I’m excited to be kicking off my 2026 wedding season by heading back to photograph my first wedding of the year at The Croft in Darlington. To celebrate, I’m blogging Gordon & Sarah’s stunning winter wedding there. It’s full of colour, fun, dogs and Lord of the Rings inspired decor. Let’s dive in.
The Croft wedding venue in Darlington
The Croft has only been a wedding venue for a few years, but another to add to your list of quirky countryside venues. It’s in the portfolio of Apartment Group wedding venues, and in their normal style it’s decorated in a completely unique way. The vibe inside is giving Parisian rooftop garden and it’s ceremony room is an incredible Garden Chapel. It’s all really beautiful and maximalist to a tee! I love maximalism, and my house is very much decorated in that style, so I automatically fell in love with this wedding venue.
Tequila shots, wedding prep & drinks with the dog
I arrived at The Croft expecting a busy day. I started by heading straight to Gordon with his groomsmen. They were sharing gifts and drinks while getting ready in the garden suite. Rather than getting ready in a room, this made for such a better backdrop. It’s the main room of this wedding venue, and you would think you’d just ducked off a Paris street and into a french restaurant. I love it!
After a quick few shots with the lads, I headed over to the bridal suite to capture Sarah getting ready. She had a huge bridal gang in there, all really up for it and merrily having some pre-ceremony champagne. I loved the matching silk PJ’s and all the thoughtful little details these two had put into everything. They’d considered every little part of their wedding.
I captured the final little touches and then we did some gorgeous wedding portraits in the light of the window. Classic photographer, always hunting out the lovely light. I also need to take a moment to mention this bouquet! It is so beautiful. Autumnal, but not overtly so.
Wedding ceremony in the Garden Chapel at The Croft
The most show stopping feature of The Croft wedding venue has to be it’s Garden Chapel. It’s the wedding ceremony room of dreams!! The aisle is lined with white flowers, and once you reach the top there’s a lovely tree overhanging the podium. This is definitely not your average ceremony space.
After Gordon walked down with his groomsmen, and Sarah walked down the aisle with her Dad, everyone settled into this beautiful ceremony. Mid way through there was even a surprise guest. Gordon and Sarah had their beautiful golden retriever Billie run down the aisle with the rings. This for me is panic inducing.. dogs are surprisingly fast and you never know what might happen. But, she did an amazing job!
The ceremony was over in a flash, and then the lovely couple got to walk back down that stunning aisle as Mr & Mrs! All their guests followed them back out, and we headed to the The Croft’s iconic pink door for confetti.
The Croft wedding venue – confetti & the iconic pink door
If you’ve landed here, you’ve probably already noticed I am a wedding photographer that LOVES colour. So for me, the pink door at The Croft is such a great spot for photos. Gordon & Sarah had also specifically asked me what confetti would show up best on camera, and they’d gone for a large multi-coloured type. So, here comes a colour explosion in the best way!
Colourful wedding photography at The Croft
After confetti, we took the opportunity of dry weather to get their family and wedding party photos done. Now I love it when couples have a bit of fun with these shots and bring a good energy. I love these photos and all the colour going on.
Wedding portraits at The Croft in Darlington
The pink door is the obvious place to get some stunning couples photos at The Croft. However, it’s not the only space. Depending on time of year, there is a walkway down to the riverside, and you can also use the Garden Chapel. Perfect if the weather is not so good!
Of course we had to get gorgeous Billie involved for some shots too. She did so well with staying still to try and get this shot of all the bridesmaid’s bouquets framing her!
It was a bit of a chilly November day, and we were quickly losing light, but we took a quick stroll towards the river bank. I decided we would try and use all the lovely fallen leaves for some foreground interest. Trying to throw leaves at the same time as taking photos was tricky! But, I love how these photos turned out.
Lord of the Rings inspired wedding decor
Gordon and Sarah were huge Lord of the Rings fans, and their decor was fully inspired by the books. It felt autumnal in colour, but subtly, and I loved the little centrepieces they’d made. As I mentioned earlier, they’d clearly put so much thought into all their details. I also loved the balloon arch they had with the LED ‘Mr & Mrs’ light. It made a really great focal point, and we used it for some really cool photos you’ll see shortly.
Right before Sarah and Gordon were announced into the Garden Suite, I really quickly asked Sarah to pose in the aisle for me. This shot had been playing in my mind all day. I’m so glad I managed to get it! Doesn’t she look amazing, especially with that train.
A champagne tower and effortlessly cool new Mr & Mrs
Gordon and Sarah had booked a bespoke package with me, so the last thing I was there to capture was their announcement into the Garden Suite. Their guests were so up for it, as were they! They ended up going to the champagne tower and grabbing a well deserved drink.
Colourful & relaxed wedding photographer for The Croft in Darlington
There’s some weddings that really fit your vibe as a wedding photographer, and this was one of mine. Full of colour, joy, energy and dogs! If you’re getting married at The Croft and are looking for a wedding photographer who’s relaxed, calm and will capture your day in glorious technicolour, you found her! Pop to my contact page to enquire now. I can’t wait to hear from you.
