Doxford Hall

Images by Katy Melling Photography.

Doxford Hall, Northumbria’s only four red star wedding venue, celebrates its 200 year anniversary this year. Designed by John Dobson, a local architect most well-known for his vision for Newcastle Grand Railway Station, the resulting house was the epitome of late Georgian splendour.

Crafted from mellow stone, with its formal gardens and manicured lawns, featuring Europe’s largest yew tree maze, Doxford Hall is a dreamy, romantic and photogenic venue, and one of Dobson’s finest houses in the area.

In celebration of the bicentenary, a creative team channelled their love of beautiful things and shared passion for the finer things in life, to create a Jane Austen-inspired styled shoot to capture the elegance and romance of this beautiful country house wedding venue.

Notes from Doxford Hall

At the heart of the team was wedding photographer, Katy Melling. Her images pay homage to the essence of the history and the bucolic setting of this country venue. Our brunette model, Laura, features throughout in an ivory Empire-line bias cut silk gown, overlaid in fine tulle, and trimmed with decorative French Chantilly lace, pearl detail and dainty, mink velvet ribbon by VV Rouleaux.

Katy’s work, epitomised by her signature of natural light and ethereal style, perfectly captures the mood of the shoot and the Hall’s magnificent gardens and grounds, where photo opportunities and magic moments abound; including the terraced formal gardens, the stone terrace and balustrade with far-reaching pastoral views, a grand carriage entrance way with sundial, and enchanting secret walled garden.

The love story and romantic yearning was enhanced with a glimpse of a love letter from Darcy, presented by calligrapher Claire at By Moon & Tide. Bridal accessories included delicate cameo earrings, along with a seed-pearl and aquamarine engagement ring and hair ribbons, all hand-dyed with natural pigments by Kate Cullen.

The wedding breakfast shot in the Frank Henry Mason reception room, illustrates the decadence and indulgent feasting that would have accompanied such a celebration, with original fine bone china showing off fashionable Regency-inspired desserts and sweetmeats, enhanced with billowing English country garden-style floral arrangements by Helen Mawson at Bels Flowers, who also styled the exquisite hand-tied bouquet, both arrangements contained spray roses, lilac roses from David Austen, ranunculus, jasmine, rosemary, sweet peas and Dusty Miller, tied with hydrangea velvet ribbon.

Preparing for her wedding day, our model wore a blush silk chemise by Ghost, styled with an oriental style kimono, heavily embroidered with pastel silk in a floral design, just one of the many beautiful pieces in the shoot, sourced by Fran Boyd.

Laura’s hair was styled by Tina Elliott tousled with ribbons in the boudoir, and then swept into an elegant Regency up-do, with braid trim. Dani Hall created an initial English Rose, dewy look for the boudoir, which was then enhanced with a smoky eye to add allure to Laura’s bridal make up and complement her porcelain complexion and cornflower blue eyes.