The fabulously misty, gothic, brooding Whitby Coast was the setting for Luke and Sarah’s gorgeous engagement shoot that I am sharing with you today.  I am so in love with these images by the super lovely and mega talented Maddie Farris Photography., I love the winter, getting all bundled up in cozy warm jumpers, it’s my happy place! Whitby is a very happy place for Luke and Sarah, they got engaged there and now have these beautiful images to record this happy time in their lives;

I love it when couple’s come up with adventurous ideas for their engagement sessions, when Luke & Sarah asked if I’d mind traveling up to Whitby with them for their engagement photographs I jumped at the chance! We spent the road-trip up to Yorkshire eating plenty of snacks & talking lots about games, music, films, anime & the odd medieval festival. I got to know these two pretty well during our travels which is all part of having engagement photos – getting to know me so we don’t feel like strangers on your wedding day!

Whitby is somewhere very special to Sarah & Luke. Luke proposed to Sarah on the beach between the two piers and it was really lovely to be able to photograph these two in the same spot. It also meant that because these two know the town well, they were able to take me to the best pie shop in town which I greatly appreciated! We also got to see some pretty awesome sights such as some amazing view points over Whitby and the breath-taking Whitby Abbey.

Whitby is known for its rich history & Gothic vibes. Some may say the weather wasn’t great the day of Sarah & Luke’s engagement session, but I’m much more excited by grey skies and sea mist when it comes to engagement photos than sunshine! The weather meant for some really atmospheric photographs that capture the essence of the town and of course, Sarah & Luke’s love for each other. I came home with tired feet, a bottle of mead and some exciting photographs to share – the signs of a brilliant day!

Thanks so much to Maddie for these gorgeous pictures and to Luke and Sarah for sharing them with us.

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I love these images by Carn Patrick Photography of Kay and Chris’s pre-wedding couples shoot in the pretty grass fields of Cleveland Hills. Photographed in June before their big day in August this year (congratulations guys!), Kay and Chris’s images are so lovely. I adore the natural feel of these pictures and how relaxed the couple are.  Carn has captured Kay and Chris in a truly authentic way and I’m sure they will absolutely cherish these amazing images;

The Love Story

We have known each other a little over 10 years. Through Chris’s sister as she is my best friend. Finally 4 years ago we took the plunge and gave us a go, our close friends and family had known we should be together long before us, we were a little late to the party… better late than never and yes his sister is still my bestie!

Then in May 2017, two days before my looming 30Th birthday Chris took me on a road trip to a mystery location which turned out to be the Lake District. We checked into the beautiful Dale Head hall and after unpacking we went off exploring. Chris had already spoken with the hotel so knew where he wanted to end up for the big moment! After a dodgy detour and lots of complaining from me we made it, Chris had gone ahead as we were nearly at the top of the hill.

I finally caught him up and he was sat on the bench looking over Lake Thirlmere. He gave me a card to read and started playing our song Ed Sheeran thinking out loud and he dropped to one knee and popped the question, obviously it was and easy yes! He even remembered the champers! Perfect! Chris designed my ring (with a little help from his sister Rachael) its from Lloyds Family Jewellery.

The Shoot with Carn Patrick Photography

We spoke to Carn Patrick about where to have our couple’s shoot before the wedding and decided to head to Cleveland Hills on the 8th June. We wanted to capture Roseberry Toping within the shoot as this is where we had our first date.

We were very boring with our ‘what to wear’ haha, just white tee and jeans, his and hers, Topshop and Topman.

We love how relaxed we felt for the shoot. Carn was brilliant, with loads of great tips to remember on the Day ‘belly button to belly button’ was our fav! We just had fun.

Advice for Others

My advice for other couples would just be, don’t worry about what to wear and just relax and have fun and find a photographer who is as excited and passionate about capturing your wedding as you are, just priceless.

