This was a wedding of firsts for Halo Photography. Our first visit to Newton Hall and our first UK beach wedding at Beadnell Bay. Northumberland has some of the best beaches in the country, unfortunately, we just don’t get the weather or temperatures to make the most of them. Lisa and I had worked for Fran & Phil on past commercial projects. They both work in marketing for multi-national firms and we were honoured to be asked to document their wedding.
They are both very professional at work but we got the impression after our consultation meeting with Fran that planning would not take priority over a very laid back and relaxed day. The plan from the outset was to set off from the hall and have a blessing in Beadnell Bay, just a short campervan ride away. We kept all of our fingers & toes crosses for them leading up to the day and hoped the weather held for them.
Newton Hall is a quirky venue with a great team of staff to make everything go smoothly.
The Courtyard Rooms at Newton Hall
The courtyard rooms at Newton Hall were Fran’s boudoir, with her mum as head bridesmaid along with her daughter and Phil’s two girls. These cottages are surrounded by views of cornfields and inside they are the epitome of snug.
The Boys Arrive
Phil was to be escorted by Fran’s older brothers & her son so there was no escaping. The grooms best friend had travelled all the way from the states to conduct the blessing. Normally, I have to get involved putting button-
Beadnell Bay
The Newton Hall staff explained that this was one of the first blessings on the beach they had
This was the first wedding I’d been to when the shoes came off before the service. It was also the first with spectators playing on the beach with their windbreakers up in the background. A lot of the guest were from different parts of the country as well as around the world. All got time to enjoy our wonderful coastline.
Back to Newton Hall
After enjoying the beach, everyone got ferried back to the hall for drinks & nibble before we rounded everyone up for a group shot outside of the hall. We had researched Newton Hall before the wedding and Fran had her heart set on a big group shot on the staircase in front of the main building which she had seen on their promotional material. We had to, unfortunately, change the angle slightly as when we scouted a month or so before, we discovered the spot we would need to shoot from was now blocked by a huge bush that no h
So the meal and speeches are done, Tears & laugher had. Lisa & I had our break Outside the sun was starting to reach that sweet spot in the sunset. The grounds looked beautiful and we were raring to go. Could we find the bride & groom? Of course, we couldn’t. Our laid back, relaxed couple just caught the end of the sunset and we were so pleased.