Lisa and Michael’s Hurlston Hall Summer Wedding
A laidback Lancashire wedding with a festival vibe by photographer Wes Simpson.
I was delighted and humbled when Lisa and Michael reached out and asked me to photograph their wedding. This would be my first time photographing weddings of three members of the same family.
I have fond memories of photographing Michael’s brother Paul’s wedding to his wife Louise at Briars Hall in Lancashire, and more recently his sister Jane and Tony’s beautiful wedding at Sandhole Oak Barn in Cheshire.
Originally, I was booked to photograph Lisa and Michael’s destination wedding in Ibiza. After a number of Covid postponements and travel restrictions, the couple decided to take charge of the situation.
They set about planning a Hurlston Hall summer wedding celebration with a party atmosphere. And they did not disappoint…
Summer Wedding at Hurlston Hall
It was a no-brainer to move their Ibiza wedding to Hurlson Hall (their UK reception venue). They had the stress-free experience they desired thanks to the help of Hurlston Hall wedding planners.
BBQ food, live music throughout the day, a legendary local DJ spinning the tunes, and an Oasis tribute act are just a few of the elements that made Lisa and Michael’s dream of a Hurlson Hall summer wedding celebration a reality.
There were lots of familiar faces at the wedding and at times, I felt more like a guest at a party than an “official photographer.” The day was refreshing, emotional and a lot of fun to photograph.
I’d even photographed Lisa’s makeup artist’s wedding – Lisa Norris some time ago, so it was lovely to catch up with her on the wedding morning.
Here is their Hurlson Hall summer wedding photography story…
The Couple
Hi, we are Lisa and Michael Walker from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and this is our stress-free, laidback, Hurlston Hall summer wedding photography story.
We met when Michael was a young boy and my mum was his babysitter. It feels like we have always known each other; it was a big leap to go from friends to ‘dating.’
A New York Proposal
Michael proposed at the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York… It should have been the most romantic moment ever! But in typical Lisa and Michael style, it wasn’t.
I’m scared of heights and it was the hottest and smallest one-way spiral staircase to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, so by the time we made it to the top, I just wanted to get down.
So when I turned around and Michael was on one knee, well, it was a shock for me and a little disappointing for him, because I was just trying to hurry him along the platform back down to ground level.
Ibiza Wedding Plans
Our original plan was a destination wedding in Ibiza, but due to COVID it wasn’t meant to be. We postponed, changed venues etc on four occasions in Ibiza before we realised if we wanted to get married this year it would have to be on home soil.
We had already postponed and planned more weddings than we wanted to, so it was now or never. The enjoyment was dwindling just pinning all hopes on every announcement and hoping the next one would be better news, but it wasn’t.
So we decided to take charge. Ibiza was cancelled and we started planning for a Hurlston Hall summer wedding celebration in Lancashire.
Stress-free Hurlston Hall Summer Wedding
Our Hurlston Hall summer wedding was on the 25th of June, originally we chose Hurlston Hall as our ‘after party’ evening reception venue, and so it made sense to move our day here.
Hurlston Hall has the most stunning views, simple and stylish décor and a feeling of space and light along with great menus (anybody who knows us knows our love of food.) Michael even owns Senor’s – a catering business in Skelmersdale serving fresh quality food.
It was a logical and stress-free decision for our wedding to be at Hurlston in Lancashire – Simple, no fuss and laid back was the plan…everything we hadn’t had so far!
Laidback Lancashire Wedding
On the day, Bridal preparations were held on-site at Hurlston Hall in two luxury four-bedroom cottages. The beautifully restored Keepers Cottages are ideal for the wedding couple, as well as their bridal party or close family members.
We didn’t need traditional wedding cars, so staying at the Cottages gave us one less thing to worry about. When everyone was ready, the bridal party was picked up by three golf buggies and driven to Hurlston Hall to meet the rest of the wedding party.
