Sometimes our friends know us better than we know ourselves, which was the case for Laura and Kris, as their mutual friend, John Hall, played cupid and brought the pair together. “Both Kris and I had a mutual friendship in John Hall. Although be both lived in small town all of our lives and had the same group of friends our paths never seemed to of crossed.”

“John Hall once brought up in a conversion that the only person he would approve of who I could marry was his good friend Kris. I had little interest in dating, but for some reason I decide to meet him. John doesn't approve very easily so he must be something special. After arranging a group night out where both Kris and I decided to go, I could see instantly that he was something special. Kris says it was love at first sight from the moment I looked up at him. From that night we became inseparable. We are best friends, husband and wife, and parents to our beautiful family.”

“Kris always wanted a winter wedding, so we started to look for a venue which would look beautiful all year around and give us the same feel as a venue would in the summer. As we both live in Washington we wanted a venue close to home. Lumley Castle came straight to our mind. Every time we visit the hotel we get that same feeling that we did the first time we seen it – a sense of wow. The ground surrounding the castle is just as spectacular as the castle itself.”

“We wanted our ceremony to be small and intimate. Just family and a few close friends attended. The Barrons Hall was perfectly set out of our special day – it was so cosy!”

“I would recommend Lumley Castle. We choose it due to it been so close to us and family members and there are plenty of rooms for people to stay over. The grounds and the castle itself are spectacular. The team was amazing - they helped us every step of the way and we couldn't be more grateful for all the hard work they put into our big day.”

How did you choose your photographer?

“Jamie is a very well known photographer due to his very talented work. His reputation precedes well. He had our pre-wedding photo shoot where we met for the first time. He instantly made Kris and I feel at ease. He was very relatable as well as professional which made us feel we made the right choice in choosing him. We love all of our photos and would 100% recommend him for everyone looking for a wedding photographer.”

Advice for other brides and grooms?
“Ensure your venue will be something you will always remember and make your wedding your own. Your day goes by quickly so try and enjoy every minute. Wedding planning should be something you and your partner should enjoy together.”

What was your highlight of the day?

“There are so many wonderful moments from our wedding I'm finding it difficult to just pick one. If Kris and I were to pick one each I would say walking down the Isle. Holding my dad's arm knowing how proud he was made me well up immediately, but to walk down to the man I know I will love forever, seeing the tears in his eyes I would give anything to relive that moment again.”

“The other highlight of our day was the final dance. The DJ played our song we walked down the Isle to for the closing song. Kris and I were so loved up dancing away when we eventually looked around there was not one person sitting down. The whole room was on the dance floor with us. And we were fortunate enough to have that moment captured on video.”

For more real wedding inspiration, take a look at our dedicated real wedding section or take a look at the glossy pages of our regional magazine.