Northside Farm - Shell and Joe

With their laid back attitude and zest for life, Joe and Shell’s wedding at Northside Farm was a dream to photograph. Joe’s calm and collected manner, next to Shell’s vibrant energy, they are two people, different in their personalities and yet so right for one another. Beautifully put in Joes words, “We’re like Yin and Yang. We compliment each other. Our strengths and weaknesses dovetail next to one another.”

Their wedding motto was ‘life is short’, a little word play based on their last name and reflected their attitude on the day. They day centred on having fun. They never took themselves too seriously and wanted only for everyone to enjoy themselves. Their attitude trickled down the entire wedding party and the day continued to rise in energy and laughter.

Within the fun, there were also moments of deep sincerity. With tears in their eyes, they spoke their personal vows to one another. A moment so moving and emotional, it became too much for their youngest bridesmaid overcome with joy for the happy couple. The speeches were sincere and thoughtful, laced of course with a good dose of humor, and little shared glances between the two of them in the quiet moments that said so much and more.

Weddings don’t get much better than this.

A 'home made' wedding - Ashleigh and Richard

Filled with so many personal touches and sentimental mementoes, planned and formed with careful precision, along with a lot of creativity and a whole lot of hard work, Ashleigh and Richard's 'home made' wedding was a joy to attend and a highlight of our year.

The Proposal

'Richard and I met on a night out in Newcastle and were introduced by friends. Richard proposed in 2016 during a weekend away in Warkworth, one of our favourite places in the North East. We were walking our Border Terriers, Penny and Ellie, on the beach and he suddenly got down on one knee. I said yes immediately!'

The wedding

'There was never any doubt about where the reception for the wedding would be. With Ashleigh having grown up on the family farm and being somewhat obsessed with gardening, nothing would make her more happy on the big day than being able to pull on a pair of wellies and being surrounded by flowers which she had grown herself. We were looking for something classy whilst also being relaxed at the same time. Having the wedding reception at Ashleigh's family home meant that we had control about every aspect of the day - styling things in our own individual way. Ashleigh had a crazy idea about erecting a wall of flowers and after many months in the plannng, packets of seeds and hours spent watering.....the dream became a reality. It was truly stunning. Of course, Ashleigh insisted on making all of the wedding stationery, chairbacks, table-centres and many other things. This involved drafting in a number of very hard-working bridesmaids and famly members!'

Favorite moment

'Ashleigh carrying a tree over her shoulder through the marquee the day before the wedding was pretty memorable..... she got told off by pretty much everyone as they were worried she'd be covered in scratches!! '

'The whole Wedding Day was fabulous from beginning to end. Being surrounded by family and friends meant so much to us and we have special memories to last a lifetime. After a super busy week with very little sleep trying to get the venue and grounds ready we were just so pleased for everything to turn out just as we'd planned. All our hard work paid off and seeing everyone enjoying the day meant so much to us! The children spent hours running around in the meadow and the day was topped off by Storm Function Band getting everyone up on the dancefloor and we partied until the early hours..... after all that dancing we were ready for some sleep!'

The Photographers

'Capturing special moments to create a long-lasting memory of our Wedding Day was very important to us. 2tone had photographed our friends' wedding and we knew that there was no one else for the job. From the first moment that we contact Chrissie and Nigel we knew that we were in safe hands.'

Any advice?

 'We knew that we could 100% trust everyone involved in our wedding to deliver and to make our dreams a reality. You just get that gut feeling when you meet people that these are people you can work with and rely on - trust your instincts! We were lucky to have attended quite a few weddings over the past few years and that really helped us with our wedding planning..... we knew who had done a good job for our friends!'

THE SUPPLIERS

The Venue - Whitburn Parish Church. Reception - bride's family home. Marquee provided by Fairbairn Marquees

The dress - A Pronovias gown from Mia Sposa, Newcastle

Hair and Make-up - Wedding Hair and Make-up North East

Venue styling -  The bridal party

The suits - Moss Bros

The cake - The cake was made by a family friend, with real flowers provided by florist

The flowers - Blossoms and Bows - East Boldon

The music - Jessica Avison

The band - Storm Function Band

The videographer - The Big Day Productions

The dessert - Afternoon tea - with all cakes provided by Beckleberry's

The rings - Both Ashleigh and Richard's wedding rings were made from their respective grandfather's wedding rings.... 'it was lovely to know that they were with us on the day and will remain with us throughout our married life!'