Thank you so much to Kay and Chris for sharing their couples shoot with Adored Bride, congratulations on your wedding too. Thanks also to Carn for these beautiful images,

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Introducing lovely Kersh and Tom and their cute as a button dog, Teddy!  Kershia and Tom’s woodland engagement shoot was captured by lovely Zoe of About Today Photography. They chose the woodland setting as it was a close walk from their home, so was authentic, relaxed and comfortble to them. It also meant that Teddy could come too. I have a serious soft spot for a sweet doggy in an engagement shoot and Teddy is adorable. I really adore these images too and also the engagement story which is so lovely!

The Engagement

Kersh planned a surprise 30th birthday party for Tom who thought he was celebrating at an intimate family meal, instead he walked into a room full of 70 of his family and friends. The surprise was turned on Kershia though as the evening unfolded;

I wasn’t aware but Tom had planned to propose at the meal. Amazingly he still had the courage to and proposed in front of all of our closest friends and family during his thank you speech!

Woodland Engagement

Tom and Kersh chose this woodland location for their engagement shoot because it was just a lovely natural spot close to their home where they could accommodate Teddy. The images that Zoe has captured are really natural and not posed, they convey the love these two have for each other and the humour they share.  They are so relaxed and comfortable in each others company and that really shows. I always say it, but it is such a great idea to have a pre-wedding shoot so you can get comfy in front of the camera and get to know your photographer.

The Photography

Zoe and Tom, of About Today Photography are a husband and wife team of photographers based in Manchester, who absolutely love shooting weddings.  Their style is full of personality and is informal and relaxed. Thanks so much to them for submitting these images and congratulations to Kersh and Tom.

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Alex and James are getting hitched next month and to celebrate their engagement took to the beautiful hills of Burton Dassett on the edge of the Cotswold for this lovely shoot. Their wedding photographer Will Patrick Weddings captured these fabulous images for the couple.

I’m a big fan of pre-wedding shoots as not only are the results beautiful, it gives the couple the chance to relax in front of the camera and with their photographer. Will has managed to get the couple to really feel at ease and because the location is not only stunning, but has meaning to Alex and James, the results are really natural. I also love the impromptu ice-cream stop!

Will’s photography is informal, relaxed and contemporary and that really comes across in Alex and James’s shoot;

How Did You Meet

We met through mutual friends at a party on Boxing Day in Alex’s home town of Worcester…our first date was then New Year’s Day in London where we went to a BBQ restaurant and shared ribs and chicken wings!

The Proposal

James proposed on Sunday 29th January 2015 at the top of a hill in the country park, Burton Dassett which is on the edge of the Cotswolds. From the beacon where he proposed you could see Worcester, where I grew up, Solihull, where James grew up, and where we live now in Warwick. Prior to the walk at Burton Dassett James planned a weekend filled with great food, a meal at our favourite restaurant and a lazy Sunday morning breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs (food plays a big part in our relationship!).

Before he actually proposed James (always the joker), said ‘I’ve got a present for you’ and got out of his pocket a blue plastic ring which he’d got in a cracker at Christmas! My heart was beating so fast as I thought he was going to pull out a proper ring…which after about 30 seconds of me looking confused and disappointed he did! After the joke ring he got down on one knee, opened up a ring box with a beautiful diamond ring and asked me to marry him.

Burton Dassett Hills

We chose to go back to Burton Dassett as it’s such a beautiful location. We were really lucky with the weather and even managed to flag down an ice cream van to add to the pics!

The Bling

The ring was from Peter Stephan in Royal Leamington Spa. James chose the ring because he knew it would be one I’d love, I’m also a massive fan of Disney so it had to be a princess cut!

Favourite Moment from the Shoot

The picture with the ice cream van is brilliant, we literally flagged him down! I also love the ones with us by the beacon as that’s where James proposed and the ones when we’re laughing – Will asked us to say something to make each other laugh…I’m not going to say what James said but it makes me smile every time I think about it!!

