Casey & Ryan’s Wedding at The Story & Radisson Blu, Durham

What a day this turned out to be!

Casey and Ryan’s wedding took us from wonderfully relaxed bridal preparations at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham, across to a beautiful ceremony at The Story, and then back to the Radisson for an evening filled with emotional speeches, bubbles, dancing, magic and one young man who earned himself the title King Bubble Gun!

But let’s start at the beginning...

A Surprisingly Calm Wedding Morning

I arrived at the Radisson Blu in a light drizzle. The morning was overcast but thankfully not cold, and after gathering my camera equipment I made my way up to the bridal suite on the fourth floor.

When I walked through the door, I was shocked.

It was totally calm!

Now, there was a very good reason for my surprise.

I had met Casey about a week earlier to run through the photography arrangements for the wedding and, at that meeting, she had been in what I can only describe as full panic mode!

There were timings to think about, people to organise and all those little details that suddenly become very real when your wedding is only days away.

So I was fully prepared for a slightly nervous bride on the morning itself.

Instead, I found the complete opposite.

Casey was totally relaxed.

She was joined by her sisters Leah and Imogen, her best friend Anya, her mum Victoria, and Ryan’s mum Julie. The make-up artist was busy working on everyone while laughter, jokes and conversation flowed around the room.

There was even a little Asti being enjoyed.

Exactly how a wedding morning should be!

From a photographer’s point of view, bridal preparations are about much more than photographing somebody having their make-up done. It is the laughter, glances, reactions and little interactions between family and friends that really tell the story.

Then the relative peace was suddenly disrupted.

But in a very good way!

Leah’s daughters, Delilah and Francine, arrived.

Immediately there was a huge fuss, with hugs, laughter and fun as they joined everyone in the bridal suite.

The energy in the room went up another level, but remarkably Casey remained completely relaxed.

I was beginning to wonder what had happened to the panicking bride I had met the previous week!

As midday approached, it was time for everyone to get into their dresses.

This is always the moment when a wedding morning suddenly becomes very real.

The dresses went on, the finishing touches were made and we spent some time creating portraits before preparing to leave for the ceremony.

Casey was ready.

And waiting just a few minutes away at The Story was Ryan.

Sunshine at The Story

As I left the Radisson Blu, something wonderful had happened.

The drizzle had stopped.

Even better, rays of sunshine were starting to break through the clouds.

It is only around a five-minute drive to The Story, but by the time I arrived and stepped out of my car the weather had completely transformed.

The sun was shining brightly and the day had warmed up beautifully.

Someone had obviously had a quiet word with the weather gods!

The guests were already gathering and I was greeted by Ryan along with his Best Men, Alex and Pandy.

Also there were groomsmen David, Ryan’s dad, and Joshua, Ryan’s brother, along with Casey’s dads, Andrew and Trevor.

And then there was another extremely important member of the wedding party.

Casey and Ryan’s son, Dalton.

Dalton would go on to become one of the real stars of the day.

Before everyone disappeared inside, we made the most of the sunshine and took some photographs on the steps at The Story.

But I was keeping one eye on the time.

Casey was on her way!

Ryan and the guests were seated just as she arrived.

Perfect timing.

I photographed the bridal party on the steps before we headed into the Bridal Suite for those final few photographs and moments before the ceremony.

Then came the words we had been waiting for.

It was time to go!

The Ceremony

With almost 70 guests, Casey and Ryan were getting married in the Durham Suite, the largest ceremony room at The Story.

The guests were seated, Ryan was waiting and I took up my position ready for the entrance.

The bridal party made their way into the room in pairs.

Then came Casey.

And she had not one, but two very proud dads accompanying her.

With Andrew and Trevor, one on each arm, Casey made her entrance and walked towards Ryan.

It was a lovely moment.

As always, I wasn't only watching Casey through my camera. I was looking around the room for reactions – Ryan seeing his bride, parents watching proudly and friends and family smiling as the ceremony began.

These fleeting moments are such an important part of telling the complete story of a wedding.

What followed was a typically lovely Story ceremony and before long...

Casey and Ryan were married!

Afterwards, we made our way to one of my favourite photographic locations inside the building – the magnificent grand staircase.

We created some portraits before heading outside into what had become glorious sunshine.

And then things got bubbly!

Bubbles, Bo, Bindy and Dalton

Bubble runs have become extremely popular at weddings at The Story, and this one certainly didn't disappoint.

In fact, very bubbly would probably be an understatement!

The guests gathered outside armed with bubble guns and the bubbles started flying.

Casey, Ryan and Dalton made their way through the middle surrounded by bubbles, laughter and cheering.

Meanwhile, I was somewhere in front trying to photograph everything without disappearing inside a wall of bubbles!

Brilliant fun.

But before we moved on to the formal family photographs, there were two more very important members of the family waiting for their moment in front of the camera.

Bo and Bindy – Casey and Ryan’s Bedlington Terriers.

They had been brought along especially for some photographs and there was absolutely no way they were going to be left out.

Casey, Ryan and Dalton gathered together with Bo and Bindy on the steps for some lovely family portraits.

I always enjoy it when couples bring their dogs along. They are part of the family, after all, and including them makes the photographs even more personal.

With Bo and Bindy having completed their modelling duties, it was time for the formal group photographs on the steps.

I always try to keep these organised and moving quickly. Formal family photographs are important, but nobody wants to spend the entire afternoon waiting around while endless combinations of people are photographed.

Once the groups were complete, I concentrated on more portraits of Casey, Ryan and Dalton.

