A Perfect May Wedding at Middleton Lodge near Richmond…
Middleton Lodge Wedding. Back at the gorgeous Middleton Lodge near Richmond for the classically elegant wedding of Nicole and James!
Nicole and the girls were getting ready in the Oak Suite at Middleton and I joined them there where hair and make up were well under way. I started with some shots of Nicole’s gorgeous gown and other details in one of the other beautiful rooms, and then headed back to the Oak Suite where Nicole was having her make up done by the fab Cara Davison. I spent the next hour or so getting lots of candid shots of Nicole and her bridesmaids finishing off hair and make up and enjoying a glass of bubbly. And also trying not to take too many photos of maid of honour Lucy’s gorgeous baby boy!
The boys arrived at Middleton a bit later and my ace second shooter for the day, Natasha Cadman, joined them to capture ties and buttonholes going on, followed by a drink and a game of pool in the billiard room.
Back upstairs hair and make up were finished and it was time for Nicole to get into her dress. We brought her dad and brother in to see her ready to go and they had a lovely family hug and mini pep talk which was lovely to see! Bridesmaids were in next and it’s safe to say they were impressed with the finished Nicole! I then made my way down for the ceremony.
Guests were seated and it was time for the bridesmaids to walk down the stairs and then the aisle, followed by Nicole and her dad. I think everyone was impressed with themselves for not falling down the stairs! 😀
The ceremony was lovely and full of laughter! James’s Newcastle relations especially enjoyed the part of the vows where he was asked to say “why I, James….” (I’ll leave that one with you to ponder!). Nicole and James were soon husband and wife and walked back up the aisle and outside for a confetti tunnel. That kicked off the drinks reception and we let the happy couple chat to their guests for a while before whipping through their (nice and short!) group photo list. We had plenty of time so I got lots of detail shots of the flowers and so on in the marquee whilst Nicole and James enjoyed some canapés and a bit of time just the two of them. The marquee looked incredible with the most amazing colourful blooms by Daisy Hoban.
We then took Nicole & James around the grounds for some photos of just the two of them. They were such a fun pair to photograph and we got a great mix of natural laughter-filled shots along with a few more “posed” ones (though I do hate that word!).
Everyone was then called down to the marquee for speeches and the wedding breakfast. Nicole and James were announced to massive cheers from the crowd and then the speeches started. And these were some good speeches. Nicole said a few words as well which I always love, and all 4 speeches were hilarious – I had so many great reaction shots from her dad’s speech alone! Food was then served so we headed up to the main house to wait for the evening reception to start.
The cake(s!) were cut back up in the ceremony room whilst the marquee was being turned around for party time, and these guys managed to make it a fun event rather than the anti-climax it often is! 😀 Then it was back to the marquee for Nicole & James’s first dance. These guys love a dance so they really got into it which was fab, plus James had organised confetti canons as a surprise for Nicole halfway through the dance. Nicole changed into something more dance-appropriate and the dancefloor filled. I got loads of great party shots during the band’s first set and then left them in peace!
Huge thank you to Nicole and James for asking me to capture their wedding, and to Natasha for being an awesome sidekick for the day! Please contact me if you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding at Middleton Lodge – I LOVE it there!
Suppliers:
Venue: @middletonlodge
Second photographer: @natashacadman
Florist: @daisyhobanfloral
Make up: @beautybycaradavison
Hair: @__stylesisters
Videographer: @adamchetterfilms
