Chatsworth House Engagement Shoot: Jen and Joel

_Lister&Pilgrim-Engagement_058Blog [dropcap]I[/dropcap]t was late autumn when I met Jen and Joel at Chatsworth House for their engagement shoot. Chatsworth is a lovely location at any time of year for a pre-wedding shoot, and it didn’t disappoint this time either. It was just before Christmas, and the Derbyshire estate was busy. But it wasn’t quite as hectic as the first time I met them…

I arranged the initial meeting with Jen and Joel in the exotically named Ashby-de-la-Zouch, as it was roughly halfway between Leicester (where they were travelling from) and Derby. It seemed an ideal location, we both knew it well and it is usually a fairly quiet town with a few suitable coffee shops. What we didn’t figure on was the fact that it was the annual Ashby fair, and the entire town centre had been covered in colourful flashing lights, burger vans and whirling fairgrounda rides! And the coffee shops were closed.

No matter though – we managed to find each other amongst the throngs of fair-goers, and I got to meet one of the nicest couples I could have wished to drink tea with in a grubby pub in the middle of Ashby! Immediately I knew that these two would fit the bill as my ideal clients – they were fun, excited about their wedding, and obviously completely in love with each other. Plus, Jen had a cup of tea – and anyone who knows me knows that I love tea.

“…they were fun, excited about their wedding, and obviously completely in love with each other.”

Back at the engagement shoot Jen and Joel admitted to being a bit nervous to start with, which is understandable. It isn’t every day that you get followed around by a photographer whilst you’re out for a walk. Well, not unless you’re an A-D list celebrity. But they soon relaxed and we got some lovely natural engagement photographs. It’s one of the reasons I include a pre-wedding shoot in EVERY wedding photography package I offer. I particularly enjoyed Joel’s reaction when I suggested Jen did a little twirl – Joel turned into a matador! You can see the results below!