Emma Hillier Photography

27/02/2025

✨Review✨

This actually isn't the first time I've been called a wedding/photo ninja! 😂
So many couples come back to me after I've delivered their gallery and say something along the lines of "we didn't even realise you'd taken that" or "you caught so many great candids of everyone" ☺️

I think what allows me to capture the little moments that my clients love so much is my ability to blend in. My approach to every wedding is to make everyone feel at ease as quickly as possible, so they can relax, forget I'm there and enjoy the day. I love chatting to guests, watching the interactions, figuring out who the lively characters are and who's a bit more on the shy side. That way I can dip in and out of different groups, catching those little moments and usually having a good laugh as I go! 😆

I know my couples want to spend as much time as possible with their guests because their family and friends are so important to them, and it's not very often that you have everyone you love together in one room. So, the majority of my wedding galleries are made up of unposed images. Of course I get the details and the all important family photos but I try to keep those nice and relaxed and spend no more than 15 minutes on them.

As for the couple portraits, well they are also nice and relaxed, we chat and go for a walk and just have a laugh! Everyone always says they feel awkward or hate being in front of the camera but I promise you it's not as bad as you think! Most couples only have to look at each other and they start giggling which releases some of the tension straight away. And anyway, I only need you for about 15-20 minutes to get some gorgeous images and then the rest of the day is yours! Though I will say, if there's a nice sunset later on I will ask for another few minutes of your time, by which point you won't feel nervous at all, probably cos you're a little bit tipsy! 😂

Thank you Mary-Kate & Terry! It was so lovely spending the day with you and all of your guests. I also have to mention little baby Theo who I got to have cuddles with before he went to bed! 😍

Scroll through to read the review, see loads of fun candids, and a handful of portraits!

26/02/2025

🌸Ness Gardens🌸

I'm at Ness Gardens in Neston this Sunday 2nd March for their wedding open day!

If you're looking for a beautiful outdoor venue for your big day then you can't get much better than Ness! 🌲🌻🌳🌷

I've shot loads of weddings there over the years; on bright summer days as well as pouring down rain and it's always beautiful! The gardens look different with each season too, from the delicate pink of the blossom in spring to the bright orange and red of autumn, it's just a magical place! 💮🍂

The food is great too and Jen and the team are absolutely lovely to work with!

Pop down between 11-3pm on Sunday to have a look around or if you've already booked me but we've not met yet, come and say hello! 😃

25/02/2025

Did you know that a big chunk of my bookings come through word of mouth? This is usually fellow photographers, venues, other wedding suppliers or past couples! 😍
Sometimes I even get recommended by people who have been guests at weddings I've shot and just liked me when I've had a gab to them! 😂

Because I understand how important word of mouth is to my little business I am more than happy to rave about the wedding suppliers I admire when I get asked for recommendations! ❤️

So, I wanted to pass on some of the love and share with you a selection of my favourite florists in the Northwest. There are so many more out there, these are just a few I have actually worked with. 💐

I've also written a blog post with more gorgeous images and contact info if you're on the look out for the wedding florist of your dreams! Link is in my bio, enjoy ☺️

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24/02/2025

Oh this is a nice way to start the week! 🥰

If you're on the hunt for the best wedding suppliers in Liverpool, check out the ones that made GoHen's hitlist for 2025!

14/02/2025

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 🤍

I thought I'd end this series of black & white favourites with the wedding of these two lovebirds! 🤍
Their day at Hillbark Hotel was absolutely stunning and I had such a fab time. M&A are the loveliest couple who brought all their family and friends together from America and the Wirral! There were so many gorgeous little moments that I managed to capture as well as loads of big smiles (and a few tears too)! 🤍

Here's a small selection of my favourites from their day. Let me know in the comments which one is yours 🤍

13/02/2025

~Family~

Following on with the black and white theme, I wanted to share some of my favourite b&w images from Louisa & Chris's gorgeous wedding at the Titanic Hotel last autumn. It was very much a family affair with their adorable children playing a big part in their day! 🤍

This wedding inspired me to put together some useful little tips, with Louisa's help, if you're thinking of having young children at your wedding;

1 Don't expect them to do exactly what you want them to do, for instance, if they have a job like a ring bearer. Weddings can be a strange environment for them and they might feel overwhelmed and not want to do it when the time comes. Louisa agrees. "Don't have high expectations and expect them to be perfect little angels and walk down the aisle, smile for all the pictures and socialise with everyone. They will do what they want to do and when they do 'perform' it's the best feeling ever, let them just be kids!"

