Claire & Sandy - St James' Church and Charlton House, Northumberland

It was an early start for us yesterday as we were travelling down to Northumberland to photograph Claire & Sandy’s wedding. We had a great time during our pre-shoot with these guys in Edinburgh in February, and were really looking forward to the main event!

The day began at a cottage in the country, where Sandy’s best man was encouraging him to hurry up and get dressed! Once in his military uniform, Sandy was able to take a little time out for some photos before we headed across to South Charlton to see the girls.

It was a little more serene at Claire’s family home, where she and her bridesmaids were getting ready.

While Jay stayed with the girls, I headed down to the church to meet Sandy and his ushers. Family and friends were beginning to arrive and everyone was enjoying the lovely weather.

Claire looked absolutely stunning in her Ian Stuart gown. Her dad, Tim accompanied her and she walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon, played beautifully on the violin.

After a lovely service, made even more memorable by performances from several of the couple’s musical friends, Claire & Sandy made their way through a guard of honour formed by friends in the military.

After some photographs at the church we headed up to the farm, where the champagne was flowing and everyone was enjoying the celebrations.

Soon it was time to head into the marquee, where some hilarious speeches had the guests (and us) in hysterics. During his speech, Sandy mentioned how much it meant to him and Claire that so many of their family and friends were present, particularly as several have recently been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The cake was amazing!

After a wonderful meal, Claire & Sandy opened the dancing to Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love. They had some fantastic moves and even a lift – who doesn’t love a lift!

The dancefloor was packed as the guests threw themselves enthusiatically into the ceilidh numbers. It was then time for the entertainment to begin in earnest. Stardust Express warmed their audience up with songs from the 40s to today, and soon everyone was keen to join in the dancing (and even the singing now and again!). They put on a fantastic show – we’ve never seen anything quite like it!

A hog roast had been laid on for the guests and a group gathered outside to light wish lanterns. As there was quite a breeze this proved a little tricky, but soon their efforts were rewarded as the lanterns took to the sky.

The final lantern of the night was lit by Claire and Sandy and it was wonderful to see it gain height and soar across the fields where Claire grew up, and off into the night sky.

Claire & Sandy, thank you for inviting us to be part of such a special, beautiful and memorable day. You and your friends and family made us feel incredibly welcome and we enjoyed every minute of it. We hope you have a fantastic honeymoon and we’re really looking forward to showing you the rest of your photographs when you get back.

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