You might remember that a couple of months ago I gave you this sneak peek of the fabulous photoshoot I was invited to at Heaton House Farm, well today I finally get to share some of the incredible images taken by Jonny Draper that day, and over the next few days I’ll be showcasing all the different looks we created.

Heaton House Farm is both a wedding venue and working farm in rolling Cheshire countryside with views out over three counties.  It is owned by the Heath family, now in its 6th generation and as well as being an exclusive wedding venue they also have 200 sheep, 24 cows and currently 12 very cute calves.

This was my first visit to Heaton House Farm and yet you can feel how friendly and family-run it is, and despite being a large wedding venue that can seat up to 500 guests (!!) it also provides flexible spaces that can accommodate smaller, more intimate functions.  As you will see from the photos, there is gorgeous scenery around the sandstone barn and a wide patio perfect for drinks and canapes.

Not only is Heaton House Farm a working family farm and a top quality wedding venue, but the Heath family have environmental issues at the heart of the farm, having recently installed 125 solar PV panels and soon a biomass boiler will be arriving to gobble up all the waste from weddings and turn it into energy to provide hot water.  In the Autumn, all past couples will be invited to plant a tree in a newly allocated wildlife area on the farm.

The Heath family truly are an unstoppable force, with plans afoot they are developing the old milking parlour, which will hold a further 12 accommodation rooms and a dining room, all subtly and carefully renovated to bring back the beauty of the buildings when the family started farming in the mid 1800’s.

The photoshoot was dreamt up by North West wedding photographer Jonny Draper who has got to know the Heath family well.  “Recently I learned about the hugely interesting history of Heaton House Farm, it was this story and how the farm has been developed by The Heath’s into such a stunning venue that really inspired me.”  After some discussion with Sarah Heath, Jonny came up with the idea to create a styled bridal shoot that celebrated the farming history of Heaton House Farm and its continued use as a working farm to this day.

“It really struck me how proud the Heath family are of Heaton House Farm ‘The Wedding Venue’ but also just how proud they are of their farming history. The idea for the shoot was born.  One girl. Four beautiful dresses.  And using the farm as the setting for the shoot rather than the venue.”  

So on a blustering and rainy April day a small team of wedding suppliers found themselves at Heaton House Farm pulling together a beautiful photoshoot to celebrate the history of this lovely wedding venue.  There were cows and calves, stacks of hay bales, a lovely horse dressed in Indian finery, vintage farm props and lots of pretty flowers.

Jonny told me, “When I heard the full story as to where Heaton House Farm was 15 years ago to where it is today I knew it would be something that brides and grooms would love to know a little bit more about, so we created four very different looks in four different farm locations to really show what Heaton House Farm is all about.”

Over the next couple of days I’ll be showcasing the different bridal looks we  created, and finally some behind-the-scenes shots and a video that captured the day.  So do stay tuned for a blog-overload of utter gorgeousness!

{ Details }

Photography: Jonny Draper
Venue: Heaton House Farm
Dresses: Timeless Bride
Flowers: Wild Orchid
Make-up: Emma Draper
Videography: Rebecca Reville
Horse: Natalie & Ann Hague 01260 227 274
Vintage Props: Wild Orchid & The Natural Wedding Company