Your Hampshire and Dorset Wedding - September/October 2020 (Issue 82)

REAL WEDDINGS 49 J ust 12 nail-biting days before cabin crew Sarah and pilot Freddy were due to tie the knot, ceremonies in England were given the green light. “After months of planning and preparation and the weeks of not knowing leading up to our wedding, we were finally cleared for takeoff. The next aisle I’d be walking down would take me to becoming Mrs Lane,” says Sarah. “In our jobs we’re used to quick turnarounds, but organising a COVID- secure wedding at such short notice, was daunting for us both.” With the help of family and friends they pulled it off and said ‘I do’ at Beaulieu Abbey, the venue Sarah had her heart set on since she was a little girl. “Growing up in the New Forest I’ve often driven by there to see the bride and groom having their photos taken in front of the Beaulieu river,” she explains. “The 4 th July was the only leave I had left for 2020, so when we went to view the Abbey I didn’t hold out much hope, but as fate would have it, it was the only Saturday that was still available, so we booked it there and then!” WHIRLWIND ROMANCE From the moment they first got together, Sarah and Freddy had been on cloud nine, as the phrase goes, ‘when you know you know’! They met at work and after a few months of being just friends, they made it official after their first date. Sarah explains, “Shortly after that he took me to meet his family and from that moment I decided he was the one ! Just a month after being together Freddy asked my dad if he could marry me and bought a ring! He then moved into our family home for a couple of months before we bought our house at the end of November last year, so it’s been a total whirlwind.” POPPING THE QUESTION Freddy proposed after being away with work for a few days. As soon as he got home, he whisked Sarah out on a walk in the New Forest and got down on one knee in the mud! “I was so excited that I didn’t even look at the ring. I knew it was looming, as we’d discussed marriage, but I didn’t know when it would happen so it was still a lovely surprise. There was no significance to the date, he just said that after being away he couldn’t wait any Not even a global pandemic could stop Sarah and Freddy from getting married Images courtesy of Dan Akerman Photography Cloud Nine 