Finally reached the last wedding of 2021 and a fitting end too with a fabulous winter wedding Thornton Manor
2021 has been crazy for wedding professionals and this festive wedding at Thornton Manor was the perfect end to an epic year.
Sam just loves Christmas so her planned summer wedding to Laurence last year, now at Christmas time worked out really well.
Bridal Preps Thornton Manor Wedding
Love bridal preps and getting to know the girls, such a relaxed time before the ceremony as they are being made up and having fun.
Sam and her maids were even enjoying some cool tunes and we even had some twerking going on!
Meanwhile, the guys were having a toddy before the ceremony.
Sam’s dress came from Cherish the Bride and was originally planned for a summer wedding – we all know how covid changed so plans for many brides.
Now it was a winter festive wedding at Thornton Manor. Sam’s backless dress was stunning and no way wanted to change it.
Sam’s idea of adding a furlined hooded cape was genius – and the talented ladies at the sewing room in West Kirby put the ideas into action.
Sam looked just like a snow queen in her fur hooded cape!
Wedding Ceremony Thornton Manor
time came at last for girls to make their way down from the preps to enter for the wedding ceremony.
Father and daughter stopped at bottom of the stairs – how happy and radiant is Sam!
The bridal party made their stunning entrance from outside of the dining room, walking in so guests could see them face on, as vocalists sang them in.
This is such a lovely unusual touch and between the two of us at Pixsmiths were able to capture a range of shots – wide and close up.
Laurence was overwhelmed and there were gasps of awe from the guests. Such an emotional entrance
Sam’s maid of honour removed her fur hooded bridal cape to reveal her gorgeous dress and a beautiful ceremony followed.
Guests lined up to cheer them as the bride and groom exited before having the group photos.
Bride and groom portraits were quickly captured in the lime avenue before retreating to the warmth and cosiness of the Manor house to mingle with guests.
Flowers from Flourish Flowers matched colours of the bridesmaids dresses perfectly
adorning their fur capes too
Festive Wedding Reception Thornton Manor
The wedding breakfast at Thornton Manor takes place in the grand music room. A fabulous setting but even more so when decorated for Christmas.
Guests made their way to their seats, awaiting the bride and groom entrance – to the tune of Z cars, especially for Laurence as an Everton fan.
Speeches were made and gifts were presented before the meal. Sam had a special napkin to protect her dress too – a great idea if prone to dripping food down oneself.
Our time had sadly come to an end we said our goodbyes and left them to enjoy their meal and the rest of the day’s festivities.
Sam and Laurence thank you for asking us to capture your wedding memories. We wish you every blessing in the years ahead with your beautiful family and new addition in 2022!
Jennie and Toby’s Rustic wedding Thornton Manor Waterside
A church wedding and reception at the idyllic Thornton Manor Waterside Pavilion were the chosen locations for Jennie and Toby’s wedding The smaller of the lake settings at Thornton Manor but lovely grounds with the bridges and lake views A tinder match made in heaven for Toby and Jennie ..their 3 year anniversary marked was their wedding day.
Bridal Preps
So many pretty details! Dessy bridesmaids dresses in pretty different coloured pastels, Jennie’s own dress was  a gorgeous bridal gown from Bellissima Brimstage Brides and check out those divine Valentino shoes. Pretty blossoms in white and green from Victoria Blossom where a perfect match for the day, fresh and summery The girls had fun being pampered
Neston Church Ceremony
The ceremony took place at St Mary’s and St Helens parish church Neston, a beautiful historic church with exhibits from the Viking age inside A few nervous looks from Toby and great to see his Best men supporting him  and giving reassurance Of course Jennie being devoted to her pooch Oliver had a poem read out especially about how to love her favoured 4 legged friend …and Oliver did make an appearance later on in the day, unsurprisingly. The threatened thunderstorms did not appear, a little rain in the morning freshened things up after the heat of the previous day and did not reappear til late in the evening. Perfect weather for all as they came out to a confetti tunnel – the mini canons totally surprising them! That look on Toby’s face!
