A relaxed wedding at the Ramside Hall in Durham - Catherine and Phillip

At the beginning of autumn, we were invited to join Catherine and Phillip on their wedding day at the Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham, and what a day it was. From early on, they told us that they wanted to do things a little differently, from getting ready together to doing away with many traditions like the three-course meal, the speeches, the first dance, and even the cake cut. The result was a fantastically relaxed celebration that centred around love and friendship. It was a complete joy to photograph.

Here are some of our favourite shots from their day.

If you're planning your wedding at the Ramside Hall, and are looking for a wedding photographer, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

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

Durham Castle - Ruth and Andrew

Historic Durham castle is one of our all time favourite venues.  Filled with stunning light and so many creative opportunities for photographs - as well as of course simply being a stunning setting for a wedding. Nigel and I were naturally delighted to return for Ruth and Andrew's wedding day.  

Ruth and Andrew travelled all the way from Auckland in New Zealand to be married in St Mary's Church in Blackhill going on Durham Castle for their reception.  I was an incredible day with a fantastic crowd and certainly a day to remember. 

Working alongside our friend, the talented Richard Leng from Real Life films co.