High school romances... the stuff of Hollywood movies for close to a century. The tale of kindred spirits, with their whole lives ahead of them, bound by those fateful last few years of education, before they begin the adventure of the rest of their lives together. Sorry, wrong Hollywood script, my mistake... they both met whilst WORKING at school. Ok, think Jon, movies about teachers... 'Bad Teacher', no that won't work... 'Dangerous Minds', nope, nope... 'School of Rock', well as our gorgeous couple Aimee and Francis are the proud owners of a little pug named Henry Le Bon, I'm going to have to say that's the best fit... at least I'm hoping there is a Duran Duran reference in there somewhere... even by my standards I think that's a tenuous link. In any case, in July of 2021, I was invited to be the designated wedding photographer for this bride and groom to be, at the stunning Swynford Manor in Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, and what a lovely day it was...
So as I've completely butchered the story of these newlyweds initial meeting, I better give you the story in full, before I show you all the wedding photographs from the day. Our couple first met when Francis arrived at the school where our bride Aimee was working... as his direct superior. Both being professional of course, they kept a respectable, working relationship, as it should be in the realms of educational facilities... even though they both felt an immediate attraction to each other. As time went by, they decided to go for, what they describe as a 'professional drink', and the rest they say is geography... sorry, history... terrible joke I know. Their engagement sounds like the kind of thing that 100% IS directly out of a movie script however... so romantic. Dominican Republic, first day, enjoying a drink on their balcony, listening to a little music (their soon to be first dance no less) and gazing out across the ocean. I would seriously struggle to imagine a more perfect moment for that all important question, as Francis took to one knee, ring in hand. Magical. In fact, travelling is one of our couples favourite things to do, seeing the world together, and in such a beautiful part of the world, it made a special moment even more memorable.
As one of their favourite things to do, the pandemic has put paid to many of their plans I'm sure, but with restrictions relaxing, one thing that they could do on a sunny July day, was enjoy their wedding with friends and family, and celebrate together, which has been all too infrequent for so many of us. With plans to originally marry in Sorrento, Italy, back in 2020, things obviously took a change of direction, and their new destination, and indeed mine, as their chosen wedding photographer, was Swynford Manor, in Newmarket, Cambridgeshire... what a treat! In fact, as Aimee and Francis looked back on their wedding day, it's of no surprise how many times they mentioned this wonderful venue... truly stunning and the team and staff on hand helped make the day truly special for them both. When it comes to describing Swynford Manor, I think our newlyweds say it best when they detailed their thoughts for me...
"...chic and gothic-glam with a black and white theme running throughout – it is the perfect backdrop to add your own colour scheme to. We loved the fact that our whole wedding could be in one place and that there were multiple parts of the manor to use... The team could not have done enough for us on the day – everyone was fantastic. We couldn’t have imagined our day to be any more perfect and we’ll treasure the memories forever."
And I have to wholeheartedly agree with them. It was a real pleasure to photograph at this venue from a professional point of view, but it certainly helped having such a delightful couple to capture on film. Aimee described it as the 'biggest celebration' and I certainly felt that on the day... a mixture of genuine love, heartfelt happiness, and a delight to see friends and family mixing and enjoying the day together... wonderful.
In terms of memories, I'm not surprised to hear the standout moment for our couple on the day itself. With camera in hand, I'm always looking to photograph those moments that are perhaps lost in the hustle and the bustle, the magical moments missed, but it was clear to see and impossible to miss, their magical moment. I mentioned earlier that during their stay in the Dominican Republic, as Francis was about to pop the question, they enjoyed a drink whilst listening to music... the track of that moment was Ed Sheeran and Perfect, which played during their first dance. It was another song, their song, that brought tears to an eye or two and helped encapsulate the moment Aimee walked down the aisle. With Francis waiting for his bride to meet him at the end of the aisle, A Thousand Years began to be sung as Aimee walked towards him... stunning!
With a love of travelling, it's of no surprise whatsoever, that our newlyweds jetted off to to Crete following a luxury spa, log cabin stay in Matlock... it sounds absolutely amazing, and I hope they thoroughly enjoyed themselves! I'd now like to take this moment to say thank you for choosing me as your wedding photographer, and say congratulations to Aimee and Francis!
A few notes from our couple regarding some of their suppliers...
- Dress and veil by Pronovias, Silk Bridal Lichfield - 'beautiful'
- Alterations by Helen at Sew by Chic - 'cannot speak of her highly enough'
- Suits by Marc Darcy, Suit Direct Birmingham
- Cake by The Little Sugar Rose - 'amazing'
- Flowers by Heidi's Appleyard - 'everyone commented on how beautiful our flowers were'
- Catering by Swynford Manor - 'guests complimented the food and spoke highly of it'
- Rings by Mitchel and Co, Jewellery Quarter - 'great at offering advice and suggestions'
