Beamish Hall - David and Anthony
In June, we found ourselves back at Beamish Hall for David and Anthony’s wedding. We met David a few years back when he worked as a barman at Beamish Hall, but since then, he moved to America, met his soulmate Anthony, and made a new life for himself in San Diego, CA. When it came to deciding where to get married, I don’t think that there was any other choice for either of them. David felt the pull to come back to the UK and Beamish Hall, and Anthony dreamed of getting married in a traditional English Country House.
It was a day filled with fun and laughter, love and joy, with a wonderful group of people who had traveled from across the world - and we were delighted to have been a part of it.
If you're planning your own wedding at Beamish Hall, and are looking for a wedding photographer, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
“Omg, these pictures are out of this world!! You think you’ve seen the best of the best, till the next picture. You guys really captured the essence of the day. I couldn’t be anymore happier with these pictures. I’m speechless! Again thank you so so so much! You guys are amazing. What we were hoping to get, we got, but a million times better.” - David and Anthony.
Wynyard Hall - Stephanie and Nathan
A beautiful setting for a beautiful couple. Stephanie, a nurse married software developer Nathan last summer at the stunning Wynyard Hall in the Tees Valley. They were married in the gold gilded mirror room, before sharing their first meal as husband and wife, with their family and friends in the hall's ballroom. After dinner, the clouds broke and the sun came out, giving us a perfect excuse to head up to the walled gardens for a leisurely stroll and a few pictures.
The Proposal
"December 25th 2014, Christmas Day. The ring was sitting on a new bauble on the Christmas tree (I love Christmas and decorating the tree so I was so impressed the bauble matched the colour scheme!) initially I just saw a pretty new bauble then I saw the ring on the top of it, Nathan got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, of course, I said yes! "
The Dress
"The dress was a Maggie Sottero. A fitted dress with sweetheart neckline and handstitched sheer lace over the top with tiny pearls bought from yap bridal in Newcastle (who were fantastic!)"
"Bridesmaids wore two birds dresses in colour putty"
THe Venue
"Our ceremony took place in the mirror room at Wynyard hall, followed by a drinks reception with canapés wedding breakfast in the ballroom then evening reception in the conservatory. We had a special remembrance table to honour my grandma and Nathan's great auntie who unfortunately are no longer with us and were a huge miss."
The cake
Our cake was from Burnett's 4 cakes. It was a 4 tier cake with place white icing and edible orchids for decoration, bottom tier chocolate orange, next tier madiera, next tier lemon cake then top tier red velvet."
THe photography
"We met Chrissy and Nigel at a wedding fair initially, the amazing work they had previously done at Wynyard hall made us choose them and their relaxed and approachable attitude. They did an amazing job while making us laugh and feel at ease."
The honeymoon
Dubai for 4 nights then Mauritius for 10 nights
The suppliers
Suits - slaters
Flowers - floral quarter
Hair and makeup - the face house
Lartington Hall - Beth and Luke
Beth and Luke chose elegant Lartington Hall in Co. Durham for their wedding. Dashed with champagne and gold, their day had a regal feel while still being relaxed and fun. Here is Beth to tell us about it...
How did you meet? How did he propose? What is your story?
'Luke and I had the most amazing engagement. We had booked to go away to Disney World Florida in 2015. The last day of our holiday was my birthday and Luke had organised for us to watch the firework display at Cinderellas castle from a private garden viewing area! I had already had my birthday presents early that morning and wasn’t expecting anything else! As the fire works began, they played a song which started with the lyrics - ‘wishes do come true’ to which Luke then got down on one knee and the fireworks were going crazy in the background! It was just magical.'
What was the inspiration behind your wedding?
'When we started planning the wedding we knew we both wanted quite a big wedding with the wow-factor to go with it, and we definitely got that with Lartington Hall. We wanted everything to be that little bit extra, but still classy. We wanted a neutral and champagne colour theme, which happened to match perfectly with the venue – it was fate! I’d almost say we wanted a regal-feel to it, from the tall, rounded centrepieces and the large cake to the gold painted pillar-cases in the ballroom. Everything was just how we imagined – perfect!” We couldn’t recommend Lartington Hall enough to future bride and grooms.'
What was the most memorable or your favorite part of your wedding day?