And this is important.

Throughout the portraits, Dalton was always included.

These weren't simply bride and groom photographs. They were photographs of Casey, Ryan and their son together.

It was their family story.

Dalton was at the heart of their wedding day and their photographs reflected that.

We finished our time at The Story with photographs around the wedding car before it was time to make the short journey back across Durham to the Radisson Blu.

Back to the Radisson Blu

By the time we arrived back at the hotel, the guests were already very much in celebration mode.

Drinks were in hand, conversations were flowing and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Before joining them, I took Casey, Ryan and Dalton into the Wedding Breakfast room.

First we photographed a mock cutting of the wedding cake, allowing us to create some lovely images without a crowd of people around them.

I also took the opportunity to photograph the wedding rings.

With those important details safely captured, we headed back to the guests and I switched into candid photography mode.

This is one of my favourite parts of a wedding day.

People are relaxed, drinks are flowing and, importantly, guests begin to forget that there is a photographer wandering around.

That is when the natural photographs really start happening.

Eventually everyone was called through and took their seats for the Wedding Breakfast.

Then it was time for our three VIPs to make their entrance.

Casey, Ryan and Dalton entered together to huge applause and cheers.

The Speeches

First up was Andrew, who delivered a tearful but heartfelt speech.

Trevor followed with an equally emotional contribution.

Then it was Ryan’s turn.

Ryan spoke lovingly about Casey and Dalton and thanked their friends and families for being there to share their day.

Next came Best Man Alex.

Instead of going down the traditional route of spending ten minutes embarrassing the groom with stories he would probably rather everyone forgot, Alex did something rather lovely.

He spoke sincerely about his friendship with Ryan and lovingly about his best mate’s family.

It was a genuinely warm speech.

Then came Pandy, who wasn't exactly desperate to get his hands on the microphone!

Despite being reluctant to speak, he stepped up and talked about his own friendship with Ryan.

And finally, there was one more speaker.

Casey.

Casey spoke emotionally about the deep love she has for Ryan, bringing a very heartfelt series of speeches to a fitting conclusion.

With the speeches finished, it was time for me to disappear briefly for a well-earned rest.

Usually, this is when a wedding enters a bit of a lull.

Not this one!

The Bubble Wars Begin!

While the Radisson Blu team transformed the reception room ready for the evening, the children discovered that the bubble guns from earlier in the day still had plenty of life left in them.

Within minutes, the bar area had become a bubble battlefield.

Children were chasing each other around firing bubbles in every direction.

Although I should probably correct that.

It wasn't just the children.

Quite a few adults joined in too!

For around an hour the bubble guns were everywhere.

And one person seemed to win just about every bubble fight he became involved in.

Dalton.

By now, Dalton had established himself as one of the undisputed stars of the wedding.

Children, adults – it didn't matter.

If you found yourself facing Dalton armed with a bubble gun, you were probably going to lose.

I think he earned himself a new title that afternoon.

King Bubble Gun!

Let the Evening Party Begin

At around 7pm, it was time for the evening formalities.

First came the official cutting of the wedding cake.

Then it was time for the first dance.

Casey and Ryan took to the floor as everyone gathered around to watch.

It began traditionally enough.

Then, halfway through, everything changed.

The music suddenly turned into a dance track.

That was all the encouragement everyone needed!

The dance floor filled immediately.

No awkward standing around the edges waiting for somebody else to be the first person up.

The party had started.

After another couple of songs, it was time for the bouquet throw.

Casey took her position while the hopeful recipients gathered behind her.

The bouquet went into the air...

And a mad scramble followed!

Arms appeared from everywhere as everyone made a determined attempt to grab it.

More laughter, more great reactions and plenty more photographs.

Later in the evening, we were treated to the talents of a sleight-of-hand magician.

I love photographing magicians at weddings because sometimes the best photographs aren't of the magician at all.

They're of the guests.

You can see the concentration on their faces as they desperately try to work out how the trick was done, quickly followed by complete confusion when they realise they haven't got a clue!

The evening continued with plenty of dancing, laughter and celebration.

Eventually, though, it was my time to leave.

And I left happy.

A Few Well-Deserved Thank Yous

After photographing everything from the wonderfully relaxed bridal preparations through to the ceremony, bubbles, family portraits, emotional speeches, bubble warfare, dancing and magic, it had been a fantastic wedding to be part of.

Before finishing, I have to give a huge shout-out to the amazing team at The Story in Durham.

I photograph weddings there regularly and they always make my job an absolute pleasure.

Their professionalism never fails to astound me. Everything is handled calmly and efficiently, and their attention to detail makes such a difference to the couples getting married there and to the suppliers working alongside them.

It is always a pleasure walking through those doors knowing that I am going to be working with such a professional team.

A huge thank you must also go to the staff at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham.

From the bridal preparations that morning through to the Wedding Breakfast and evening reception, they worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure the day ran as smoothly as possible.

They were brilliant.

And finally, of course, thank you to Casey and Ryan for trusting me to photograph such an important day in their lives.

It was emotional, relaxed, funny, occasionally chaotic and filled with the people – and dogs! – who mean the most to them.

Exactly what a wedding should be.

And I can't finish without mentioning Dalton one last time.

He was there throughout the portraits, right at the heart of his mum and dad's wedding day, and later proved that when it comes to armed bubble combat, he is a force to be reckoned with.

So congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs...

And all hail Dalton – King Bubble Gun!

What a fantastic day!