Newton Hall - Rachel and Noah

We were back up north for Rachel and Noah’s wedding at Newton Hall. Newton Hall is a fun and quirky wedding venue right next to the coast in Northumberland and is always fun to photograph at. We first met Rachel when she was a bridesmaid for her friend Sarah whose wedding we photographed at Doxford Hall in 2017, so when she got in touch and asked us to be her wedding photographers, we were delighted. From day one we clicked, and quickly, it was like we were old friends. It was awesome to see these two kindred spirits tie the knot and celebrate their day with their family and friends. It was a wonderful day and a joy to photograph.

If you would like to see Sarah and Max’s wedding photographs at Doxford Barns, you can find them here.

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

“We have just returned from our honeymoon, and are absolutely blown away by the photos! We can’t thank you enough! They are absolutely stunning!! We truly can’t thank you enough for our pictures - they’re just amazing!” - Rachel and Noah.

Wynyard Hall - Gemma and Jonny

Wynyard Hall is always a treat to work at. We’ve worked here many times, but have never taken it for granted. Not only is the house itself incredibly stunning, but the grounds are to die for too. They have around 120 acres of land, a lake, carefully tended lawns and even a walled garden. We were back at Wynyard Hall for Gemma and Jonny’s beautiful traditional wedding. The Gemma and the girls got ready in one of the gorgeous cottages within the estate, while Jonny and the lads were in the Gardeners' cottage within the grounds of the walled garden. Their ceremony took place in the onsite 18th-century chapel, after which, they enjoyed drinks with their guests in the statue gallery, and then moved to the conservatory for their meal. It had been quite overcast for much of the day, with a short but heavy rain shower just before the ceremony, but after their meal, the sun came out, so what better excuse did we need to get outside for a little walk to explore the stunning grounds? It was a wonderful day with a really fantastic couple.

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

“Thank you so much, you were both amazing and very much helped make our day as perfect as it could have been. We really enjoyed getting our photos taken by you both and we couldn't be happier with how things went. We will definitely be recommending you to others should we know of anyone looking for wedding photography. We couldn't be happier with the photos, they are all beautiful, you have captured our day perfectly. Although you were only there to take photos, we felt you were very much involved with the structure of the day and helped to keep us relaxed throughout. The two of you are such lovely people and we are so glad we chose you to be our wedding photographers.” - Gemma and Jonathan

South Causey Inn - Lauren and Daniel

South Causey Inn is such a versatile wedding venue, with several different options to choose from for your ceremony and celebrations, all fabulously decorated, and with stunning views of the Beamish Valley. Lauren and Daniel chose the Old Barn for their wedding day. Spring had finally sprung and everything was looking green and fresh again. The sun was out, and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Lauren and her girls got ready in the Pamper Room, while the lads were in one of the courtyard rooms. After their ceremony, and a few drinks with their guests in the Old Barn bar, we all headed out to enjoy the glorious weather. We even managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the lake before they sat for their meal. It was a fun day with a great couple.

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

Best of 2019

Well, it’s that time of year again!  The time when we review our work and choose our top picks from the past year.  We have shared some amazing moments with some amazing people, visited some incredible places and made so many new friends.  What an absolute pleasure it has been working with each and every one of our couples throughout the year.  Thank you to you all for inviting us to your wonderful weddings.  

So here we go...2019!  A year filled with laughs and tears of joy, moments and memories, spectacular sunsets and most importantly - incredible people.  Cheers guys, and here's to an amazing 2020!  

Durham Castle - Laura and James

Durham Castle is a dream to photograph, wonderfully atmospheric, grand and full of history.  It also held some very special memories for Laura and James and so it could not have been more perfect for their wedding. 

I asked Laura to tell us about their wedding herself, so here goes!...

"We met at Durham University in 2006. We shared a few mutual friends, but it was playing college basketball that meant we started spending more time together. The most memorable turning point in our 'friendship' was when we spend a couple of hours together on a first aid course.... practising CPR (!) and then the long walk back home where we chatted for ages.  James proposed after 7 years together, on a slightly random Monday evening after I'd been at work for the entire day. He called me whilst I was driving home and asked me to give him a call 5 mins from home so he could start cooking the chicken fajitas. Little did I know it was actually so he could leave our flat - he left an envelope on the doormat which was the start of a treasure hunt... the end of which was a proposal :) Unfortunately the chicken fajitas didn't exist (!), but we went out for dinner before going on a mini break to Vienna 2 days later."

"We had a facetime chat with Chrissie and Nigel and loved how relaxed they were! I could instantly imagine them sharing in our wedding day."

For Laura and James, Durham Castle was always the one.  

"We were both students at Castle College in Durham, which is very lucky to have Durham Castle as the halls of residence! I lived in the castle during my final year, top floor of the keep - 127 steps up.  James used to refer to it as his 'city centre pent house! For us, there was only one place we could get married if we were ever to 'tie the knot!"

Laura chose vintage inspired accessories along with her stunning shoes - the Ivory 'Paris' stone embellished heeled sandals by No. 1 Jenny Packham.

Laura's stunningly beautiful wedding dress was the Jean gown by Badgley Mischka

"My wedding dress was the first thing I bought for the wedding - I loved the slightly vintage element of it and tried to carry this across the wedding (ie nothing too pristine and perfect - I didn't want 'matchy matchy'!)"

They were married in Durham Castle's medieval private chapel, the Tunstall chapel, constructed by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1540. 

"When I'm a guest at weddings I never look at the bride first when she walks down the aisle - I always look at the groom to see his reaction! I really wanted two photographers so that both moments could be captured"

"One of my favourite moments was walking back down the aisle after the service and seeing all our friends and family."

Laura and James were so much fun to work with, relaxed and clearly in love.  They made it too easy for us to capture some beautiful images of them alone together

"We loved the confetti gauntlet despite it almost choking James, the photo of him after getting confetti in his face is one of my favourites - even though it really shouldn't be!"

I asked Laura for a little advice for other couples getting married...

"Plan the day you want and that will make you happy. There can be so many differing opinions when planning a wedding. Just do what makes you happy -it's your day."

"As we were getting married in spring, I wanted to incorporate spring colours (light pink and purple). As it was Easter weekend we also wanted to give a little nod to this with the personalised easter egg favors."

Laura and James' beautiful wedding cake was carefully handcrafted by Laura's talented mother

"We looked over some photos that Nigel and Chrissie had taken at a wedding at Durham Castle and fell in love with them. Once I'd seen this there was no debate!"

"Make sure you find even just 5 mins to yourselves at the wedding.  We used the time when we went off to do some photos with Chrissie and Nigel after the dinner."

A favourite moment was our SECOND dance with our amazing band, Detroit Soul, 'This Old Heat of Mine'. We actually wanted this to be our first song, but didn't think the lyrics were appropriate!

Congratulations to you Laura and James once again.  Thank you for your words of wisdom, kindness and warmth - and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for inviting us to share with you, your wonderful wedding day at Durham Castle.

Laura and James carefully selected some fantastic suppliers for their wedding day:

Venue: Durham Castle

Venue styling: Pumpkin Events (friends business)

The wedding dress: Badgley Mischka: Jean

The men's suits: Moss

Wedding cake: Mother of the Bride!

Flowers: Style and Seated (friend)

Hair and Make up: Church Hairdressing (Tynemouth), F.A.C.E Makeup (Sarah Stonehouse)

Entertainment: Detroit Soul