'Without a doubt our favourite part of our wedding day was the Singing waiters! When planning the wedding we knew they were definitely going to have to be part of our day! We felt that sometimes at the wedding breakfast there is a bit of a lull and everyone becomes a bit tired after a big meal so it was just the perfect thing to get everyone lively again and up on their feet. The atmosphere they created was amazing, everyone was up dancing, singing and having a fab time! So many of our guests commented on how unique and brilliant it was to have at a wedding breakfast!'
Why was photography important to you and why did you choose 2tone Photography ?
'Our photos of the day were one of our main focuses when wedding planning. We found 2tone photography at a wedding fayre and instantly knew nigel and chrissie were for us! We knew from looking at their past albums that they had captured some amazing pictures of other bride and grooms special days and that’s exactly what we wanted! Their pictures seemed so crisp, clear and deep in colour, and that was exactly what we were looking for, something that said bold. Nigel and Chrissie are so lovely too. They work with such a relaxed attitude and it’s almost like having friends photograph your wedding. I would definitely recommend having a pair of photographers, that way, so many more images from different angles are able to be captured and I would not hesitate to recommend 2tone to any bride and groom.'
Do you have any advice for brides and grooms who are currently in the planning process?
'Our advice for future Bride and Grooms would be to go ahead with any plan or factor that you really want on your day. You only get to do it once, so bite the bullet and book it! Even if it means saving those few extras pennies, you wont regret it!
What is your favorite part of being married now?
'Our favourite part of being married now is planning our future together! We cant wait to see what the next couple of years bring for us! Our least favourite part is not having a wedding to plan haha! Enjoy every single minute of it.'
Venue: Lartington Hall
Venue styling: The Whole Schbang
The wedding dress: Bespoke Victoria Kay - Happily ever after Darlington
The jewellery - Ivory & CO
The hair: Hair by Jordan Simone Darlington
Makeup - Heather Francesca Pro artist and studio
The bridesmaid's dresses - Tracy Wilson Bridal specialist
The men's suits: Slaters - Newcastle
The wedding cake: Creations by Paula Jane
The flowers: The whole schbang
The stationary - Linda Whyte @ The Wedding Stationery Company
The magician - Stephen Knight
The singing waiters - Main course singing waiters
The day time musicians - Amici Musicali
The evening band - Hip Hop Hooray
The photobooth - Party Pics photobooth hire
The videographer - One Digital Image
Beamish Hall - Joanne and Steve
Joanne and Steve chose Beamish Hall for their glorious early summer wedding day this year. It was one of those days that the weather just couldn't make up it's mind. Showers in the morning, crazy wind during their drinks reception, and some beautiful summer sun later, which made for some amazing portraits. It was a day for fun and cheer, filled with love and wonderful moments and a joy to attend.
Venue: Beamish Hall
Venue styling: Beamish Extras - Beamish Hall
Hair: Lisa Cameron
Make up: Patrycja firmanty
Entertainment: Hip Operation - evening band & Snaparazzi photobooth
The Ramside Hall - Sarah and Stuart
Sarah looked picture perfect as she walked down the aisle of St Josephs church in Stanley to be married to Stuart in July this year. The ceremony was beautifully traditional and was attended by all of their family and friends. After having spent some time with their guests after the ceremony, we all headed over to the Ramside Hall near Durham for their wedding reception. The Bishops suite was dressed to impress for their wedding breakfast back lit by the stunning giant light up letters reading their names supplied by the fab Coco Luminaire. As a surprise to the groom, Sarah splashed out on the brand new bridal suite, the Celebration suite for the pair of them to enjoy for a few days following the weddings so after the meal the four of us headed upstairs for a few photographs. To say I was impressed with the room would be understatement, it's stunning decor and mood lighting created a wonderful atmosphere and was ideal for a short portrait shoot. The evening began with the traditional first dance, however Sarah and Stuart surprised and enthralled their guests with a fabulous choreographed first dance which was followed by a special moment for the bride and her dad on the dance floor.
Here are a few of my favourite images from their day.
The Royal Station Hotel, Newcastle - Deborah and Chris
Back in April we both had the pleasure of documenting Deborah and Chris's wonderful wedding day at the Whitley Bay Baptist Church, heading over to the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle for their celebrations.
It was our first opportunity to photograph at the Royal Station Hotel, and very quickly we were both taken by the impressive chandelier and huge sweeping staircase which together dominated the central hall of the hotel. They made a perfect scene for some wonderfully dramatic pictures.
After the fun of the speeches and their wedding meal, we made our way out the back to the Station for a few more photographs, how could we not!
Here are a few of the best from the day...
