Luanne and John's Wedding at Newcastle United's St James' Park(aka The one with all the sweets)

I sat having my breakfast on the morning of Luanne and John's wedding thinking that at last, the weather was nice outside.  It was sunny, the wind was light and it was warm!  Something of a rarity this summer.

When I arrived for the bridal prep images there was a quiet calm around the house.  Luanne and her bridesmaids were giggling away while they got ready while the smaller bridesmaids flitted from room to room.  As the time was getting closer for Luanne to leave for the church the nerves started to kick into gear.  I left for the church with a few calming words which I hope helped.

If you haven't visited St Andrews Church in the centre of Newcastle I would strongly encourage you to.  It's simply stunning.  It's a small oasis amongst the new modern buildings that have grown up around it over the years.  In the streets the buses whizzed past and shoppers were full of hustle and bustle.  Yet in the church grounds it was quiet and peaceful.  John and his best man and ushers were shuffling around by the church doors, John with an air of ultra-cool calmness about him.  

With the church filling up, John took his place and shortly afterwards Luanne arrived wearing a stunning flowing dress, complimented by the purple of the dresses worn by the bridesmaids.  Luanne's mum was waiting for her as she pulled up and that's when the emotions kicked in.  

The service itself was a lovely, simple affair with a few jokes and quips dropped in by the vicar, some embarrassingly bad!  It was then that I noticed John's best man, Gary, looking very nervous.  His big moment was about to arrive and he couldn't decide where to put the rings - keep them in the box, put them in the trouser pockets, put them in the jacket pocket or slip them onto the little finger.  It was a moment which made me chuckle as I had been in that position a month or so earlier at my best friend's wedding (I opted for the little finger for the record).  

With the ceremony over Luanne and John left the church to be greeted by a shower of confetti (and a bouquet in the face from one of the little bridesmaids).  The main wedding party then walked up to Leazes Park to have a bit of time out and allow the kids to use up some of their energy.  All the way up to the park people were stopping to congratulate the happy couple.  

Inside St James' Park, we gathered groups together in the stand for photos before the main wedding party embarked on a tour of the stadium for more photos.  The reception was held in The Magpie Suite and the first thing that greeted you was a table full of cupcakes and sweets.  Sure the kids were pleased to see the sweets but it was the reaction of the adults there (me included) which was great.  Sherbet Flying Saucers (I lost count of the amount of times I heard someone say "I haven't had one of these for years"), strawberry laces, fizzy cola bottles....the list goes on.  It reminded me of my days growing up in Amble and spending all my pocket money on sweets at The Deli.  Needless to say even the staff were nipping over to the table every so often to pinch a sweet!

The reception was a very relaxed do, with a buffet followed by 3 very emotional, heartfelt speeches.  I'm not actually sure Luanne got to eat anything as she was up and making sure she got to speak to everyone.  She did mention a few days later that she did get a plate of food, put it down at her place, got talking to someone and when she came back a waiter had cleared her plate!  

All in all, Luanne and John's wedding was extremely chilled out, warm and full of smiles.  A short break away in Scotland followed by a sunny family break in Egypt followed the wedding.  I hope you have a fantastic time Luanne and John.  Thank you for a superb day.