Cockliffe House wedding photographer

Wedding Photography at Cockliffe House

As a recommended supplier at Cockliffe House Hotel, and with the venue being a stone’s throw away from me, I enjoy returning each year to photograph weddings at Cockliffe Country House Hotel. It is a great venue for your relaxed laid back wedding vibes and it is a fantastic venue for photographs.

About Cockliffe House hotel

Tucked away behind Burnt Stump country park, a lovely woodland where I often walk my dog, Cockliffe House is an old hunting lodge built in 1678 exactly 300 years before I was born! It is steeped in history, with guests to the hunting lodge including King Edwards VIII and Winston Churchill.

In recent years it has been renovated into a beautiful wedding venue, with a wonderful large light and airy space for indoor ceremonies and receptions and peaceful outdoor grounds that can be yours all day. The venue has an intimate feel to it, and is the perfect spot to host a wedding.

Reasons to love Cockliffe Country House for your wedding

Its large and impressive wedding ceremony room, with a long aisle to walk down and large French windows at the end of the aisle providing the perfect light for a photographer to wield their camera during your nuptials.
The designated bedrooms for bride and groom preparations. Being able to get ready on site makes for a nice relaxed start to the day. The rooms are great for portraits, with lovely window light.
The courtyard in between the bar and reception room is great for some relaxed chill time before and after your wedding breakfast.
The huge garden, which is ideal for garden games, ice cream van, and some lovely portraits.

Bride and groom stand holding hands at the top of the aisle at Cockliffe Country House wedding venue

Bride looks out of the window at Cockliffe Country House

Planning your wedding at Cockliffe Country House Hotel

The great thing about booking a country house wedding venue such as Cockliffe House is that the staff and team are so experienced with hosting weddings that they will guide you through your wedding planning journey to ensure you have everything in hand before your big day.

Once you have had a good look around the venue, and secured the date for your wedding, the next step is finding the right photographer for you. It is important to pick a photographer whose work you connect with. And one with enough experience to be able to handle the pressures of a wedding day. I have set out a handy guide about your Nottingham wedding photography, which you can read here.

Real weddings at Cockliffe House – Jemma & Lewis

I absolutely loved Jemma and Lewis’ wedding photography at Cockliffe House. When I asked for three words from Jemma to describe her wedding she said Boozy Emotional Fun. And it was every one of those things! From the moment Jemma walked down the aisle there were tears. And even the photographer couldn’t help but shed a tear watching them dance outside at the end of the day. It was very overwhelming just seeing everyone together enjoying themselves after the 18 months we have had! I couldn’t help but feel swept up in the emotions of the day. It was such a beautiful moment.

It seemed like a lifetime ago I photographed the couple for their engagement shoot right at the start of the pandemic. So it was lovely to finally photograph the wedding day. You can see their engagement photos here.

That bridesmaids speech

Jemma’s best friend and bridesmaid Lottie brought the house down during speeches as she burst into song with a version of Islands in the Stream as you have never heard it before. She had changed all the lyrics to make it personal to Jemma and Lewis and even had the guests all joining in with the chorus. Hearing all the guests singing together was also quite something. Such a mix of emotions. Tears and laughter all at once. It really threw the best man who struggled to follow such a performance! I don’t blame him. I’d be cursing that bridesmaid too if I had to follow her!

Here we go. Sing it in your best Dolly Parton voice: “Can’t believe we’re here / On your wedding day / You have come so far / What else can we say? / Wish you all the best / For eternity / But we’ll be here for you always. Ah-ha / Can’t get rid of us that easy. Ah-ha”

Corona and Smoke Bombs

I ventured into the world of smoke bombs with Jemma and Lewis and let’s just say it was an interesting learning curve! I had heard many things about working with them at weddings. They can either be really successful or a complete disaster. I managed to get some great photos in the smoke. But let’s just say, be careful how you open the damn things! Ha. Another cool idea Jemma and Lewis had was to photograph themselves with two fingers up and bottles of Corona! An up yours to the Corona virus. I liked this idea. The whole wedding definitely felt a bit “Screw you Corona!” and it was flipping fantastic. And Cockliffe House, was the prefect Nottingham wedding venue for it all. Here are a few photos…