-stop all day, this wedding holding my record for ‘most amount of frames taken’

Congratulations Anwen & Adam!

Suppliers

Bridal Hair: http://www.lisasimms.co.uk/

Band: http://www.friendsofthebrideband.co.uk/

If you’ve enjoyed these photos, please feel free to write a comment below!

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Castlefield, Manchester Pre-Wedding Photoshoot ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · May 8, 2016 · 1 comment

Helly & Andy’s Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

Back at the start of 2015 I ran a competition to win my services for the day; the lucky winners were the lovely Helly and Andy, a pair whose wedding plans sounded so outrageously cool that it had to be them who won. And because their venue isn’t quite finished yet, we decided on this spot around Manchester to squeeze in a pre-wedding photoshoot, regardless of rain or shine.

The metal, brick and industrial feel of this place stands in total contrast to the rural, rustic feel of their wedding venue; the similarity is that it is just as secluded which meant that Helly & Andy could relax in front of my camera, receive some beautiful photographs, see what works for them and see how I work first-hand, just some of the reasons why I offer a pre-wedding photoshoot.

The photos run in time order and you can see how Helly & Andy became more at ease – they were strongly encouraged to mess about and we had a lot of laughs and fun!

Please see their wedding day photography here

Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below!

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Manchester Town Hall and Midland Hotel, Pre-Wedding Photoshoot ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · April 25, 2016 · 3 comments

Anwen & Adam’s Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

Anwen & Adam met with me in Manchester city centre for their pre-wedding photoshoot to get a flavour of how I work on a portrait session and to build a bit of photo confidence ahead of their Manchester Town Hall wedding next month. We chose a secluded spot in the Town Hall which meant we could run through posing at their own speed before we planned out how their portrait session would work on the day. We then headed on to The Midland Hotel which will be the second venue of their wedding day, getting to know the building and adding a few more unexpectedly beautiful and dramatic locations for portraiture. Seeing this lovely couple become comfortable enough to choose poses themselves was a wonderful thing to see and allowed me to shoot unobtrusively and keep the photography fun, relaxed and natural.

You can see Anwen & Adam’s wedding day photographs here.

Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below!

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The best wedding photography of 2015 ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · December 30, 2015 · 1 comment

Dan Barlow Photography’s 2015 wedding photography round-up

2015 been a hugely successful year for me in terms of the photography work I’ve been able to produce and I’d like to thank everyone who I’ve worked with for making it possible and for letting me be a part of your wedding day. This job has taken me all over the country to photograph some incredible weddings which has lead to meeting more than my fair share of awesome people.

Choosing ‘the best’ of my photography from 2015 for this gallery has been quite tricky; you’d think it was a case of ‘I like that, I’ll put it in’ but choosing ‘the best’ means reflecting on why it should go in and it seems there are many reasons, often very subjective, as to why a photo has been included. I started writing out some explanations but this was needlessly boring so just scroll down and enjoy the photos from some of 2015’s weddings (and please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom!)

More of my wedding photography can be found on my blog page or if you would like to get in touch, please follow this link for more details.

Thank you everyone and Happy New Year!

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Great John Street Hotel Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · December 3, 2015 · 1 comment

Sarah & Nick

The lovely Sarah & Nick’s set is a little different as it’s all in black & white – for no reason other than the way black and white compliments a beautiful bride in an elegant dress, a handsome chap in a sharp suit and a monumentally stylish venue such as Great John Street Hotel, Manchester.

After their pre-wedding photoshoot Sarah & Nick knew exactly what they wanted from their portraits. What we didn’t anticipate was how accommodating the staff were on the Coronation Street tour, allowing us in for a few photos outside the Rovers Return, huge thanks go out to them for allowing us to make some unforgettable (and soon unrepeatable) photographs there.

With such a big day, there is always too much to mention so I’ll let the pictures do the talking…

Congratulations Sarah & Nick!

