I loved Anna and Ali’s wedding as soon as I laid eyes on their images. This is everything a wedding needs to be, nothing more or less: a lovely couple surrounded by their best people, and a heartfelt celebration filled with love. Images by Newcastle wedding photographer Joss Denham are relaxed, natural and utterly perfect. Styling was kept understated, yet beautiful, with white and pink blush for the flowers. And the advice Anna and Ali share for other couples resonates with many of our recent posts here on the blog and on our instagram:

“Don’t stress over the small stuff and the things Instagram and Pinterest tell us we need to make a wedding special. In the end they really don’t matter and you won’t notice or care!”

Wedding photographer’s website

Jesmond Dene wedding photographer Joss Denham

Joss was amazing! He was really friendly and relaxed with all of the guests. We got a lot complements the day after saying how lovely he was with everyone. We’d definitely recommend Joss. He drove us both to dinner after the ceremony and even stayed a bit longer than planned to capture some extra shots! Legend.

Wedding photographer review

We both loved the photography so much! Joss managed to capture a relaxed, unposed aesthetic with beautiful natural lighting and composition. There are so many lovely images of all of our guests interacting and it really captured the joy of the day. There is nothing more we could have wanted, he captured it all perfectly and didn’t mind us trying different things on the day!

Photographer: Joss Denham Photography
(North East and Yorkshire)
Ceremony Venue: Jesmond Dene House
Reception Venue: Peace and Loaf
Florist: Wild Flower And Rose
Dress Boutique: Marrime
Dress Designer: Sarah Seven
Suit Designer: Moss Bros
Cake Maker: Peace and Loaf

Venue name + review

We got married at Jesmond Dene House and then had our reception at Peace and Loaf restaurant in Jesmond.

Our May wedding was always going to be a small intimate ceremony with only close family, with a larger ‘party’ happening in the Summer. We looked at a few different registry offices to get married at in Newcastle as that’s where Anna is from and it was close proximity for her grandmother (who’s 95) to attend. On the off-chance we reached out to Jesmond Dene House to see if they offered smaller ceremony options.

Anna has always loved Jesmond Dene House, having been there for many a lunch with her family, as well as for Christmas dinner. It’s such a gorgeous venue and it’s right next to Jesmond Dene, which is so peaceful. Ali also went to university in Newcastle and lived in Jesmond at the time, so it felt very fitting. Jesmond Dene House confirmed that they did in fact offer smaller (and more affordable options), so the choice was made!

We then thought it would be lovely to have everyone join us for a meal afterwards. News of this travelled and Anna’s Auntie Sheila stepped in and said she’d like to get us this as a wedding gift. She suggested Peace and Loaf, and we were sold. They let us create our own bespoke menu, choose our own cocktails, and even had a cake made for us. They were sensational from start to finish and we couldn’t have asked for a better evening.

Tell us a little about your outfits

I chose Maude by Sarah Seven. It’s not fussy but elegant and has a wonderful silhouette. I wanted to feel beautiful without extravagance, I also wanted to feel super relaxed when I put it on. I came across Sarah Seven on Instagram, it’s an American designer and I fell in love with all of their dresses. Fate stepped in and the designer that previously I’d only seen sold abroad announced that they were now stocked in my home town of Newcastle at Marrime. This was perfect because it meant that although I live in London, I could come and try on the dresses alongside my mam, my cousin and maid of honour. I honestly love the dress, but I did have some issues with how it was fitting. But a few miles of boob tape later and a mini-meltdown behind me, I was set to go and felt great.

Florist name + review

I gave a really open brief to my florist Wildflower and Rose because I loved her style which is slightly wild and relaxed. I only specified that I’d liked Peonies because they’re my favourite flowers and they’re in season in May. The rest I let her run with! When they arrived I was over the moon, and they look unbelievable in the photos too. The bouquet was just the right size.

Cake maker name + review

Again, very open brief to Peace and Loaf! We aren’t cake enthusiasts and don’t like going overboard just because it looks good in photos. We simply told Peace and Loaf that we loved red velvet cake and thought it would be fun to have ‘A&A’ written on the top. Lo and behold they made the most delicious and thoughtful cake… unreal.

Wedding readings?

My dad read a lovely poem in the ceremony that he had written himself.