Zoe Westerman

This is her story:

We got engaged on Christmas day 2011 on the observation deck on the worlds tallest building, The Burj Khalifa in Dubai. This was all a complete surprise to me, my amazing fiancé had arranged it all in secret, he had even asked my dad’s permission without me knowing….there was just one thing he did not plan on…me getting food poisoning and being really really ill on the day!! So ill in fact I actually told him to go off on his own that day and leave me in bed….which wouldn’t have worked out very well! However, I struggled on feeling ill and I can tell you it was certainly worth it!!

Originally from Leicestershire, I have been living in Wales for the past ten years and this is where I met my fiance Richard (33). We now live together in Cardiff.

I have always dreamt of going up in a hot air balloon, however, it is something I have never got around to organising and this would be a perfect surprise prize for my other half, after all the great surprises he has organised for me over the last 12 months!

Huge congratulations and I can’t wait to meet you both.

We are offering an engagement shoot in a hot air balloon worth nearly £800!!!! If you are engaged or plan to propose to your partner, then this competition is for you.

It doesn’t just stop there. Your experience will include the following:

• Greeting, registration and pilot briefing
• Invitation to help with the inflation & deflation of the balloon
• A 3-4 hour experience with around an hours flight in an iconic Virgin balloon
• Traditional champagne toast after landing
• Certificate signed by your pilot and endorsed by Sir Richard Branson
• Retrieval service back to your original launch site
• Exclusive Virgin merchandise gift pack including shoulder bag, cap, pen, key ring, pre-flight DVD, binoculars and a crystal engraved Champagne flute!
• Luxury voucher and gift wallet
• Disk of edited images from the experience provided by Daffodil Waves Photography

You cannot imagine how excited I am to offer one lucky couple this. So, what do you have to do to enter I hear you ask?

Well, this is all you have to do:

Email nicola@daffodilwaves.co.uk the following
1. Your proposal story
2. Why you would want to win this fantastic prize
3. A few details about yourself; name, age and where you are from
4. A picture of you both (preferably on your engagement) to show when the winner is announced.

As with everything there are a few T&C’s that you have to agree to:

• You have to be prepared to travel anywhere in the Midlands dependant on the launch site, these include: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire
• You have to be engaged or plan to propose on the flight
• Agree to have the shoot posted online, on Virgin Balloon Flight’s promotional literature, our blogs and social networking sites (you must sign a consent form for this)
• Be prepared to change your date last minute, as the flight is weather dependent
• Not be pregnant or have undergone major surgery in the last three months
• The flight vouchers have no cash value, are non-returnable and non-transferable
• Full terms and conditions available at www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/legalstuff

That is it!! The competition is going to run until Midnight on the 14th May and the winner will be announced on the 16th May. The winner will be announced on my blog (www.daffodilwaves.co.uk/blog) and an email will also be sent to the winner detailing the next steps before booking onto a flight.

Enjoy recalling all the happy thoughts from your engagement; I can’t wait to read your stories.

The next thing for them to plan was their Engagement shoot and they wanted one very important person involved, their crazy lovely dog Humphrey.

We headed to the gorgeous Bradgate park, as Humphrey would be in his element here while we took in the beautiful scenery and started shooting the moment.

Firstly though, we had to do a bit of walking. I’m very glad I didn’t do my hair that day that’s for sure. After the burning had stopping in my chest we found some beautiful spots to get down to work.

I hope you like them

The Belvedere, Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park was a gorgeous venue with stunning grounds to walk around. Everything had been given so much thought and everything just came together beautifully.

The fantastic thing about being a wedding photographer is you make some amazing friends. Maike is one of these people I can call my friend, often sending silly texts to one another. She’s just as beautiful inside as she is out!

One of the sweetest moments I had ever experienced since shooting weddings happened on this day. Whilst Kate was getting ready her young Son knocked on the door. Kate answered, he took one look at her and said “you look beautiful”.

I loved every moment and it helped that the Groom’s side were Welsh . Hello Uncle Bryn <waves>.

Look at the way Steven is looking at his gorgeous Bride!!

I hope you like them .

I know from personal experience that brides are often looking for inspiration for their wedding day. One of the best places to find great ideas and quality suppliers is wedding fayres.

Last October I was lucky enough to be offered an opportunity to exhibit at the Vintage Chic Wedding Fair at the Custard Factory in Birmingham and I had a thoroughly great time and met lots of new people. As it is bigger and better this year, this one will now be held at the The Centennial Centre, Birmingham.

So this year I jumped at the chance to be part of the fun again. The fair is taking place on Sunday 22nd April 2012, so if you are looking for the perfect wedding photographer, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, maybe a stunning wedding dress or even just looking for some more ideas, why not come along?

I love shooting Weddings almost as much as I love hearing about your great wedding ideas, so if you or anyone you know would like to come along please get in touch for some free tickets.

More pictures to come in the week but here are a few to get on with.