I met Becky and Jonny at the beginning of May at Middleton woods near Ilkley and after some shots in the bluebells, we headed for the Cow and Calf to catch a gorgeous sunset over the Wharfe valley.
We nearly postponed the shoot to another day after the weather forecast the day before had given howling winds and rain, but I'm so glad that we didn't as we were blessed with perfect conditions for their shoot. The bluebells were also looking stunning. Its always hard to judge when the bluebells will be looking their best and and after the cold weather we had courtesy of the 'Beast from the East' in March, I was worried that the delayed start to bluebell season would mean we were be too early to see them in full bloom. However a brief spell of warm and dry weather in April meant we had in fact timed it just right.
It was great meeting up with Becky and Jonny again and having the chance to get to know them better. They are a great couple - totally relaxed and at ease in front of the camera, making my job an absolute doddle. They brought their two adorable dogs with them who were so well behaved that, apart from the odd occasion when their little heads would pop up from behind the bluebelIs, I forgot that they were even there! We managed a whole family shot of the four of them at the end with both dogs looking at the camera (which must be a first for me when shooting dogs!), before finishing over with those stunning views of the sun setting over Ilkley. I can't wait to meet up again with Becky and Jonny, along with all their guests, when they get married at The Normans, near York, next month.
I got a nervous text from Jonny a few days before their wedding day as England were leading Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals asking if I had a TV screen I could bring with me to show the final if England were to get through, a match which would be played at the same time they were due to be married - not something they had been able to predict two years ago when they booked the date!