October 2009 | DIRK VAN DER WERFF - WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIDAL GATHERING - THE NORTH EAST'S BIGGEST BRIDAL SHOW AT RAINTON MEADOWS


CATHERINE AT CRATHORNE HALL IN NORTH YORKSHIRE DURING HER WEDDING TO CHRIS ... PHOTOGRAPH BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Bridal Gathering wedding show being held at Rainton Meadows this Sunday, March 27th 2011 from 12pm from the people behind the north east's finest wedding magazine Belle Bridal.
With over 100 wedding vendors / suppliers, it should be perfect for an afternoon out if you live anywhere in the north east.
It starts at 12pm and last until 5pm .. lots of goody bags of course .. a bridal fashion show ... a FREE champagne lounge area.
I will be there of course - so pop along and say hello - and have a look at my fabulous San Francisco wedding books - which can feature up to 400 photographs from your wedding - brilliant when most books can only feature your favourite 80!
See you there!

DIRK VAN DER WERFF

TWO WEDDINGS AT CRATHORNE HALL IN A WEEK - UPDATED ...


As I often say on my BLOG, Crathorne Hall Hotel near Yarm in North Yorkshire is one of my favourite wedding locations in the north of England.

It has style and elegance, the staff are great, the ambiance is fantastic and the building and grounds are just great for photography!


On Saturday I was privileged to be a part of Sarah and Martin's wedding at Crathorne Hall - even though the weather was pretty awful most of the day, and today I am the official photographer at Karen and Andy's wedding at Crathorne Hall.

UPDATED!!! My photograph is from Sarah and Martin's wedding at Crathorne Hall - as she makes a last minute check in the mirror before greeting her guests!

If you would like me to be the official photographer at your Crathorne hall Hotel wedding, just ring for FREE on 0800 804 7270 or my mobile on 0778 7150966


MORE DETAILS ON MY WEBSITE HERE


My latest wedding news and photographs HERE


View recent reviews, wedding albums and video slideshows HERE:



DIRK VAN DER WERFF


Headlam Hall Wedding Photography for Rachel and Jonathan

HEADLAM HALL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS:
RACHEL ARRIVES AT ST GODRIC'S CHURCH IN DURHAM IN A CLASSIC JAGUAR - PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF

RACHEL HAPPY AND SMILING AS HER FATHER LEADS HER DOWN THE AISLE

APPLAUSE FROM RACHEL'S PARENTS AS THE COUPLE EXCHANGE A KISS IN ST GODRIC'S CHURCH

SMILES ALL ROUND FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE

RACHEL AND JONATHAN IN THE 'SECRET GARDEN' OF ST GODRIC'S CHURCH WHICH OVERLOOKS DURHAM CATHEDRAL

BEST DRESSED YOUNG LADY AWARD GOES TO ....

ALL READY FOR THE WEDDING BREAKFAST AT HEADLAM HALL

THE BEAUTIFUL WEDDING BREAKFAST MENU AT HEADLAM HALL

CANAPES ANYONE?

TIME FOR A NICE RELAXED GROUP PHOTOGRAPH - PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY AS RACHEL AND JONATHAN LISTEN TO THE SPEECHES - PHOTOGRAPH BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF

RACHEL 'SWISHES' ACROSS THE MAIN LAWN AT HEADLAM HALL

LOVE IN THEIR EYES ..... THE HAPPY COUPLE ONLY HAVE EYES FOR EACH OTHER - PHOTOGRAPH BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF

