When I met Hana & Laurence for the first time in my front room we kind of hit it off over a mutual love of live music, gigs and the love of beautiful natural photography. They started with a holiday romance, followed by a long distance relationship between London and Alsager, and proved that their love was strong enough to weather any distance. We got together for a wonderful pre-wedding photo shoot to get Hana & Laurence both relaxed with me and in front of my camera. It worked a treat and I was so very much looking forward to capturing their garden party themed wedding. They had chosen a wedding venue I have wanted to photograph at for a while, Abbeywood Estate, set on the fringes of Delamere Forest. This time I wanted another photographer with me to second shoot and when I asked around I went to my first port of call, a fellow photographer Sandy Smith of Pixsmiths, whose work I love and admire. Sandy said she would be free and would love to shoot with me. When you are a photographer you always wish you could clone yourself so that you could be in two places at once, with Sandy, it was like we were one person in two places. I would spot a backdrop, a frame, a scene and before anything could be said Sandy would be there, already seeing it with her photographic eye and capturing the moment.
It was an absolutely perfect day in every way possible, it was dream wedding weather with spring in full bloom on Grand National Day (my favourite day of the year by far). Hana’s family welcomed us like long lost friends and we were part of the celebration from the off. Laurence arrived with his best men and groomsmen full of excitement and nerves for the ceremony ahead. With pretty pastel pink and blue bunting and jars and jars of pretty spring flowers the glasshouse was decorated so beautiful for the ceremony and celebration ahead of us.
Laurence stood at the bottom of the aisle nervously awaiting the love of his life. In walked the beautiful bridesmaids and with gasps of appreciation, closely followed by the beautiful bride in the most incredible feminine and floaty beaded Mori Lee gown with ruched tulle cap sleeves and graduated crystal floral designs, Hana took everyone’s breath away. Leila (the brides sister) read the beautifully funny good dinosaur during their ceremony and Laurence’s father read the except about love from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin which had such a deep & meaningful significance to both myself and other family members present that day. Of course I don’t like to disappoint and I crumbled like the proverbial digestive, you know me, I immerse myself completely in my couples wedding days and its hard not to be so emotionally connected. Laurence made a beautiful speech about one of his best men, Ainsley, his beloved brother who has non verbal autism, and telling him how his life has been enriched by having him as a brother. It was beautiful and it was so meaningful.
Everything about this day was wonderful, perfect, beautiful and heartfelt, it moved me way beyond words. Even Laurence, a previous photographic ‘blinker’ emerged into a cool, happy and hugo boss handsome photographic dream, with not a blink in sight. I ended the night jiving on the dancefloor with my newly adopted grandad Reg, he certainly spun me around like a top and was the icing on the cake, and the most perfect ending to the most perfect day. I wish these two very special people all of the love, good luck, health, wealth and happiness their huge hearts can possibly hold. Much love, Lisa x
