Kate McCarthy Photography

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Kate McCarthy Photography

Natural, relaxed fine-art wedding photography based in Manchester & Cheshire

02/06/2026

Out of office is still technically on but I needed to share with you a little of the magic we’ve been experiencing for the last week. I’ve wanted to visit Japan since reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami nearly 20 years ago but it’s never been the right time. But then I turned 40 last year, we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and our daughter is winding down her time in primary school so it became an ‘if not now, when’ decision.

10 days in, I can confidently say it’s been one of the very best not-so-spontaneous decisions we’ve made.

If you’ve missed it in my stories, here are my top 10 things I have LOVED about visiting Japan (and thank you to the wonderful couples and families who keep me booked and busy so I can take this time out and have these experiences with my family)

1. The toilets - truly cannot be overstated
2. Post-dinner Lawson and 7/11 runs
3. The generosity and patience of strangers whilst we muddle through with what little Japanese we have
4. The skincare (deserves wonder of the world status)
5. The accessibility and convenience of public services
6. The new foods we’ve discovered a love for : simple soy udon, miso braised beef tendon tacos, tuna mayo onigiri, pickled cucumber on a stick
7. A rare sighting of Mount Fuji
8. Shinkansen bento lunches
9. Gapochon machines
10. How it’s 35 degrees and like, 100% humidity but somehow we’re still getting 25k steps a day on and feel fine the next day?

We love it here, just one final night in Kyoto before we head to Osaka tomorrow but oh man, I’m fully prepared for Japan to be my entire personality when I get home.

22/05/2026

A bucket list adventure is afoot! Thank you for supporting my small business in such a way that I continue to live the life of my damn dreams. Out of office is on until Monday the 8th of June, sorry not sorry for all of the Japan spam - see you on the other side!

15/05/2026

Ella & Mike … and the dreamiest afternoon playing wedding-make-believe with some of my very dearest pals. When Kate & Sian of Florence & Vera and The Flower Lounge make the call, I will drop literally everyone and offer to jump through every damn hoop because I KNOW we’re going to make some magic.

This was my first ever visit to the positively spectacular and they will certainly now never get rid of me.

Thank you thank you thank you to my work wife Kate for keeping my name in the conversation and allowing me to show off her & her teams extraordinary work.

What a gift it is to be a part of such a talented industry, even better to call so many of these amazing women my friends. Here’s who made this beautiful magic:

Venue
Styling & Coordination
Florals & Concept
Stationary .inkstyleandstationery
Tiramisu
Dresses
Veils .veils
Hair
MUA
Models

13/05/2026

Living and working in Manchester means one thing: I have made peace with rain.

And honestly? Some of my favourite wedding photographs have happened in the middle of it.

Every year I hear the same worries:
“what do we do about photos if it rains?”
“will my dress be okay?”
“how are we going to fit everyone under cover?”

And I promise — it always, always works out.

A little rain changes the atmosphere of a day in the loveliest way. People huddle closer, everyone slows down a little, there’s laughter in the running-between-spots, umbrellas appear from nowhere, and suddenly the photographs feel even more like memories.

Your dress will be okay. Your group photos will still happen. And you absolutely will still have beautiful photographs.

After more than a decade photographing weddings in Manchester (which has thoroughly trained me for every possible forecast), I’ve learned that the best wedding days aren’t the ones with perfect weather — they’re the ones where people lean into the moment anyway.

And honestly, rain has a funny way of making people do exactly that.

10/05/2026

Laura & Luke … “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”
(Annie Liebovitz)

The most extreme day in wedding photographyI think I’ve ever experienced but I am absolutely obsessed with this beautiful pair who were able to truly roll with whatever chaotic plans the weather gods had for them! Luke and Laura were the dreamiest and, whilst it’s incredibly intimidating photographing another photographers wedding, I feel we made some magic.

Thank you to the Cannon/Floyds for trusting me so fully, your sneak peek blog is linked in the bio

Venues & Manchester Registry Office
Dress
Suit
Florals
Stationary

04/05/2026

Chloe & Adam // ‘“Because maybe
You’re gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You’re my wonderwall” (Oasis)
A big beautiful love letter to Manchester of a wedding day yesterday celebrating wonderful Chloe & Adam. Choosing not one but two iconic city centre venues, I genuinely had the BEST day capturing this next chapter for them in the city where their story began. Head to the link in bio to read more about their day on the blog and see their sneak peek!

Venues &
Florals .uk
Cake
Hair .luxe
Makeup
Videographer
Dress from
Music

01/05/2026

If the words “couple photos” make you feel a little awkward… honestly, you’re in very good company.

Almost everyone says it —
“we’re really awkward in front of the camera”
(and usually with a bit of a nervous laugh).

But you don’t need to know what to do. You don’t need to practise. You don’t need to suddenly become people who love being photographed.

We’ll just take it slowly. A walk, a chat, something to take your mind off it a little… and then, without really noticing, you settle. You lean into each other. You laugh properly.

And it’s all the in-between that matters most.
The moments where nothing is being performed.
The tiny glances, the way your hands find each other, the pause between one step and the next.

That’s where everything softens. That’s where it starts to feel like you.

Somewhere between “this feels a bit awkward” and “that was actually really nice”, something shifts. And those are the photographs you end up loving — the ones that don’t feel staged, just remembered.

So if you’re a little unsure about that part of the day… you don’t have to be. I’ve got you. Always.

27/04/2026

Happy Monday my darlings! Just a quick note, I’m attending a retreat today and tomorrow so admin/communication make take longer than usual - just sit tight and I’ll get back to you asap! Have a beautiful week!

24/04/2026

There’s something I love about delivering a gallery and finding out which photograph becomes their favourite.

Sometimes it’s the grand, beautiful frame they’ll print and hang on the wall. Sometimes it’s the one I almost missed — a glance, a laugh, a tiny in-between moment that quietly says everything.

What couples choose and what I choose don’t always match… and I think that’s the magic of it.

Your favourite is often tied to how it felt in that exact second.
Mine is often tied to what I noticed — the light, the emotion, the story unfolding in the background, the little details that might otherwise slip by.

Neither is more right. They’re just two ways of remembering the same day.

So this carousel is a little game of your favourite, my favourite — ten weddings, ten stories, two perspectives on each one.

And the final slide? For once, we agreed.

Address

Manchester
M335

Website

http://www.katemccarthyphotography.co.uk/

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