A MOMENT TOGETHER IN THE WALLED GARDEN CAUGHT BY THE LATE EVENING SUN

... AND TIME FOR THE FIRST DANCE
NEW!!
CHECK OUT NICK AND AMANDA'S WEDDING AT HEADLAM HALL HERE
ENJOY ROHANNE AND ANDREW'S WEDDING AT HEADLAM HALL HERE
HAVE  A LOOK AT CHARLOTTE AND CHRIS' WEDDING AT HEADLAM HALL HERE
Rachel and Jonathan wanted a really chilled out wedding with their closest family and friends at St Godric's Church in Durham with a beautiful reception at the incomparable Headlam Hall near Darlington - and they got their wish!
Both training to be dentists, I had met with them at Headlam Hall with Rachel's mum too about 18 months or so before their wedding, just chatting and laughing about their plans for their wedding in Durham and their plans for their reception at Headlam Hall.
I was delighted when they asked me to be their official photographer and we kept in contact by e-mail before meeting a few weeks before their wedding when we went for a walk and a chat around the river in Durham on their pre-wedding portrait session.
It was a beautiful day in August and the gathering friends and relatives at St Godric's Church on the hill close to Durham were full of excited chatter about the day ahead. Jonathan was calm cool and collected, and later, when Rachel arrived in her beautiful classic Jaguar car, not only did she look stunning, but she was also pretty cool and relaxed too.
The wedding ceremony was fun too, and the clergy were kind enough to allow me to discreetly take photographs during the ceremony from the front of the church - usually no bother in a Catholic church, but rare in a C of E Church nowadays.
The 'secret' garden lay down pas a car park, and through a covered walkway, and down the side of a house which opened out into quite the best viewpoint of Durham Cathedral I have seen - and terrific for a few formal family wedding photographs before we headed to Headlam Hall.
Headlam Hall, along with Crathorne Hall is one of the finest wedding venues for civil ceremonies and receptions for many, many miles around. One of my all time favourite venues.
Service, attention to detail and staff are second to none - highly recommended
Champagne and canapes on the terrace with the vast gardens at the guests' disposal gave me the chance to capture the fun and atmosphere of the day and after an hour or so of relaxed conversation in the sun, I quickly gathered close relatives together together with siblings and bridesmaids for a few quick, relaxed group shots and one main photograph of the whole party on the lawn - total 10 minutes, everyone was smiling, that laughed at my silly jokes and the photographs looked great!
Into the Edwardian Suite for the wedding breakfast which was superb as always, and then tears, laughter and fun during some excellent speeches - giving me lots of photograph opportunities.
By the end of the fun, it was 7pm and it was time for me to grab Rachel and Jonathan for 15 minutes to create some nice photographs of them together in the grounds - but return them in time to greet their evening guests and ready themselves for their first dance and the fun of the evening ahead!
When I left the party was in full swing ... and I was off to edit their photographs so they would be ready on their return from the Far East from honeymoon.
I hope you enjoyed a small number of the 400+ final edited images which documents their fantastic wedding at Durham and at Headlam Hall.

If you would like me to capture great natural images at your Headlam Hall wedding, then ring me anytime on 0778 7150966. READ MY LATEST REVIEWS HERE

My latest wedding news and photographs HERE








DIRK VAN DER WERFF


PRE-WEDDING SHOOT - ON TOP OF A FELLSIDE IN THE LAKE DISTRICT WITH KATHRYN AND GARETH BEFORE THEIR WEDDING AT CRATHORNE HALL IN NORTH YORKSHIRE

PRE-WEDDING PHOTOSHOOT ROMANCE FOR KATHRYN AND GARETH .. DESPITE THE HIGH WINDS ON THE TOP OF THE FELLSIDE IN THE LAKE DISTRICT - PHOTOGRAPH BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

I'm a sucker for punishment ..... most brides and grooms are quite happy getting together with me on a beach or a local country park or a favourite spot in a beautiful city like Durham or York for their pre-wedding portrait photography.
It's nice when they want it done in Paris or in Nice  ........ but I was caught out a little bit when Kathryn and Gareth said they would like to have their photographs taken on top of a fellside in the Lake District ... :)
That's where they became engaged to be married during the Christmas holidays, so they wanted to have their pre-wedding shoot on the top, so they could see the Lancashire coastline, the mountains of Cumbria and probably my house on the north east coast at the same time!
So after a 2 hour drive across to meet them at Gareth's parent's house, it was up the fell we went.
Now, at slightly more than 50 years of age, I didn't want two Doctor's of Medicine out-yomping a rather unfit photographer, so I travelled light with just one camera and lens and flashgun and aimed to stay at the front, stopping only when they stopped for a breath of fresh air.
I was praying they would stop every 100 feet at one point. We did have a laugh or two and I was wondering if their Doctorate's meant they could also offer first aid as a paramedic would and if they had the direct number of a air ambulance crew to hand ...
Anyway, we got there, it was blowing a gale and we could JUST about see the Lancashire coast and the Cumbrian Mountains .. so we didn't hang around too long as the pub beckoned and the thought of a pint of real ale was very attractive as we headed down through the gloom ...
The whole point of a pre-wedding shoot is a bonding session really, so that we are not strangers on the wedding day, we feel as though we know each other a little and of course, if we also manage to create some nice images too - all the better.
So, I hope you like the one that we chose together to represent the yomp up the Fell (above) which will be framed and displayed with the wedding cake at their wedding at Crathorne Hall in North Yorkshire, and the additional ones below which actually feature me leaning into the howling wind and Gareth and Kathryn trying to keep their footing at the top as the wind blew in from the Atlantic.
You pre-wedding shoot comes as part of your wedding photography package with me.

DIRK VAN DER WERFF


SMILES ALL ROUND ... DESPITE THE HOWLING WIND! - AND THE LANCASHIRE COASTLINE IS IN THE DISTANCE
HANG ON!! KATHRYN AND GARETH HOLD ON TIGHT AS WE GET TO THE TOP WITH THE HIGH WINDS
DESPITE THE HIGH WINDS .. THERE'S TIME FOR A CUDDLE AND A BIT OF BLUSTERY ROMANCE - PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIRK VAN DER WERFF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
... AND GARETH KINDLY TOOK A PHOTOGRAPH OF ME TOO!