Le Petit Chateau - Lauren and Simon

Lauren and Simon chose Le Petit Chateau in Otterburn, Northumberland for their wedding.  They were won over by it's quirky decor, beautiful gardens and friendly feel.  The weather sadly wasn't on our side and rain poured down the entire day. As we let our creative juices flow, Lauren and Simon were only too happy to play along to make the rain a thing to remember, and it all turned our rather well in the end!

How did you meet? What is your story? 

"We met at school, we were friends from first school but actually got together as a couple at high school."

How did you get engaged? 

"It was the night before my 30th birthday.  We were living with my parents at the time as we were in the middle of moving house. When we got back from the cinema I went upstairs to check on our daughter Fearne and found the ring box and a card in her cot and in the card it said ‘Mammy please will you marry my Daddy?)"

Tell us about your venue. Why did you pick it?

"We chose Le Petit Chateau because after having lots of friends weddings over the last couple of years we liked that nobody we knew had been married there before. We loved how different and quirky the venue was, it had a lovely feel about the place and the staff were all so friendly. We loved the inside and the outside and also that we had plenty of rooms for people to stay, however it was definitely the ceremony room that really won us over."

What was your absolute favourite part of the day? Does your spouse have a different favourite?

"I just loved every minute of it!!  His favourite part was the morning, the build up when all of the lads turned up and the adrenaline started before they went in for the ceremony."

Why was photography important to you and why did you choose 2tone Photography ?

"Photography was important because although we will always have the memories, the day really does just go so quick and we wanted some great pictures to be able to look back on over the years and remember. We chose 2tone because we loved the photos they did for my sister and friends wedding and liked how there was Nigel to be with the boys in the morning and Chrissie to be with the girls to get a picture of the whole morning both sides. We also love how relaxed they make everyone feel and the natural pictures they capture."

Do you have any advice for brides and grooms who are currently in the planning process?

"Just dont stress about the little things. Everything will come together in the end."

What is your favorite part of being married now?

"Feeling slightly closer as a family now we all have the same surname."

Venue: Le petit chateau

The wedding dress: Accent bridal

The men's suits: Moss bros

Wedding cake: Gillian banks

Flowers: The Flower Shed

Hair stylist: Reflections

Stationary: Myself

Entertainment: Proctor entertainment & Helena Pearson harpist

Beamish Hall - Anna and Adam

Anna and Adam were married in St Patrick's Church in Consett, heading over afterwards to the grand 12th Century Beamish Hall in County Durham.  Anna and Adam were both not only warm hearted, loving and two of the kindest souls, but they were also alot of fun to work with.   

Here is Anna to tell you all about their day...

How did you meet? How did he propose? What is your story?: "Adam and I met through a friend when I was at university in Liverpool. We got on really well straight away and started to spend a lot of time together. Before we met, Adam had booked a trip to travel around Australia for a year, so we only had a few weeks together before he jetted off! Luckily while he was away we stayed in touch, racking up some expensive phone bills (sorry mam & dad). When he got home we became a couple. After 5 years together Adam booked a trip to Rome. When we arrived he was spending a lot of time on his phone, trying to get us to destinations he had researched. He used his phone to direct us to the Church that my grandparents had renewed their wedding vows at 10 years ago. Typical me, did not recognise the church and had no idea why Adam was so stressed! Because Adam was then unsure whether or not this was 'THE Church' he took us to the restaurant he had planned to go to after the proposal! Still unaware I ordered a big salmon dish & tried to chat away to Adam while he again was on his phone (frantically texting all of my family to find out whether this was the correct church). We finished our meal and Adam decided to give the church another go, and with our left over salmon boxed up, off we went, me still non the wiser! Adam took us back to the church and when seeing it from a different angle I realised it was indeed the Church we came to with my grandparents 10 years ago. A relieved Adam got down on one knee, salmon in hand and popped the question! We had a few cheers from the people passing by & I was very surprised and excited! The surprises did not stop there as Adam had asked my parents & his parents to come to Rome the next day to celebrate with us! It was a really special trip that we will never forget!"

What was the inspiration behind your wedding?: "We didn't really know what we wanted when we started to plan the wedding - both of us had only been to a handful of weddings, years ago so we didn't have a lot of ideas. After going to a few wedding fairs & reading some wedding mags we decided to go for a simple & classic look, mainly white as the colour scheme with a little bit of pink and grey throughout. Luckily I had a very helpful wedding planner (my mam again) who did lots of research & alongside the rest of our families, helped to plan a wedding which was perfect for us!"

What was the most memorable or your favorite part of your wedding day?: "We loved the whole day! Both Adam & I really enjoyed the morning of the wedding - the excitement of getting ready with our families & friends. A really special part for me was coming down the stairs in my dress to see my Dad, that was a lovely moment! We enjoyed the mass, the speeches and just spending the whole day surrounded by people we love!"

Why was photography important to you and why did you choose 2tone Photography ?: "Photography was really important to us because we wanted to capture all of the special moments throughout the day so that we could see the day from every angle & have lots of memories to look back on. We were recommended 2tone photography from a friend and after meeting Nigel & Chrissie, speaking to them & seeing their work we knew they would do a fantastic job! They made us feel at ease from the beginning and answered any questions we had. We loved the idea that we would have 2 photographers so the day really would be captured from every angle - and that it was. We absolutely love our wedding pictures, 6 month on and we are still trying to decide on an album as there are too many beautiful photos to choose from!"

Do you have any advice for brides and grooms who are currently in the planning process?: "Think about what is really important to you and your day, you don't necessarily need all of the expensive 'wedding props' to make it special. And on the day try to take it all in and don't stress because it's over before you know it! Just enjoy!"

What is your favorite part of being married now?: "Not having to plan a wedding!! Haha!
We love being married now, enjoying the special memories of our wedding day and looking forward to many memories to come!"

Venue: Beamish Hall

Venue styling: Beamish Extras - Beamish Hall

The wedding dress: Accent Original Newcastle

The men's suits: Swarbricks - Manchester

Wedding cake: Burnett4cakes Tanfield

Flowers: Flower Style Consett

Hair and Make up: Lynsey Charlton - Hair & Roxy Mann - Makeup

Entertainment: The Fusion Dukes - evening band & Saxophonist from Soul Control for reception