Reception Waterside Pavilion
The reception took place at the idyllic Waterside Pavilion beautifully set out in trestle table format, suited to the BBQ meal. Barratt’s the caterers did a great job cooking minted lamb, BBQ chicken, vegetable skewers, prawn and salmon skewers as well as steak. Salads and Couscous with pepper, potatoes and coleslaw provided the perfect accompaniments  Pink Sherbet stationery excelled as usual with her luxury designed stationery from her Sophia range. Check Cheryl’s blog post for all the details. The invites and order of service all coordinated with the table plan, table names and place names. The tables were all named after bars with significant meanings – eg. Sydney Opera Bar for the proposal location during the Australian adventures.  The speeches were regaled with those early tinder messages and much laughter with surprise images of Toby from his modelling days! A wonderful day spent with such hospital staff, friends and family. The evening got underway with he cake cut and reveal in to the first dance amidst lots of smoke effects and then musical entertainment from the band The Daddioes. Jennie and Toby we loved your day, so relaxed hope you enjoy your blog post and we wish you much love and happiness
Emily and Peter’s Sunshine Wedding at Thornton Manor
So delighted that Peter and Emily asked Pixsmiths to be their Thornton Manor wedding photographer.
This historic venue is one of our most local venues and we love coming here its such a gorgeous place, in the Cheshire countryside.
Always well organised and staff are brilliant The grounds and rooms are just stunning and a perfect wedding venue –Â stunning grounds and lavish rooms inside.
Exactly why Emily and Peter chose this historic venue for their Thornton Manor Wedding.
Thornton Manor Photography Bridal Preps
Bridal make-up and hair preps were in the spacious Gatehouse and then Emily got dressed in an even more spacious room in the main house.
Very impressed with how the team organised the transfer of belongings over. Â Emily was super organised from early on with makeup already done when we arrived some hours before the ceremony.
Peter had Emily all emotional with the message on his card to her and had arranged for her Nan’s chain (which she wore every day prior to her passing) to be placed in her bouquet.
A thoughtful way to remember her Nan and Emily’s mum also got teary seeing it too. Emily wore flowers in her hair to match the lilac of the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Lovely detail in the top beading detail of their dresses which matched that of Emily’s gorgeous dress. Little Oliver, Emily’s nephew almost stole the show though, so cute!
We always enjoy plenty of time relaxing with the girls and get some venue shots. Seeing as the girls were getting ready on site it was easy to capture the groomsmen’s arrival too.
The groomsmen added to the colour of the day by wearing a variety of colourful socks.
Thornton Manor Wedding Ceremony
The dining room at Thornton Manor (through the Grand Hall) was packed with family and friends for the ceremony – lovely to see the bridesmaids escorted down the aisle before Emily made her stunning appearance with her proud dad. She looked radiant all day! Â Celebratory drinks and out for confetti mingling and photos before the wedding breakfast.
The Lime Avenue was looking stunning in the sunshine
Thornton Manor Wedding Reception Photography
The music room always looks fabulous and today was no exception, truly a grand setting for a memorable meal. Â We loved the expression of joy on Emily’s face when she was shown the room.
Lots of cheers and hand waving as Peter and Emily were announced in as the new Mr and Mrs. Â Good food and entertaining speeches followed, the best man had everyone laughing.
Time for a stroll after the meal to get some fresh air and some softer light portraits -in the beautiful flower-decked sunken garden area
Extra portraits are a bonus when we are booked for a full day package, making the most of your photo opportunities and spreading it over the day.
Soon time for the evening dancing and party with the casino going down a treat, certainly provided for a  lively atmosphere!
It was great to work with Stuart Appleyard of Appleyard Productions too, we worked together really well, all of us liking the natural unobtrusive approach
The sun shone all day and everyone had a great time.
Thank you Peter and Emily that we could capture and share in your day at Thornton Manor and we wish you much continued happiness
love Sandy & Dave x
Venue: Thornton Manor
Catering and Events Management: Chapman Holmes
Photography: Pixsmiths Creative Photography
Videography: Appleyard Productions
Entertainment Dave Bladen
Cake: Terry Tang
Florist: Passion for Flowers – lilac/ivory
Blackjack tables: Fun Casinos
We love a challenge so we were delighted to have the privilege of documenting Sanaya and Satal’s fusion  Asian wedding at Thornton Manor.
