If you are from the Nottinghamshire area in the United Kingdom, you might recognise this couple, Donna and John who are well established in the business industry and own many properties.
Their wedding was recently featured nationally in Ultimate Wedding Magazine and Mark Pugh was delighted with the beautiful feature.
View ULM for additional information.
Donna and John chose the grand surroundings of Belvoir Castle and Estate for their wedding, and appointed Mark Pugh as their photographer & videographer.
Award-winning Photographer Mark Pugh was accompanied by his Consultant Pam for part of the day, that saw a trip to John and Donna’s home to capture the finishing touches of Donna’s bridal preparations.
THE DAY OF THEIR WEDDING
An aura of calm was evident throughout the bridal preparations. If Donna was in any way nervous, it wasn’t discernible. Mark took the time to photograph Donna with her daughter and the detail around their home before departing for the Belvoir Estate.
Donna and John had been taken to Belvoir Castle by Mark Pugh for their preWED session several weeks before their wedding day. The couple, alongside their daughter, and dog Ralph, had a fantastic time exploring the Duchess of Rutland’s Rose Gardens, whilst being photographed. The trio also spoke about their wedding and their planning experience on their preWED loveFILM.
With Mark Pugh ensconced at the castle, Donna’s car made the winding drive up from the road below to the summit of the hill the castle sits atop. The Duke of Rutland’s chaplain stood by the portico to welcome Donna and her father, along with the Duke and Duchess of Rutland’s Private Secretary. The couple had chosen blue, green and purple as their wedding colour-theme; this is the colour of the peacock, which is the emblem of the Duke of Rutland and of Belvoir Castle.
A short walk took Donna through the portico, into the Guard Room and into the Manners’ Family Chapel. There, groom John, Best Man Dean, a gospel choir and their friends and family were all expectantly awaiting her arrival. John’s nerves were instantly dissipated by the vows the chaplain asked him to repeat: “I give you this ring.” said the Chaplain. “I give you this ring.” John repeated. “It cost me a fortune…” said the Chaplain. The whole chapel erupted into loud, uncontrollable laughter, and it was several minutes before the congregation, not to mention the bride and groom, were able to recover.
With the ceremony complete, the gospel choir sang whilst Donna and John signed the register. Mark Pugh was able to photograph and video the entire ceremony from multiple angles to create a beautiful record of the ceremony both in pictures and in film.
You can view their wedding highlight at the bottom of this feature.
The congregation filed out of the Chapel down to the foot of the Grand Staircase. Donna’s daughter played her favourite piece of music on the piano, and then everyone made their way out onto the cannonade for drinks and canapés.
With the drinks reception underway, Mark Pugh, ably assisted by Consultant Pamela, took the wedding party onto the lawn adjacent to the cannonade for formal photographs. Time had also been allocated for more informal, fun photographs, and friends and family were more than happy to participate.
With the drinks reception concluded, the wedding party adjourned to the State Dining Room for their Wedding Breakfast, followed by a hugely entertaining speech from Best Man, Dean. The couple cut their beautiful wedding cake from Katies Couture Cakes with Dean’s ceremonial sword, and the Duke of Rutland’s own sword was on standby.
As the day wore on, the evening guests arrived, and everyone made their way down into the castle’s former kitchen and bar area.
There, a band was waiting to entertain the guests as Donna and John danced their way into the night.
Mark Pugh thoroughly enjoyed capturing Donna and John's wedding at Belvoir Castle, which remains one of his favourite venues in the United Kingdom.
Donna and John's fine art wedding photography collection contains over 400 images, and it has been difficult to share a small selection. However, Mark Pugh's Team have managed to select 200ish of our favourite images and these can be viewed below.
We hope you enjoy viewing these photographs as much as Mark Pugh enjoyed capturing their special day.
THE TALENT INVOLVED
Photographer & Videographer: Mark Pugh www.markpugh.com
Wedding Dress Designer: Designed and purchased from Baroque Couture in Breaston, Draycott. By Elaina. www.baroquecouture.co.uk
Bride's Shoes: Manolo Blahni pewter shoes. www.manoloblahnik.com
Hair Stylist: Hepburns. plus.google.com/115772772846503284807
Bride's Jewellery: Cartier. www.cartier.co.uk
Bridesmaid's Dresses: Jenny Packham. www.jennypackham.com
Groom's Formal Wear: Vivienne Westwood. www.viviennewestwood.com
Wedding rings purchased from: Cartier. www.cartier.co.uk
Ceremony Florist: Angels Florist, Wollaton, Nottingham. www.angelsflorist.co.uk
Caterers: Stones. www.stonesevents.co.uk
Wedding Cake: Katies Couture Cakes www.couture-cakes.co.uk
Transport: Bride/Groom 4x4 black Porsche
Musician / DJ / Entertainers: - Pianist: Brides's daughter Lauren
And
- The London Gospel Touch Choir www.gt-gospelchoir.com
- String Quartet
- AJ band in the evening
- Ben The Mind Reader and Magician
Sourced via Warble Entertainment www.warble-entertainment.com
Travel Consultant: Virgin flights, Coral Reef Club, Barbados hotel. www.coralreefbarbados.com
<Press play> and enjoy their wedding film by Mark Pugh who captured their beautiful wedding photography at the same time!
Donna and John's Wedding Film - Press play.
About Belvoir Castle - www.belvoircastle.com
Belvoir, meaning beautiful view in French, dates back to Norman times. The English pronunciation 'Beaver' was built up over many centuries through the inability of Anglo-Saxons to master the French tongue.
Belvoir has been the ancestral home of the Manners family for five hundred years and is currently the family home of the 11th Duke and Duchess and their five children. The present Castle is the fourth to have stood on the site since Norman times. The existing Castle was completed in the early 19th century after previous buildings suffered complete or partial destruction during the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and a major fire in 1816.
From the elegance of the Elizabeth Saloon and the majesty of the State Dining Room to the delights of the Regents Gallery and the military splendour of the Guard Room, Belvoir possesses one of the most stunning interiors of the period.
In contrast to the grandeur of the State Rooms, the Old Kitchen and Bakery fuel the imagination of 'below the stairs' life in 1825, while the School Room and Nursery enable children to experience games from Regency times.
The Castle contains many notable pieces of art and includes paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Holbein and Poussin. It houses outstanding collections of furniture, porcelain, silks, tapestries, French furniture and Italian sculpture. Sculpture extends outside into the Rose and Statue Gardens which are elegantly laid out round a central fountain. The statue collection terraced into the hillside includes work by Caius Cibber - sculptor to Charles II.
To enquire about Mark Pugh’s availability to capture your wedding or event, contact his Team at customer.service@mpmedia.co.uk or complete the form below.