Sarah and Tony's Wedding - Durham Radisson Hotel (aka The One with the Poorly Tog)

This was wedding number one for 2011 for me.  I woke with no voice, sore throat, a high temperature, banging headache and ached everywhere.  I had been struck down by the dreaded man-flu!  Feeling sorry for myself I doped myself up with sudafed and strepsils.  To be honest by the time I got to Durham I was starting to feel fine and got on with the job.

Upstairs, the bridal suite was a hive of activity with Sarah, her mum and bridesmaids scurrying around getting make up on and hair sorted while Jamie Cullum played on the TV in the background (Can't beat a bit of the Cullum on a Saturday morning).  As usual, I blended into the background and got on with getting shots of the flowers, shoes and dresses and then headed downstairs to meet Tony.

Tony was the epitome of calmness!  In the 7 years or so I've been shooting weddings I've yet to come across a groom so relaxed and unphased.  In fact I think that's how I would sum up Sarah and Tony's wedding.  It was simple and relaxed.  All the guest were milling around in the bar while the staff sorted out the sound system in the ceremony room.

It was then that a waitress came over and asked "Are you OK?  You don't look well."  To be honest I had forgotten about feeling under the weather but I had noticed that the staff had set the thermostat in the room to the temperature of the sun.  I looked like I had run a marathon.  With the staff giving me a steady supply of water we were ready for the ceremony.  

Tony stood calm as ever while Sarah glided down to meet him, her dress flowing behind her.  Poppy and Emily, the little flower girls stood to one side and played with the bouquets while the registrar went through the proceedings.  From my spot at the front I could see that it wasn't just me who had noticed it was a tad bit warm in there.  Everyone was wafting invitations, Ian, the best man, had beads of sweat on his forehead and I was swaying steadily from side to side with an overwhelming feeling that I was going to pass out.  I decided that the best option was to get some shots from almost floor level, and crouching down against the wall, started to gradually feel less dizzy.  

If I'm truthful, the ceremony was a bit of a blur.  I was on autopilot and thankfully outside the room it was a nice comfortable temperature.  Outside, it was sunny yet crisp.  We headed to the footbridge over the River Wear to get some shots as I wanted to get Durham Cathedral into the background....near perfect backdrop.  

With all the shots done, plenty of high fives from Poppy and Emily when getting their photos done and the meal now underway, I made my way home where I slumped onto the sofa and woke up 16 hours later!  

Sarah and Tony's wedding was stunningly simple.  It was just me that threatened to make it tricky.  

I wish them all the best for the future and look forward to seeing them at Kate and Andy's wedding in September at Langley Castle.

This is my favourite from the day

Early Morning on the Tyne

It's been one of those weeks where Friday couldn't come quick enough.  My head was spinning when I went to bed on Thursday night which is probably why I had a restless night's sleep.  Everything disturbed me, in particular the birds chirping outside in the garden.  By 4.50 I'd had enough, went downstairs, made a cup of coffee and decided to head out with the camera.


I was intending to head to St Mary's Island near Whitley Bay, however a detour via the Fish Quay in North Shields revealed that all the work had been completed on the quayside and you now had an unobstructed view down the river.


It was so peaceful down there despite the hustle and bustle of the fishermen getting ready to set off out into the pitch black and out to sea.


Here is a selection of images I captured just after 5am this morning on the banks of The River Tyne in North Shields, Tyne & Wear.  

Early Morning at The Royal Quays Marina

5am at North Shields Fish Quay

Preparing the nets

Steaky lights on the Tyne

Streaky lights on the Tyne (Mono)

Setting off into the darkness

Testimonial from Lyndsey and Jonny

We can't thank Jamie and Jo enough for our wedding photos.  I did nothing but cry happy tears all day and cried even more when we saw how beautiful our photos were.



Jamie was very professional throughout the day and took all the photos we asked of him, and a lot more. Our wedding day was a dream come and Jamie captured the atmosphere a treat, so much more than we could have imagined.


We would highly recommend him without a second thought.


Thanks again
Lyndsey & Jonny McManus
 

Testimonial from Sarah and Tony - Durham Radisson Hotel

We would both like to say a huge thanks to you for doing an amazing job at our wedding at the Radisson in Durham. We loved your laid back yet professional approach to the day... resulting in some lovely natural pictures - which is exactly what we wanted. You also blended in with our guests and very much put everyone at ease - especially the kids. Thank you Jamie for giving us some wonderful pictures to remember our special day. 


Sarah and Tony Bell xxx

Debra and Thomas' Rock the Frock - Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Back in November I captured Debra and Thomas' wedding at Hardwick Hall in County Durham.  However, Debra loved her dress so much she decided to pull it on again for a Rock the Frock shoot.  When I asked where she had in mind, The Stadium of Light wasn't what I expected.  This was going to be a challenge; I knew the Stadium well ad was struggling to think of places within the ground to do photos that would do her dress justice and secondly, I'm a Geordie (although not a Newcastle United supporter) so this was going to see me go behind enemy lines.

So we arrived on a cold day at the end of December at The Stadium of Light with Thomas looking like a kid in a sweetshop.  A massive Sunderland supporter, Thomas couldn't wait to get inside.  We were met by a representative of SAFC who gave me the instructions of where we could and couldn't go.  Any anxieties I had about where to take photos soon evaporated once inside the bowels of the ground. 

Debra and Thomas entered the home players dressing room in their wedding dress and suit respectively.  Although they appeared relaxed in November, they were so much more at ease without the stresses of their wedding day. 

We did shots in the dressing room and then made our way down the tunnel to the pitch.  Thomas was beside himself....especially when the SAFC representative started playing the music to which the Sunderland players walk down the tunnel to on match day.

I might not be a Sunderland supporter but I have to admit, I still get a buzz when going pitch side at a football ground.  The three of us were really starting to enjoy ourselves despite the freezing cold day.

With all the photos done both inside and outside the ground Debra looked a bit glum having got changed out of her dress but said how great it was to put her dress on one more time.  Thomas on the other hand was still buzzing.  For me, it was great.  Mixing my two passions; football and photography.

A special thanks to the staff at Sunderland AFC for allowing me access to the Stadium of Light.