2 Weddings are often long days and even though it might be the best day of your life, the little ones might get bored! Have plenty of activities for them to do, snacks to eat and if possible, a quiet room where they can take some time out. "iPads are AMAZING! I always said I would never shove an iPad in their face and now they are the best tool ever!" 😂

3 Don't forget the buggy/pram so they can have a little nap during the day, a grumpy toddler is no fun for anyone!

4 Enlist a few helpers to look after or entertain them during different parts of the day e.g. getting ready, the ceremony and speeches, so you can relax and enjoy your day! Even better if you have someone who likes an early night! "We were so lucky with so many people to help with the kids, all immediate family pitched in and when they were ready for bed Chris's stepdad (who isn't very sociable) was more than happy to go back to the room with them!" 😆

07/02/2025

🩶 Little moments in black & white 🩶

I know I’m mostly known for my colourful photography, I’ve even been called “The Colour Queen”, but I do love a good b&w image too!

So, why b&w?

Well, sometimes an image just screams b&w to me if there’s something that I really want the viewer to concentrate on. Colour can sometimes be a bit distracting so a b&w edit can strip all those distractions away so the viewer can really see the most important element of the image. This is usually an emotion, a small detail, a loving glance or a composition that I love.

On other occasions an image looks better in b&w because the lighting was rubbish or I’ve under-exposed it. I’m good at my job but I’m not perfect! 😂

Here is a very small selection of some of my favourite b&w moments and details. Let me know in the comments if you like b&w images too 🤍🩶🖤

05/02/2025

💫 Venue spotlight - Ashfield House! 💫

Last year I shot two incredible weddings at a new venue, in Wigan. It's an award winning, family run wedding venue just off the M6, so only a 45 minute drive from my house in Liverpool!
It's set in beautiful gardens and couples can take over the venue exclusively for their wedding day. There are 15 bedrooms, including two dedicated getting ready rooms, bright ceremony and reception rooms and a couple of other cosy little spaces to just chill in. They've really thought of everything!
The team at Ashfield House clearly love what they do and make everyone feel really welcome. The food is also incredible and I've been so well looked after on both my visits! 😋

You can see more from this gorgeous venue on my blog;

https://emmahillierphotography.com/ashfield-house-weddings/

I will share more from both weddings soon but for now here are some highlights from Sarah & Chris's big day last October.

Photographer
Venue
MUA
Hair
Dress
Florals
Cake

30/01/2025

It's almost the weekend and almost the end of Dry bloody January!! Woo-hoo! 🎉🎉🎉

So, to mark the occasion, here's a small selection of some of my favourite dance floor shots from the last couple of years 💃🏻🕺🏻
There's nothing better than a jam-packed dance floor at a wedding (and nothing worse than an empty one!) so make sure your DJ or band kick things off with some of your absolute fave high energy songs!
Something I loved last year was when Alex & Matthew did the Love Train at their wedding (pics 4&5) it got everyone up! 🤣
Throw in some inflatables and glow sticks and you should be in for a great time!

Who else will be glad to see the back of January? 🍻🥂🍷🍹

28/01/2025

Thank you Paul & Ayden for this wonderful summary, though I think you missed "v**e holder" off the list! 🤣
P&A got married in Las Vegas early last year and then had a MASSIVE party in Liverpool in October 🥳
It was such a fun day, starting at Hope Street Hotel and then walking down to where they had their ceremony and party. I've done a few weddings at Leaf and I have never seen it as packed as it was that day! 😅
Highlights for me were Huxley the sausage dog (obvs!), P&A's mum's walking them down the aisle, the packed dancefloor and Ayden crying every five minutes! 😂
Thank you & you're both total legends! 😘

18/01/2025

⭐ Review time! ⭐

Xena & Tom left me a lovely Google review last week, swipe through to read it!
They had a lovely little wedding at last September. It rained pretty much the whole time I was with them but nothing could stop them enjoying themselves, as I think you can tell by their gorgeous big smiles! 😁
Despite the rain and the fact I was only with them for a couple of hours we still managed to cram loads in! From SGH we took a stroll over to Castle Street where they were meeting their guests to celebrate, stopping off in a couple of places to get a variety of backdrops for their couple portraits! 😍
My hair was pretty frizzy afterwards but these are the sacrifices I'm willing to make for my couples! 😂

I've updated the reviews page of my website if you want to read more about what working with me is like, link in bio!

