Wendy and Mark – Matfen Hall

We were given the pleasure of photographing Wendy and Mark’s wedding in the middle of December last year.  They gave the day a really festive but fresh feel.

Wendy’s beautiful hand tied bouquet contained roses and stephanosis

I neatly placed her gorgeous engagement ring in the bouquet, a lovely shot.

The light streaming in through the window behind Wendy’s shoes gives us another lovely shot of her bridal details.

Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue…and a sixpence for her shoe.

At this stage of the morning everyone begins to get dressed

Wendy helps her dad on with his jacket before getting dressed herself

She looks stunning.

Arriving at Church – The parish church of St Andrew in Corbridge, all is pretty quiet to start with, before long the guests arrive in a coach put on for them by the bride and groom.

I grab a quick shot of the rings, placed nicely on a spare order of service.

A very dutiful grooms man hands out orders of service…

…while Mark stands to greet some of their guests.

Moments before Wendy walks down the aisle to greet her groom, a simply beautiful emotive shot of Nigel’s.

One of mine this time as the bridesmaids walk behind Wendy down the aisle.

Using the long lens, I catch this moment from the back of the church.

Very soon vows have been given, rings exchanged and they are declared Man and wife.

Nige and I watch and get some great shots while Wendy and Mark are greeted by their guests, everyone enjoying the moment.

A shower of confetti greets them as they leave the Church and head to Matfen Hall

The majestic Matfen Hall.  We were all lucky enough to see it within snow covered grounds.

Wendy and Mark make their grand entrance.

Later they stand for a quick shot on the huge sweeping staircase.

We get the boys together and get a great shot of them posing in front of Matfen, even the little page boy takes part.

Going for a wander, we find this really wonderful space to get some shots, believe it or not, the gorgeous blues and yellows were real (no photo shop needed).  A stunning picture of Wendy and Mark sharing a quiet moment together.

The room looked wonderful set out for the wedding breakfast

The speeches start, here Wendy’s Dad makes the first speech.

I love catching great shots of the guests laughing along to the speeches, they really help to tell the story of the moment.

The evening celebrations traditionally begin with the first dance.

Later Wendy and Mark played hosts to a ceilidh, which their guests thoroughly enjoyed.

Many of the guests young and old took part in the dancing.

Afterwards, everyone heads downstairs for dancing in the vault beneath the Great Hall

We finish our day with a stunning picture of Matfen Hall, a beautiful venue and a beautiful day, congratulations guys.

Anna and Gav – The Quayside Exchange

At the end of November Nigel and I spent the day with Anna and Gav, photographing their big day at the Quayside exchange in Sunderland.

I started my day at Anna’s Mum’s house, and set to work capturing Anna’s fab details.  She chose a simple but beautiful bouquet of Ivory Calia lilies.

…and a quick shot of her engagement, sitting nicely on top of one of the lilies.

I love this shot of Anna, having her final touches of make up applied, she looks very hollywood.

This is Beck, Anna’s sister and bridesmaid, it was’nt until the morning of the wedding that I had realised that Anna was Beck’s sister, Beck was an old friend of mind from uni, it way really lovely to see her again after all this time.

Anna looked absolutly gorgeous.

Nige spent his morning with the boys at their home, starting with a quick shot of the wedding rings.

The boys chose to wear highland wear, they looked great.

Gav is helped out with his cufflinks before setting off.

Anna arrives in her fab bridal car, A beauford driven by Michael from crozier cars in Sunderland.  We see Michael and this car very frequently and really have to say you can’t go far wrong booking him for your own wedding, a beautiful car and a great chap to drive you to the ceremony.

Anna, again looking simply stunning, I really love this natural shot of her as she arrives to the Quayside exchange, glancing back towards the Bauford before she steps inside.

Anna arrives a little early for the ceremony so we all waited for a few minutes in the reception area before heading downstairs, in this little grab, Anna is standing infront of a radiator!

