Quirky wedding venues in the North East of England

Being a photographer in Newcastle and the North East of England for the last 6 years has afforded me the luxury of visiting many wonderful venues, and the best thing for me is because I mainly shoot weddings which are quirky or different I've managed to build up a lovely list of quirky venues which I would personally recommend.

There may be venues I've missed out and I'd love to hear your personal recommendations but here with the links (because I'm lovely dear reader) are my top recommendations of quirky venues to get married at or have your reception at if you are currently planning your wedding.

St Marys Lighthouse - 

http://www.friendsofstmarysisland.co.uk/weddings.html

now you can't really get anywhere more quirky than getting married in a Lighthouse!!

The Winter Gardens in Hexham, literally no one knows about this place - 

http://www.qehs.net/index.php/community/community-facilities-a-lettings/the-winter-gardens

Guyzance Hall is amazing, you get the whole place to use as your own for the entire weekend and family and friends can stay in cottages based around the hall, the views are amazing, the staff are wonderful and it's completely unique

http://www.guyzancehall.co.uk/

Woodhill Hall is near Otterburn, I've actually not been but my colleagues tell me it's beautiful, unique and the staff are lovely, it's also in the middle of the most beautiful countryside

http://woodhillhall.co.uk/index.php

Bamburgh Castle, 

Cheaper than Alnwick Castle, owned privately and I believe they have amazing service, it's certainly the most beautiful location of I think all of the castles.

http://www.bamburghcastle.com/

Of course if you are getting married and you want to go with a grand castle or maybe you are a Harry Potter fan you might want to consider

Alnwick Castle or Durham Castle, both have been featured in the movies and you can point them out to the guests.

It's not that long since I was watching the first Harry Potter with my Harry Potter obsessed daughter and I realised it was in the room above (The Bishops Suite) which I think is used as the Hogwarts common room, please forgive me if I'm wrong about which room they use it as, she's the huge fan, I'm just the mum!

Chillingham Castle

You want quirky, this place has quirky by the bagful, named as the most haunted castle in the country it even has it's own torchure chamber, the funny thing is that I think when they have weddings it's closed to the public, the gardens are amazing and if you want a ghost or two at your wedding then this is the place

http://www.chillingham-castle.com/

Cuddystone Hall,

Now this one nobody even knows about, it's about as remote as you can get, no one will be able to use their phones, it's in the middle of the Cheviots near Wooler, it's not grand like some of the big halls and castles and to be honest no one really knows about it which is one reason you should probably check it out

http://college-valley.co.uk/events.htm

If you're planning your wedding at any of these venues or maybe even somewhere else and you'd like to talk with me about photographing your wedding day please click through to wedding photographer Newcastle/my facebook page or just drop me an email, I offer photography from just 1 hour right through to the whole day and if you do email me I'll send you over my latest pricing brochure.

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Winter mini photo shoots in the north east of England

Yes I can report it's still January, how can that even be possible I'm asking myself dear reader, surely it should be June by now?!

I'm longing for sunshine and toes that aren't permanently like tiny blocks of ice but while life throws lemons, I'm taking advantage and have been out every weekend without fail photographing the lovely families and little people of the north with my winter mini sessions.

It's a simple concept, it's £20 for a 30 minute photo shoot on location at either Tynemouth Longsands, Jesmond Dene or Saltwell Park and within that you get your favourite image as a 7x5 print, a web gallery for 30 days and 15% off all orders for the first week your gallery is live.  All you do is decide on the best location for you and book onto the next available session.

Current availability is -

February 9th - Saltwell Park
February 10th - Jesmond Dene
February 17th - Tynemouth Longsands
March 2nd - Saltwell Park
March 3rd - Jesmond Dene
March 9th - Tynemouth Longsands

Sessions are available from 11am - 3pm in half hour slots and early booking is advisable as they tend to fill quickly, in Oct/Nov/Dec I was shooting an average of 15 mini shoots every weekend so I'm really trying for a slightly more relaxed pace, haha!