Bolholt Country Park Hotel Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · September 30, 2015 · leave a comment

Leona & Michael

This summer has been a busy one and I’ve been a part of many beautiful moments on different couple’s wedding days; you also meet a lot of cool people and Leona and Michael’s friendly, welcoming family fall neatly into this category. I was warmly welcomed by Leona and the girls who were making an early start at Rios hair and beauty salon where I could start with some natural portraits of their preparations before the ceremony at St James’s church in Oldham. Getting so many bridesmaids ready is no easy task and the staff managed to do the stunning job you see here amidst all of the laughs, emotional moments and bubbly on the go. After the ceremony, there was a dash over to Bolholt Country Park hotel in Bury with awesome videographer Paul Bamforth for the reception where we were serenaded with the singing talents of Steve Cole – I’ve not met many people who can get a room of over a hundred people all stood up, holding hands, singing ‘That’s Amore’ before they’ve brought out the first course! The evening portrait session gave us the softest light and led to the photos you see here.

Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day and for making me feel like one of the family.

Congratulations Leona & Michael!

Ye Olde Bell, Barnaby Moor, Nottinghamshire Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · September 24, 2015 · leave a comment

Ashley & Brent

Before this wedding party, Ashley and Brent had just got married for the second time in the UK having married a week earlier in Thailand – this meant Ashley got to look fabulous in her amazing dress a second time round!

Encountering two heavy rainstorms on the drive over to the Ye Olde Bell at Barnaby Moor from Manchester, I had no idea what to expect weather-wise or how it would affect the time we had planned for outdoor photographs; I knew I was geared up for shooting in the rain but I’ve not met many wedding parties who are as enthusiastic about it as I am! Luckily, the clouds and puddles did nothing to dampen any spirits and during the group photos we had lots of laughs and fooling about, I don’t normally include group photos in blog posts but these ended up being yet another spontaneously enjoyable part of the day and a great introduction to Ashley and Brent’s family and friends.

A video had been prepared so guests could see the ceremony in Thailand, it also meant that those lucky enough to have been there could relive what must have been an absolutely unforgettable experience culminating in Ashley & Brent’s wedding day. The video gave way to the first dance with a soundtrack provided by mighty 15 piece soul band The Soul Jam. They followed this performance with a formidable set of Soul classics, their big, live band sound filling the dancefloor (and hotel) all evening – Ashley even stepped in as a backing singer after a quick dress change! I never intended to stay so late but my exit at 11:30 might give you an idea how much I enjoyed this superb wedding party – thank you for having me as your wedding (party) photographer.

Congratulations Ashley & Brent!

Broadoaks Hotel, Lake District Wedding Photography ~ Dan Barlow

by danbarlow · September 13, 2015 · 1 comment

Amanda & Simon

Amanda and Simon chose a great way to get prepared for their wedding day at Broadoaks Country House Hotel – by having a mini holiday, surrounded friends and family in the North-West’s beautiful Lake District. At the end of this holiday came the special day retold in photographs below…

After a relaxed round of bridal preparations at Amanda’s holiday house, we moved onto Broadoaks where she could get into her amazing dress; look out for Simon, Dad and the guest’s expressions as Amanda walked down the aisle – I love them and think these say it all about how she looked!

The rain which had interrupted the group photos earlier had given way to some evening sunshine which gave us the opportunity to head out for bridal portraits, beginning the session on the hotel’s helipad/lawn (when we saw the sign, we thought it might be a joke but you really can land a helicopter here!) before taking a stroll around the gardens. When we met in May for the pre-wedding shoot, I felt Amanda and Simon had found what worked well for them when it came to portraits and it seemed to me that they picked up where they left off to make these beautiful portraits.

After the wedding, I was so happy to be called ‘The 5th bridesmaid’ by Amanda; she wasn’t sure which way it’d go down but I love it and reminds me of how involved I was in such a special day!

Congratulations Amanda & Simon!