Tattoos, cocktails, kisses and cornhole

Emmy and Tom’s stylishly colourful wedding at Five Four Studios was a fucking legendary day. 

To start with, we had some seriously cool and colourful styling from an absolute dream team of suppliers. Then there was Emmy and Tom. Loved-up, laidback, up for fucking anything and totally my kinda people. Then to top it off, we had a whole heap of whisky, tats and cornhole to round off the edges. 

And as the cherry on the already-epic cake, it all went down in one of the coolest DIY wedding venues in Manchester. 

You see what I mean? Legendary.

If you’re looking for some non-traditional wedding inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. These guys took that blank canvas and turned it into a work of art. 

Stella York and Monkey Shoulder

I started the day with Emmy and her girls, chilling in the prep room of Five Four Studios. 

Emmy looked amazing in Alison by Stella York. I loved how her tattoos blended with the illusion mesh sleeves, and seamlessly became part of the dress. For me, there are few things cooler than tats on a bride. And I thought it was such a cool way of embracing her body art and incorporating it into her look. 

After a while, I left Emmy to finish getting ready, and headed over to meet Tom and his guys in the bar. 

And man, the bar area in Five Four Studios is just ridiculously cool. The tones, the textures, the atmosphere, the light. The wedding photographer (and the whisky drinker) in me are very, very happy there! 

Tom’s outfit was something of a happy accident. He had a custom suit all lined up, but it didn’t arrive in time. So he ended up going with the double-breasted tobacco suit instead. And honestly, it worked out perfectly. The guy looked fucking sharp! I loved the barbed wire pins in his shirt collars, too. Alex, his tattoo artist, designed them for him, and they looked freakin’ awesome. 

We had a cheeky Monkey Shoulder Whisky (yeah, you know I had one!), had a few laughs and a chat with the boys. And when it was time, we left our empty tumblers on the bar, and made our way into the ceremony.

How to style a blank canvas wedding venue like Five Four Studios

The main ceremony space in Five Four Studios looks exactly like what it is…a 70’s warehouse-turned photo studio by a famous fashion photographer. And lemme tell ya, you can tell it’s been designed by a photographer. The flawless white walls, the exemplary light. You can’t fault the place, it’s a fucking dream to shoot in. 

And as the couple, you’ve got a completely blank canvas for your styling. Emmy and Tom called in the uber-talented folk at Inner City Weddings to style the place. And yeah, those guys worked wonders. 

Countless vases of proteas and pink peonies lined the aisle, and were scattered throughout the space. Streamer backdrops hung from the balcony, and shimmered behind the altar, popping bright gold against the infinite white. Oversized balloons in different shades from the palette hung in little pops of colour from each wall. And to finish it off, a personalised “Emmy and Tom” banner, made by (my now good mate) Tara Collette. 

It was all so stylish, understated, and effortlessly cool all at once.

They had a super-chilled ceremony against the white infinity wall. And when it was finally official, we all went absolutely mental with cheers and applause. And E&T followed their daughter back down the aisle as husband and wife.

“We’re the kinda couple who like to sit at the bar with a cocktail and people-watch”

The bar area in Five Four Studios is just asking to be photographed. No need for styling or zhuzhing up; you don’t have to touch a damn thing and it’s the coolest space in a hundred miles. 

So when Emmy and Tom told me they wanted some couple’s shots at the bar, I wasn’t gonna argue! We cleared a little space, got some fresh whisky, and I just stepped back and let them be. 

And for me, these are some of my favourite shots of the day. Not just for the cool backdrop, the stylish tones or the moody light. But because of the way they looked at each other, talked to each other, held each other’s hands. It was like the world had fallen away, and all there was was them. It was such a special few minutes in the midst of all the excitement. And I loved that I got to capture it for them. 

A little while later we made our way into the loft to have some fun in the zero-distraction, flawlessly white photo studio. And when our eyes began to suffer from the bright-as-fuck light, we headed outside for cocktails and kisses, and a few badass shots against a (Mark Horton Signature!) black wall.

Retro colourful cool – wedding reception styling in Five Four Studios

While we’d been out-and-about drinking and taking photos, the guys at Inner City Weddings had been working their magic on the reception space. And holy shit, the styling was immense. 

All the florals from the ceremony had been repurposed for the reception. And now every table was overflowing with bright flowers and colourful mismatched vases. With crushed amber table runners down the centre and “Fuck yeah/E&T” green and gold flags. It was all super colourful and fun, and it looked amazing in the vast, white industrial space. 

Alex (Tom’s tattoo artist) had designed all the stationery for them. And the stylishly colourful, almost retro vibe of the artwork brought a whole new dynamic to the already-awesome tablescape. 

We had the speeches before dinner (always a good idea; gets all the pre-speech nerves outta the way so you can enjoy your food!) 

They were all lump-in-your-throat emotional, but it was Tom’s speech that really stuck with me. He was saying how he just wanted everyone to have an awesome time, make memories, and enjoy themselves. Because all these people would never be in the same room together ever again. It was one of those moments when everyone kinda looks at each other and takes it all in. It was pretty special, and it started the evening off the right way. 

If you’re looking for stylishly colourful wedding at Five Four Studios and need a wedding photographer, I’m there 

The rest of the day was 100% my kinda party. Drinking games in the bar upstairs; cornhole in the backyard. And as the sun set, the smell of fresh stonebaked pizza filled the air. It felt as much like a family gathering as it did a wedding. And if every wedding in Five Four Studios is like that, I’d go back there in a heartbeat. 

If you’d love a stylishly colourful wedding at Five Four Studios or any of my work and think I’m the right guy to tell your story, get in touch today and let’s chat. 

Venue – @fivefourstudios
Dress – @swanbrides / @missstellayork
Florist – @frogmcr
Hair – @imogenthorpehair
MUA – @georgiacutts_makeup
Stylist – @innercityweddings
Backdrop – @marielosborn
Banner – @taracollette
Stationery – @alextfrazer