Nunsmere Hall Wedding Photographer

Hello, I’m Dave, a relaxed, documentary wedding photographer based in West Yorkshire. I love photographing weddings as they happen: the hugs, the laughter, the little moments in between, with a few relaxed portraits along the way. Looking for a wedding photographer for Nunsmere Hall? Check my date and I’ll come straight back to you.

Nunsmere Hall is an Edwardian country house hotel near Northwich in Cheshire, close to Delamere Forest and set beside a 60-acre private lake. It has the grand staircase, wood panelling and tall windows of a proper country home, with gardens and woodland right outside the door. I photographed Naomi and David’s early autumn wedding there, and it’s a lovely place to spend a wedding day with a camera.

Aerial group picture of all the wedding guests in front of Nunsmere Hall, Cheshire

Nunsmere Hall at a Glance

  • Where: Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 2ES
  • Setting: Edwardian country house built around 1900, beside a 60-acre private lake near Delamere Forest
  • Guest numbers: Weddings from 10 to 400 guests
  • Indoor ceremonies: The Crystal Suite, up to 120 theatre style, and The Brocklebank, up to 100
  • Outdoor ceremonies: The Italian Sunken Gardens, up to 350 seated guests
  • Wedding breakfast: The Crystal Suite seats up to 80; the Lakeside Marquee takes up to 400
  • Exclusivity: One wedding a day, so the hall and grounds are yours
  • Bedrooms: 36 en-suite bedrooms, around 70 or more overnight guests
  • Showrounds: Around an hour, seven days a week

Photographing a Wedding at Nunsmere Hall

Here’s how the day ran at Naomi and David’s wedding, from the first cup of tea in the bridal suite to the last picture outside under the lights, and the places around the hall where the pictures worked best. If you’re getting married here, I hope it gives you a feel for how your own day might flow.

At Naomi and David’s wedding the bridal party got ready in the hall itself, and the bedrooms have big windows that fill the room with soft light, which is exactly what you want for make-up, dresses and those last few details. David got ready elsewhere and arrived with his groomsmen at eleven, and the tree-lined drive up to the hall made a lovely spot for a picture of the boys walking in together.

Naomi laughing by the window with her red and orange autumn bouquet
David and his groomsmen walking up the tree-lined drive at Nunsmere Hall in Cheshire

Their ceremony was held indoors in a light, elegant room with chandeliers and tall windows. There’s room to move quietly down the sides without getting in anyone’s way, and the light from the windows is soft and flattering, so I could photograph the vows without any flash. Straight afterwards, the wood-panelled hallway and lounge filled up with hugs and congratulations, and the warm tones of the panelling make those candid pictures glow.

The ceremony room at Nunsmere Hall with chandeliers, guests and autumn leaves
Black and white picture of Naomi and David laughing together by a tall window

For family groups, the tall windows inside worked well, and for the big group picture we took everyone outside to the front of the hall and photographed it from above, so the red-brick house and the gardens are in the picture with all your guests. Then there’s the grand staircase. If you’re wearing a long dress, it’s one of the best spots in the building: the train spills down the steps and it works just as well in black and white as in colour.

Naomi's dress trailing down the staircase at Nunsmere Hall as David leans in

For couple portraits, you don’t have to go far. We started in the gardens, using flowers and an old stone urn in the foreground, then followed a woodland path close to the hall that was already scattered with autumn leaves. The trees keep the light soft even in the middle of the day, and the paths give you a sense of the forest without a long walk in your wedding shoes. We finished at the ivy-covered stone porch at the front of the hall, which is a classic picture of the house. Portraits usually take 20 to 30 minutes, and I like to split them into two short walks so you’re not away from your guests for long.

Naomi and David seen past flowers and a stone urn in the gardens at Nunsmere Hall
Naomi and David on a woodland path scattered with autumn leaves at Nunsmere Hall
Naomi and David smiling at each other among the trees at Nunsmere Hall, Cheshire
Naomi and David by the ivy-covered stone porch at Nunsmere Hall

If it rains, there’s still plenty to work with inside: the staircase, the panelled hallway and those big windows. In the evening, Naomi and David had their first dance under a starlit ceiling on a black and white dance floor, with their band behind them. Later on we slipped out for a few minutes to the front of the hall, where the lit windows made a lovely night-time portrait.