Vallum Farm - Katy and Gareth

Chilled vibes down on the farm for Katy and Gareths wedding in Northumberland.

I first met Katie and Gareth at a wedding fair in the Sage, Gateshead.  It was moment when you get the feeling that its just meant to be, simply we just clicked.  A naturally fun loving couple, their enthusiasm for life, energy and love for one another simply shone from every direction.  Their day was a sensation. 

For their wedding day, Katy and Gareth wanted an elegant and traditional wedding ceremony with a good old fashioned knees up that their guests would be in no hurry to forget.  Vallum Farm in Northumberland, with its relaxed vibe and countryside location, was simply perfect.   

"We met the old fashioned way...in our local nightclub in Morpeth over ten years ago. We both used to get on the same bus to work and Gareth told me he had admired me from afar :-) He spotted me out that night and offered to buy me a drink. We got on instantly, talking about our love of music and the rest is history! Journeys to work were never the same again!" 

"We cannot recommend 2tone highly enough...if you want a gorgeous team, who are professional, friendly, great fun and also will take the most beautiful photographs on your day Nigel and Chrissie are who you need."

Katy's stunning florals were created by Christine at Lavenders Blue in Morpeth.

Beautifully intricate, Katy's wedding dress with illusion neckline and criss cross beaded detail was the Hazelwood gown by Enzoani, sourced from Kathryn Truemans bridal boutique in Morpeth. 

Katy and Gareth were married in the stunningly beautiful St Mary's Church in Morpeth.

"Our favourite moment was dancing down the aisle after saying our vows to each other in the most beautiful church, surrounded by the people we love. The feeling of pure happiness was amazing."

Vallum Farm's remote countryside location was perfect for their relaxed and informal wedding reception.  

"We wanted a super fun day filled with the people we care about the most and things that we love...good people, good food, good music and good booze!"

"Don't get stressed about the little things...as they really don't matter.  Concentrate on the things that are most important to you and focus on these.  Let your bridal party help - they'll love being part of your planning.  Enjoy every minute - it's a super special, exciting time!"

"Our favourite place to go on holiday is Tenerife - Gareth proposed to me at night, on the beach, before taking me to our favourite restaurant. He was very nervous - I don't know why as it was perfect and of course I was going to say yes!"

Katy and her mum Chris put their creative talents to use to dress and style the marquee for the wedding breakfast, put together on the day by Vallum farm's co-ordinator Jane.  I loved their creative table plan, put together using lavender plants, stocks and gyp, along with hurricane lanterns, wicker hearts and welly boots! 

They opted for not one, but two wedding cakes.  Their cupcake tower was created by a lovely friend of Katy's, while their six tiered cheese cake was created by the Cheese Shed.

"Photography was incredibly important to us...Nigel and Chrissie have captured moments and memories that we will treasure forever." 

"We chose Nigel and Chrissie not only because they are incredibly talented and experts in what they do but because they are fantastic people who we knew we would enjoy spending time with on our wedding day. They really listen to what you want, offer fantastic advice and make you feel incredibly relaxed and at ease. We are so pleased we found them."

"Marriage hasn't really changed anything but our favourite thing is knowing that we are a strong team facing life and it's challenges, its ups and downs, it's highs and lows together, no matter what. There is always someone there who has your back. We are best friends, soulmates and partners in crime! :-)"

Katy and Gareth, thank you for the fun, and laughs and for your friendship.  Congratulations to you both once again, and heres to a life time of love and happiness!  xx

As always, it was great to work alongside the talented Mike Sreenan was in charge of the wedding video.  Click here to see Katy and Gareth's wedding video preview.  

Venue: St Mary's Church, Morpeth and Vallum Farm

Venue styling: Katy and Chris (Mother of the bride) with huge help from Jane at Vallum.

The wedding dress: Enzoani from Kathryn Trueman

The men's suits: Slaters

Wedding cake: The Cheese Shed and a lovely friend of Katy's

Flowers: Lavenders Blue

Hair and Make up: Hair by Victoria Alder and Makeup by Emmy

Entertainment: The Good Souls and DJ Mark Young

Videographer: Moonriver Films (Mike Sreenan)