Sophie and Jonny had the most beautiful wedding at Lumley Castle in Durham. Some venues are exciting to shoot every time you work there and Lumley is no exception; it looks different every time. Definitely one of my favourite places to shoot wedding photography in Durham.

Being able to add your own personal touch to the place that you marry is very important. Sophie and Jonny’s choice of styling, flowers, centre-pieces, music etc. brought new life into a place I’ve photographed countless times. But that’s part of the fun isn’t it; doing it your own way? And it truly was a marvellous day. The speeches were lovely and the colours throughout the evening made for some really impressive photos toward the end of the night. I loved how so many guests were happy to play up to the camera, and thank you to everyone for being such good sport throughout the day.

A Romantic And Joyous Day

The bridal preparations were all done at Lumley Castle, and the wedding ceremony itself was at Saint Cuthbert’s Catholic Church in Chester-le-Street.

More often than not, Lumley Castle bridal preparations are done in one of the courtyard rooms. At least when I work there that is. Sophie got ready in the bridal suite and it was such a treat to get to work in that room. The bay window really lent itself to being the ideal setting for the details shots like the dress, and shoes etc. And the size of the room meant it was really easy for all the bridesmaids to fit without feeling crowded.

Sophie had asked one of her friends to do her makeup. When I first heard that I was a little worried, but it turned out that Danielle was a professional makeup artist. Panic over! It was a lovely morning, and the church was only a short drive away. That was good, because it meant that the bridal party arrived with minimal nerves, on time, and looking fabulous.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and back at the castle we had a great time. The speeches were all good but everything was eclipsed by Jonny’s big reveal. He told Sophie that they were going on a surprise honeymoon to Marrakech. How’s about that for romance?!

It was an all round amazing day, and all the best to the happy couple.