Joe and Joseph’s Manor House Wedding | Real Weddings | Manor House wedding photography
Joe and Joseph chose the Manor House in Lindley near Huddersfield for their recent Halloween inspired wedding, in their own words below, our two grooms talk in great detail about their spooky and spectacular wedding day. I would grab a coffee and maybe some biscuits, this is a long one!
“You chose the Manor House at Lindley for your wedding venue, what made the Manor House stand out for you?
We viewed two venues before discovering the perfect one. We had no idea of what style we wanted to go for at this point. We first looked at a couple of different venues, a historic castle and modern art gallery, neither quite fitted the bill.Then we attended a wedding fair at The Manor House, and everything changed.
The moment we stepped inside, we both knew we didn’t need to look anywhere else. The venue’s décor aligned naturally with our theme, and the ability to use partition walls meant we could structure the flow of the day exactly as we imagined. The ambience carried so much of the aesthetic on its own that decorating was effortlessly minimal.What truly sealed the decision was the team.
From our wedding coordinator to operations and front-of-house staff, we felt supported, understood and genuinely cared for. Their professionalism, warmth and attention to detail made our day feel incredibly special”
“Please tell me about the proposal, who proposed, where and how?”
Joseph proposed during a group holiday in Cyprus, everyone except Joe knew what was coming. Inspired by our shared love of Harry Potter, he spent weeks during lunch breaks hand-carving out the pages of Joe’s favourite book, The Half-Blood Prince, down to the chapter titled “The Unbreakable Vow.” Inside the hollowed pages was a letter stamped “Owl Post,” beginning with: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
When Joe turned to page 252, he found the engagement ring nestled inside.
Joseph proposed on a rock overlooking the ocean at sunset, with friends cheering from the beach behind. The photos weren’t the best quality, but the moment was perfect.
Strange coincidence or fate?
From June’s Yes to October’s Vow, the moon that witnessed our beginning, now blessed our always.
The moon on the night of the 3rd June 2017 (Engagement) and 31st October 2025 (Wedding Day) was the same moon phase – Waxing Gibbous
“You both wore distinctive suits, killer shoes and bespoke touches, could you explain more”
Joseph
Joseph wore a Twisted Tailor black-tie three-piece suit with silver skull lining, Zelda Tri-Force cufflinks (representing a sacred relic with power to grant any wish) and a Claddagh pin from our favourite series ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’. Finishing the look with a pair of patent leather, red bottom Christian Louboutin’s.
Joe
Joe wore a matching suit to Joseph but with white tie attire, adorned with his great grandmas rosary beads (Something Old & Borrowed), his Grandma Valarie’s Blue Sapphire ring (something Blue) and his and everything else was something new including a gifted matching Claddagh pin from Joseph on the morning of and his finishing touch, Patent Christian Louboutin Loafers.
“Your wedding day was scored by a very curated playlist, please tell us about your choices for your wedding music”
• Guest arrival & ceremony: Harpist Rachel Gladwin offering a haunting ambience.
- Clair de Lune – Debussy
- Pavane – Fauré
- The Song of Storms – Zelda
- Frozen – Madonna
- How Soon Is Now – The Smiths
- Come As You Are – Nirvana
- Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush
- Creep – Radiohead
- Where Is My Mind – Pixies
- Ice Dance – Edward Scissorhands
- Moonlight Sonata – Beethoven
- Balcony Scene – Romeo + Juliet
- When the World Falls Down – Labyrinth
- Light of the Seven – Game of Thrones
Our love of Disney dictated the Entrance Songs: Flower Girl Elizabeth Bundle of Joy (Inside Out), Joseph & Lisa: Second Star to the Right (Peter Pan) and Joe & Tracey: Once Upon a Dream (Sleeping Beauty)
Our wedding breakfast playlist, Geek Jazz, featured gaming & movie soundtrack jazz covers; the evening playlist, The Witching Hour, included Fleetwood Mac, Florence and the Machine, Nick Cave and Billie Eilish. The Evening Reception music was full of queer dance classics and Halloween favourites! We knew we wanted to have a few dance moments together throughout the night so we plotted them in with the DJ in advance, Including The Time Warp straight after the first dance, Lady Gaga’s Abaracardbra with full dance moves and closing at midnight with the iconic I put a spell on you from Hocus Pocus.
“I loved your first look, I wish more couples would do this and hopefully you can provide some words of encouragement telling us about yours”
One of the most emotional moments of the day.
Joe stood by the fountain while Joseph was guided down the steps with his eyes closed. The moment our hands met, we relaxed. Standing back-to-back before turning to see each other for the first time was grounding, powerful and beautifully captured in photos. Our mums watched from a distance, which made it even more special.
We’d highly recommend a first look, it gave us a rare private space to breathe, settle nerves and take in the moment together.
