Photographs from Norton Grange Hotel Wedding - October 2008

On 11th October this year I covered a church wedding in Failsworth which was followed by a reception at the Norton Grange Hotel in Rochdale, North Manchester.  However, this was no ordinary wedding for me as the bride was my sister, Karen!

I have covered a number of weddings now for close friends but this was the first time I had photographed a wedding for a member of the family.  In some ways knowing the bride and groom so well can actually make things harder from a photography point of view; it isn't as easy to blend in to the background and take natural shots when the majority of the wedding party know you and it can seem strange for the bride and groom to be posing for somebody they know so well.  However Karen and her new husband Gary were great and were more than happy to pose for me without falling in to a fit of giggles every time!!

It was a lovely wedding and everybody, including me, had an amazing day.  I even managed to have a few drinks myself once the speeches were over...!

Despite the fact Karen and Gary were reluctant to ask me to take their photographs because they wanted me to be able to relax and enjoy the day I'm really pleased I talked them round because I was really happy to be able to give them their photographs and album as a wedding present and I wouldn't have wanted anybody else to do it. 

Congratulations again Karen and Gary, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together. Neil

More photographs from Karen & Gary's wedding can be viewed on my new website - www.neilredfern.net

Photographs on Walkden Gardens website

Hidden away off the junction of Marsland Road and Derbyshire Road in Sale, the beautiful Walkden Gardens seems to be one of the area's best kept secrets.

Despite the fact the gardens are located in a residential area, not many people (even locals) seem to be aware of their existance. I live in Sale but hadn't heard of them until I was introduced by a couple whose wedding I was covering last year. The couple were getting married nearby and thought the gardens would make a lovely setting for their family group shots and photographs of the two of them together. They were right!

Assuming the weather is good (not always a given in Sale!) the gardens are perfect for bride and groom photographs as they are relatively private, have lots of different sections (good for variety) and, most of all, are extremely photogenic!!

Walkden Gardens has it's own website (www.walkdengardens.co.uk) which is maintained by "The Friends of Walkden Gardens", a voluntary group who help manage the gardens and ensure it's upkeep and long term future. After becoming a fan of the gardens (I've now since been back with another bride and groom) I recently got in to touch with them to offer my assistance should they require any photography for their website etc. They were very appreciative of my offer and I recently spent and evening in the gardens taking photographs for them.

These images are now online and you can view some of the photographs I took by clicking on the following link (my photographs appear at the bottom of the page): http://www.walkdengardens.co.uk/seat.html

Alternatively I have uploaded a few of my recent pics below.

For those reading this who live nearby I would certainly recommend visiting the gardens. If you do perhaps you could drop the Friends of Walkden Gardens a quick email (contact details on their website) to tell them how you heard about the gardens and to congratulate them on their hard work!