I was greeted with this lovely rainbow when I arrived at Tynemouth Longsands on Sunday so I knew it would be a good day!

how cute is this little adventurer with her Cath Kidston backpack

my favourite waterfall in Jesmond Dene looking just a little fierce when I was there last week, its usually only got one cascade during the summer months.

one of my favourite photos of late,"I don't want my photograph taken with my brothers"

You can see up to date photographs posted every single day on my Facebook Business Page


I've also launched my new concept of lifestyle photo shoots called "At Home With"  If you have a beautiful home and a beautiful family then why not showcase that with a lifestyle photo shoot, these will normally be priced at £95 but for an introductory period you can have one for only £80 which will include a framed 7x5 photograph in a gorgeous frame.  I also have a whole new selection of beautiful framed products and canvases which would look fabulous showcased on the gorgeous walls in the places you live.  The best thing about the lifestyle photo shoots is their relaxed pace, they're not so time limited, I simply give guidelines that they will take a couple of hours and I'll come to your house and record life as it happens, natural, beautiful images of your favourite people in the whole world.  To take advantage of the special offer please contact me by email or through Newcastle Photographer.

look at that gorgeous smiley face, this is so cute, it wasn't until I got home that I realised I'd caught this, a serendipitous moment indeed when you consider that the little one was only 2 weeks old.

So I hope dear reader that this selection of lovely moments has lightened your mood and warmed your slightly icy toes and don't forget I also shoot weddings too so if you're searching for a wedding photographer please do drop me an email through my website  and you'll make this Newcastle Wedding Photographer a very happy lady indeed!

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Got the January Blues, some photos to cheer you up

January, it's cold, it's dark, some would say it's downright depressing but for me it's been a joy, moving into my new building in the city centre got me off to such a great start and I've been out every weekend photographing kids and families all around the north east, all of these images were shot over the last month including some snowy mini sessions in Jesmond Dene last weekend.  I have an ethos that when life throws snowballs you make a big snowman and so if you're feeling low then come with me on a jaunt through some cute photographs which are sure to make even the coldest hearts get just a little bit melty.

January has also been about meeting brides and grooms planning their 2013/2014 weddings.  I'm reaching the point where I'm nearly full for this year, I only take on a maximum of 25 weddings a year because of the size of my portraiture business so if you're still looking for a wedding photographer for this years lovely wedding please do get in touch quickly because once those slots are filled I won't be able to take on anymore and I'd hate to miss out on your beautiful wedding, yes you, I know you're reading this thinking about it so email me or contact me through one of my websites, if you're on an iPad this one will work best and if you're on a laptop or computer with flash you can contact me through my spangly one here and for all the latest and greatest goings on why not check out my Facebook Business Page 

Until next time, go make some snowmen!

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Newcastle Photographer, 2012 review and 2013 news from Mandy Charlton

I know that every Tom, Dick and Harry is doing a 2012 year in review post just now but it's always nice to look back at the great things you've done and 2012 was quite simply my favourite year in nearly 6 years of business as a newcastle photographer.

Because my areas of speciality are weddings and kids and family portraits on location there really is quite a mix and I've popped a few personal photos in there for good measure, it's a funny thing when you get this collection all in one place, to see what you accomplished in a year is a wonderful thing indeed.

What I have discovered this year is that I love being on location shooting family portraits in the North East and it's possibly a good time to reveal some news about 2013, you see I've never been entirely happy in a studio, I always felt that it was almost too easy and that there were no backgrounds, I like life as a background, I think it makes for much better photos and the kids enjoy being outdoors so much, it's perfect for my style of photography and so yesterday I handed in my notice at the studio and I'm going to be moving to a brand new NE1 business address, I've found the most gorgeous meeting room perfect for my needs, a great base to meet all of you lovely clients looking for a wedding photographer in the North East of England and for some of you it will be just around the corner from your venues because it's city centre based.  It really is an exciting development and I'm so happy with the choices I've taken.

And so come with me for a meander through the highlights of 2012 and do leave a comment with your favourite image

This one right here is my favourite wedding image from 2012, shot in August at Durham Castle there's just something special about it don't you think?

This might possibly be my favourite portrait image of the year but to be honest it sort of changes every week because I shoot so many mini sessions and portrait sessions, up to 20 a week at peak times.

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