Abbeywood Estate // Vicki & Rob

Abbeywood Estate in Cheshire is a woodland wedding venue

“Jess was the photographer for our wedding in September, and we cannot speak highly enough of her!
She came recommended to us by the florist and staff at the venue we chose, and after researching her work online, we knew she was a perfect fit for us!
We were able to speak by video call before the ceremony which was a lovely way to get to know each other, sort out logistics, and put our minds completely at ease.
We are quite goofy and relaxed people, and struggle a bit with posing for photos, but Jess completely got us, and her helpful direction and warm, relaxed energy, meant she captured some absolute bangers throughout the day and evening! Looking back at the photos we yelled “it’s us!” – as she was able to capture us truly as we are!
It’s hard to describe just how well she captures feelings and mood in her work, but looking at our photos they feel so warm and joyful, and we treasure them.
She also very kindly filmed a bit of video of the ceremony for my family who live abroad and couldn’t make it, and it was greatly appreciated. Book her! You wont regret it!”

Describe your wedding in three words

Joyful, fun, goofy!

Anything about how you met/proposal story

We met at Preston university back in 2008 (despite being from the same hometown – Crewe! ) we quickly discovered that we were on the same wavelength and soon became friends, then more than friends 🙂 (we count our anniversary on 1st October) Vicki used to get the train home with rob to visit our families, or go into B&Q – where Rob had a part time job – to buy random objects so she’d get a chance to talk to him
I know it’s cheesy, but Rob really feels like my soulmate, my person, and being with him is as easy as breathing.
Since then we’ve been together almost 16 years! (We have a grumpy, but gorgeous cat called Ellie) we bought our first house in Stretford in 2022, after many years of looking for somewhere.
Rob proposed on a wintery hike in December 2023 at the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. (We love a good hike and nature!) Vicki did almost slip on her bum on the ice many times but it was a gorgeous snowy day!

Your inspiration/style/aspirations for the day

We tried to fill the day with little nods to who we are as people and the things that make us happy 🙂
We knew we wanted sunflowers and pinecones in our floral arrangements (sunflowers are one of Vicki’s favourite flowers because they’re such a happy flower) and pinecones are something that Vicki collects wherever she goes (her pockets are always full of them ) because they help to ground her and bring her calm if she feels anxious. Vicki also made the pinecone toppers for the wedding cake! Alison – who did our flowers completely got our vibe of natural sunny wildflowers, and did an incredible job!We also love video games (Rob makes them and Vicki plays them ) and so we wanted to incorporate that into our day somehow. The table names for the meal were grouped into some of our favourite locations from our favourite games – Pallet Town, Traverse Town, Macalania Woods etc (which are places that are full of adventure and romance)
Vicki is also a big Pokémon fan, and found some bridal pikachu which were displayed on the cake table.The music for the ceremony was from some of Rob and Vicki’s favourite Studio Ghibli movies: Kiki’s Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke.Vicki wanted to be comfy on her feet all day, and so wore converse trainers (with bows she made from leftover scraps from the wedding dress).

Memorable/emotional/funny moment on the day

Our wedding cake was made by Rob’s sister Jen, who is a genius! And it was so special!

For our first dance, we decided we wanted to dance to 10 Years, by the Icelandic artist Daði Freyr (and Gagnamagnið) which was the entry for Eurovision 2021. He wrote the song about his relationship with his wife, and how they had been together for 10 years, and everyday he is still excited to be together and never gets bored (seriously the lyrics are the best!) When we first heard the song, it felt like he was describing our relationship too, as we had been together for around 10 years at that time too. We decided we wanted a more upbeat song for our first dance and this one felt like the perfect fit. Vicki also thought it might be a good idea to do a little dance routine (Rob was a bit nervous at first!) and so we choreographed the routine together! It was so much fun and we’re really happy our friends and family enjoyed it as much as we did!

Our wedding rings were made from one of the rings Rob’s dad used to wear. He sadly passed away in 2019. It’s a lovely way for us to carry him with us still.

Vicki’s dress train having an absolute TIME in the gardens so funny! (her bridesmaids found half a pine tree and a spider living in it when we converted it for the evening )

How did you discover me and why you chose me to photograph the day

You came highly recommended by both Heather (of Abbeywood) and Alison (the florist at Abbeywood) so we researched your work and found you to be a perfect fit for us! We are very chilled, unfussy people and your shooting style and energy felt like a great fit for us. You worked with our goofy energy so well to bring out the best in us and took some beautiful shots that really captured the mood of the day (I’m still cackling at ‘sniff her hair’ )

Wedding song?

10 Years by Daði Freyr (and Gagnamagnið)

Any advice for couples planning their wedding?

Get the big things sorted as soon as you can, and don’t be afraid to be silly, let loose, relax and be yourselves. You’re surrounded by all the people you love, so you don’t need to worry about being anything but yourself. Also on the day, it’s a marathon not a sprint, so don’t worry if you need to take a few minutes to just relax and recharge before keeping going!

Are you going on a honeymoon?

HOPEFULLY! we went to Japan back in 2016 with our friends to see the cherry blossoms, and we’ve always wanted to go back just us two, and we’d love to see it in Autumn to watch the leaves change (but we’ve got to get a wiggle on!

SUPPLIERS
— Wedding attire – Designer / Shop —

Bridal Path, Altrincham

— Florist / Venue Dresser? —

Abbeywood’s own florist – Alison

— Entertainment? —

Cheshire Wedding DJs