Again, Anna is looking very Hollywood.

We all enjoyed a simple informal ceremony in the vaulted basement

They gave their vows and…

…shared their first kiss as Husband and wife.

The celebrastions began with a drinks reception

Nigel and I caught lots of great shots of guests chatting and enjoying the day.

These guys are such a loving couple, we catch this lovely shot of them sharing a moment together.

This shot caught a great moment between Gav and Anna’s brother Brent while standing ready for a group shot of the lads.

We all head off for a little walk around the Quayside exchange.  The dark early nights and cold evening help us to make the decision to get some shots inside.  We head off to the bar area and get some great shots full of life.

After their pictures, I quickly nipped in once again to the vaulted basement to get a room shot before guests sit down to listen to the speeches and eat.

The evening party was held in the bar, a large open and modern area.  Before all of their guests arived we grabbed one or two more shots of them together.

and one of Anna, looking fab.

Congratulations Guys, see you soon.

Julie and Michael – Lumley Castle

In the middle of November we were back at one of our regular haunts, Lumley Castle.  This time to see Julie and Michael get married.

We caught a quick shot of the Castle (as always) before going to find Michael.  I have to say, Lumley really does look stunning in this shot and I love the fallen leaves in the forground.

I met Julie as she arrived at the Castle…

…we had enough time to catch a pre-wedding bridal portrait before heading inside to the ceremony.

Julie’s Dad, Alan escorts her upstairs and into the castle

Her bouquet, a beautiful hand tied which consisted of deep red grand prix roses each with a pearl accent finished off with some steel grass.

Michael awaits his bride’s arrival

Julie enters the Scarborough suite and meets her groom.

Nigel did a wonderful job and caught many beautiful moments throughout the ceremony, they both look so happy.

A great shot, Alan watches on as Julie and Michael share their vows.

Michael son Lewis was the official ring barer and one of five best men on the day (four of which were Michael’s son’s.)  Lewis proudly presented Julie with the wedding rings.

To a round of applause from their guests they were declared man and wife.

After the ceremony we all wander around to the front of the castle.

where Julie and Michael stand for this fantastic shot of the two of them standing beneath the great oak door.

They looked gorgeous.

The lads pose for this great shot, again using the great oak front door and the steps leading up to it.  A timely gust of wind adds a little drama to Julie’s veil.

Lumley is full of little nooks and crannies to explore, the four of us head off to find places for photographs.  We start in the dungeons, then…

…a corridor…

…and then down to the narrow hallway at the bottom of the staircase.

I popped back upstairs to the Baron’s Hall and got lots of shots of their table details and the room laid out for the wedding breakfast.  Incorporating the red colour scheme into the room layout worked wonderfully, they used arrangements of Grand prix roses on candelabras for their table centres, red sashes over the chair covers and red floral details on their favors.  All of this next to the general colour scheme of the room worked very well indeed.

Moments before the speeches began I headed up to the balcony to get a shot of everyone seated.

Michael gave a great speech while…

…his sons listened.

Congratulations Julie and Michael.

Wedding fair Mix up

To all of you planning to come and see us at one of our last wedding fairs of the season, the Sage wedding fair is on the 19th April not the 12th, and so unfortunately we have had to cancel our place at the Lumley Castle wedding fair also on the 19th.  We will however be at the next one in the autumn.  The Sage wedding fair begins at 1pm going on to 4pm and will exhibit 50 of the best suppliers in the area, its sure to be a great show so why not make a day of it and come along.

Thank you cards

We can now offer you high quality Thank you cards to send out to your guests after your wedding.  The cards feature an image of your choice on the front of the card, text if you wish, and a personal message inside in words that you have chosen, alternatively leave them blank inside so you can hand wright each message, they even come with a choice of paper texture and have a fast 5 day turn around time.  The printed cards also come with high quality envelopes and with a minimum order of 50 cards each card only cost £1.50 per card, which I am pretty sure is better value than those you can buy in high street card shops.  Below is a couple of designs for cards that I have put together to help inspire you.

