Stephanie and Andrew were married at Gisborough Hall in November 2011. The day was blowing a gale but the couple did not let this ruin their special day.
Photographer Martin Castein sent in these lovely images for me to share with you all today.
Stephanie wore a Swarovski Tennis Necklace (John Lewis), Swarovski Bracelet (Goldsmiths), Mikey earings (Debenhams) and a headband from Butterflies Bridal.
Stephanie’s Hair was done by her friends, Tiffany Drake & Jordan Summersgill and make-up was done by Laura Jayne in Redcar.
Stephanie’s Dress was from Victoria Jane, designed by Veni Infantino for Ronald Joyce.
Andrews suit is from Greenwoods in Redcar.
The beautiful and intricate cake was made by another friend of Stephanie’s, Rachel Gillson.
Thank you to Stephanie and Andrew for sharing these images with us
♥
Sian and Craig were married on Remembrance day 11.11.11 at Whitworth Hall, Spennymoor.
The day was amazing and special for the couple and the theme of poppies can be seen throughout. Lee Ovenden from Sophotogenic Photography sent over these lovely images for me to share with you today.
Sian got her dress of eBay, brand new, for a fabulous bargain for £250! Goes to show what you can find and where when you look!
The flowers were done by Julie’s in Spennymoor and my bouquet was made from crystals by a lovely lady called Claire, who, unfortunately, is no longer trading. Sian and her daughter/flower girls shoes were from Debenhams.
The suits were hired from Slaters in Newcastle.
Sian got her cake from Kelly Anns cakes in Houghton le Spring and as the date was 11.11.11 they all wore poppies and the tables were named after war aircraft. The couple also had the magician Paul Lytton preform while the photos were being taken and a disco by Northern Sounds on the evening.
A big thank you to Sian and Craig for allowing me to share your special day!
♥
I was so thrilled to receive this wedding from the talented Samir Arun at Asha Photography. I adore all the colours and vibrance that are used during a traditional Indian wedding. And I am sure that you will all agree with me when I say that Rakhi had her priorities right when she chose three gorgeous dresses to celebrate her union to Vishal in!
The decor of this wedding is colourful and makes you feel alive. It gives you a joyous feeling to look at and to me that creates such a wonderful atmosphere to share your vows in. Rakhi and Vishal chose the decor together and with the help of Exclusive Events and Infloresence they created a beautiful evening reception with a peacock theme. There are feathers and bird cages, big bouquets and candles everywhere that really do look amazing!
“We gathered our ideas by looking at wedding decor and on the internet, and did a lot of planning about what we wanted and the little details really do count.”
I love to find out what brides remember most about their wedding day ~ ”The things I remember most are saying our vows to each other, and then the nerves before the first dance and meeting all our friends and family and everyone dancing the night away.”
“My advice to other brides is that although you may become ‘bridezilla’ wanting perfection for every little thing, your friends will be there so let them help you, I can’t thank all my friends enough. Also I would say that it’s the details that really make a difference!”
Couple ~ Rakhi & Vishal
Wedding date ~ 25th June 2011
Venue ~ Wroxall Abbey Estate, Warwick
Rakhi’s White Wedding dress ~ Costa Blanca by Enzoani from Fleur de Lys, Cambridgeshire
Grooms suit ~ by Ted Baker
Cake ~ A peacock sitting on a roman pillar, by Michelle Sugar Art, Brighton
Flowers and Bouquets ~ Kiran Bachu at Inflorescence (Peonies and small cream and baby pink roses with pearl detail)
Hair & Make up ~ Kiss n Makeup by Saira Hussain and Aliya
Balloons ~ Huff Puff & Away by Harvey Pitcher
Wedding stationery ~ Elegant Cards
Catering ~ Sanjay Foods
Rakhi had some wonderful things to say about their photographer, Samir Arun. “He’s amazing, we couldn’t have asked for more from him! He put us both at ease in front of the camera and made our time with him fun and laid back, trying out ideas, like having Vishal throw the bouquet too and have the boys catch it!”
Thank you Rakhi for sharing your memories of your special day with me and Samir for the fabulous images you captured!
♥
I was thrilled when photographer Andrew Billingham approached me to write about this beautiful wedding! The theme and style of the day is so pretty and perfect that I am sure my readers are going to love it.
The happy couple are Suhaine and Malcolm who were married on the 30th July 2011 in a beautiful ‘English Garden Party’ themed wedding held in the stunning surroundings of the Hexham Winter Gardens within Queen Elizabeth High School. The pictures show a family orientated and relaxed wedding which I am sure you are going to enjoy.
A beautiful twist on the garter shot…..
The couple chose this venue as it perfectly suited their pretty ‘English Garden Party’ theme, being a school everything had that slightly worn look which tied in perfectly, adding the perfect hint of vintage to complete the look.