Below, part of their full highlights wedding video (scroll down to view the full video) Joe and Joseph’s first look outside the manor House before their wedding ceremony.
“Your wedding day was a hive of activity, please tell us about those personal touches that made the day so special to the two of you”
Owl Ring delivery and display
Pebbles, a Barn Owl, delivered our rings down the aisle to Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter. Wise Owl Birds of Prey Rescue also brought Oscar (Snowy Owl) and Gizmo (Southern White-Faced Owl), which tied in perfectly with our subtle Harry Potter references. A big wow moment for all our guests. There was also a static display during the reception for guests to meet and greet the Owl’s creating a long lasting memory.
Wedding Cake
Created by Karen at Bella’s Bakes, a dramatic, cinematic, three-tiered masterpiece featuring:
• Salted Caramel
• Double Chocolate
• Red Velvet
Decorated with cascading petals, chocolate skulls and blood splatter, a classic white wedding cake with a dramatic twist. We cut it using the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, gifted by Joseph’s Sisters.
Bars and Favours
Personalised shot favours with hand crafted witch hat toppers, themed after:
• Poison Apple – Inspired by Snow White
• Sempre Viva – Inspired by Death Becomes Her
• Jacob’s Ohana Colada – Inspired by Lilo and stitch just for Jacob
• Elizabeth’s Secret Potion – inspired by Sleeping beauty just for Elizabeth.
Our bespoke bar mats featured references unique to each of us including favourite drinks and were sealed with a custom printed wax stamp using the second star to the right from peter pan (Which Joseph has tattoed on his wrist) and Auroras crown from Sleeping beauty our childhood favourite films. The same wax stamp sealed all ‘Save the Dates’ and Wedding Invites.
Wedding Flowers
The Lindley Flower Shop created all florals. White petals were used for the flower girl (symbolising innocence), while red petals were thrown after the ceremony (symbolising romance and passion).
The contrast looked incredible in photos. The only other flowers at the wedding were the grooms pocket square button holes and corsages for mothers of the grooms.
Drag Queen
We knew we wanted to turn up the Halloween theme a notch for the evening. Halloween has become a huge part of gay culture and we wanted to play on it. We had met the drag queen at a few events previously and was thrilled when she agreed to be part of the day, She performed a few numbers including Poor unfortunate souls from the Little Mermaid, For Good from Wicked and Valarie in honour of Joe’s late Grandma which became a very special moment for Joe, his mum, sister and aunt.
“Please tell me about your first dance song and why it was so special for you both”
We danced to “Stand By Me” by Florence + the Machine, chosen because of its connection to Final Fantasy XV credit. This was also the first game Joseph and Joe collaboratively completed and Platinumed together.
We choreographed the routine ourselves — a mix of planned and spontaneous moments. The nerves made certain parts unintentionally hilarious, especially Joe’s chiffon cape catching on everything. Why didn’t we practice with the cape? The lift was a crowd favourite.
“Your wedding gallery has over 700 photographs, please tell me which were your favourites?”
We both chose the first look photographs as our favourites, the nerves, emotion, excitement and joy all captured perfectly. We also love the indoor foliage wall shots with the dramatic ironwork and lighting.
“What advice would you give to future couples planning their wedding day?”
Choose suppliers you trust — it makes everything smoother.
• Add personal touches whenever possible; they’re what people remember.
• Don’t feel pressured to follow tradition; create a day that reflects you, your partner and your interests.
• Build intentional quiet moments into your wedding day. (sweetheart top table really gave us a chunk of the day for just us without being away from everyone)
• If nerves are a concern, consider a first look — it set the tone beautifully for us. Also start your speech early!
Wedding suppliers for Joe and Joseph’s Manor House at Lindley wedding
- Venue & Coordination (Special shout out to Jaine, Amy & Manuel) The Manor House – exceptional team and flawless coordination. https://www.manorhouselindley.co.uk/
- Wedding Photography Photography – Chris Chambers Photography.
- Wedding Video – Chris Chambers Photography
- Bella’s Bakes (Karen) – creator of our dramatic three-tiered cake. https://bellasyorkshire.co.uk/
- Wise Owl Birds of Prey Rescue – Katrina Auty, Pebbles, Oscar & Gizmo. https://www.wise-owl.co.uk/
- Harpist – Rachel Gladwin. https://rachaelgladwin.co.uk/
- Floristry – The Lindley Flower Shop. https://flowershoplindley.co.uk/
- Suits – Twisted Tailor https://www.twistedtailor.com
Joe and Josephs wedding highlights video
Joe and Joseph added a wedding highlights video to their photography package, you can watch their full highlights below.
A selection of photographs from Joe and Joseph’s wedding day at Manor House Lindley
You can find out more about my wedding photography and video highlight packages on my website here