Any Advice for Others Having a Pre-wedding Shoot

Although we’d met Will and knew he was great, we were both a bit unsure what to expect and thought it would be really awkward being photographed, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. We had such a lovely afternoon with Will it was like going for a walk with a friend who happened to have a camera! So the advice we’d give is relax, don’t over think it and enjoy the experience, choose a location where you feel comfortable as well!

Our photo shoot has made us so excited for the big day now, it’s one less thing to worry about/feel anxious about and we can’t wait to see what amazing shots Will will get at the wedding!

I love this pre-wedding shoot, it’s so relaxed and natural. Congratulations to Alex and James on their engagement and wishing you both the best day next month for your wedding. I can’t wait to see the images of your big day.

Huge thanks also to Will of Will Patrick Weddings for these great images, be sure to check out his website for more of his beautiful work.

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Aw these two are so cool, it reminds me of like an album cover.  If you regularly read Adored Bride, you’ll know I’m partial to beautiful photography in raw, edgy locations and the Brecon Beacons can be pretty wild at times. Bright sunshine one minute and the mist descends the next, regardless of the time of year! It’s the perfect place to get your walking books on for a stomp across some epic scenery and perfect for a natural couples shoot.

South west based Elaine Williams captured these super cool images of Bethan and Drew on one of those wilder Brecon days, making for some pretty amazing backdrops. The couple chose the location because they often go stargazing there.

So enjoy and good luck guys with the countdown to the wedding on the 16th June (30 days to go!!!), we cant wait to see the big day itself!

We met 3 years ago in Full Moon, over a cocktail called “a jar of Green Shit”. It was my birthday night out, a few months before I was moving to the Middle East for a year to teach. We spent the summer together and kept in touch while I was abroad, as soon as I moved back to the UK we got back together and got engaged the year after, we now have a beautiful baby boy!

Elaine shot the photos in the Brecon Beacons; which was amazing because we used to take Drew’s van up there for midnight picnics and star watching.

We chose our engagement ring from Crouch Jewelers, it was the first one we saw on the day and after hours walking around Cardiff we went back to get it.

Probably my favourite part of the shoot was when we had to face and look at each other and Elaine stopped us and said “You don’t have to look so serious” – I think both of us were so worried about being awkward in front of the camera we were just staring the other one down! We immediately relaxed afterwards.

My advice to others would be go for something unique and personal, the last thing we wanted were staged shots or something really commercial. Elaine managed to get photos that captured our love of the outdoors and that was perfect.

Also, enjoy it! Trust your photographer, you might feel a bit silly but you get the photos back and it’s amazing to see yourselves photographed like that, unless you’re a professional model you won’t get many more chances to have photos like this of each other!

Love it! Thanks so much again to Elaine Williams Photo for the beautiful imagery today and all our love and best wishes for the big day to Bethan and Drew, we hope you have an amazing wedding.

If you enjoyed this you may also enjoy this Bridestones couples shoot.

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When lovely Maddie Farris Photography got in touch with Francesca and Ben’s couple’s shoot at Bridestones in Yorkshire, I was so excited to share them. You see, on the side I’m a bit of a geology geek ( I studied it at Manchester Uni) so I always adore couple’s shoots and weddings that feature lovely people and real emotions in amazing landscape settings.

Bridestones is 150 million years old, pretty cool huh?  It’s a special place to Francesca and Ben who chose the location for their shoot and Maddie explains why she enjoys photographing couples in such dramatic settings:

Fran & Ben have been dating for over 6 years and wanted some authentic and intimate images to celebrate their relationship. They are both very outdoorsy and Ben is a keen rock-climber. He was the one who suggested this amazing location to me at Bridestones in Yorkshire. I really wanted to capture the dramatic scenery during this session, but I equally wanted to focus on Fran & Ben being themselves whilst making sure that the surroundings didn’t over-power them.

Francesca tells us more about how they met and the day at Bridestones;

We knew each other vaguely for a number of years before we got together but had only ever spoken a few sentences to each other! Anyway about five years ago out of the blue Ben got talking to me online and suggested we go for a drink and the rest is history as they say! We hit it off and have been together ever since.  

