A humanist ceremony at Gibside for Chris & Lisa

Lisa and Chris decided to throw out the rule book when it came to planning their wedding. They wanted somewhere unique with a woodland feel to get married. Unfortunately because of the rules surrounding legal weddings in England there's not many places you can actually get married outside. So they decided to 'do the legal bit' the day before at the civic centre (Which I also photographed for them) and then have a very personalised humanist ceremony the day after at Gibside Estate, Near Rowlands Gill, which is run by the National Trust.

Lisa also had her heart set on wearing a red dress rather than traditional white or ivory. The structure for the day were also more unusual. There were around 30 guests in total for the ceremony part of the day, with the ladies & men having lunch separately before the ceremony which was so lovely! It made everything relaxed and fun.

When it came to the ceremony, the guests assembled outside of the Banqueting House cottage and Lisa walked around the corner down the aisle with her brother, Adam.

The ceremony was really personal and moving. Straight after, champagne was poured, confetti thrown and speeches were said. After a bit of mingling time, there was then a few group and couples photographs taken and guests headed down to the marquee on the lawn at Gibside.

At the marquee, there were lots of hugs as more guests arrived for an early evening BBQ and music. It was a really chilled out atmosphere, exactly what the couple were wanting.

Chris & Lisa chose to have a wander in the gardens for a few more photographs before we headed off.

It was so wonderful to shoot the wedding of Chris & Lisa, who decided to have such a personal day and not be bound by tradition and 'rules' and get married the way they wanted to!

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Major on their marriage and all the best for the future.

All images and text Copyright Katie Byram Photography  and must not be used without permission.

A laid back, rustic DIY wedding for Dan & Morgan (High House Farm Brewery)

Morgan and Dan are one of those couples you feel instantly at ease around. They are so down to earth, open and friendly and we hit it off as soon as we met at their pre wedding shoot. 

They chose to have a really relaxed wedding day, with very little formality. They handmade so many of their wedding details, from the bouquets, favours, to the decor. They had a laid back BBQ with no seating plan, and speeches were done with everyone sitting informally around on haybales. It was one of the most emotional weddings i've photographed.

Morgan wore a beautiful tea length wedding gown from The House of Mooshki, teamed with gorgeous green Vivienne Westwood Shoes  and she looked truly amazing. Her daughter and her bridesmaids daughter gasped in amazement when they saw her for the first time.

Their venue was High House Farm Brewery near Matfen which fitted perfectly with the laid back vibe they were after to celebrate their marriage.

They chose to have enlarged framed photographs from past family wedding son the wall of the barn, so personal and meaningful. 

The ceremony was rather emotional and as they walked back down the aisle the sun came out and the party was on!

The rest of the day featured beer, music, food, laughs, sunshine and overall a lot of fun!

Later in the day, we went out into the lane to capture a few more photographs in the golden hour - it was nearly 8pm but the light was beautiful and Dan & Morgan were up for dancing in the street.

It was such a fabulous wedding to be part of -thank you so much to Mr & Mrs Simpson and your family for making me so welcome and congratulations again on your marriage!

Fabulous wedding blog Marry Me Ink, which specialises in featuring tattooed couples/tattooed inspired weddings featured Dan & Morgan's day. The feature is here. 

All images copyright Katie Byram Photography  and must not be used without permission.

Cherry Blossom City Pre-wedding shoot (Jodie & Kate)

Jodie & Kate are currently in a civil partnership and are going to take advantage in the change in law and 'convert it' to marriage later this year. Woohooo! Their wedding will take place at The Alnwick Treehouse at Alnwick Gardens, Northumberland. 

The couple live in London and we hadn't actually met when they drove up for their pre-wedding shoot. We had a last minute change of plan, as the shoot was to take place on the beach, but it was raining heavily and windy, so I suggested a couple of alternatives. 

They chose to have their shoot in Newcastle city centre, around Castle Keep, The High Level Bridge and The Black Gate. We decided to go sit down for a chat first to run over their wedding plans and we ended up chatting for over 2 and a half ours, over food and coffee, getting to know each other! 

When we walked out of the restaurant it had stopped raining! Woohoo! There was a huge cherry blossom tree and I took lots of photographs there too. I had so much fun with Jodie & Kate and I am very much looking forward to their wedding. 

Here's a few highlights of the shoot

All images copyright Katie Byram Photography and must not be used without permission.

Now taking bookings for 2016 & 2017 weddings, please feel free to drop me an email via my website for a chat about your wedding.