Bizarrely, given the beautiful surroundings of Combermere Abbey, I was not looking forward to the shoot at all. In the back of my mind was the thought of rain. Lots and lots and lots of rain. All day. Without relent. That’s what the weather man said for the 7th June. Unsurprisingly, as I drove down to Combermere Abbey in Cheshire for the wedding of Stephanie and Fergus, he was correct. It was raining. It was raining whilst I photographed Stephanie’s preparations. It was raining when we came outside to get in cars to make our way from the hotel to the Abbey. It was raining when we got there. And then an incredible thing happened. My prayers were answered and the rain stopped. Not only that, but the sun came out, the temperature sky-rocketed and my fears that this would be a shoot where we’d be indoors all day (in a marquee or a conservatory – neither older than 20 years!) evaporated like the puddles on the flagstones. I couldn’t believe it! Things just got better from there. Stephanie and Fergus turned out to be the most laid back bride and groom ever. Normally, if I ask a bride something like, “I’ve found this great place for photos, but it’s a really muddy, squelchy walk through a dripping wet wood to get there – shall we go?”, you can easily imagine the response. Stephanie just said, “Yes, OK.” I was speechless, which is how I hope you’ll feel when you see the photos. In return for their willingness to go the extra mile, I did too – the lake shots were taken with me knee deep in the lake! Enjoy!