Lesley and Wayne – Crathorne Hall Hotel

Lesley and Wayne were married on a gorgeous October day holding their wedding celebrations at the fabulous Crathorne Hall Hotel near Yarm part of the Handpicked Hotels chain of exclusive luxury hotels throughout the UK.  One of our absolute favorite venues.  They chose a stunning colour theme of oranges, reds and browns perfect for the time of year and perfect for the venue.  Here are a selection of some of our favorites.

Congratulations to you both.

Nicola and Colin – Beamish Hall

Nicola and Colin were married in the All Angels Church in Houghten-le-spring, moving on to their fabulous wedding reception held at Beamish Hall Hotel.

A quick shot of Nicola’s fab bridal shoes

meanwhile, Nige is with the boys.  He grabs this great shot as Colin’s best man takes a moment to read through his speech for the last time before the wedding.

Knowing how much Nicola loves Autumn colours, we set up this great shot of the rings nestled carefully in fallen leaves outside the Church.

Nicola arrives to Church as…

…Colin’s best man escorts Nicola’s mum down the aisle

Nicola makes her grand entrance

and Colin can’t take his eyes off of her

A shower of confetti greet the happy couple after the ceremony

Beamish Hall, looking stunning in the Autumn light

As a supprise treat to their guests, Nicola and Colin have arranged a bird show, it’s this little fella just gorgeous.

We spend a little time with Nicola and Colin to get a few portraits of them alone together

The Monboucher Suite looked great set for their wedding breakfast.

A little bit different from the norm, we took Nicola and Colin out once again after their wedding breakfast to get some night time portraits around their venue.  Having the option to have night time portraits taken is another great advantage of choosing a photographer that will offer you all day coverage.

The evening party kicks in, with a choreographed first dance, super job guys.

Congratulations to you both.

Andrea and Chris – Hallgarth Manor

On a very windy October day we both had the pleasure of photographing Andrea and Chris’ wedding at the gorgeous St John’s the Methodist church in Ashbrooke, Sunderland.

We both met Andrea and Chris at the church, allowing plenty of time to catch shots of the guests arriving for the ceremony

Andrea and Chris chose a gorgeous shade of blue for their bridesmaids dresses, with the younger ones in white…

their choice of red Gerbera stems wired with sequinned accents were perfect for their bridesmaids to hold and very suiting to the autumn colours of the season.

Andrea told us that she loves Autumn and even chose to include it within their orders of service.

Andrea arrives at church and is helped out of the car by her dad.

This church is magnificent and is always a favourite of ours, the grandeur of the building along with the Minister Father Aldridge who’s lively nature always gets smiles from the congregation as he dances along to the hymns.

Very soon we saw Andrea and Chris exchange rings and made husband and wife.

After the ceremony we headed outside and took lots of shots as guests were greeted by the bride and groom, afterwards taking a momentto get a few striking shots of Andrea, her veil whiping wildly in the wind.

Like I said, it was an uncredibly windy day and Andrea’s veil chose to take flight, unfortunatly not to be seen again.

There was no stopping these guys, veil or no veil time for some romantic shots on the Church’s stone steps…

…and one of Chris looking very cool

We headed off to Hallgarth Manor for Andrea and Chris’ wedding reception.

Having made plenty of time for drinks and canapés…

Andrea, Chris and the two of us taken a moment to have a wander around the Manor, getting some more personal shots of the two of them alone together.

Heading outside once again into the gale…

…which we used one again to great effect.

Back inside the warm, I pop into the Elemore Restaurant to get a few shots of the room layout and details, being only a few days before halloween Andrea and Chris chose pumpkins to adorn their tables, each with a table name, named after old pubs and clubs in Sunderland which they used to go to together.

Andrea made these fab wrappers for packets of rolo’s used for their wedding favors, each one also acted as place cards and had individual messages for each guest.

