Nina & Harri | Keynsham & Bath Engagement

“Oh Hannah, these are gorgeous! You did an amazing job capturing a dream day!

Thank you so much. We love them!”

They met in a crowded room full of their peers gathered together for a young people’s conference in Bath City. Somehow, through the noisy chatter and excitable energy in the room, Nina and Harri found themselves being introduced to each other with timid smiles.

As the evening progressed, so did their conversation. They caught each other’s attention, even if they couldn’t pinpoint why at the time, but it was enough to stay in touch over social media months later.

Texts lead to Facebook messages. Messages lead to Skype calls. Skype calls lead to reunions during the holidays when they visited home after being away at university. It wasn’t long before they realized their feelings for each other were mutual and they talked about whether dating long distance could really work. In their own words, “We got an overwhelming sense that our relationship far outweighed the pain of being separated.” And that was it. Their minds were made up, their hearts set and they endured a two-year long distance relationship. Countless train journeys and Skype calls made them stronger. They proved that distance could bring them closer together, not further apart.

When Nina asked if I’d be willing to travel to Keynsham station and Bath city center for their engagement shoot, I said, “Yes, of course!” Nina explained they would love photos in their home town, but also at Keynsham train station where they were forced to part ways so many times before. They wanted to document their journey (quite literally!) with a photo of a torn train ticket to represent never again having to take a train to see each other! I loved the idea and booked a 3-hour train journey down to Bath myself to meet them. Knowing their story and the distance they endured, it was special to experience what those journeys must have been like for them… obviously with much less heartbreak and much more excitement!

I don’t know about you, but I am ridiculously excited for these two to call a final end to their distance and come together as husband and wife- never to have to say goodbye again! Nina and Harri will be getting married this August at St John the Baptist church in Keynsham, Bristol. Later they will celebrate with friends and family at Conygre Hall in Timsbury, Bath. I feel so privileged to be their wedding photographer! Their wedding day will be a true celebration of defiance, determination, unwavering love and the faithfulness of God. So excited for these two!