Naomi and David's first dance on the black and white dance floor with the band behind
Naomi and David at night in front of the lit-up hall at Nunsmere Hall

A Short History of Nunsmere Hall

Nunsmere Hall was built around 1900 as the private home of Sir Aubrey Brocklebank, chairman of the Brocklebank Line shipping company, and his wife, Lady Grace. The venue describes it as a place of parties and gracious living in Edwardian society. After his shipping business merged with Cunard, Sir Aubrey went on to work on the design of the RMS Queen Mary. Today the hall is a boutique country house hotel, and one of its wedding rooms, The Brocklebank, still carries the family name.

Location of Nunsmere Hall

Nunsmere Hall Hotel, Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 2ES. The hall sits in rural Cheshire close to Delamere Forest, with Northwich and Tarporley the nearest towns.

With 36 bedrooms in the hall, many of your guests can stay the night and wake up to breakfast together the next morning, and with Delamere Forest so close by, there’s a lovely walk on the doorstep for anyone who wants to clear their head after the party. I’m happy to travel over from West Yorkshire, and for a Cheshire wedding I plan my route and timings well in advance so I’m there in plenty of time.

Real Weddings at Nunsmere Hall

Naomi & David – Nunsmere Hall Wedding

An early autumn wedding with harvest colours, white boots under the dress and portraits on the woodland paths. Read Naomi and David’s story.

View The Wedding Blog
Naomi and David smiling together just after their ceremony at Nunsmere Hall

Why Choose Nunsmere Hall?

The first reason is the house itself. Nunsmere Hall feels like a real country home rather than a function room, with a staircase, panelling and windows that make lovely pictures on any day of the year. The second is what’s outside. Gardens, woodland and a 60-acre lake mean you can have properly outdoorsy portraits without leaving the grounds, which is exactly why Naomi and David chose it.

It also suits a wide range of weddings. With spaces from an intimate suite to a lakeside marquee for 400, one wedding a day and 36 bedrooms for your guests, it works as well for a small family wedding as for a big party. Naomi and David’s wedding had just under sixty guests in the day and nearly ninety in the evening, and it never felt too big or too small.

A guest smiling during the speeches beside the wedding cake and autumn flowers

Nunsmere Hall Wedding Questions

The venue hosts weddings from 10 to 400 guests. The Crystal Suite takes up to 120 theatre style or 80 for dining, The Brocklebank takes up to 100, and the Lakeside Marquee takes up to 400.

Yes. The venue offers outdoor ceremonies in the Italian Sunken Gardens, with seating for up to 350 guests. Naomi and David kept an outdoor ceremony as an option and married indoors in the end, so do ask the venue how and when the wet-weather decision is made.

The venue says yours is the only wedding it holds on your chosen date, so you won’t be sharing the hall or the grounds with another couple.

Yes. There are 36 individually designed en-suite bedrooms, which the venue says sleep around 70 or more guests based on double occupancy.

Inside, the grand staircase and the wood-panelled hallway are lovely. Outside, the gardens, the woodland paths close to the hall and the ivy-covered porch at the front all work beautifully, and the front of the hall comes into its own after dark.

The hall has plenty to work with indoors: the staircase, the panelled hallway and rooms with tall windows that let in lots of soft light. If there’s a dry spell, we can nip out to the porch or the gardens for a few minutes.

Usually 20 to 30 minutes, often split into two short walks so you get plenty of time with your guests. With the gardens and woodland so close to the hall, there’s very little walking in between.

Yes. The front of the hall with its windows lit up makes a lovely night-time picture. Twilight portraits take about fifteen minutes and come with my Signature and Complete packages.

Yes. I’m based in West Yorkshire and happily travel to Cheshire for weddings. Send me your date through the contact page and I’ll let you know if I’m free.

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