Manchester city centre wedding reception s are more common than you might think. There are so many wonderful venues available, along with great accessibility and of course iconic architecture. (I myself got married at The Ivy in 2023!)
For Siobhan & Mark, they chose The Fountain House – a modern tavern in Albert Square.
(As always – all photos in this blog are compressed to improve loading times, so may occasionally seem a little blurry. For higher-quality photos please click here!)
Siobhan & Mark’s wedding really was a tale of two halves. Their lovely ceremony at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, filled the morning. Then we all boarded minibuses across Manchester city centre to their reception venue. It was quite a sight as all the guests piled out of the taxis and into a waiting Albert Square.
It was such a change of pace from the earlier part of the day. But the August Manchester weather held up meaning we had sunshine while waiting outside for the venue to let everyone in. Lots of hugs as the extra reception guests arrived!
Manchester Albert Square has lots of brick buildings, ornately carved and gilded in a bygone age of prosperity. This made lovely backgrounds for the photos! Very complementary to the historic house, and colourful gardens of the morning.
It also made quick couple portraits really easy to do. A city has lots of natural framing *right there*.
Outside the venue
The front steps of the venue made a great setting for our second big group shot of the day. This incorporated the guests that had just joined us. Something that is occasionally missed when there’s no obvious break between ceremony and reception.
As the guests filed up the stairs – via the bar of course – Siobhan & Mark were able to get a moment alone, together. The venue has a secret lift reserved on the day just for them. Of course we got a photo there too!
Inside the venue
Upstairs in the private dining room, kitted out for the occasion, was one of my favourite things as a photographer – lots of natural light! It meant that it was no problem to capture the guests entering the room, a good chance to make sure everyone is on film. It also added to the stealth-mode of shooting people as they talked and caught-up with everyone else. I don’t take photos of people as they eat their food so this was the best chance to capture the lovely reception room itself.
It was not long after this point that I was to leave the guests to it, sadly (I do love staying to the dancefloor time!) . But The Fountain House is certainly a venue I’d recommend to those looking for a Manchester city centre wedding reception.
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