16/01/2025

2024 in landscape!😆

Thanks again to all my fab couples from last year! You were all brilliant! 😘

(Also wanted to see if a carousel of images performs any better than the reel I spent hours on earlier in the week! 😅)

07/01/2025

Are you newly engaged or at the very start of your wedding planning journey? ❤️
One of the first things you'll want to book is your venue, but it can all be a bit overwhelming can't it? Well luckily for you I have a useful blog post full of ideas for wedding venues in Liverpool! 💒
Whether you're looking for a small and quirky venue, something with great views of the city or a venue steeped in history or culture, this blog will give you some great ideas! 😄
If you've already booked your venue let me know which one you picked and why!
Some of my faves in no particular order:

14/12/2024

🎄 Sophie & Chris 🎄

Happy one week married to these two lovely humans!
While Storm Darragh was sweeping across the country last weekend, we were nice and snug inside 😊
Torrential rain and gale force winds couldn't stop these two from having a ball with their friends and family, it was wall to wall smiles all day! And even though we couldn't get out into the gardens as they were waterlogged, we did manage a couple of quick photo shoots throughout the day! 😆
This was my last big wedding of 2024 and a great way to finish, the dancefloor as I was leaving was one of the most"energetic" I've seen all year! Oh, and what a cake too! 🎂
Thanks for having me S&C ###

09/12/2024

I'm late with day 7 of the because I had my last big wedding of the year on Saturday and I'm also editing non-stop at the moment to get all my galleries out before Christmas! So, it was inevitable that I would stumble at some point! 😅

Any-hoo, today's prompt is HANDS! 🙌🏻

If weddings were Hollywood movies with the couple in the lead roles, then hands would be the supporting characters! So much can be said and little stories told through a simple touch or gesture. Stories of friendship, reassurance, surprise, celebration, anticipation, commitment and love! 😍

Here's a handful (pun totally intended!😂) of some recent images where hands are the stars of the show!

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06/12/2024

PLAY is the prompt for Day 6 of the 🥳

If you're having a lot of children at your wedding then you're going to need to keep them entertained! But, play is not just for the kids, and some of my favourite weddings have involved my couples making their big day fun for everyone! 😆

Want to bounce around on space hoppers or a bouncy castle? DO IT! Want to play beanbag toss or beer pong? DO IT! How about a murder mystery for your guests to solve after dinner? DO IT! Want to throw hammers, go on a segway or shoot a gun? DO IT! I've even seen a giant Scalextric at a wedding this year and it was so much fun, the guests LOVED it! 😂

Basically, you can do what you want. Games, silliness and fun are not just reserved for kids! 🤩

05/12/2024

☔WET is the theme for day 4 of the and the first thing that sprung to my mind was the Great British weather?! ☔

It's also a great excuse to share more from Val & Rob's wedding last summer, complete with outdoor ceremony! 😍

Honestly, I used to get so stressed about rainy weddings when I first started out but it's pointless because there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to control the weather (unless you believe burying a sausage helps - Google it!) 😂

So, my advice to you if you're worried about rain on your wedding day is;

1 - Have a Plan B ready, especially if you're planning an outdoorsy wedding. Can you do the ceremony inside instead? Where will the BBQ go if it's heavy rain etc?

2 - Have wellies and brollies ready to go, you can even co-ordinate these with your outfits and get the whole wedding party and guests involved!

3 - Consider a venue that has some nice indoor spaces for your group photos and couple portraits.

4 - Be prepared to leg it outside when the sun does make an appearance. Even on the rainiest of days there's usually a break at some point.

5 - Try not to stress about your dress if you're wearing one, it will inevitably get a bit wet and dirty!

6 - Embrace it! It can actually be loads of fun if you have the right attitude! 😄

Swipe through to see how V&R's day turned out! ☀️

05/12/2024

Day 5 of the is all about the ceremony! 🩶

Probably the most important part of any wedding day and therefore the most nerve-racking. Sometimes people get so overwhelmed with nerves that they forget to enjoy it, which is really sad!

Here are my top tips to ease those pesky nerves;

1 - Remember that when you walk into the ceremony room it will be filled with all your favourite people. The people you love most in the world and they are all so, so happy for you! Add to that you're about to marry the love of your life, who is also probably just as nervous!

2 - Don't worry about fluffing your lines, if anything, it's usually funny and relieves any tension! I've seen it happen loads and it always makes people laugh!

3 - Include your guests, children, even your dog in the ceremony if you're worried about all the attention being on you!

4 - If it's the thought of all the formality that terrifies you then don't have a traditional ceremony! You can have a celebrant led ceremony which is much more personal to you as a couple and SO MUCH FUN!! I've worked with some fab celebrants over the years including and to name just two!

5 - Have some Rescue Remedy to hand, or even better, have a lovely glass of something alcoholic before you head down the aisle. Obviously don't get pi**ed though as the wedding might not go ahead! 😂

Here is a very small collection of some of my favourite ceremony shots, in black & white. Even though I'm usually booked for my colourful images, there's something about b&w that I absolutely love, especially for the quieter moments and the sweet little glances between two people in love! 🩶

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