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Happy Friday Brides Up North! Now, I know other some wedding bloggers don’t like to feature engagement shoots so much because they aren’t as “visually inspiring” or whatnot, but I absolutely adore them! It might be the writer (or nosy parker) in me, but I just love to hear each couple’s own love story. After all – that’s what weddings are all about, right?
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Join me in another lovely love story this morning, with beautiful images from Brides Up North Featured Supplier Richard Wynn Davies and words by bride to be Stephanie.
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Stephanie says: Liam proposed at the top of Easedale Tarn in the Lake district, after a few months of telling me fibs about not having the ring yet. You see my ring was made in Malaysia in January 2011 after we had visited for Christmas and New Year (where my Mam lives) and I had no idea when I was going to get it as I thought I would have to wait for someone to travel back to the UK and bring it with them in the summer.
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Little did I know that my step father, Rob, had taken it from Malaysia through Singapore to Jordan and then Iraq, where his colleague then took it from Iraq through Dubai and into Newcastle Airport where Liam drove up from Leeds to collect it (Liam had told me he was working late a couple of nights through the week at another office, when in actual fact he went for dinner at his cousins house one night and drove to Newcastle the next night!). He kept the ring in his sock drawers for a few days, panicking that I would find it!
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The following weekend Liam took me for a nice ‘leisurely’ walk in the Lake District, this turned into hiking up a massive hill in the rain and wind! I had no idea what was about to happen, I didn’t suspect a thing, even when Liam wouldn’t let me walk on his right hand side (where he was hiding the ring). At one point, half way up the hill, cold, wet and tired with sore feet, I shouted at him “If you don’t have a box with a diamond ring in it by the time we get to the top of here we’re finished!”. Little did I know that he did!
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So when we reached the top, after I collapsed, we ate a lovingly prepared picnic and then Liam asked if I’d take a picture of him. Strange I thought! So as I clicked the camera, he dropped to one knee and proposed! My first words to him were rather rude expletives, but after the initial shock I shouted yes and ran over to him, still trying to capture the moment on camera.
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I happily skipped back down the mountain after that!
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We are getting married in August 2012 at Torri del Benaco Castle on Lake Garda followed by a reception do in Bardolino.
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We first met on 4th April 2010, Easter Sunday. I had just that day returned from a trip to Malaysia: it took me 27 hours of travelling to get from my Mam’s house in Penang to my house in Leeds, needless to say I was very tired. But, I had missed a friends birthday while I was away and she was begging me to go out this Sunday night. I resisted as long as I could and then caved in to her demands, got myself washed, threw an outfit together and headed over to Hannah’s house. I looked less than appealing, my hair was flat, I had hardly any make up on and my outfit was completely uncoordinated! However, we went to our favourite place, Shed Bar, ordered a couple of drinks and sat down at the window table. After about half an hour we went to the ladies to freshen up and on my way there I noticed a very tall dark and handsome man standing at the other end of the bar, we had to walk past him so I would get a better look. Whilst in the ladies, I told my friend Hannah about a good looking bloke standing by the bar and when I walked past him I’d cough so she’d know which one he is. I did, she stopped, looked him up and down and moved on…..how obvious!
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So we sat back down in our chairs with new drinks, and after 5 minutes Hannah announced she was going back to the ladies and I asked her why as we’d just been! She told me she just needed to check her hair! I sat on my own for a few minutes and then she returned with a sly smile on her face, I knew she had done something, but I didn’t know what. Minutes later the tall, dark and handsome stranger walks up to our table and asks to sit down… eek! I was so embarrassed!
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We chatted for the rest of the night with a few dances mixed in. The first song we ever danced to was ‘Killing In The Name Of’ by Rage Against The Machine….how romantic! He asked me if I was free for dinner that Thursday, I said yes, but I never really expected him to follow up on this. At the end of the night we had our first kiss, he got in a taxi and I went home to Hannah’s.
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I felt all giddy the next day but still didn’t have high expectations he would ever contact me, but that very afternoon he texted me asking how I was and if I was still free for dinner on Thursday. He was my perfect gentleman!
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The rest is history.
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On our first date he picked me up from my flat and took me to a Tapas restaurant called Viva Cuba, I had never been there before and was suitable impressed with how busy it was. The food was delicious too! After this he took me to a few bars where he knew I’d like the music. I loved the fact he had actually listened to me and remembered what I liked!
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I was certainly VERY smitten by this point.
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I knew he was “The One” after about a week!
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Although it took us until Sunday 11th July, whilst watching the Stereophonics play at T in the Park (the song was ‘Traffic’) to confess how much we were head over heels in love with each other. We were both scared that we would have frightened the other one off by saying the ‘L’ word too early, even though we had both felt it for ages.
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I love how much he loves me and wants to look after and protect me, I love how patient he is when I’m being a royal pain in the rear, I love his smile and his sense of humour, I love how he always knows how to cheer me up with little gestures… and I love his footballers bum! He says he loves my eyes and smile, my quick wits and sense of humour.
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Our biggest wish for married life is to be happy, healthy and content. And to start the next generation!
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We decided to have an engagement shoot because it seemed like a nice way to ‘practise’ our wedding photos before the big day. We definitely know what to expect from Richard now and we couldn’t be happier. As the pictures are the best reminder of your big day it also gave us confidence in our photographer.
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The shoot was fun, thankfully the weather stayed nice for us otherwise it literally would have put a dampener on it. Richard had us climbing onto rocks over waterfalls, which was exciting! We had a good laugh too, especially when we were snogging in the middle of Ambleside and a lady walked past and said “interesting photo shoot!”
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I think some family members want to pick a photo for themselves and we will order our favourite ones too.
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I like Brides Up North because it tells real stories about local brides and the sponsors are also local. You get fed up of reading about amazing wedding companies in London… we have amazing ones up North too! We’ll definitely be back to share our Real Wedding photographs… if you’ll have us!
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Congratulations Stephanie & Liam! 
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Richard Wynn Davies
Richard Wynn Davies is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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