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

Eshott Hall - Emma and Tom

Eshott Hall  is just about one of my favourite venues.  I adore the classic architecture, the traditional but fresh interior design, the surrounding landscaped gardens and woodland leading out towards the beautiful Northumberland countryside which extends as far as the eye can see.  It made the perfect venue for Emma and Tom on their wedding day earlier this year.  

We first met Emma when she was a bridesmaid for her sister Sally and husband Andrew a few years back.  It was wonderful to be invited again to capture another day in photographs for this kindhearted and wonderful family.  Emma and Tom decided to tie the knot in Eshott Hall's intimate reading room just a short walk from the hall before heading back for their outdoor drinks reception.  It was a wonderfully relaxed wedding day and a joy to be a part of.  Here are the pictures. 

The venue: Eshott Hall   The dress: The wedding dress Company  The make up: Sarah Stonehouse from F.A.C.E   The band: Switch  

Wynyard Hall - Danielle and Phillip

It was a pleasure to return to the magnificent Wynyard Hall for Danielle and Phillip's late spring time wedding.  They chose to be married in Wynyard Hall's beautiful Mirror room moving over to the Ballroom for their wedding breakfast and the conservatory for their evening reception.

It was a treat to once again work along side our friends, Janet and Chris from One Digital Image wedding videos as well of course as the fab team at Wynyard Hall.

Congratulations to Danielle and Phillip, wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness.

Wynyard Hall - Lauren and Mark

Lauren and Marks elegant wedding day at Wynyard Hall was a real treat to photograph.  It involved two beautiful wedding dresses, a vintage diamond tiara given to the bride from her father, designer wedding shoes, the most incredible wedding cake I have ever seen with it's own flower arch and a stunning venue, Wynyard Hall in the Tees Valley.  Their choice of colour theme, in pale gold reflected the elegance of the occasion and suited the venue perfectly.  The whole day was a treat for the eyes. 

The wedding ceremony took place in Wynyard Hall's chapel, moving on to the Statue Gallery for a drinks reception and the Winter Gardens for their wedding breakfast and evening reception.

Here are a few of the best from the day.