Newton Hall for Yvonne & Paul’s Wedding
We were delighted to plan more wedding photography at Newton Hall. It’s one of our favourite venues and a real joy to photograph. Yvonne & Paul fell in love with it on their first open day visit. But what really made me look forward to it was that Paul was one of my best friends as a child. We’d known each other since primary school and it was going to be an honour to be part of his wedding day.
Yvonne & Paul wanted their beautiful day to fully include their daughter Georgia. It was their only request. Paul was not looking forward to the attention the day would bring and apologised in advance. When it came to the photographs he wouldn’t be our most enthusiastic groom. I promised him we wouldn’t torture him and had a cunning plan up my sleeve to keep his interest on the day.
How do you get a camera-shy groom to enjoy his wedding photos? You promise to include the 3rd love in his life… Star Wars.
Paul & I spent our childhood enjoying everything the ’80s & early ’90s had to offer. Then, shortly after Sixth Form, Paul’s family moved to Aberdeen when I was deep into college life. Before the days of mobile phones and social media, it was easy to lose contact and sadly we did. We’d only recently reconnected thanks to Facebook to find that he & Yvonne were living in the North-East. One of my fondest memories was the epic battles we had in our back gardens. His Star Wars figures against my Space Lego!
I knew that Yvonne wanted a beautiful “classic” wedding and was willing to let Paul’s love of Star Wars manifest in small ways. The wedding cake and cufflinks were themed. But he wasn’t going to be allowed to walk down the aisle to the Imperial March as Han & Leia with Georgia dressed as R2D2. Hopefully, I’d be able to add a little from that Galaxy without it affecting their wedding day and keep Paul interested. For every image invaded by the Empire, Yvonne got a pure undoctored version too.
Newton Hall Gets Ready
Bridal prep was to start in one of the courtyard apartments and then move to the Bridal suite in Newton Hall to get the wedding dress on. Yvonne’s room was busy when Lisa got there. A very excited little girl, a bridesmaid, a poorly nephew and a very proud mother of the bride added to the fun. Georgia was in her element. To her, it was a huge dress up and her mum was going to be a princess for the day. Yvonne had also created her own flowers. They were fantastic.
The Bridal Suite at Newton Hall
Newton Hall’s interiors are amazing. Today we were lucky enough to be able to use the bridal suite in the morning. Yvonne got into her dress just in time for her very proud brother to arrive with champagne. She looked fabulous.
Three Little Models
Georgia joined her cousins downstairs and all three of them worked the model poses. Young children at a wedding often blow hot and cold when it comes to taking their photos. Get them on your side and be on their level. They get hungry, tired and anxious with all the strange things going on. We don’t push them to perform. So when they are in the mood, make the most of it. Sometimes you end up with loads of images, more than of the bride & groom. Somehow I knew Yvonne & Paul wouldn’t mind.
Yvonne had hoped to have her wedding service outside on the “hill” at Newton Hall. Although we had cloudy skies it was promised to stay dry but it had rained heavily the day before. The decision was made for an indoor wedding and we were denied another outdoor wedding. But we didn’t take it too hard. Even when the service is inside at Newton Hall, you feel like your outside. The service was wonderful. Yvonne got a very nervous Paul through it.
The Force was Strong
Straight after the service, we got a great group shot from the stairs of the hall before the Death Star became fully operational. The didn’t have any Jedi’s for entertainment but they did have a magician. To keep the rebels entertained while we photographed the families. It was a real blast from the past catching up with Paul’s family.
Family Time
After some very touching speeches and a delicious meal, we stole Yvonne, Paul & Georgia for a little tour of the grounds. Paul was already desperately trying to get out of his suit. His tie was off and was a lot more relaxed. It was also an opportunity for Georgia to have some mum & dad time. She was so good.
Yvonne’s mum had asked if she could have some photo’s with her daughter on Newton Hall’s Staircase. While we were there we thought we’d sneak a few more shots of Yvonne by herself too.
One compromise, Yvonne & Paul had to make to have their dream venue was to not have all of their friends at the wedding. Instead, they planned to have a second party nearer to home for all their friends and work colleagues. What their friends lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. They were great fun. But no one outshone the bride as she ripped up the dance floor with her brother.
Yvonne & Paul’s wedding was the third wedding within a week for us and it was a great end to a very busy week. Paul survived the trauma of being the centre of attention and they both loved the Star Wars images. I had loads of fun doing them. We caught up with them at their “after party” a few days later. Halo Photography wish the three of them a wonderful life and it was an honour to part of your day.
Here are some of Yvonne & Paul’s suppliers that made their wedding day unique.
- Wedding Dress – JJ House
- Bridesmaid Dresses – JJ House
- Groom/Groomsmen Suits – Skopes
- Flowers – Yvonne Coulthard
- Cake – Lorraine Winder – The Sweetest Thing
- Makeup – friend Jane Cole
- DJ – Sean Havery Electric Nite