A bride and groom look into each others eyes under the orange leaves of grape vines at Sneaton Castle, Whitby.

We had a proper mental wedding at Sneaton Castle this time. Beth and Joe are amazing and we had been looking forward to this wedding for ages. They had chosen to have a private marriage before this wedding day. Actually, it was on the same day as we did their engagement shoot, so we kind of got to photograph them on that day too! Since they didn’t need to be “legally married” on the day in Sneaton Castle though, it meant that these guys were able to get a celebrant ceremony.

SNEATON CASTLE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

We LOVE celebrant ceremonies. There’s nothing better than having a ceremony that’s filled with personal details and cute stories about you both. Registrars do a great job but they don’t have the time to get to really know who you guys are and more about your story together. This ceremony was so perfect and exactly what a celebrant ceremony should be - filled with tears, love and laughter.

Something a little different for us with these guys too. They didn’t want to do a first look but they did want to do a first touch! Not something we’ve had to arrange before but since we know Sneaton Castle reasonably well we were able to suggest a spot. Joe could be stood so that he wouldn’t see Beth coming and Beth could sneak down straight from her preparation room without seeing Joe stashed around the corner. Beth and Joe shared a giggle and a few supportive words to each other around the corner before we ushered Beth back away and escorted Joe back to the ceremony room.

The bride and groom share their "first touch" before they go into the ceremony room for their wedding ceremony at Sneaton Castle, Whitby.

Did we mention that Joe is in the horse artillery? He was in his uniform and had a few hand selected friends to be his sword guard. Yes, we said sword guard. It was exactly as cool as it sounds too. Joe had got them all gifts to say thanks too, which were knight figures holding letter openers in the shape of mythical swords. Swords, sword guards and knights really suit Sneaton Castle and we absolutely loved all the details that Beth and Joe had woven into their wedding.

Their ceremony was beautiful and it all started off by Joe getting super emotional when he first saw Beth walking down the aisle. Celebrant weddings are always amazing. The celebrant was able to share personal stories and give everyone a really beautiful insight into the life and relationship of Beth and Joe.

Beth decided she wanted to try being thrown in the air by the sword guard after the ceremony. We absolutely wanted to see that happen too so we helped arrange it! After a cheeky little practice throw she was launched well into the air. Thankfully, we had already reminded the guys to stay alert and catch her after too.

The bride is tossed into the air by a group of uniformed soldiers after the wedding ceremony in the grounds at Sneaton Castle, Whitby.

Not long after the photos, Joe and the sword guard got changed so they were comfortable and ready to party the rest of the day and night. We grabbed a few photos of the new family before their meal and then grabbed the shots of their speeches. After the speeches, one of Joe’s friends got up and serenaded the bride and groom, mostly the groom. We made our escape after the speeches and left the party to carry on into the night without us!