What a scorcher!

I knew it was going to be hot before even setting off that morning but I could not have predicted how hot! I loaded the car with all my wedding umbrellas not for fear of rain but I knew the guests would be grateful for the protection from the Sun as Julie and Robert were planning to say their promises in the stunning pavilion in the grounds of Whitley Hall. I found Julie in the bridal suite at Whitley Hall. It is a very traditional room with a huge four poster bed with lots of ornate woodwork set in the period and historic hall. Julie had her bridesmaids and Mum in the bedroom, so there was not a great deal of room left for me! Rebecca Asquith was working her magic on the bridesmaids whilst Craig Parkinson was attending to hair in another corner of the room. Julie chose these two as she knew them well and they always made her feel comfortable and relaxed. So after a few very relaxed and informal photos I left the girls to finish off and made my way to find the chaps.

I had to wait a little while to see Robert arrive so I grabbed a few photos of the outdoors and the breakfast room as it was nearing completion. The first job when Robert arrived was to photograph the rings. Fortunately Best Man, Phil had not left them at home! Choosing rings was not plain sailing! The rings needed to be quality so Goldsmiths was the place to go. Julie wanted her ring to match her engagement ring which Robert chose in panic and presented to Julie three years earlier. Two months before the wedding, Robert, being Robert, decided Julie deserved a lot better engagement ring. Those three years had clearly deepened his love and feelings for this lady. This time it was a visit to Beaverbrooks and the challenge now was to buy a ring to match the wedding ring. The staff were lovely and helpful and Robert said they were great also - nothing to do with Peroni they offered of course. Two weeks later the new ring was ready and perfect!

Back to the chaps. The groom and all the groom's men had matching blue check suits from Top Marks. Mark always makes sure they will always look - well Top - and they did. Button hole flowers were from Emma Osborne Unique Wedding Flowers and were mainly white roses with a hint of gypsophila and finished with a contrasting thistle.

After a few photos it was back to see if the ladies were ready to go. I had already let Julie's Dad know that he would be needed for the first look about 15 minutes before the time of the ceremony. OMG - Julie looked amazing. Craig was just making some final adjustments to the hair and Julie's daughter, Jade was buttoning the dress. It was a beautiful, delicate and thankfully a lightweight dress; white with lots of details and glitter, provided by Emily's Bridal. Everyone was surprised that Julie chose her dress from the second shop she visited, but Emma was great being Julie's personal assistant. She asked her about the venue and flowers before showing a selection of dresses. Julie did not think before how important it is for the dress to compliment not just her but the venue also. Emma also impressed how important it is to have an open mind and it is true when people say you choose a style you didn't originally have in mind and Julie definitely didn't. The bride's maids dresses came from Next and the flower girl's from John Lewis. Flowers again from Emma Osborne who also provided the breakfast room décor. Dad didn't forget to be on time and of course did have a few tears when he saw how lovely his daughter looked.

The ladies all stayed at Whitley Hall the night before the wedding but unforeseen and personal circumstances meant Robert had to drive himself to the venue. They chose the 16th century mansion because they instantly fell in love with the building and grounds and the peacocks strutting around was the icing on the cake. Along with its history the outdoor ceremony area and modernised breakfast room are very contemporary. The guests needed my umbrellas! It was blistering. Matthew Robertson joined me to video the ceremony. He was very professional and Julie recommends anyone looking for video to check him out - she says he was amazing. All went well. All very relaxed and did I mention hot!!! A guard of honour with bubbles. These work really well and make a great alternative to confetti. Many venues now will not allow confetti.

We had lots of photos in the amazing grounds. It was hard getting all guests to join us as the shade from the giant umbrellas on the patio and ice buckets full of Peroni etc were hard to drag themselves away from. There was not a lot of shade but I used the shadows cast by some tall trees as best as possible. Julie recommends to anyone planning a wedding that you start as soon as possible especially when looking for a quality venue and photographer. Hair and make-up can be booked next but ideally a year or so in advance. There will be stressful times and things may get overwhelming but this is natural and it will all be worth it - trust Julie! Don't waste money on a signing book as few guests will actually sign it. Paul Beetham and Party Pod Photo Booth provided an album and they got everyone to add comments with messages that make the couple giggle every time they look at it. 

