Highlights from Vicki & Colin’s Spring wedding in this gorgeous Lancashire village

A Slaidburn Village Hall Wedding

I love photographing Lancashire weddings, and you don’t get any more Lancashire than the village of Slaidburn - a small village set deep in the heart of the Ribble Valley. Clitheroe and Waddington are both nearby, making this venue a perfect choice for your rustic or marquee wedding. So, when Vicki & Colin contacted me to photograph their Slaidburn Village Hall wedding, I jumped at the chance. This rustic wedding had everything going for it. The couple’s plan for their wedding was to be married at St Andrew’s Church on the main street, then walk a few minutes behind the wedding guests, down the Main Street to Slaidburn Village Hall for the marquee drinks reception and ‘proper sit down do’ afterwards. What a brilliant plan! Slaidburn Village Hall is a modern, purpose-built venue and provides a fine location for a wide range of events for the local community and for public, private and corporate functions and also licensed for weddings.

Slaidburn Village Hall describes itself as:

“This purpose built village hall is perfect for weddings and other events, including live music, film nights and charity functions”.

Hark To Bounty Inn, Slaidburn

This was to be my first time as a Slaidburn Village Hall wedding photographer, and was also proving a real nostalgia rush too. Many moons ago I remember coming here on a school trip, to the village itself and Stocks Reservoir. I also remember borrowing my mum’s ‘Instamatic’ camera, and having a twelve-exposure film in it. I was ten years old at the time, and the only school kid with a camera on the trip. I must have had my calling then and never realised it! I remember that school trip too, for having lunch (well butties!) outside the Hark To Bounty Inn, listening to our teacher Mr Bellamy, telling us the story of how the pub was named, while we all sat on the floor drawing the exterior and signage. Never would I imagined I would be back there one day, photographing the Inn for real as Vicki & Colin’s Slaidburn Village Hall wedding photographer! I still have those old black and white photos too in a box somewhere!

Village wedding in the Ribble Valley

Vicki was getting ready a few miles away at her parents’ house in Blackburn. But we had arranged a brilliant schedule to allow me to photograph her preparations, and still get over to Slaidburn to meet Colin and the groomsmen in the Hark To Bounty Inn for the next chapter in this Slaidburn Village Hall wedding. Vicki’s dress was supplied by Amelia’s Bridal, and the flowers for her and the girls came from Le Rainflorist in Blackburn. On Hair & Makeup duties was the talented Joanne from Hidden Beauty. This village wedding in the Ribble Valley was organised with clockwork precision!

St Andrews Church Slaidburn

St Andrews Church in Slaidburn is at the top of the main street from Slaidburn Village Hall, around a 300m walk. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bowland, the archdeaconry of Craven, and the Diocese of Leeds. Its benefice is united with that of St George, Dunsop Bridge. Colin and the groomsmen left the Inn in good time, and walked up the street to church. I walked up with them, photographing some natural documentary style images en route. Nothing posed here! Soon, the bridesmaids arrived at church in a stunning VW Campervan, owned by Neil at Coach House Limousines. Always good to see Neil on a wedding! Vicki arrived for her Slaidburn Village Hall wedding from the other direction in a stunning classic Daimler from McGowans Classic Car Hire.

Ribble Valley Wedding Photos

This was the really brilliant part to Vicki & Colin’s Slaidburn Village Hall wedding. As the guests left church, we photographed a few family group photos. Then, after throwing confetti onto the newly weds, the guests walked down to Slaidburn Village Hall. We followed a few minutes’ behind, ambling down Church Street photographing some lovely, relaxed and mostly unposed wedding photos. In twenty minutes or so, we had a great collection of Ribble Valley wedding photos in this charming Lancashire village. One of favourite-ever wedding photos is the one of Vicki & Colin at the top of this blog. I just love the natural feel and the love in the image. Do you agree? Ribble Valley wedding photos are always unique and the area is among a lot of wedding photographers favourite locations. We spent around twenty minutes photographing Slaidburn Village Hall wedding photos, stopping here and there for a natural portrait or two (and a new background!). We arrived at Slaidburn Village Hall to be greeted with rapturous applause and cheers (them, not me!), and we spent an hour or so having a relaxed drinks reception, complete with marquee and hay bales before going in for speeches and the wedding breakfast.

Weddings at Slaidburn Village Hall

I’m sure there are many weddings throughout the year at Slaidburn Village Hall, but I felt really priviliged to be invited to this one. Happy childhood memories of that school trip, mixed with the emotions of what was in front of the Nikons, was a perfect working environment. The wedding speeches were funny, poignant, emotional and pure ‘Lancashire’ at times. The wedding guests laughed and cried as each took their turn to grab the mic and address the wedding guests in the beautifully laid out hall. Soon it was going to be dark and the atmosphere was gearing up for some serious partying. With a live band, the dance floor was packed instantly after Vicki & Colin’s first dance, and this final chapter in their Slaidburn Village Hall wedding photography was complete.

Here’s some of my favourite photos from the day…