Steph & Josh’s Colshaw Hall Wedding

Steph & Josh’s wedding at Colshaw Hall was everything they hoped it would be – fun, relaxed, and truly unforgettable. After meeting as students back in 2010, growing up together, building a life filled with love (and a dog, a horse, and plenty of laughter), and a fairytale proposal overlooking Florence, their wedding day felt like the perfect celebration of their journey. Set within the stunning Walled Gardens on a summer Monday, surrounded by the people (and animals!) they love most, the day was a beautiful blend of heartfelt emotion, cheeky humour, and effortless joy – a true reflection of Steph and Josh as a couple.

They left me the most amazing google review –
“Where to even start – 10/10 doesn’t do Jess justice! Her bright and candid style is what first caught our eye, but her personality and who she is at her core is what makes her the best wedding investment you’ll make. After searching through dozens of photographers, it was the golden hour photos in Jess’s portfolio that first caught my eye. They were so bright, light, and—most importantly—REAL. I remember being struck by how she captured the sun’s rays, and having now received our gallery, I am absolutely thrilled that we have those same beautiful, standout shots of our own. Jess’s biggest “sell,” however, isn’t just her talent—it’s her presence, empathy and experience. Throughout the build-up and the day itself, she was unbelievably relaxed and supportive. Nothing ever felt stressful or rushed. She never tried to pull us away for extra shots on the day; she was simply “one of us,” a part of our day, subtly capturing our guests’ conversations and their genuine expressions during our ceremony. Josh and I usually struggle to stay serious during any sort of posed photo, which is why Jess was perfect for us. We just laughed our way through the day and enjoyed being ourselves without any pressure. She even captured the moments before the final poses—the talking and laughing while getting ready for shots—and those shots are some of our absolute favourites. I cannot recommend Jess highly enough. If you’re in any doubt at all, speak to her yourself on a zoom call and you will easily be sold. For any couple who feels awkward in front of a camera—Jess is exactly who you’re looking for! Thank you for making our memories look so beautiful! “

Describe your wedding in three words

Fun, relaxed, memorable

Why you chose the date of wedding (did it have any meaning?)

Summer holidays – definitely wanted a summer wedding, definitely wanted a Monday (it is the cheapest day of the week after all!!)

Anything about how you met/proposal story

Josh and I met on a website called “YouGo” – a platform to meet fellow students before you begin at university. We connected when we saw we would both be living in the same block, in the same accommodation, I was Barnsley and he was from Doncaster, and both going to Keele Uni. He was an outrageous flirt from the get go, and, most dangerously, knew how to make a girl laugh!! By Christmas we were an item. That was 2010… Fast forward 13 years, we both had well established careers, the house, the dog, the cars… Josh decides to whisk me away to Florence in Italy in October 2023, a place that had been on my bucket list for a long time. He took me up to an isolated church at the top of the hill overlooking the city, just above the Michelangelo plaza, during golden hour. He got down on one knee and proposed, bringing me to tears, just as the low lying sun hit the top of the Duomo, making it glow, and the bells in the church behind began to ring as I said yes! Purely by chance!! I have the video to prove it!!

Your inspiration/style/aspirations for your Colshaw Hall wedding

Honestly, we went into the entirety of wedding plan without the foggiest idea what we wanted. So we vowed to to just explore everything. Jan 2024, we visited around a dozen very different wedding venues – each visit showed us more of what we did or didn’t want, and then we landed on Colshaw Hall. The Walled Gardens, estate and accommodation for what we wanted was absolutely perfect. We knew instantly. We invited both our parents to see the very next day, and we all agreed! Monday 11th August 2025 was the final Monday in august they had available… so we booked it!
Colshaw have an onsite business called “Floral Decor” – full of beautiful faux arrangements with a variety of colour schemes. When we first visited, they asked about our colour scheme… to which, again, we had no idea! Josh knew he didn’t want all white… so we landed on a beautiful combination of peaches, creams, oranges and toffees. A little on the autumnal side given it was a summer wedding, but we both loved it, so committed. Josh, by chance, wanted a brown suit, and I wanted my bridesmaids in a toffee/rust/burnt orange. I had no idea how well the colours would come together but I am OBSESSED with how beautiful everything looked together!!
As for my dress? Again, I had no idea what I wanted. I went to Brides of Chester with my Mum, Sister, Mother in law and sister in law. I instructed everyone to find me a dress, and I told the lovely lady helping us, Sue, that I knew I definitely didn’t want thin straps or Satin… she insisted it was important to keep an open mind and try on a bit of everything, so she picked me a fitted, satin dress with pearl detailing on thin straps, sweetheart neckline with subtle pearl detailing on the bust…
That was dress number 3 of 8, and I knew the moment it was pulled up and over my hips. I felt like a hollywood movie star. And that was that!!Our main goal for the day was to ultimately have fun and keep it relaxed. I had said to Josh that the thing I looked forward to the most about our day, second to actually marrying him, was to spend the day with everyone that we loved and held dear. What an absolute privilege to have everyone in one place, to celebrate with us, and that is what meant the most and made it so special.

