Barbican engagement shoot

I love a well executed engagement shoot. It's always more relaxed than a wedding day and you can really get a sense of what a couple are all about. Not only that, but for YOU it's an amazing way to feel comfortable in front of the camera before the big day. The more relaxed you are, the better you'll look, trust me. This pre-wedding shoot from Alline at Beatrici Photography (who you'll find on our recommended supplier directory, The List) truly captures what Megan and Ben are all about. Fun, creative and obviously mad about each other. I can't wait to see their wedding day, which looks set to be incredible - a Star Wars Boho Woodland extravaganza (!) you can read all about it below...

Our Story - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

We met when I was at university in Cornwall; Ben had just returned from living in Australia. We had mutual friends and so ended up hanging out a lot...when I first set eyes on him he was stood in Tescos thrusting a Snickers duo into his mate. It was love at first sight. I'm lying it wasn't. Ben took me around Cornwall on his motorbike and we got to know each other better, we both spoke about the fact that neither of us were looking for a relationship. Fast forward a couple of months and I was drunk on the beach mimicking the 'Night time, Day time' bird from BBCs Walk On The Wild Side programme, Ben decided he had taken a liking to me. It was quite romantic...we held hands and went to the beach a lot, that was back in 2012, it was my favourite summer ever.

The Proposal - Treasure Hunt!

Ben and I moved into our own place together in the December of 2015, we both worked really hard with the help of family and friends to get the place sorted and looking sweet. It was our first Christmas morning together in our new home. Ben organised a little treasure hunt of clues for me the follow, as I was reaching for one at the top of the tree, I turned round to find him on one knee. I couldn't contain the small expletive that slipped out of my mouth swiftly followed by a Yes! It was a brilliant day, we drank a lot of Prosecco and celebrated with my family.

The wedding - Star Wars meets woodland boho shenanigans!

We are to be married at the beginning of September 2017, so I've been planning ever since that Christmas, I'm a huge 'organiser' and so I've got lists and check boxes coming out of my ears. We plan to have an informal day, with a relaxed atmosphere and a bit of boho vibe. I'm extremely lucky that my Auntie runs the gorgeous place that is Puzzlewood; the most magical woods I have ever seen with a small farm, barns and a courtyard...it makes for the perfect venue! It also helps that it was a set location Star Wars: The Force Awakens, of which Ben and I are both big fans. Everything else has kind of fallen in to place, I'm a very creative person so I've just been working towards making the mental visuals a reality. It seemed so overwhelming in the beginning, but I'm just taking each day as it comes, and enjoying being engaged!

The Photos - Engagement Shoot at the Barbican

We decided in the beginning the kind of style and tone we wanted for our photos, and both felt that the photographer was something that was really important to us. I spent hours trawling through wedding blogs and websites, I eventually gave up and went back to my old faithful Instagram, and we found the wonder that is Alline from Beatrici Photography! Her photos were exactly what I'd been looking for, and I loved her website too. We were both a little anxious about having our engagement shoot taken at the Barbican, Ben in particular absolutely hates having his photo taken! However Alline was amazing, we chatted and spoke about the wedding, about the way she works and what sort of photographs we wanted to create together. We walked around the Barbican, stopping at certain spots, Alline asked us some questions and we mainly sat laughing and taking the piss out of each other...it was a really lovely day, and the photos were so incredible! Bring on September!