Caroline Castigliano, Gorgeous Florals, The Loveliest Couple and One Epic Golden Hour…

Newby Hall wedding photos. My first July wedding of the year saw me back at the glorious Newby hall for Izzy and Tom’s Big day. It was one of those classic English weather days – sun, clouds, rain showers and plenty of wind. So we were certainly kept on our toes!

Getting ready.

I started my day with Izzy and her mum and bridesmaids at Newby where they were all having their hair and makeup done by the lovely Anna Stephenson who I always enjoy working with. It was such a relaxed morning with Izzy & the girls just enjoying spending some time together while they were getting ready, but with a few nerves building in the background. I got lots of shots of Izzy’s beautiful Caroline Castigliano gown hanging in the beautiful upstairs landing at Newby, along with her gorgeous bouquet by Rachel from Owl House Flowers and other bits and pieces.

The rest of the morning flew by with me getting lots of informal candid shots of everyone finishing getting ready. It was lovely to see Tom’s mum joining in the preparations too as I don’t usually get to spend much time with the groom’s mum on the wedding morning. Everyone was ready in plenty of time so there was no rushing to get bridesmaids ready in order to get Izzy into her dress, which helped to keep the atmosphere calm! Once Izzy was in her gown and Anna had popped some beautiful flowers into her hair I managed to grab a few shots of Izzy’s dad seeing her almost ready to go (he snuck in when we went expecting it!) before heading over to the church.

In the meantime my fab second shooter Lissa had joined Tom and the guys in the tack room at Newby where they we’re getting ready before the ceremony. She got loads of great candid shots of them all donning ties, cufflinks, and so on, and then they all made their way over to the church. Buttonholes went on and Tom started greeting the guests as they arrived.

There had been rain showers on and off all morning and we had a little mini downpour as the bridesmaids arrived but by the time the car had gone back for Izzy and her dad the clouds had moved on and the sun was shining. I headed inside to take my place at the top of the aisle and we waited for Izzy and the girls to make their entrance.

Ceremony.

Izzy and Tom had already done the legal part so this was a religious blessing to celebrate their marriage. They still exchanged rings and reaffirmed their vows and they had two lovely readings as well. Happily the rain had paused whilst we were in the church so when Izzy and Tom made their way back up the aisle the sun was shining, and Tom had arranged a little surprise for Izzy-  their gorgeous fox red Labrador Winnie was there to greet them outside the church! She was extremely excited to see Izzy and Tom and Lissa and I got lots of candid shots of them seeing her and vice versa, before she was quickly whisked away by the dog walker just in case she trampled the flowers or jumped all over the dress! Izzy & Tom then headed back inside the church as the rain picked up a bit, but happily everyone else was OK to grab a handful of confetti and form two lines either side of the path down to where the wedding car was waiting. Amazingly the rain stopped and actually it didn’t start up again for the rest of the night. Izzy & Tom made their way out of the church amongst a flurry of petals and then it was back to Newby Hall for the wedding reception.

Reception.

I followed on and whisked Izzy and Tom off around the gardens at Newby for LOADS of photos of the two of them whilst the guests slowly made their way to the main building for drinks and canapés in the Long Gallery and on the terrace. Izzy and Tom had picked out a route of their favourite spots around the gardens at Newby and it was so much fun seeing all their favourite places and getting lots of really beautiful relaxed portraits of the two of them. We must have spent about half an hour wandering the gardens and we could have kept going but we knew we wanted to get back to enjoy some of the drinks reception!

The wind had most definitely picked up by the time we got back to the main house. We must have been quite sheltered in the gardens! I let Izzy and Tom have a break then so they could say hello to their friends and family and have a drink and something to eat. Whilst I had been off with Izzy and Tom Lissa had been getting loads of great candid shots of the guests and we carried on with that for a while before whipping through Izzy and Tom’s very short group photo list (which I think had just five photos, yes!). That was great because it meant they could spend loads of time actually talking to their guests and not just spend the whole time with me, lovely as I am!

Once the group photos were done there was time for more shots of the guests and Lissa and I also headed down to the marquee on the back lawn to get some shots of that all set up for the wedding breakfast. It looked amazing with huge floral hoops again by Rachel from Owl House Flowers, and gorgeous little bud vases filled with seasonal blooms along all the trestle tables. I also loved seeing all the little details that Izzy and Tom (mostly Izzy!) had put together, with sloe gin favours, beautifully folded napkins, and lovely little place names decorated with dried flowers.

Speeches.

The guests soon started making their way down to the marquee for the wedding breakfast and once everyone was seated Izzy and Tom followed down in the gulf buggy! They made their entrance and it was time for the first speech before food was served. Izzy’s dad John gave a great toast (short but sweet was the goal!) and it was on with the starters. The two remaining speeches were between the courses, with Tom and best man Tristan both doing a fantastic job of keeping the crowd amused!

After desserts were cleared tea and coffee was served, and there was a nice break before the cake cutting. We grabbed a couple more informal group photos with Izzy and Tom’s close friends and then the band announced it was time to cut the cake. Izzy & Tom went straight into their first dance after that and wowed the crowd with lots of expert spins and footwork! The dance floor was absolutely heaving after that with their brilliant band playing some great tunes and really keeping the crowd going. I got so many great shots of people dancing and then spotted that the sun was starting to set out behind the marquee. It looked amazing and I got very excited so I quickly grabbed Izzy and Tom and we headed out into the fields behind the marquee and got some incredible photos of the two of them in my favourite kind of light! I stayed for a few more songs to get some more mad party photos and then left them all to boogie the night away.

Newby Hall is the most stunning place for a wedding, please do reach out if you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding there as I’d love to hear more! And make sure to check out some of the other Newby Hall weddings I’ve photographed

Venue: @newbyhallandgardens
Marquee: @willsmarquees
Second photographer: @lissaalexandraphoto
Florist: @owlhouseflowers
Hair & make up: @as_hairandmakeupartist
Caterer: @goodfoodstoryuk
Cake: @wheretheribbonends
Dress: @carolinecastigliano from @theharrogateweddinglounge