NEIL & ABBY’S PRE-WEDDING BLESSING

So what do you do if your friends and family are separated by 9443 miles?  Have a stylish blessing in one country and a chilled out wedding in the other – best of both worlds!  As blessings go this one was pretty special and was full of a lot of love and happiness! After a beautiful ceremony led by Canon Peter Seal at St Matthew’s Church everyone went on to the stunning Lainston House to celebrate the blessing in style! Abby and Neil will be tying the knot next November in Australia.

Gemma from Potters Beauty Barn created the perfect natural look make up for the day using the Bare Minerals’ range.

Lara, Abby’s sister wove a beautiful plait into her hair and she was all ready for the dress!

As you may know I get rather excited about the flowers and I loved Abby’s choices…

Thank you for inviting me to share your delicious pre-blessing meal and making me a very happy photographer..yum!

Introducing Granny!

 Neil’s kilt belonged to his Grandad and I must say he looked most at home in it!

An extra special phone call as Abby called home to Australia.

Nothing like a tot of whisky to steady the nerves, eh boys!

I would just like to say thank you to Neil’s parents Sheena and Dick for having such a splendid mirror. Abby I love this photo, you look so beautiful.

Being as it was a blessing Neil and Abby walked down the aisle together so I had time to get a shot of the very important kilt before we went in.

The vicar was an old friend of the family and did a grand job of taking the blessing service.

If you know anyone getting married in Winchester I can confirm that Lainston House has some beautiful rooms…

I don’t think Granny stopped smiling all day!

OK, so I might have been a little bit scared at this point…

I love this one, you guys look so great together!

The blessing  meal at Lainston House, Winchester

Granny said grace before the meal…

Check out the tea bags!

 You make a fantastic couple Neil and Abby and we wish you a fabulous wedding in November!

 
How did you two meet? 

We met in Whistler, Canada, at a bakery when a mutual friend introduced us. Neil had chocolate from his croissant all over his face.

 

Tell us about the proposal:

We were at a winery in Victoria, Australia. The sun was setting, acoustic guitar was being played and we were by the Murray River, needless to say we had a moment!

 

Neil, how did you know Abby was the one for you?

Her beautiful smile and her infectious laugh got me.

 

Abby, how did you know Neil was the one for you?

While I was living in London me and Neil became good friends. He came to my rescue a couple of times when I was sick, needed company, or needed a roof over my head. I knew then that he would look after me forever.

 

What moment was the highlight of the blessing for you?

Abby: Its hard to say, it was wonderful to have everyone together, and to see a smile on Granny’s face, everything else was icing on the cake.

Neil: It was great to be back in the same country as my family. The ceremony at St Matthew’s church was amazing, and really just having the family and friends together for a party was amazing.

 

What advice would you give to couples with families in two countries who are thinking of getting married.

Abby: We are lucky enough to have two homes on either sides of the world, it is important to us to never lose touch!

Neil: Communication is key, a phone call is easy and can mean so much.

 

Which is your favourite photograph from the day and what does it mean to you?

Abby: It is fantastic to see Neil in his Grandad’s kilt.

Neil: I like the shot of all of the lads running at the camera, you can feel the energy of the day.

 

What did you like best about having Ruth Photograph your blessing? 

Abby: Ruth was very generous with her time. She was a great addition to the day, she was good company and inconspicuous.

Neil: She was in the right place at the right time and got some really amazing shots of things I would never think of.

 

Make Up: Gemma from Potters Beauty Barn

Dress: Ingrid Starnes, New Zealand

Kilt: Neil’s Grandad’s, McFarlane Tartan

Shoes: Zomp; Zomp Joby – Silver

Reception Venue: Lainston House, Sparsholt, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LT

Ceremony: St Matthew’s Church, Stockbridge Road, Winchester, SO22 6RN

Celebrant: Canon Peter Seal

Music during ceremony: Our friend David Crispin played ‘Black Bird’ by the Beatles when we entered the church.

Flowers: We did all the flowers ourselves. Some from the flower farm, some from the side of the road, some from Sheena’s garden. My bouquet was a gift from some friends, it was from ‘Catkin and Pussywillow’.
 
Cake: Neil’s Mum, Sheena, made it, it was delicious
 
Catering: Lainston House
 

Ruth and Dave are Leicester Wedding Photographers who specialise in creative documentary storytelling. They are available for weddings throughout the UK and abroad. To find out if they are available for your wedding date send message through the Contact page or give Ruth a ring on 07807419140