Bridal preps at home first – Â again how to take a shot of a Sari, a bit different from a dress hanging up!
The Groom arrives with his family and then is greeted by Sanya’s mum to welcome him.
A fusion of Sikh and Zoroastrian involved special blessing ceremonies as bride and groom are greeted by their husband’s to be family members.
Rose petals, rice, and coconuts were all part of the ceremony during the payers read by Satal’s aunt and the priest.
A new challenge for the ceremony as the priest faces the couple who are facing the congregation.
A unique seating plan – creatively made by Satal’s mother using wood from fruit trees from her garden.
It made a beautiful statement hanging from the large tree on the lakeside near the marquee at Thornton Manor.
Beautiful cake by Suzanne Harvey complimented Sanaya’s champagne sparkly Sari. In Suzanne’s words: ” gorgeous chocolate orange, lemon and carrot cake
were created especially for Sanaya and Satal’s Sikh and Zoroastrian fusion wedding at Thornton Manor, Lakeside Marquee.
Decorated with subtle frills, antique gold lustre and an abundance of edible sequins with 22-carat gold leaf, this cake was perfectly coordinated with the look of Sanaya and Satal’s day!”
No slow first dance, our couple wished for an impact when the curtain was raised for the evening party to begin and we certainly got that!
The drummers enticed the partygoers to the dance floor. Â Honestly, I don’t think they needed much enticement – the floor was always packed!
Sanaya and Satal’s first dance came much later! Wonderful to see the older generation of the families being included on the dance floor too – just as in the pre-wedding party.
Hope you enjoy these images as much as we enjoyed the day!
Natalie and Brian met through their mutual love of horses. Â Brian was in the mounted police – he was the one to lead the Grand National horses out. Â He now trains difficult horses.
Natalie has a horse called Leo she is very attached to – it was fantastic for her to have him there at Thornton Manor for some special pictures,
Huge thanks to Leo’s carers for bringing him along, it helped make Natalie’s day perfect.
Firstly bridal preparations at Natalie’s parental home with MUA Beverley Crawford in attendance, the girls all had a great time getting ready, all looking very on trend in their blue patterned dressing robes before getting onto their pastel coloured dresses. Gorgeous flowers arriving from Carol Anne’s florist, another highlight. We loved the little gift of words of wisdom from Natalie’s bridesmaid – each writing  a thoughtful tip for married life
A little delay with the cars for the groomsmen but in itself a blessing as the men then missed a bit of a shower before their shots – silver lining and and all that!
Next a ceremony at St Paul’s church in Hooton – Â a stunning church designed in the style of Lombardy architecture, with its coloured layers …akin to a wedding cake!
The minister was so accommodating to everyone , even the photographers!..really hope to be back at this church!
Natalie won’t mind me saying this but her eyesight is problematic, she has and is undergoing surgery ..so it was very touching of Brian to say that he wouldn’t watch Natalie walk down the aisle but would wait til she was right alongside side him so she could see his reaction, this just about sums up the loving caring relationship of this couple, so tender and true.
Natalie’s mum had recently been very poorly so it was wonderful that she could be there for her daughter’s wedding – a huge blessing and relief for Natalie and Brain
Thornton Manor is always a grand special place for a wedding  – the beautiful cars from Malvern Wedding Cars graced the courtyard entrance and made for a special picture with the bridal party.
The room was dressed fantastically by Carol Anne also, the touches of flowers in the chairs were gorgeous. Wonderful food and also ice-cream made for an enjoyably memorable wedding breakfast.
The evening entertainment went down well with the band Mid Life Crisis who sang a fab personalised song for Natalie and Brian – went down a storm!
We wish them so much happiness and health for the future and hope you enjoy a few of the many images from their wedding day memories.
Images can be purchased from our on-line gallery – just ask!
If you are planning a Thornton Manor wedding, whether it be in the main house or one of the waterside marquees we’d love to hear from you so please get in touch fora quote and to see more examples like this summer Waterside Pavilion wedding.