I wanted to know how they felt being photographed. In Julie's words:

To be honest, I don't like having my photo taken. I'm the kind of person who would rather stay in the background and not in the limelight. However, I loved the part that I was dreading the most! Not once did I give a false smile; I was beaming all day. The photos I have now to look back on were worth every second. Robert and Michele made sure I got every photo I wanted and so many more. At the end of the day you have to bear in mind that your photographer has an important job to do and is under a lot of pressure to ensure your day is captured perfectly and there are no second chance and ours did just that. Robert gave lots of advice and was so patient on the day and with me choosing photos to use. If you can stretch to it I would suggest having a magician to entertain guests while the photographers are doing their thing. Our guests were amazed by Travis Carter and still talk about his tricks now!

The wedding breakfast started well and ended with a bang! There was a beautiful emotional cake - yes it was in tiers - made by Diana Stanley of Dream Cake Designs and it was a dream. The tiers were luscious lemon, champagne and strawberry. The bang was provided by the Secret Waiters from Rhythm of Your Choice. They certainly broke the ice for some heartfelt speeches.

Me being me - ok just nosey - wanted to know a bit more about the newly-weds. The two of them met in a local pub - Squires; Julie noticed Robert as soon as she went in. He was stood with a group of buddies having a laugh together. They kept catching each other's eyes. Then after finishing their drinks he approached Julie and told her he wanted to talk to her for a while but was too shy. "What's your name?" - so cute. That was his best chat up line and it went from there.

Robert apparently proposed twice. The first time in the White Swan on a romantic overnight stay in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was January 2019 and Julie was suspicious as he bought Julie two gins without being prompted and they weren't cheap - lol! He got down on one knee in front of a log fire and was watched by loads of strangers. They all cheered when Julie said yes. Julie was over the moon. He didn't have a ring though 😒. He said it was too hard to choose and knowing what Julie is like he was just too worried she would not like it! The second time was in the Black Swan in Helmsley but he did have ring this time 😀. It was funny. The couple had been there for a few drinks and a meal. When they got to the room, Robert had booked, there were red rose petals on the bed and a bottle of Prosecco in an ice bucket.

Wait... this is the funny part. I stood there wearing just my tights and all my make-up off when Rob flung the door wide open and dropped on that knee again, but this time with a ring. Well, you can imagine, I was mortified! 'No, wait', I yelled and slammed the door on him. 'What's the matter Babe?', Rob asked sheepishly. 'You can't do it now', I shouted back and left him there for 45 minutes until I got dressed and reapplied my full make up! Then I sat on the bed next to the petals and then I let him in - all staged of course - and he proposed again. So I guess that was the third time really.

The reception was brilliant with a Chinese style buffet. That went down well with many guests having second helpings. There was none left when then newly weds finally got to it. The music for the first dance was 'Ready to fly' by Richard Marx. He isn't popular but Julie and Robert love his music and the words to this song meant so much to them. The couple had been for dancing lessons and had some special choreography. Julie says they still try dancing the routine now but still get it wrong!

The couple have known each other almost ten years. It all started on 6th June 2013.

I loved every part of the wedding, from waking up at 6am to begin the preparations right through to the Jacuzzi bath at 3am drinking champagne! It was the happiest day of my life along with giving birth to my two daughters and I would love to do it all again!

The couple had their honeymoon cruising around Italy. They wanted something different from other holidays and it did not disappoint them. They don't like sitting around a pool so they enjoyed seeing lots of different places. Pompeii was especially memorable and they loved the ship - the Celebrity X. There was always lots to do; music, shows, dancing, shopping, beauty spas, outdoor cinema, lot of bars and restaurants and the ship's staff were so attentive.

So wishing Julie and Robert a long and happy future together and can I add what a pleasure it was helping this couple have an amazing day. Every kindness from Altered Images.