The wedding breakfast took place in what was the Solarium – beautiful wooden floors with massive windows allowing it to flood with light. Suhaine is an event organiser in her day job and had organised the decoration of the Winter Gardens with military precision – bunting was flown, fairy lights threaded around the room to twinkle in the evening, handmade table plans and flower decorations set up.
The previous day Suhaine had been to the flower market and bought boxes of flowers so she could decorate the tables and venue. She even spent part of the wedding morning making the button holes, bridesmaids bouquets and her own bouquet.
The couples approach to the wedding breakfast was really refreshing: everyone was called in to be seated and then Suhaine and Malcolm circulated for about half an hour talking to each table before the hog roast was served (buffet style) and a few emotion filled speeches were delivered at the end. The evening was a Ceilidh which meant everyone joined in and had a whale of a time – also negating the ‘First Dance’ fears of standing in the middle and swaying for 3 minutes whilst others look on!
What an exceptionally beautiful day, the ‘English Garden Party’ theme is perfect and pretty for this lovely couple.
Thank you to Suhaine for sharing her style with us and a big thank you to Andrew Billington for allowing me to share these wonderful pictures with you all.
♥
Photographer Paul Scott has sent me another fabulous wedding!
Wayne and Caroline were married on the 30th July at the gorgeous and picturesque Middleton Lodge.
Paul has captured the fun nature of Caroline and Wayne effortlessly and I hope you enjoy browsing the images as much as I did.
Paul had the following to say about the lovely couple:
“Wayne and Caroline were an absolute joy to be around on the day and were extremely relaxed and playful in front of the camera. In fact it’s fair to say that they really got into the spirit of the shoot allowing me to take them out for two private sessions where we went to town with a bit of lighting and used a number of locations.”
“Whilst Caroline was finishing getting ready I did a shoot with all the groomsmen where we made use of pretty much every fabulous room in Middleton Lodge, taking advantage of all the facilities. We had a great time in the pool room, library and on the stairs. In the library I asked everyone to have a quick browse and see if they could find any title that might be relevant to the groom…and they certainly did find a winner!”
“Whilst the couple were enjoying their reception we created a slideshow presentation of over 100 images taken throughout the day. It was a wonderful way to start the evenings events and it was received with applause (which was extremely flattering).”
“As mentioned Caroline was extremely relaxed and playful throughout the day, so much so that when she asked for a garter shot I felt that it would be inexcusable not to try and give her something of a rather classic and fun nature. So with that we headed off to the tennis courts to replicate one of the most iconic posters of the 70’s. What you can’t see in the picture is that she was in fits of laughter!”
“A great couple who were a joy to shoot.”
♥
Photographer Martin Castein sent in these fabulous pictures of the wedding of Luke and Melissa, along with a little story about the couple and their big day.
Melissa, a tattoo artist from Columbia. Luke, a chartered accountant from Middlesbrough, working in London. A chance meeting on a bus and a love story that grew between two individuals from totally different backgrounds. And, 3 years later, a proposal.
Luke wanted to ask Melissa to marry him and he knew that with her Columbian roots that the right thing to do would be to ask her parents permission first. So, Luke learnt enough Spanish to get by and secretly flew to Columbia, telling Melissa he was going on a business trip! While there he stayed with her parents for 3 days where he asked for their consent to marry their daughter. To which they agreed!
Upon his return, Luke proposed to Melissa and she delightedly said yes! When she expressed her concern for her parents approval Luke told her what he had done. Melissa was thrilled that he had gone to such lengths to respect her culture.
On the day of their wedding, Luke had a big surprise in store for Melissa. She had been working in the UK for nearly four years and due to visa restrictions had not been able to return home and see her parents. Sadly, Melissa’s parents and family were unable to attend the wedding so during the speeches Luke surprised Melissa with a call placed on loud speaker to her parents. When her mum answered Melissa broke down in tears and as no one else knew this call would happen, apart from Luke, the whole room ended up in tears too. It was a beautifully emotional moment and this can be seen in the pictures.
The chemistry between this couple is incredible and evident in their wedding pictures. Their characters shine through right down to Melissa’s nintendo character tattoos!
Luke and Melissa were married on the 2nd June 2011 at St Marys Church in Marton with a lovely reception at Crathorne Hall Hotel.
Todays real wedding comes from Paul Scott Photography. The happy couple are Kat and Dan Greaves and they were married at St James Church Wetherby with a beautiful reception at Sinningthwaite Priory.
Paul Scott sent us the following insider information on this precious day.
The day started at Aqua Hairdressers in Thorpe Arch. Kat and the bridal party were all getting their hair done.
Then it was on to the reception with Kat for more getting ready shots. She was extremely nervous and kept mentioning that her main bridesmaid seemed more so.
