OK, I admit it. When I look at the new fixture lists when they come out I do tend to look and see what weddings I'm covering are going to clash with big fixtures. The only problem is I'm a long suffering West Ham supporter. So how was I to know that the Tyne/Wear derby was going to clash with one of my weddings. The first I really knew about it was when Colin, the gentleman who was giving Judith away, mentioned it to me when I arrived at Judith and Glenn's house on the Saturday morning. More of the match later....
So, another sunny day without a hint of a breeze in the air. Judith and Glenn were getting married at Beamish Park Hotel, one of my favourite wedding venues owing to the beautifully bright and airy atrium the ceremonies take place in. At their house, there was the normal pre-wedding chaos with the three young bridesmaids, Elizabeth, Freya and Erin running around with excitement while the adults hurriedly tried to get everything and everyone ready. Judith arrived back from the hairdressers, chatted with her bridesmaid Kate for a bit, nervously smiled and went to finish getting ready.
Over at the hotel the room was decked in white chairs with bright pink bows. In the sunshine that was beaming in the pinks were so vivid. The harpist arrived, set up and then asked for the air conditioning to be turned off. This was going to be a warm one!
Glenn had mentioned to me during our final planning meeting that he was being driven to the hotel in his friends car. This intrigued me. I waited on the steps as some of the guests began to trickle in...and then I heard the dull roar of a powerful car engine. When it came into sight, you couldn't miss it.....I bright yellow Ferrari, followed by 2 Porches. The car park was beginning to resemble the Top Gear studio. Meanwhile, the men were busily checking who had a signal on their phones and whether anyone had access to the latest scores from The Stadium of Light. It soon became clear that this wedding party were all Newcastle United supporters. More of that to follow.....
Glenn was looking nervous as he took his place at the front of the atrium, Anthony, his best man, doing his best to keep him amused followed by a bit of micky taking from Mark and Barry, the two ushers. All four were decked out in white morning suits, Glenn with a matching white tie, the rest of the men with pink ties.
The bridesmaids arrived in a huge stretched limo followed by Judith and Colin in a beautiful new Rolls Royce. It was HUGE! Judith stepped out of the car to reveal a stunning lacy vintage wedding dress. She nervously smiled as she entered the hotel.
By this point the atrium was boiling! But this didn't seem to be noticed by the guests as Judith glided down the aisle to meet Glenn. The nerves evaporated. Judith later admitted she had to keep staring at Glenn's ear because every time she look him in the eye she felt she was about to lose it and she didn't want to cry. A beautiful ceremony was topped by the harpist playing and singing Sting's Fields of Gold.
The next surprise for me (and most of the guests) were the goldfish which were swimming in bowls in the middle of each table. I loved it....if only they would stay still long enough for me to photograph them.
Outside, doves were released while most of the male side of the wedding party were becoming more and more distracted with the events in Sunderland. I gathered everyone together on the steps of the hotel for a big group photo. No sooner had the picture been taken, a cheer went up from various parts of the group. Newcastle had scored.
And that was that. Meals and speeches finished and a bit of fishing done to re home the fish, the band warmed up for the evening reception and then the DJ introduced Judith and Glenn to the dance floor where they danced to Take That's Greatest Day, ably accompanied by Elizabeth.
Judith and Glenn - have a fantastic honeymoon with Elizabeth on the Disney Cruise. Have fun and I'll see you soon.
So, there I was, 5am, in bed listening to the rain hammering down outside. Throughout 2010, I had avoided the rain at the weddings I had done. I raised a wry smile thinking back a couple of years when EVERY wedding I photographed was in the rain. Vikki and Luke's was to be my final wedding of the year and was going to be a fairly informal wedding which I'd only be spending a couple of hours capturing. The rain, I felt, would add a little extra something to keep me on my toes.
I first met Vikki and Luke at the beginning of the year and had met them on a number of occasions to run through ideas and what their plans were for the day. Beamish Park Hotel was to be a new venue for me so I was excited by that; a new venue always brings it's challenges. As for ideas, Vikki and Luke were fairly easy going, not too keen on the formal side of things and wanting more of a reportage style.
Back to the day itself, the rain hung around all day. But it was obvious that it was not going to spoil the day. At Vikki's mum's house the bridesmaids and Vikki were getting their hair and make-up sorted when I arrived. While I took shots of the preparations and trinkets, it became obvious I had a little helper in the shape of Vikki's 1 year old niece Brooke (Brooke was to be the star of the show during the ceremony later).
I decided to head off to the hotel to give me plenty of time to get their before Luke arrived in the wedding car. Half way there I noticed a huge white wedding car in my review mirror. I couldn't help but think it looked stunning, but as I got closer and closer to the hotel it became obvious that it was Luke in that car. Would and of the traffic lights go red once I had gone through them?? What do you think. :-)
Luke appeared very relaxed. Sat in the room where the ceremony was to take place, his mum fussed over him making sure his collar was ok and his button hole straight, much to his annoyance. There was a noticeable gasp as Vikki entered the room. Luke simply stood there looking in awe.
With the rain hammering down on the glass roof of the room, the registrar took us through the ceremony, with Brooke adding her frequent additions along the way which eased the emotional tension in the room. It was amazing.
The function room where the reception was to take place was decorated with stunning flowers, fairylights and butterflies. It was so simply done, it was magical. The guests were all relaxed. Vikki and Luke were relaxed....it was perfect. I couldn't have wished for a better finale to my 2010 wedding calendar.
Best of luck for the future to Vikki and Luke. Enjoy your short break away!