We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to host our day, wedding planners and event managers Natalie, Harriett and Lee from Hurlston Hall made our plan come to life in the best way possible.
We weren’t sure how the day would run especially due to COVID easing restrictions being put back again meaning it wasn’t the ‘Freedom Day’ as we thought it would be. But we were just so happy to be there, it was a lot of fun.
Non-Formal Hurlston Hall Summer Wedding
No formality was the only thing we wanted and that’s exactly what we had. Hurlston Hall went above and beyond for us!! We just wanted everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves after a rubbish year.
We love food and we love to party, so instead of a “formal meal” we opted to have a BBQ on the balcony! This complemented our Hurlston Hall summer wedding vibe perfectly and it ensured that the day flowed without any interruption.
We weren’t sure how guidelines would affect our guest list but luckily everybody who was travelling to Ibiza could make our day and we used our full 150 capacity to the max in the evening!
Although it has to be said, half of our guest lists were best-men or ushers. This included 2 Best Men and 5 Ushers… it was Michael’s day! Shorts and shirts for the groomsmen…no stiff or stuffy suits here!!
A Wonderwall of Entertainment at Hurlston Hall
The one thing we know we wanted from day 1 was Music… And if we couldn’t have Oasis we wanted Noasis! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s ours!
Nathaniel – Warble Entertainment was our Hurlston Hall summer wedding daytime entertainment. Loop pedal and guitar made the walk down the aisle extra special and added to the laid back atmosphere. And not forgetting DJ Cliffy giving us floor fillers later on!!
Hurlston Hall Summer Wedding Photography
Fav Pic? – All of them. We love natural photos and that’s exactly why we chose Wes.
Recommendation – Wes had already photographed Michael’s Brothers’ wedding (Paul and Louise at Briars Hall) and his sister’s wedding (Jane and Tony who were married at Sandhole Oak Barn.)
Wes photographed many of our friend’s weddings. We’ve always liked their pictures and they are so recognisable on Facebook and Instagram. Plus, we love Wes’s natural style of wedding photography, which suited our Hurlson Hall summer wedding perfectly.
Initially, we had booked Wes for our Ibiza destination wedding. Wes was accommodating in moving our dates and on the day; he just went with the flow of our Hurlston Hall summer wedding. In the morning, he was calm and collected, which helped to put me at ease.
Hurlston Hall Summer Wedding Planning
Bridal Dress Shop – Boutique Brides of Crosby – special mention to Pat who practically took my dress apart and put it back together again the way I wanted. Think it gave us both nightmares.
Lisa’s shoes – Charlotte Mills Henriette Pearl
Wedding Dress – Mori Lee Lizzie
Wedding Venue – Hurlston Hall
Wedding Photographer: Wes Simpson Weddings
Bridal Makeup: Lisa Norris
Flowers: The Country Florist Skelmersdale
Wedding Tips – Do what you want on your day and what makes you happy – it doesn’t matter what other people think you should have or do. They aren’t paying ha-ha.
A standout moment from our Hurltson Hall summer wedding has to be standing at the end of the aisle ready to be married… we finally made it!!! Oh and Michael’s tears!
Lisa and Michael.
Hurlston Hall Wedding Photographer
Thank you to Lisa and Michael for having me as their Hurlston Hall summer wedding photographer. I had a ball. We captured some great photos and produced a wedding album that will bring enjoyment for many years to come.
Wes Simpson Weddings is proud to be a Hurlston Hall recommended wedding photographer. I pride myself on capturing warm, authentic and natural wedding photography and I would love to do the same for you.
“The best wedding photos are in the moment images, and Wes captures them perfectly.” –Natalie Nixon, Event Manager, Hurlston Hall.
Getting married at Hurlston Hall or further afield? Check out my highlights for inspiration, and the blog for the latest news and stories.
Contact me today and let’s talk about your wedding plans. I can’t wait to meet you.
