Wedding Photography at the Cool & Quirky Holmes Mill
Holmes Mill isn’t pretending to be a country house. It doesn’t have sweeping lawns, grand staircases or a lake with a perfectly positioned bench. It has old machinery, exposed beams, textured walls, steel, brick and a building that was once part of Lancashire’s textile industry. That’s exactly why I like photographing weddings here. It is a pleasure to be a Holmes Mill wedding photographer. The mill dates back to 1823 and has been carefully transformed rather than stripped of its industrial character. The original features are still very much part of the building, particularly around the Function Room and Engine Room.
David Stubbs Offers Natural & Timeless Photography For Your Holmes Mill Wedding
A Wedding Inside a Piece of Lancashire History
The Engine Room is probably one of the most interesting places to photograph. The original cross compound horizontal engine has been restored and remains within the complex, surrounded by the architecture of the old mill. Then there is the Cotton Room, where ceremonies take place. Natural light comes through the space, while reclaimed cinema seating creates an unusual aisle rather than the rows of traditional chairs you’d normally expect at a wedding. It gives the wedding ceremony a completely different feel.
Holmes Mill Has It All For Weddings
The great thing about Holmes Mill is that the day doesn’t have to stay in one room. Drinks can move into the Bar & Grill or outside into the Mill Yard. The wedding breakfast can take place in the industrial Cotton Room or the more glamorous Bistro setting, depending on the style of the day. Then there are the bits that make Holmes Mill feel unlike almost anywhere else.
There’s a brewery on site. A food hall. The old Boiler House has been turned into a duckpin bowling alley. There’s even a cinema. You can quite easily imagine guests disappearing for a game of bowling, grabbing a drink or simply wandering around the different parts of the complex between the formal parts of the wedding. That’s useful for me because it creates opportunities for photographs that don’t feel like wedding photographs. A group of friends laughing over a beer. Someone trying to convince everyone to play bowling. Your dad discovering the bar five minutes before the speeches. People spilling outside into the Mill Yard as the evening gets going. Those are the photographs that give the day its real personality. With 39 bedrooms in the Spinning Block Hotel, guests can stay on site rather than the wedding ending when the last song finishes.
Holmes Mill is ultimately a venue for couples who want something with a bit more edge. It has history without feeling old fashioned, and plenty of character without needing to decorate every corner. My job is to photograph the one that happens there on your wedding day. If you are looking for a Holmes Mill wedding photographer, who shoots in a natural style, please get in touch.
