Wynyard Hall - Gemma and Jonny

Wynyard Hall is always a treat to work at. We’ve worked here many times, but have never taken it for granted. Not only is the house itself incredibly stunning, but the grounds are to die for too. They have around 120 acres of land, a lake, carefully tended lawns and even a walled garden. We were back at Wynyard Hall for Gemma and Jonny’s beautiful traditional wedding. The Gemma and the girls got ready in one of the gorgeous cottages within the estate, while Jonny and the lads were in the Gardeners' cottage within the grounds of the walled garden. Their ceremony took place in the onsite 18th-century chapel, after which, they enjoyed drinks with their guests in the statue gallery, and then moved to the conservatory for their meal. It had been quite overcast for much of the day, with a short but heavy rain shower just before the ceremony, but after their meal, the sun came out, so what better excuse did we need to get outside for a little walk to explore the stunning grounds? It was a wonderful day with a really fantastic couple.

If you're planning your own wedding at Wynyard Hall, and are looking for a wedding photographer, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

“Thank you so much, you were both amazing and very much helped make our day as perfect as it could have been. We really enjoyed getting our photos taken by you both and we couldn't be happier with how things went. We will definitely be recommending you to others should we know of anyone looking for wedding photography. We couldn't be happier with the photos, they are all beautiful, you have captured our day perfectly. Although you were only there to take photos, we felt you were very much involved with the structure of the day and helped to keep us relaxed throughout. The two of you are such lovely people and we are so glad we chose you to be our wedding photographers.” - Gemma and Jonathan

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

Wynyard Hall - Kim and Doug

Autumn. I have always loved it, but more so since becoming a wedding photographer.  The low sun gives us sublime light, and the trees and foliage burst into an array of wonderful colours.  An autumn wedding at a venue like Wynyard Hall, working with a great couple and a fantastic team of suppliers. what more could we ask for?

Kim and Doug were a dream to work with.  Kim was effortlessly elegant and Doug was quite the gentleman.  Their stylishly classic wedding naturally flowed throughout the day from Doug preparing in Kim's family home right through to their fab evening reception where even Doug's Grandad showed off his moves on the dance floor.  Personal touches such as Kim's sister singing during the ceremony and her brother using his skills as a graphic designer for the table details added something extra special to the day.  This wedding was made special for us too, having worked with two of Kim's siblings in the past, it was a real joy to join the family again for this, the third family wedding.

Wynyard Hall - Lizzie and Alan

Lizzie and Alan's wedding day was a thing of beauty.  The weather was nothing out of the ordinary, flat but dry, a little overcast and perhaps not as sunny as you might hope for in the month of July but everything this about this wedding was perfect.  A wonderful couple, kind hearted and so much in love, a stunning venue, pretty details and a fantastic crowd to help them celebrate.  The things that made this wedding truly beautiful was the moments, and moments between moments, the love for this couple plain to see from their family and friends, their love for one another, sweet and gentle and everlasting.  A surprise for the groom in the form of a favourite song played in the statue gallery resulting in an impromptu first dance,  a perfectly timed gust of wind catching the veil, a private short walk alone and a gallant groom carrying his new wife to save her shoes from getting dirty.  Even silly selfie sticks and ice cream after dinner for all along and fun photo ops found their way perfectly into the day.  The groom's liking for Marvel and the character, the Flash led the way for Nigel to create a groom's portrait using flash of course, making him look like his own kind of super hero.  It was most certainly a day to remember.

It was wonderful to work alongside such a talented group of people for Lizzie and Alan's wedding day.  Janet and Chris from One Digital Image capturing their wedding video, Jess Avison from AMV playing the acoustic guitar, Marissa Bennett make up, Scoops and smiles supplying the ice cream, the Ultimate wedding DJ, Sara's Kitchen who supplied the cake and dessert bar, Silver Birch for the stationary, and not forgetting the amazing team at Wynyard Hall. 

We along with Lizzie and Alan were delighted when Wynyard Hall requested to use the image above for the front cover of their latest wedding brochure, for their website, magazine advertisements and for their latest wedding fair banner.  I have to say, it looks pretty amazing and it seems for now that Lizzie and Alan have become the faces of Wynyard Hall.  Pretty cool huh!

Here's the pictures!