You know those days where you think the rain is never going to stop? Well this was one of those!

Steven & Natalie were married in August 2016 at The Fisherman's Retreat, an absolutely stunning North West wedding venue in Ramsbottom. The ceremony and wedding breakfast were held in the stunning Valley Suite with views looking out over the surrounding hills and countryside and the wedding reception downstairs in the Nuttall Room.

I arrived at the Natalie's parents house early for the preparation of the bride, Natalie and the bridesmaids and flowergirls. It was lovely to bump into Debra from Ruby Red Lips who was doing make-up for all the ladies and always does such a fantastic job. The atmosphere was relaxed, with the exception of frequent visits to various weather websites to see if the the persistent and fairly heavy rain was going to relent at any point during the day...it didn't look like it was going to happen! Nevertheless, this wasn't going to dampen the spirits of Natalie and the wedding party who had nothing but smiles on their faces all morning.

I moved on to the Fisherman's Retreat to meet up with Steven and his groomsmen who were all smiles and looking rather dapper. As everyone made their way into the beautifully decorated Valley Suite the bride was arriving in style and an amazing Roll's Royce Phantom from Limo Scene

The most beautiful service was followed by some time to mingle, some heartfelt speeches from the father of the bride groom, and the best man and the wedding breakfast. This time between the service and wedding breakfast we would normally use for group shots and bride and groom portraits but as that pesky rain was not relenting we decided to wait until a little later in the day when we was hopeful for a break in the clouds. 

As forecast (thank you BBC Weather) the rain relented around 6pm and we had the opportunity to get outside for some quick formal family shots and a walk around the grounds surrounding the venue for some lovely bride and groom portraits. As the day turned into evening, as often happens after poor weather, the sun started to burn through the clouds and we were treated to a stunning sunset which we had to capture.

The evening reception felt like it was going to turn into such a party but following the beautiful first dance, my job was done and I left the happy couple, their family and friends to celebrate.

Steven and Natalie were such a pleasure to spend the day with and I'm sure they will have a long and happy marriage. Thank you for the pleasure of being involved in your wedding, the sunset and first dance images we capture are amongst my favourites of 2016.

Please feel free to comment below and if you could take a moment to share the page it would be greatly appreciated. CD

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Videography provided by Ian Newton, and here is a link to the highlights

Fishermans Retreat Wedding Photography