Name: Halo Photography
Price range: $$

After the “Beast from the East” did one…. we got a great summer in 2018. It made for a very hot photographer at times. I remember the hottest wedding was at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. I need as many pockets as I can get for batteries, memory cards etc. So always fully suited & booted. But in 30-degree heat, I was a puddle before Lisa & I got across the Millenium Bridge to meet Kardene & Andrew at Malmaison

I’d known Kardene since High School. We used to sit next to each other in Maths. Flicking paperclips at Mr Cunningham. But, as with a lot of school friends, we’d lost touch after leaving school. I was overjoyed when she contacted me to photograph her wedding. That joy turned to horror when I realised that England would be playing Sweden at the moment of the ceremony. I was going to miss it but it turned out to be well worth it.

malmaison in newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne

Malmaison

Lisa covered Kardene’s bridal prep in her room in Malmaison. It was very close-knit, with her Maid of Honour, sister-in-law and Andrew’s niece as Flower Girl. Another wedding guest & good friend who happens to be a hairdresser was in charge of taming Kardene’s long locks and a makeup completing the cosy room to prepare. Kardene wanted to blend the traditional with modern. Her Maid of Honour wore a traditional Indian shawl and she had worn a traditional outfit all that morning but her wedding dress was classic & stunning.

Andrew was a little harder to pin down, as grooms often are. I wouldn’t describe Andrew as shy, more quiet and serious. Of course, you’re often meeting someone at one of the most stressful times in their life. As a scientist, I think he was someone more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it but his mum managed to get a smile keeping his dad and Bestman in line.

The Millenium Bridge & Baltic Square

Newcastle was heaving with world-cup fever and The Great Exhibition of the North. One of the attractions was “Queer on the Quay”. A funky, colourful, inflatable ‘Church of Love’, loud and proud, in Baltic Square. Andrew wanted to make the walk over the Millenium Bridge with just his best man as support. I think Andrew regretted the decision when the Tea Ladies; Sisters Jean and Morag, ladies of a certain age, definitely invaded the lad’s personal space. It was hilarious and I think the two of them would have welcomed more bodies to defend their honour. Andrew and his best man escaped into the Baltic Centre rather quickly to get away from the wandering lips.

With Andrew safely across the Tyne/Gateshead divide it was Kardene’s turn to brave the crowds and get across the Millenium Bridge. The wind was also picking up. Kardene’s Maid of Honour worked hard to keep her dress in check. On the bridge, Kardene was greeted by most of their family & friends heading to the Baltic Centre.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

As you can see Kardene had no such trouble from the Tea ladies. Flashing some leg and that huge beaming smile. As Andrew started to greet his guests he started to relax and enjoy the proceedings.

Classic mistake Kardene… never have a toddler with no fear in the bridal party. They will upstage you at every turn, and this was only the start of her scene-stealing antics.

So far, apart from the heat and missing England win 2-0 against Sweden, the day was going very well. Lisa managed to redirect the eager photo bombing public around our big group shot at the entrance to the Baltic. We did a second confetti throw after a premature one from Andrew’s very eager parents, walking up the aisle. We also dragged Andrew, kicking and screaming, to the Church of Love for his second wedding of the day!

At this point we hoped to focus on just the blushing couple while their guests gladly retired to the drinks reception. But Andrew was struggling with the intense sunshine. This is the UK! We never struggle with bright sunshine, but it was super bright today. The sun was literally hurting him, because of a previous eye operation, so we made a judgement call to give him a break and let them both relax upstairs. Hopefully to do the top deck photos we had planned later, after the meal. That decision nearly bit us on the bum later.

Singing Waiters Attack!

We love Singing Waiters at a wedding. They get the whole room up singing & dancing, really helping to loosen everyone up. Once again a dancing flower girl, steals the show.

Seagulls & Locked Lifts

So after speeches, singing & dancing we hoped to steal Andrew & Kardene to the Viewing Platform for some beautiful panoramic shots using Newcastle skyline as a backdrop. We went up to the viewing platform in the lift and was about to get set up when 2 staff members kindly informed us that they were locking up for the night and these levels weren’t accessible after this time and that we had to leave.

Now, I’d spent days planning these shots and scouted the locations & angles. Andrew & Kardene had specifically asked for them too, so to be told we couldn’t do them because someone wanted to go home wasn’t happening. I initially argued for 2 mins but thankfully Rachael, the wedding coordinator for the Baltic, stepped in and put them right. We didn’t have as much time as we wanted but the shots still looked great considering we didn’t have time to set up any high speed flashes.

One image I regret not getting was of the nesting Kittiwakes. They punished me for not letting them have their moment of fame. I was photoshopping bird poop off the glass partition for hours in post.

Because we had pushed past some floors “opening hours”, the lifts weren’t working so we slowly made our way down the floors grabbing images as went. It’s often the unplanned images that work the best. I love the shot where we changed the text on an exhibits entrance to the bride & grooms names and wedding date. It’s in exactly the same font and format as the exhibits.

Party on the River Terrace

The night-time started to rock. Andrew was getting giggly after a few drinks just in time for their first dance. With friends joining in, it was the start of a wonderful summer night.

The Maverick Rejects rocked the Baltic. Chanting of “It’s coming home!” echoed around the quayside, while we took our last few images of a now cloudy, but very dramatic, evening sky. It was at this point that we left a wonderful family & friends to dance the night away. Lisa & I want to wish Kardene & Andrew all the best in their new life together.