If I was to ask you what comes to mind if I was to say, 'girl owns fancy dress shop', 'boy's friend dating fancy dress shop owners sister', 'chance meeting of said boy and girl in fancy dress shop', 'wedding', I'm sure you'd say Richard Curtis movie, Hugh Grant, or perhaps Notting Hill 2. The whole idea has a wonderfully serendipitous feeling to it, a Hollywood love story if you will. So as designated wedding photographer for said couple in love, I made my way to a favourite venue of mine, Hoar Cross Hall, to try and capture the magic of what certainly sounded like a silver screen script...
And it turns out that I'm not the only person with a long standing fondness for Hoar Cross Hall. I've been asked to photograph many a wedding at this beautiful venue over the years, and it's always such a pleasure to work with the professional and friendly team there (a big thank you to Laura, Helen and Becca on the day before I forget). In the case of our lovely couple, Jade has many a fond memory, stretching back to her 16th birthday, when she first visited, along with her maid of honour to be. Since then, lot's of special occasions have come and gone but certainly not forgotten, with hen parties, anniversaries, spa days and indeed our groom Michael's mum enjoying her 50th birthday there too. It is a magnificent Grade II listed stately home and the gardens offer some fantastic backdrops for your wedding photographs. Constructed in the 19th century, this Elizabethan building offers a real blend of tradition and grandeur, if you are looking for a Staffordshire wedding venue yourself. As such, when the time came to choose a venue for their big day, Jade and Michael knew very quickly that this was the place for them... and I was obviously delighted, as I love being able to photograph here too.
On the subject of memories, I probably shouldn't gloss over their initial meeting quite so quickly. As I've said above, it truly was a romantic moment of serendipity... what are the odds? Watch this space if Mr Curtis ever gets to hear about it! In the words of the beautiful Jade...
"...we met in 2011, when his friend Josh was dating my sister. Gemma and I had a fancy dress shop... he came in with Josh once, when he popped in to see Gemma. We met properly when Josh and Gemma were planning their wedding, as Michael was the best man. Our personalities just clicked instantly..."
I suppose the rest is (cinematic) history. The memory of their engagement, it should be of no surprise, was also a moment you could quite envisage in a forthcoming romantic comedy, with Hugh Grant taking centre stage too I have no doubt. On their second anniversary of becoming a couple, Jade and Michael were walking along the beach in Spain. Unfortunately, Jade wasn't exactly keen, given that the heavens had opened, understandably. However, Michael wasn't about to allow a little rain to dampen his spirits, nor indeed his plans for that matter. And as Jade's mood began to match the weather, wondering why on earth they were walking along a rain soaked beach, with the inevitable rigmarole of having to brush all of the wet sand from between their toes, she caught a glimpse of a gentleman trying to take a photograph of them... whilst trying to hide behind a tree... whilst also being fairly familiar... seeing as it was her dad! The penny began to drop and 'the' moment concluded with a 'Yes!'... I hope Jade's dad managed to get out from behind his hiding spot at the right time to capture it all! Romantic and certainly cinematic.
One memory that unfortunately won't be made, was their all expenses paid honeymoon to the Maldives that the gorgeous couple had planned. With everything as it has been during the past 18 months, plans have been put back, and in some cases shelved. Instead, the incredibly generous gift from their parents has been adjusted to a holiday in Cancun for Christmas... which sounds wonderful to me... make sure you take lots of photographs... ideally without anyone hiding behind trees! However, the memory that matters most, was a joyous and beautiful one. Having had their plans rearranged twice over the last year or so, I thought it was wonderful to hear the way Jade spoke about the hours that they enjoyed on their wedding day...
"...we were worried that COVID would have put a big cloud over the day... however, in those four walls, it didn’t exist. We were all just so happy to be with each other and catching up. It was really special."
I'm so pleased that their big day was all that they hoped, and truly hope that my photographs will help them remember their day the way that it was... beautiful.
I must also say a couple of thank you's to Alex Cahill of AlexMagic.co.uk who was mind blowing on the day, should you be looking for a magician, and the event stylist Kerry and Kristie at Sorell Event Stylists who dressed the rooms incredibly. Thank you! And finally a huge thank you to Jade and Michael who I had the privilege of photographing on their most special day... thank you and congratulations!
Wedding photography by Jon Thorne at Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire.
