Wynyard Hall - Rachel and Kenny

As a recommended photographer, Wynyard Hall is a regular haunt of ours - but even after so many years, it still doesn't fail to wow us.  The stunning stately north east wedding venue stops you in your tracks from the moment that you arrive. The Regency architecture with it's towering pillars invite you into the enormous octagonal statue gallery.  A huge domed stained glass skylight and crystal chandelier above your head.  The feeling is something like walking into a palace.  Amongst its many other delights, Wynyard Hall also boasts the most stunningly beautiful private chapel, which last year, became the setting for Rachel and Kenny's wedding, and what a day it was!

In her own words, Rachel talks about their day.

THE PROPOSAL

'Kenny had travelled out to the United States where I had been working at the time. We had taken a short holiday on the Californian coast and one afternoon he had planned a trip to Newport Beach where we took a gondola ride around the canals to watch the sunset. I had absolutely no idea whatsoever that a proposal was coming my way!'

THE VENUE

'We were initially wowed by the statue gallery and it’s incredibly stunning stained-glass ceiling and imposing chandelier. As soon as we stepped in to the chapel, the deal was sealed: I couldn’t imagine being married anywhere else. The chapel is sensational in every sense of the word.'

'The wedding co-ordinator Ashleigh and master of ceremonies Ryan were there for us every single step of the way and on the day they were like my right-hand men (& woman)! There was no decision made alone and the help and guidance provided by the wedding team at Wynyard Hall was a godsend in areas where we felt we needed further advice.'

HER MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

'I wish I could rewind back to that moment where the Wynyard Hall chapel doors swung open, I could hear Canon in D playing and saw my husband-to-be waiting at the altar. I’ve never seen or experienced such emotion from so many people in one moment in my life, and that is something I’ll forever cherish.'

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

'We spent a lot of time browsing bridal magazines that were specifically focused on the North for initial inspiration, and used social media to find the photographer who we believed would suit the overall tone of our day.  We kept hoping that we would find a team that could work naturally around us and capture those beautiful shots without us even realising! We wanted the laughs, our smiles and even our tears. That’s when Nigel and Chrissie at 2Tone Photography came along…'

'Nigel and Chrissie are two of the nicest people we have ever met and so passionate about what they do. The whole experience felt incredibly personalised.'

'We received our beautiful wedding images when we were in the middle of the Eastern Cape on Safari in South Africa with the most hopeless Internet connection. We spent hours of our honeymoon “ooh’ing and aah’ing” with laughter, tears and the biggest grins on our faces reliving the day over again.'

THE DETAILS

'We envisaged a classic elegance at Wynyard Hall, combining ivory and sage green. We had enormous vases of fresh Roses on each table that filled the room with the most beautiful scent, and a carried a gorgeous bouquet of ivory Roses.'

THE DRESS

'I fell in love with a half satin, half lace Allure Bridals gown that I found at First Glance Bridal in Sunderland.  The long train fluted out and accentuated my waist allowing me to feel demure, elegant and beautiful at the same time. I could never imagine getting married wearing anything else.'

THE SPECIAL TOUCHES

'I created and designed all of the stationery that we used on our wedding day with the help of my Dad. We spent hours together fussing over fonts, alignment and paper choices, eventually seeking help from the team at Prontoprint who ordered paper samples and printed our designs. The hard part was when we got to work tying over 200 ribbons and bows!

We had a range of spirits as favours – as you can never go wrong with a good old G&T – but tied a personalised tag for each guest around the bottle neck advising its exact use depending on the recipient: a truth serum, courage builder, love potion, or of course, the pain killer!'

RACHEL AND KENNY'S BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATION WAS FEATURED IN ISSUE 08 OF UNVEILED.

