In years gone by, weddings I have photographed were a little more traditional, lots of beautiful church ceremonies, followed by a reception in a Beautiful hotel. Or a civil ceremony held in a Country House, followed by the reception in the gardens & grounds.
Some of the more unusual wedding venues I have photographed at, have been Chester Zoo, Chester Racecourse, various Castles, a Family garden, to name a few. The trend for more unconventional venues seems to show no signs of slowing. Particularly with the current trend of industrial & urban weddings, the sky (or warehouse roof) is the limit. I personally love photographing more unconventional or unique weddings.
What does the law say?
The Law requires a legally binding marriage to take place in:
* A religious wedding can take place at a church, chapel or other registered religious building.
* A register office any venue approved by the local council, eg a stately home or hotel, a religious premises
where permission has been given by the organisation and the premises approved by the local authority
So what is an approved Premises?
You can search for approved Premises for England & Wales on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-marriages-and-partnerships-approved-premises-list
For Approved ceremony venues in Cheshire West and Chester, you can view the list at the Government website:
This list includes, Ness Gardens, Oulton Park, several Golf Clubs, & cricket clubs. If however none of these take your fancy, remember you can hold your ceremony wherever you like, be it on a hillside, on the beach, in a forest, in a warehouse, skate park, or even in a hot air balloon, as long as you follow it up with a ceremony in a Register Office afterwards at some point to make it legally binding, you can celebrate your marriage with a Celebrant, or even a friend or relative prosiding over your ceremony. You will note that the couples on Don't Tell the Bride, who go for more unconventional ceremonies, held on roller coasters, or in a boxing ring for example, always follow up the wedding day with the legal ceremony in a Register Office.
You can find a list of Register offices at the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/register-offices
So whatever your idea, where you decide to get married, if you would like me to photograph your wedding day, please do get in touch. Contact Me.