Dan had sent a lovely bouquet of flowers with a message that really touched her.
They had a beautiful ceremony which even included some gospel singing from one of Dan’s key groomsmen.
At the reception they had a Caribbean theme with a fab steel band. 
When it came to the group shot it was and still is the only group I’ve had that spontaneously started doing Mexican waves! It was very funny!
Kat and Dan really got into the spirit of the photography element of their day and they allowed me to take them on 3 mini shoots. One around the ground, one in their bedroom and another one around the perimeter. Dan also let me do a shoot with his mates where I promised I’d get him an album cover shot.
I told them to walk towards me and think “reservoir dogs”. The first attempt looked a bit more like dawn of the dead though as they ambled towards me. I told them and it cracked them up. The lads really seemed to enjoy having a bit of fun to get some “cool” pictures.
The speeches were really touching and Kat got quite emotional. The first dance was to Al Green – Lets stay together, after which Dan’s mates started doing some real pro dancing on the floor. It was quite a spectacle.
The day of the wedding it was a bit rainy, at first this bothered Kat but we had fun taking pictures with brollies and she soon forgot the weather.
Towards the end of the day the sun came out and it was lovely and really capped off the day for her.
A wonderful couple and a lot of fun to photograph.
♥
I got an email about a very good cause and had to share it with my readers!
The Great North Air Ambulance Services (GNAAS) are proud to announce their very first wedding fair and designer dress sale coming up on 30th October at Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield.
Attendees can look forward to great bargains on brand new designer dresses and pre-loved dresses, many are original vintage from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, all of which can be tried on and taken away on the day. They are also selling mother of the bride outfits, bridesmaid dresses, accessories and suits.
Industry professionals will be exhibiting on the day giving advice and showcasing their products and services. There is also a chance to win some great prizes donated by the exhibitors plus all attendees will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Thomas Cook holiday voucher.
The charity does not receive any government or lottery funding and has to rely on the generosity of businesses and the general public to raise nearly 4 million pounds a year to maintain the life-saving services of the air ambulance. All funds raised at the event will be put to effective use in enabling GNAAS to save lives and suffering 365 days of the year, across the region.
Current wedding trends are seeing a growth in popularity of charitable donations being made in lieu of traditional wedding favours and gifts. In response to this the GNAAS are introducing pin badges and favour cards which can be purchased from their website or by calling our fundraising office (01325 487 263).
If your planning your wedding then go along to the fayre and support this great cause!
♥
Claire’s dream was always to get married in the snow and she got just that when she married Anthony (Tony) Johnson in December last year. The ceremony was at the stunning Auckland Castle and the reception at Spennymoor Town Hall.
Photography by Camera A (Darlington) – Photographer Jane shown here
This loved up couple had been together nine years when they wed and had their daughter Skye as flower girl.
Dress – Inspirations Bridal (Hartlepool)
Shoes – Pink
Flowers – Sue’s Florist (Windlestone)
Ladies took home chocolate favors from Cake Garden whilst the men were treated to a mini Jack Daniels bottle. The cake was personalised with the couple’s initials.
The Chief Bridesmaid was Claire’s Sister in law Leah Hornsby and the Best Man was Tony’s close friend Brian Smith.
The Bride and her Bridesmaids dressed at Claire’s parent’s house in Kirk Merrington whilst Tony and his Ushers were at the couple’s house in Newton Aycliffe.
Claire says her day was filled with family and snow, just the way she had imagined it.
After the beautiful reception with a magical Christmas feel Claire surprised her guests with a dance performance. Nine dancers from Kdanz Dance School – where Claire works – came out to begin the performance then the real surprise came when Claire joined them!
This personal touch made the day memorable for everybody and now we’ve been lucky enough to share in the joy as well.
Thanks to Claire and Tony for this snowy real wedding.
Katie x
These stunning pictures of the wedding of Lesley and Simon Pilkington come courtesy of Claire Burns at Burns Rowatt Photography.
The wedding took place at Crathorne Hall in Yarm, Noth Yorkshire.
The Bride looked stunning in her elegant and flowing gown and added a lovely accent colour with her purple flowers and other details.
Flowers – Karen at Butterflies Florist
Dress - Benjamin Roberts from Dobinson in Darlington
Groom’s suit – Affleck and Moffat, Darlington
Cake – Cake Scrumptious, Sunderland
Invites/table centers - Lesley’s sister, Allison MacKinnon at Aymac Consulting
The couple chose to have an Australian themed cake complete with a beachwear-clad couple on top, as this was their Honeymoon destination.
The happy couple’s first dance was Can’t help falling in love with you by Elvis tribute act Niall Southall and their two nieces wowed the guests with a traditional Thai wedding dance.
Don’t forget to get in touch with me if you’d like to be featured on this blog and share your special day with Brides-to-be.
Katie x