Wonderful Wintery Worcestershire Wedding Photography at Stanbrook Abbey

It was a beautiful crisp, clear December wedding. There was snow on the ground, the sky was a deep blue and the sun was low in the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous!! I love winter weddings when you get the weather on your side. Beautiful strong side lighting, with long dramatic shadows. What photographer wouldn’t love these conditions?! Add into the mix a gorgeous church and the always stunning Stanbrook Abbey and you have the perfect recipe for an amazing day. I loved this wedding from start to end. Everyone was so lovely and made me feel right at home. I think this shows in my photography too.
Grab a cup of tea and enjoy. Congratulations Sarah and Michael …and thank you so much for including me in your big day!  

Their love story

1) Please tell me how you first met?
Sarah: I was out in O’Neill’s pub in Moseley for drinks after work. I was rather tipsy and spotted Michael across the pub. He then came over and asked if the seat next to me was free. My first answer was no but then realised that in actual fact it was. I loved his hands as they were very manly which he found rather amusing and we chatted all night. We exchanged numbers and the rest is history.
Michael: I saw Sarah in a pub and I bought her over a glass of red wine and asked to sit down and we chatted all night.

2) When was it you knew they were the one? 
Sarah: I think for me it was when my Dad passed as Michael was there for me even though we had only just met. I knew from that day forward that he was the one for me.
Michael: There wasn’t a particular moment when I thought she was the one it was more that she was never not the one for me. We have been through a lot together and she is the only person in the world that I would want by my side for the rest of my life.

3) Could you give us the story of the proposal?
Sarah: It was Christmas Eve and we were watching ‘The Snowman’ on TV. I had my PJs on and we were drinking a glass of bubbles. Michael then said we should open one present each and he went upstairs to collect his. I was under the tree scrambling around to find one of his. It was taking a while so Michael just said to leave it which I thought was odd. He gave me mine which was a huge box, I started to open the first layer of paper and there was a bottle of perfume with another box inside still. Each layer had a different gift until I found a Christmas card and inside it said will you marry me?. . I looked up and he was on one knee in front of me. I just burst into tears and kept saying are you joking?.and then I said YES!
Michael: I knew I wanted to propose to Sarah on Christmas Eve. I knew that if I tried to take her away then she would have guessed what I was about to do. I know how much she loves Christmas so thought it would be a perfect time. I opened a bottle of bubbles and then I asked her if she wanted to open one of her presents. She was taking ages to find one for me so I just told her to leave it. I felt nervous but when she got to the bottom of the box and opened the card I went down on one knee. It took her ages to say yes as she was crying so much! Eventually, she said yes. Which made me a very happy man!

4) If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell me something quirky, funny or silly about your partner? 
Sarah: Michael can do many impressions including Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean and when we went on our mini-moon we were showing pictures of our wedding. The lady straight away said that Michael reminded her of someone. It was, of course, Johnny Depp which made his day!
Michael: When we were driving back from a night out I noticed Sarah was holding the full-beam light button whilst trying to drive. I asked her what she was doing and she just said I need to use the full beam. I then showed her the button she just needed to press and apparently she had been doing this for many years. She was totally surprised by this revelation!

5) What is your perfect day together?
Sarah: Sitting in our PJs in front of our log fire watching a film cuddled up on the sofa with good food and wine.
Michael: Relaxing at home just the two of us together laughing and chatting. Watching a film in front of the log fire.

6) Apart from the obvious, what are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Sarah: seeing Michael standing at the altar and having the best time with all our family and friends.
Michael: Seeing Sarah walking down the aisle.

7) What was it that inspired you to go for the theme or the decor you chose for your wedding?
Sarah: We both love winter and candlelight. So that’s why we chose to have lots of candles, silver, trees, and sparkle.
Michael: We love winter and being cosy inside. We wanted to have lots of candles and loads of atmosphere.

8) Please tell me one thing you wish you had known at the beginning of your wedding planning process, that you could pass on to future bride’s reading this blog?
Sarah: To not worry so much as your big day will be the most perfect day because you are with the one person that makes everything perfect to you.
Michael: If you are getting married in a church make sure you hire a choir don’t assume your guests will know the hymns haha!

9) When searching, what were you were looking for in a wedding venue? 
Sarah: we were looking for a venue not too far from our church but also a place that felt a million miles away from a city. We wanted a venue that had history and a story that we could talk about forever in the future. A place that felt special and had the WOW factor that you felt as soon as you drove up to the gate.
Michael: A place that had historical meaning.

10) Could you tell me the process you went through when you were looking for a wedding photographer?
Sarah and Michael: We didn’t want lots of staged photographs we liked the idea of natural photographs that told a story. We wanted a photographer that had a particular style and vision. Duncan ticked all of these boxes. He managed to capture the day without disturbing the natural flow of the day. We were impressed from the moment we met Duncan to the day we received our photographs from our wedding day. Anyone looking for a wedding photographer should look no further as Duncan most definitely is the best that we found and trust us we searched for a very long time before we managed to find him.

 

 

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