Lively, sunny Wedding Photography at the Wood Norton in Worcestershire
This is my second time visiting The Wood Norton near Evesham in Worcestershire and it delivered this time around too! What a stunning venue for Worcestershire wedding photography!
I was extremely privileged to have been invited to Lizzie & Charlie’s exceptionally grand, dynamic and vibrant wedding. More often than not, it is the people that make a wedding and this was not to be a departure from the norm. Throughout the day, the was energy and vitality which was a delight to capture. I found Lizzie & Charlie to be very approachable on their wedding day, even though, they were very busy with their guests. Which in turn lead to a smooth running and enjoyable wedding. Zero stress…all fun!
Congratulations Lizzie & Charlie! …and a big thank you to all the wonderful staff at The Wood Norton for helping us through the day too.
Their Love Story
1) Please tell me how you first met?
Charlie and Lizzie first met on a night out in mere green, Lizzie was out with her best mate Vicki and Charlie was out with some work friends. Charlie had recently moved to the area and was getting shown the local scene by some mutual friends who arranged for dinner later that week.
The dinner was arranged at the mailbox in Birmingham and was strangely a little like a double date!! After sharing a dessert they moved to a bar for a few drinks, on entering the bar a gentleman jumped onto Lizzie putting her into a boisterous headlock, Charlie jumped to attention only to quickly find out this was Lizzie’s dad’s best mate Stuart, closely followed by Lizzie’s dad Geoff who were out on their monthly boys night out! Not embarrassing at all for Lizzie but needless to say Charlie’s first introduction to the family.
2) When was it you knew they were the one?
Lizzie – I knew Charlie was the one when he pulled out the ring on the beach 🙂 … but seriously I could not ask for a kinder, more loving Husband, we just have loads of fun and share the same morals and ethos in life.
Charlie – I knew Lizzie was the one after our first holiday away together. She’s the most fun, laid back and caring person Id ever met and I just wanted to be around her all the time. I knew she was the one for me!
3) Could you give us the story of the proposal?
Lizzie – The proposal came 7 days into a holiday in Marbella. Charlie had arranged an evening out at the Nikki Beach Club, when we arrived the evening was perfect, a beautiful setting, Palm trees, sea lapping in at the beach and they gave us an amazing table right by the beach.
I discovered this was a special evening in Spain as it was the San Juan summer solstice, the festival of Love, Life and Letting go, where once a year the sun bows to the earth twice, celebrated every year on 23rd June. …………..This meant there was going to be a fantastic show at the beach club and locals would burn hundreds of little bonfires all down the beaches!!!
After a lovely dinner and a few cocktails, we watched the most amazing double sunset which created the most gorgeous pink skies. After the sun had set Charlie asked me to come down to the beach to look at the bonfire “before it gets busy” to which I replied, “but they haven’t even lit the bonfire yet and I don’t want to get sand on my feet!” Anyway, he persuaded me and once down on the beach it was beautiful. With his arm around me and gazing out to sea we took a moment, Charlie said “I don’t want to go home, but this time it will be different” I turned to look at him and ask why and found him down on one knee in the sand! It turned out to be a fantastic night and one I will remember forever. 
4) If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell me something quirky, funny or silly about your partner?
Lizzie – Charlie is a complete gentleman, always has been and I love him for it, but he can often be found holding the door open at restaurants for 5 minutes while absolutely everyone exits or assisting people with their bags or pushchairs.
Charlie – Lizzie is without fail the last person on the dance floor – she is the life and soul of any party. Always the first up to dance, and the last to leave! Also, she can’t walk past a pet or animal without wanting to take it home with her. She loves all of them! Apart from spiders and sharks that is…. 
5) What is your perfect day together?
A beautiful secluded beach, sunbathing with cocktails turning into an afternoon impromptu adventure, basically most days on our recent honeymoon in California. 
6) Apart from the obvious, what are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?
Lizzie- having all our friends and family together and seeing Charlie stand up and do a speech!!
Charlie – 2 specific moments I would suggest. First up – seeing Lizzie walk down the aisle towards me! Second I would say the evening reception, drinking, dancing and relaxing with all our friends and family.
7) What was it that inspired you to go for the theme or the decor you chose for your wedding?
We wanted a very classic wedding with a contemporary feel as this reflects us and our style. Not too bling, but beautiful. The ice blue was a little different from the summer weddings we had seen but accented the white setting and created a clean look.
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?
Make sure everything is booked a year before the wedding it reduces stress and helps you budget.
9) When searching, what were you were looking for in a wedding venue?
We felt the most important thing for our venue was to choose one that had a wedding breakfast area with a bar and outside access in the same room. This kept all our guests together during the wedding breakfast and evening reception. Everybody can then enjoy the day together!
We also wanted somewhere with a beautiful setting and views. The Cotswolds and The Wood Norton certainly did this for us.
10) Could you tell me the process you went through when you were looking for a wedding photographer?
When searching for a photographer we looked at a lot of individuals websites before trying a different tact. We googled “Photographers and The Wood Norton” – we then viewed the results by images. We then selected images we liked. This lead us directly to Duncan’s website, we found his images to be modern, clean and captivating. Duncan introduced us to Jo’s videography (Polka Dot Productions) which was also a perfect match in terms of style and quality. On the day Duncan and Jo were brilliant. Working with our schedule and directing what was needed to deliver our objectives whilst creating a relaxed and fun environment! We wouldn’t change anything – the interaction before and after the wedding has been fantastic and can’t wait to see the final pictures and video!
UPDATE: This is the accompanying video, to go alongside the photos, of this beautiful wedding.
This video was shot by my beautiful, award-winning, wife Jo, at Polka Dot Productions. The finest wedding videographer in Worcestershire…and maybe the world!!
