Right in the heart of Derby, The Museum of Making may not typically be the first name that springs to mind when envisioning your wedding day. But for the modern couple with an eye for design, heritage, and editorial flair, this extraordinary space offers something far beyond the traditional. AND, it was somewhere I was so excited and lucky to shoot a wedding session.

A former silk mill reborn as a contemporary cultural hub, the Museum of Making is a symphony of exposed brick, iron beams, glass walkways, and soft northern light—a space that feels as if it were curated for the pages of Vogue itself. There’s a quiet grandeur in its industrial bones, a raw romance in its textures. This isn’t a blank canvas—it’s a canvas with soul.

In June last year I was honoured to have the opportunity to shoot the wedding of the beautiful Nic and Tom.  Here, in a space I'd unheard of for weddings - but it quickly rose to the top of my favourite locations in Derbyshire.

In three words:

Industrial. Architectural. Poetic.

It made the wedding pop - like from the pages of Vogue. An architectural character with an editorial soul - feeling like the perfect match to ALILOPHOTO.

The poetry in these walls - made for modern love.

The Aesthetic: Raw Beauty, Refined Details

Forget manicured lawns and glittering chandeliers. The Museum of Making speaks to a different kind of luxury—one rooted in authenticity, craft, and architectural grace. It’s a venue that doesn’t try too hard because it doesn’t need to. Think modern silhouettes against Victorian brick, silk gowns floating past 18th-century machines, vows exchanged beneath soaring ceilings and riveted steel.  This is a space where the editorial meets the emotional. Every corner invites artful framing, every shadow and shaft of sunlight becomes a character in your story. For a photographer with a fine art eye, it’s a dream—a location that requires little dressing but rewards considered styling.  It absorbs the brights and the muted palettes, it lays as a canvas to the loud, colour drenched styling and the quiet, soft pastels styling,

and it is, truly EXTRAORDINARY.

The Experience: Curated, Not Staged

What makes weddings at the Museum of Making so striking is their effortlessness. The venue’s modular approach allows for both intimate gatherings and full-scale celebrations. Whether you’re saying “I do” in the dramatic Civic Hall or hosting a candlelit dinner beneath industrial rafters, the atmosphere is always elevated, always intentional.  The surrounding area is covered in art, painted mural's, neon graffiti and sculptural forms.  The tower top with cascading views over the City, and the riverside where the stillness of the water adds depth and peace to your wedding portraits.

This is not about tradition for tradition’s sake. It’s about a wedding that reflects who you are—editorial, elegant, and unapologetically modern. And in that spirit, every detail should feel curated: florals that nod to the building’s textural story, fashion that stands confidently against its backdrop, and photography that captures the poetry in every gesture.

The Style: Emotion, Effortlessness, and Editorial Edge

For ALILOPHOTO, the aim is simple: to create wedding images that feel like memories—honest, elevated, and quietly powerful. The style is editorial but never posed; fine art without the formality. It’s in the in-between moments—a glance, the brush of fingers together, the moment before lips touch—that stories come alive. And yes, we’ll get the perfect confetti shot too, the kind that lives forever in frames and hearts.  The showering of petals or paper landing on you, celebrating you, the laughs, the joy, the excitement - you'll relive it all with these photographs.

With a background in award-winning fine art photography, every gallery is carefully curated to tell your story with softness, style, and intention. The palette is timeless. The light, natural. The focus: always human.

The Museum of Making was an every corner turned is a space I want to take a photo space.

Obsessed and IN LOVE.

Want me?

Pricing

• The Classic – £2,000

Seven hours of coverage, including a minimum of 400 individually edited images in a private online gallery.

• The Premium – £2,500

Full-day coverage, from prep to first dance, with a minimum of 750 images, plus a framed 8x6 fine art print.

• Elopements – £900

Up to three hours of coverage for weddings with under 10 guests, delivering 100+ edited images.

• Destination Weddings – Bespoke

For weddings in France, Spain, Italy or further afield, tailored coverage and styling advice are available upon consultation.

⸻

For couples drawn to texture, light, and the poetry of real moments, the Museum of Making offers a canvas of story. And if you’re looking for a photographer who knows how to honour that—someone who can capture the soul between the stills—ALILOPHOTO is ready to make something timeless with you.

THE VENUE: The Museum of Making

Instagram ready... IYKYK

ALI LOMAS - Derbyshire Based Photographer, available wherever you are.