Fiona Bielby
- Nov 9, 2020
- 3 min read

Becoming Mr and Mrs Rowell in 2020 was a must!

Updated: Apr 9, 2021

I met this couple around 18 months ago, when they won a competition I was holding for a free engagement session. They were my winners! Who knew what lay ahead though, we met at sunrise for the engagement session at Dalby Forest and chatted about their plans. They were excited to have just booked a local venue and the church, there were big plans, plans for a huge wedding, with lots of food, friends and dancing.

It wasn't to be though, their venue announced earlier this year, that it was closing it's doors, after being badly effected by Covid, all pre booked weddings would be cancelled there. Be that as it may, this didn't put them off, they simply began to look at other options, rising above the times and making to most of everything they were allowed to do. After booking Birdsall House as their new venue of choice, they set about planning the wedding again. Throughout, they kept as positive as they could despite the uncertainly, planning for 30 and all of the first lot of restrictions. Then with only weeks to go the government dropped the guest limit to just 15. Some might have been put off, I had many the postponement after this news, but not Hannah and George, all they wanted was to become husband and wife. So they made sacrifices and some really tough decisions, reducing their wedding party to just the 15 they were now allowed.

They'd jumped through every hoop they could, yet with just 3 weeks to go Boris announce that England would be going in to another national lockdown. Who could have written it? Hannah and I were in touch immediately and in just a few hours the couple had secured, the church, the venue, the caterers, the dress, the car, flowers and the rest of it (including myself) for that Wednesday which by then was just 72 hours away. Now, with nothing (hopefully) going to scupper their plans, they frantically began sorting everything else out. And my goodness Hannah and George, you did just that, what a fabulous day!

After Hannah got ready at her parent's home, where she and George had been living throughout lockdown, they were collected by Howard, in the beautiful vintage car, for the journey to the church. The weather was perfect, Hannah looked stunning and everything was going just perfectly, with her family and two bridesmaids in tow, they were actually heading to the church to do what they've been so determined to do.

At St Peter's Church, in Norton, George had been waiting patiently for his beautiful bride to arrive. The church looked so different, with just a few chairs dotted in clusters for the guests to sit in their households it had been really well thought out. They didn't stop here though, they wanted everyone to witness the beginning of their next chapter, so George and his best man had careful set up a zoom meeting with friends and family so they could all join in too.

After the service which was lead by a close family friend , we all headed back to Birdsall House for photos, canapés, champagne and some delicious food, we stopped at the entrance of the grounds for some photos first as being a Covid wedding with less guest we had more time to do so...

The couple were met by 13 "paps" at the entrance, they were eager to congratulate to couple and get a few photos before sitting down to the meal. They cleverly spread the meal out by enjoying a speech after each course.