I always love returning back to Lartington Hall for a wedding.  Abbie and Connor chose the perfect venue for their Spring wedding in County Durham.  

Lartington Hall is owned and run by the Apartment Group, who own a selection of fantastic wedding venues in the North East.  Recently refurbished Grade II listed Lartington Hall is a stunning 17^th century country house.  It sits in 72 acres of idyllic parkland and is famed for its colourful history, grand architecture and opulent interiors.  All making it an enchanting location for a wedding. 

I first met Abbie and Connor when I shot their Engagement Shoot at Kilbryde Castle near Dunblane in Scotland.  It’s favourite location of Abbie and Connor’s and we spent a very enjoyable hour taking a walk around the grounds of the castle whilst I took some natural storytelling images.  These guys were so fun and laid back to work it made me look forward to their wedding day almost as much as them! 

On the day, I headed to Lartington Hall nice and early so I could capture those all-important morning of the wedding images.  Both wedding parties were getting ready in different rooms in Lartington Hall’s pretty stable lodge.  First, I caught up with Abbie and her bridal party who were in good spirits.  Abbie was in the capable hands of make-up artist Heather Morgan and hairstylist Ashley Robinson.

I also caught with Connor and his groom’s party.  Connor was looking very smart in a camel coloured Moss Bros suit with a pocket square and tie from award winning tailors Woven in Durham.

I then headed back to Abbie who was by now ready and looking stunning in a beautiful off shoulder dress with a sweetheart neckline an a ballgown shape skirt that gave Abbie an amazing silhouette in all of my images.  The dress by Ronald Joyce had a beautiful soft floral pattern on it.  Abbie bought it at Love & Cherish Bridal Boutique in Ossett.  

Abbie’s look was perfectly complemented by a stunning bouquet of seasonal wild flowers featuring Abbie’s favourite flowers daisies.  It was so pretty and the clever creation of florist Marcelle’s Flowers

Abbie’s two bridesmaids looked elegant in satin tie shoulder midi dresses from Oasis, one in champagne and one in sage. Both colours perfectly complementing the spring floral colour scheme.  

Abbie had two very sweet flower girls who wore pretty floral dresses from Ted Baker.  I feel I must mention the last member of the bridal party who was Abbie and Connor’s very sweet little Jack Russell dog, who wore a bow tie and was totally thrilled to be there! 

The wedding ceremony was held in Lartington Hall’s atmospheric chapel.  This amazing chapel has dark opulent interiors, high ceilings, stained glass windows and hundreds of candles.  It is a truly unique space briming with old world charm that is so utterly photogenic.  Abbie was walked down the aisle by her dad.  

There followed a ceremony which Abbie and Connor later remarked was their favourite part of the day.  After the ceremony, there was a fun confetti moment on the steps outside that I captured perfectly.

I then took a few group images before everybody headed into the Drawing Room for an elegant drinks reception.  Where guests were entertained by magician Paul Lytton who delighted and wowed guests with his tricks.  

Whilst guests were happily entertained, I whisked Abbie and Connor outside for a few minutes for a romantic photoshoot around the beautiful grounds and gardens of Lartington Hall.  I got some really gorgeous images.  

The wedding reception was held in Lartington Hall’s majestic ballroom that looked amazing all dressed and ready for the wedding breakfast.  There followed some speeches, a fun quiz for guests and lots of delicious food prepared by Lartington Hall’s talented team of in-house chefs.  Who worked with Abbie and Connor to create a bespoke wedding menu.  

I took my chance to get some great candid images of guests happily mingling and enjoying themselves.  The reception finishing with Abbie and Connor cutting a gorgeous two-tiered wedding cake with a wildflower design made by the very talented people from The Auckland Cupcake Company.

Evening entertainment was courtesy of Connor’s uncle Brian who was the DJ for the night and also sang a song for Abbie and Connor, creating a really special memory.  

It wasn’t long before the dancefloor was full with multi-generations dancing together.  I took some really fun dancefloor images.  And for those looking to take a break from the dancefloor, there was delicious pizza and chips as well as a fully stocked bar.  

One of my previous wedding couples Rachel and James recommended me to Abbie as they chose me to photograph their Wood Hall wedding day, so I had to get a nice photo of them!

I had the best time capturing wedding photography at Lartington Hall for Abbie and Connor.  A gorgeous family friendly fun wedding full of love and laughter.  I’ll leave the last words to Abbie and Connor.  Here’s what they had to say about me. 

“We couldn’t recommend Valentina Weddings more! Mark was perfect for us and really made the whole experience enjoyable (especially for someone who doesn’t really like their photo taken!). He really listened to us and is clearly passionate about what he does. All of our guests have since spoken to us about how nice Mark was on the day which is lovely to know and adds to the whole experience. On the day it didn’t feel like we were out for ages getting our photos taken, it just felt quite natural. There were points where we thought that it would be a nice opportunity for photos and Mark was already there capturing them. Since making the booking with Mark, we have spoken over video calls and met several times, we always get on so well, Mark is more than just a photographer, he has become a friend. It really was a pleasure to have him as a part of our day!”