Memorable/emotional/funny moment on the day

There were honestly so many. I knew I would be emotional prior to walking up the aisle. It’s what kept setting me off in the morning.
Josh made this a million times worst by sending an enormous beautiful bunch of white roses (to represent the yorkshire rose) up to the bridal suite, along with a card, just after I had finished putting on the dress and having my final touch ups!
Not to mention the first look with my Dad that had me, my sister and my Mum all bawling!
In reality, the moment I reached the bottom of the aisle, my Dad gave me a kiss on each cheek and left me with Josh, our hands interlinked and we grinned at each other, I didn’t feel any tears, I was just so relieved and happy to be there with him. It helped that he put me at ease by leaning over and whispering “nice tits” in my ear and then smirking relentlessly at me – the cheeky so-and-so!! It had the desired effect and we laughed most of the way through our ceremony as he tried his very best to actually listen to our registrar and try to repeat after him!Extra special moments – having our Dog, Chilli, a Samoyed, there with us for the day was always a none negotiable, and he was an absolute star of the show. What also made me extra emotional was being able to have my horse, Laoise (pronounced “Leesh”) there for part of the day. Having ridden her for 7 years at my local riding school, and having since retired, it was unbelievably special to have her there for so many reasons…The speeches are always an emotional and funny part to a wedding day, and ours were no different. Josh, my Dad and Josh’s Dad (his best man!) all absolutely nailed theirs – a mixture of humour, reflection and emotion. I’ll treasure the recordings of them forever.

How did you discover me and why you chose me to photograph the day

I discovered you on Instagram! During my endless doom scrolls in an evening, through hours and hours of seemingly looking at photographers pages that all looked the same! But yours, it was the bright, candid style, and the golden hour shots that were totally unrivalled. Having read a bit of your bio, how you like to shoot a wedding day, and how relaxed you were, I knew you would be the one. Josh and I, as you saw, are terrible at taking serious photos. He always ends up doing something inappropriate and we end up laughing! And it is that that we needed capturing. Throw in the fact I saw you had a (at the time!) puppy saint bernard, and I was brought up with Newfoundlands, we instantly connected!

Wedding song?

Tyler Childers – In your love

Any advice for couples planning their wedding?

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Your wedding day is all about you and the person you love. It should be a representation of you and that love that the 2 of you have. Yes, explore options, but don’t over face yourself, try not to second guess, and go with what feels right. Try and reserve yourself a day or evening every fortnight that you give solely to wedding planning – you need that space to give yourself the mental capacity. Juggling alongside other things is hard, so give yourself the space and time, keep a planner/journal to make notes of what you see, absolutely have a spreadsheet to keep budgets all in one place, and go for walks / coffees with your fiance to have open conversations about what you BOTH want. It made the world of difference to me knowing Josh was part of every single decision. I may have done the admin, but WE planned the day. Keep in mind that the most important element of the day is that you’re surrounded by the people you love, and you are marrying the person you love!

Are you going on a honeymoon?

We went to Mexico 4 days after the wedding – 11 nights, all inclusive at a TUI resort – PERFECT for after all the planning! Stuck in a post wedding love bubble in paradise with unlimited food and drink was the best idea we had!

Anything else….

Jess – you were absolutely wonderful, every step of the way. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts <3 xxx