Newcastle Cathedral and Beamish Hall - Sarah and Andrew
Sarah and Andrew are one of those couples who together just simply make sense. Sarah's grace, calmness and gentleness alongside Andrew's sense of fun and energy together become a perfect balance. It was a pleasure and an honour to get to know this great couple and to photograph their wedding day this spring.
They chose to be married in the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas in the heart of Newcastle. A place that we both ourselves are very fond of and have worked in many times before. It's wonderfully welcoming atmosphere is only elevated by the wonderful people who work there, Canon Kevin and of course the lovely verger, Ellie.
After the ceremony, we all headed over to Beamish Hall in the beautiful north county Durham countryside for their wedding reception. They enjoyed a wedding breakfast with all of their family and friends in the Monboucher Suite moving over to the Winter Gardens for their evening reception.
Here is a brief glimpse of their amazing wedding day.
Durham Castle - Catherine and Michael
Catherine and Michael flew all the way from their new home in Malaysia to be married in the place that they met, the historic city of Durham, heading over to the iconic Durham Castle in the heart of Durham for their wedding celebrations.
We joined them before the ceremony at the Castle as they prepared for the day ahead. Catherine was lucky enough to have been given the Castle's state room, the Bishops Suite to prepare for the wedding. The walls of the sitting room are decorated with 17th century Flemish tapestries, and the four poster bed dates back to 1760, fit for royalty and a wonderful space for Catherine to get ready.
Catherine and Michael were married in St Cuthbert's Catholic Church in Durham after which they left together to go to Prebends bridge for a few photographs - a place that they share many memories of college days together. Meanwhile their guests headed back on foot over the Kingsgate bridge and to Durham Castle for the wedding reception.
Catherine and Michael arrived to the Castle and were met with energy and laughter from their guests enjoying a drinks reception on the inner bailey of the Castle. After a few words from the maid of honour, everyone headed into the castle for the wedding breakfast in the Great Hall.
As a special surprise for the guests, Catherine's father and his band took to the stage just after her and Michael's first dance to provide them all with music to dance to, making sure that the party was in full swing in no time and the dance floor stayed full.
It was a great day with a great couple, it was fast paced, fun and a joy to be a part of. Here's a few from the day...
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.
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...
Newton Hall - Denise and John
Denise and John chose to get married in one of Northumberland's most unique venues, the bold, romantic and fantastical Newton Hall. Filled to the rafters with style and character, quirky trinkets and statement pieces, it is a lot of fun to walk around and explore - and fun really was the word for the day. Our fun loving couple with their fantastic guests created a relaxed and informal wedding filled with laughs and happiness all around, it really was a great day to shoot and a joy to be involved.
A shorter day than normal for us, we met them both for their preparations at the hall, they were married in the beautiful glass house making full use of the surprisingly good weather (for march) with the folding doors flung open and looking straight out on to the grounds. After celebrating with their guests in the hall and a few pictures around the grounds, the four of us nipped off for a quick 10 minutes to the beach down the road before heading back to join their guests again for their wedding meal in the garden suite. Nige and I said our goodbyes and left them to enjoy the rest of their wonderful wedding day.
Here are a few of our favourites from their day.
Wynyard Hall - Claire and Alastair
Claire and Alastair were married in the stunning Wynyard Hall in March this year. The light was pastel and soft, the colours of spring were just starting to show which despite it still being rather cold added a sense of warmth to the scene.
Claire and Alastair chose rich cadbury purple and crisp white as their colour theme which was echoed in the flowers, bridesmaids dresses, table decor and also filled the conservatory as coloured light for their evening reception which looked wonderful and really gave the room a party atmosphere.
They were married in the Wynyard Hall's own chapel, going on to the huge statue gallery and ballroom to celebrate the day with their family and friends.
Here are a few of our favourites from their beautiful early spring wedding day.