When Anna & Stuart left Norfolk for Aberdeen, they knew they would return for their Norwich Assembly House wedding.
Wanting to combine Norfolk’s incredible countryside and bustling Norwich city centre, they chose Lingwood village church for their ceremony and the historic Norwich Assembly House for both bridal prep and their reception venue. With the date set for the start of May, the couple drove from their home in northern Scotland through some of the worst weather the UK had seen this year, slightly concerned that their day would be a wet and windy one.
But magic happened and the day started with a perfect blue and cloudless sky. The bride had spent the night in the newly opened and rather gorgeous accommodation available to hire at The Assembly House and had the services of Flamingo Amy for her hair and make-up. Meanwhile, the groom and his best man were based a mere 5 minute walk away in historic Pottergate. They spent the morning, in this very old English city, brushing down their kilts before walking across the top of the ancient marketplace to pose against the imposing City Hall building.
As Anna slowly transformed into a stunning bride, the guests gathered at the Assembly House gates to greet Stuart and board the Routemaster for the journey to Lingwood Church. Once the old London bus had departed, the bridal party stepped out into the blazing sunshine for the bride and her father to take the same journey in a stunning vintage Rolls.
Anna and Stuart had met when they worked in Norfolk, and made their first home in Lingwood village. Their careers had moved them to Aberdeen, a return home for Stuart who is Scottish, but it felt completely natural to them to arrange their marriage in the village church where they had lived. And seemingly in recognition that this might be their last visit there for some time, the scene on arrival was glorious. It was a picture perfect English Summer day. The old church glowed in the sunshine, the traditional Norfolk ice cream cart from Ronaldo’s waited at the gate to give ice creams to the guests after the service, and the Routemaster splashed the landscape with it’s distinctive red colour.
After an incredibly moving ceremony, everyone moved outside for ice-cream and photographs before returning to the Assembly House for an afternoon and evening of total celebration. It was wonderful to see how many had made the long journey from Scotland to celebrate the couple’s marriage. The warm and loving friendships were reflected throughout the good humour and relaxed speeches. Anna had made stunning glass bauble favours hanging from table centrepieces for each guest and the couple’s love of good story and illustration was evident in their choice of Tintin for the table planning.
After cutting the stunning naked cake, the couple swept into their First Dance with a beautifully choreographed number. Then, all the guests burst onto the dance floor to dance the night away.
If you’re planning an Assembly House wedding, do get in touch. Engagement shoots are included in the full day photography package if booked before 1st July 2016. You can see Anna & Stuart’s pre wedding shoot here.
Huge thanks to Georgina at The Assembly House for her arrangements for the photographers parking and refreshment needs and her calm attention to detail throughout the day. My thanks to Johanna Garlike of Summer Love Photography, as always a completely dependable 2nd shooter and a joy to work with.
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