We did the shoot up in the moors near where we live… We are both really outdoorsy and spend a lot of time on the moors or up mountains so Maddie suggested we went somewhere like that. We ended up choosing Bridestones, which is in North Yorkshire, as Ben is a keen climber and often there bouldering. I sometimes go along to keep him company and drink in the view, so it was a great location that has some real meaning to us.

I think my favourite moment of the shoot was towards the end of it when I decided to try a piggy back with Ben. It was just a funny few moments which had us all laughing and ended up creating some really good shots… I think I weigh a little more than I thought!

My advice to other’s having a couple shoot….I’d just suggest having a good chat with your photographer beforehand if you haven’t already so you are all on the same page and they know what you want from the day. It will make things much easier and you’re going to be happier with the results.

Thanks to Francesca and Ben for sharing their shoot with us and to Maddie Farris  for the lovely images. Be sure to check out Maddie’s website for more of her beautiful work,

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This gorgeous pair, Anna and Troy are from California and were visiting London for the first time, passing through to a wedding in France. They met up with talented Leanne Jade Photography for this perfectly sunny Kensington pre-wedding shoot ahead of their wedding day later this year in Napa Valley.

I’m absolutely loving these images, Anna and Troy are having such a lot of fun discovering the city and the backdrop of sunny Kensington and it’s variety of stunning architecture, pretty painted shutters, cobbled alleyways and greenery makes for such a beautiful setting. These images are very endearing and Leanne has so perfectly captured how in love they are!

Let me hand you over now to beautiful bride to be Anna to tell you a bit more about how she and Troy met;

A few months after I moved to San Francisco in 2012, my girlfriend and I found ourselves with a spare bedroom. We listed it on craigslist and decided to do something a bit more fun and have a little “BYOB” party for all applicants. We invited our friends to the party, had a “sign in sheet” and started interviewing. After a fun filled Saturday with lots of conversation, new faces, and a few too many drinks we found ourselves with a still very empty bedroom.

The following day, Troy knocked on the door. He was a day late for the party but never had better timing. He moved in later that month. The three of us became very close friends. Troy and I would stay up late chatting about life and love. It was not until a year after he moved in that we started dating….we have been together ever since.

I took a work trip to Tahoe in April of 2016 and Troy asked if he could join. On the drive back to San Francisco he suggested we take a little hike and it was on that hike overlooking a gorgeous lake, that he asked me to marry him. He is my very best friend and love of my life!!

The engagement shoot was on one of our first international trips together – we were on our way to France for a wedding and Troy had to work in London for a week so I joined. I had never been to London and was soooo excited to explore. We spent a lovely few days in the city and Leanne was kind enough to offer us a shoot.

Troy sourced the diamond from a friend in NYC and then found a jeweler in SF. I had mentioned that I love ovals and so he went with that shape and designed the ring himself. He then had them hand engraved with linnea flowers (my middle name/mothers name/Swedish flower) along both sides of the metal.

We absolutely LOVED hanging with Leanne – she is the damn best!! We think about the shoot all the time and feel so lucky to have had the vacation, Leanne’s availability, and incredible weather all work out in our favor. Watching Troy be a bit goofy and have as much fun with it as I did was pretty awesome! We loved the whole afternoon!!!

My advice for others……It is always awkward having your photograph taken but I think the best thing you can do is a) choose a great photographer (Leanne!!!) b) not take it too seriously, have fun with it! c) a glass of wine or two before doesn’t hurt!

Thank you so much to Anna and Troy for sharing their wonderful pre-wedding shoot with Adored Bride, wishing you both a fabulous wedding day later this year. We’d absolutely love to see the images of your big day too.

Huge thanks also to the lovely Leanne of Leanne Jade Photography for these images, make sure you pop over to her website and take a look at her stunning work;

with love