The Suppliers

The Venue - Wynyard Hall

The dress - Allure Bridals at First Glance Bridal

Hair - Show Off Salon

Make up - Katie Robson Make Up

The suits - Baker's Tailoring

The bridesmaids - Dessy

The flowers - Ashbrooke Florists

The cake - Joanne's Cake Creations

The cheese wedding cake - Blacks Corner

The band - The Andy Usher Trio

The photobooth - Party Pics

The Videographers - One digital Image

A Wynyard Hall wedding - Wedding videographer Jon marries Cassandra

Professionally our paths have not crossed and so it was not until after we had photographed Jon and sweet Cassandra's wedding day in April that we learned that Jon is a very talented wedding videographer working within the North East area, his business - Top Table Films.  Working in the film industry for more than 10 years, he is a rising star in the world of weddings and certainly one to look out for.  They were married in their local church, St Brandon's Church in Brancepeth, four miles outside of Durham, going on to the gorgeous Wynyard Hall for their a Midsummer Night's Dream themed reception which was really brought to life by florist Adam Prest's creative arrangements, table centres and candle displays.

Jon says:

"Although we did not want a 'themed wedding' we did want the day to blend and work together.  To do this we decided that our day would take on a midsummer Night's Dream theme.  We wanted it to be magical, elegant and something a little different (with a little sprinkling of fairy tale for good measure too)" 

I began my day with Cassandra and her family at their home in Low Willington near Crook.

It was great to work with Danni from Danni MUA doing Cassandra's wedding day make up.

Cassandra's stunning gown was a Justin Alexander creation.

Nigel met the lads at Cassandra and Jon's home in Ushaw Moor.

An ivory vintage wedding car took Jon and his best man Mark to St Brandon's before heading back to collect Cassandra and her dad. 

I love this photograph of Cassandra, she is always happy and smiling and has a real positive energy about her, to this to me really sums her up.  She is glowing with excitement and adrenaline, I can hardly remember a happier bride.

Jon's father Eric played the church organ for their processional, recessional and hymns.

An old church with a modern interior, St Brandon's Church suffered a terrible fire in 1998, it has since been completely refurbished and is now spacious, airy and bright.

A little rain kept everyone inside the church after the ceremony however it didn't last long, with much better weather greeting us later at Wynyard Hall.

Cassandra and Jon chose an April wedding day, perfect timing for Wynyard Hall's wonderful daffodils that spread right across the extensive estate. 

A little blustery but no more rain meant we could get a large group show of the whole party.

It's always worth adding a little time into your schedule for portraits of just the two of you alone.  Together we explored the grounds of the Hall and created some wonderfully romantic photographs for our happy couple.  

The ballroom looked wonderful with Adam Prest's impressive table arrangements, collaborating with Posh Chair Covers and Bows in charge of the table and chair linen and the five tired wedding cake created by Kelly Ann's Cakes.

Jon Says:

"Each layer was a different flavour - red velvet, raspberry, lemon, chocolate and Cointreau and carrot cake.  The cake was finished off by Adam, who added the flowers on the morning of the wedding"

The evening entertainment was by The Ultimate Wedding DJ.

 In Jon's words:

"As we are sure every couple says...the whole day was perfect and that is honestly how we feel.  The church ceremony was very special to us specifically the sermon by the Rev'd Rick Simpson and the fact that people had travelled the length and breadth of the country to be with us meant the world."

Thank you to you both for inviting us to photograph your beautiful wedding day.  It was an honour and a pleasure to witness.  See you in two weeks at Lisa and Paul's Matfen Hall wedding when we will work together for the first time!

The Suppliers:

Photography: 2Tone Photography
Venue: Wynyard Hall, Tees Valley
Bride’s Dress: Justin Alexander at Just Perfect, Shotton
Bridesmaids: Dessy at Rosina Brown, Stocksfield
Men’s Suits: Woven, Durham (with matching ties and pocket squares by Dessy)
Hair: Hair Haus Hair & Beauty, Bishop Auckland
Make-up: Dani MUA 
Flowers: Adam Prest 
Cake: Kelly Ann’s Cakes
Stationery: Amber Black Wedding Stationery
Entertainment: The Ultimate Wedding DJ
Chair Covers: Posh Chair Covers & Bows