The speeches

The evening do in full swing…

…complete with a Beatles tribute band.

Congratulations guys

Nicola and John – Beamish Hall

Nicola and John were married in the beautiful Beamish Hall, holding their ceremony in the common room and their wedding breakfast in the Eden Restaurant.  As usual, I started my day with the girls and Nigel with the lads.

A few simple details were taken of Nicolas gorgeous accessories, this pearl necklace was a gift to Nicola from her mum for her 18th birthday.

Moments before the ceremony we took a few minutes to get some bridal shots of Nicola, she looked stunning…

…and here with her gorgeous bouquet of deep red roses, each with a pearl accent.

Their smallest flower girl Ellie holds a matching wand.

A stunning picture of Ellie as she looks out of the window as guests begin to arrive.

A quick group shot of all of the bridesmaids before the ceremony.

Nige with the boys pop’s into into the common room to get a shot before the guests begin to make their way inside.

taknig tie to also grab some great shots of John as he greets his guests.

Nicola makes herway down the beautiful staircase to the comon room.

The give their vows…

…and are declared man and wife.

Moments after the ceremony, guests greet the new Mrs Smith.

They even had a scottish bagpiper which added to the great atmosphere.

A simple family group shot of Nicola’s brother’s family…

..and a fun shot of the bridal party.

John and Nicola take some time alone, enjoying each others company.

The Eden restaurant looked great set out for the wedding breakfast.

John’s brother and best man Ron gave a fabulous speech…

…which all of the guests enjoyed.

The evening do kick’s off, John and Nicola share their first dance together.

Congratulations to you both, it was a joy to be there with you on your special day and we shall look forward to seeing you at Zoe and Neil’s wedding in a few weeks.

Anne-Marie and Daniel – Horton Grange Country House Hotel

Anne-Marie and Daniel chose to marry in St Charles’ Church in Gosforth, holding the rest of the day’s celebrations in Horton Grange Country house Hotel.

I spent some time with the girls at home before heading off to the Church, allowing plenty of time for shots including a few of the all important details

The Church looked beautiful on this sunny October day

Inside, the grand marble pillars and alter looked stunning as Anne-Marie walked down the aisle to meet her groom

A beautiful, sentimental ceremony was conducted, with readings read in both English and Daniels home language, Polish.

A great shot as Daniel signs the register, bathed in a gorgeous pool of light from the huge stained glass window above them.

They walk down the aisle together shortly later as the new Mr and Mrs.

Having left the Church, we arrive soon after at Horton Grange for the wedding reception and breakfast.

A polish tradition, Daniel and Anne-Marie are met at the threshold  by their parents who present them with a loaf of bread sprinkled with salt, the bread to symbolise their parents hope that they will never want for food and sustenance, the salt to remind them that life at times can be hard and they must lean to cope through these troubled times, some also believe it will ward off evil spirits and omens and has the power to heal and cleanse.  They are also presented with two glasses, one containing water, the other vodka.  No one knows which is which.  They each take a glass and drink, custom says that which ever of them gets the vodka will wear the trousers in the marriage, to cheers from all of the girls, Anne-Marie received the vodka.

Daniel and his grooms men spend a few moments with Nige to get some fun shots of the boys together

Anne-Marie, Daniel, Nige and I take some time for a walk around the grounds to get some shots of the happy couple together.

A lovely, natural moment between them caught.

The dining room looked wonderful, ready and waiting for guests to take their seats.

Vodka mini’s were placed on each table as wedding favors, it is another tradition for the polish to offer vodka to their guests during the wedding meal.

The best man’s moment, a great expressive shot, with Daniel’s mum looking on laughing at the speech.

After the wedding breakfast, Daniel greets evening guests as they arrive for the party.

The first dance

After the first dnce, Kathleen, Anne-Marie’s mum takes the oppotunity to dance with her new son in law

A moment shared during the evening do between the happy couple

Congratulations to you both, it was a joy to share your special day with you.