Beamish Hall Wedding of Ashleigh & Gary

We love wedding photography at Beamish Hall. There are so many great photo opportunities inside the Hall and around the extensive grounds. Ashleigh and Gary were married at St Joseph’s Church in Sunderland and then celebrated at the beautiful Beamish Hall wedding venue  in County Durham.

Read more about their fantastic day in their own words and take a look at a few of the images in their wedding gallery.

Why did you choose your venue?

We viewed 3 other wedding venues but felt none of them came close to Beamish Hall. We just absolutely loved the Winter Gardens. I feel like it’s only getting better and better as they are constantly making changes and adding new features like the woodland area out the back of the winter gardens.

Did you have a theme? What was the inspiration for your wedding? 

I don’t think I had a theme as such. My main inspiration was all things classic and elegant. My colour scheme was mainly white and greenery with just a touch of dusty pink for the bridesmaid dresses.

Tell us about your dress and grooms wear:

My dress was Blue by Enzoani and the veil was Amanda Wyatt,  both from The Wedding Dress Company in Corbridge. To say I was indecisive in choosing my dress would be a huge understatement. The ladies at The Wedding Dress Company were so incredibly helpful and patient with me. They truly know their stuff and I would highly recommend them. Groom – Gary and his Ushers suits were from Next.

Who did your hair and makeup?

Hair – Laura, from Hairhouse (Derwant Street, Sunderland) Make up – Melanie Hedley Make Up Artist. They are both incredibly talented at what they do and both lovely ladies who are great company on your special day.

Who did your flowers and what did you chose?

The Enchanted Florist – Julie and her team are incredible. I met with her several times over as, like with most other things, I constantly changed my mind. She was always on board with what I wanted and offered her professional advice as I knew absolutely nothing about flowers. She suggested I go for David Austin Roses, and well, they were simply stunning.

Are there any other suppliers you would like to mention?

Videography – One Digital Image Table/Room Decoration – Beamish Extras,  String Quartet – Andrelli, Entertainment – The North East Singing Waiters and Groove Central Station from AMV Live Music, Stationary – Amanda Michelle Design & Stationary, Cake – Dreamworld Cakes, Cars – ATW Wedding Cars   (I can’t recommend all of these suppliers highly enough)

What was your favourite part of the day?

This is impossible to say! Every part was special but for so many different reasons. I think arriving at the church under a pale blue sky , after quite a heavy down pour about an hour before,  and seeing all our lovely guests in the church and Gary at the top of the aisle. Oh and not forgetting a quick selfie with our fabulous priest Father Marc before I walked down the aisle with my Dad.

I also thoroughly enjoyed The North East Singing Waiters. It was an absolutely amazing surprise organised by Mam and Dad. We really had no idea! Everyone was up off their seats and it was lovely to see all our guests smiling and having a good time.

What is your top tip for another Bride and Groom?

100% don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy every second.  Try not to let the stress of planning get in the way of things. It is the most important day of your life and you should try to enjoy the lead up and the planning as much as the day itself.

I would also say, try and take it all in. When people say it’s the best day of your life, they’re not lying but it is also by far the quickest day of your life so just try to enjoy every last minute.

How did we do?

We simply can’t thank David and Paul enough for capturing our special day and honestly cannot recommend them highly enough. They are both extremely professional in what they do and yet made us feel completely at ease on our big day.  They are so down to earth and great fun to have around. On the day itself they just fit right in and worked so well alongside our fabulous videographers, Chris and Janet from One Digital Image. On the morning of the wedding Paul made my bridesmaids and I feel so comfortable and perfectly captured the emotion of the morning so well. David spent the morning with the groom and the ushers, again making them feel all at ease. Additionally, he provided the expertise of tying the windsor knot, and correcting their (admittedly) poor attempts of attaching their button holes. The photos that we received are everything we wanted and more. We also asked David and Paul to design some thank you cards once we had received our photos, which again, were absolutely stunning. Our deepest thanks to you both once again.