KENT :
THE PERFECT SETTING FOR ROMANCE
BY ANDRÉ AND LILY / PHOTOS BY AP ART PHOTOGRAPHY WWW . APARTPHOTOGRAPHY . COM
WEDDINGS
IN A WORLD WHERE NO ONE EVER HAS THE TIME TO TAKE TIME , WE MANAGED TO ESCAPE OUR HOME IN SWITZERLAND TO VISIT KENT FOR A WEEKEND , AND WERE VERY PLEASED . LIKE OTHERS , ALL WE HAD SEEN OF KENT IN THE PAST WAS WHEN WE EXITED THE CHANNEL TUNNEL IN FOLKESTONE ON OUR WAY TO OTHER PLACES , NEVER REALLY STOPPING TO ADMIRE ITS BEAUTY . HOWEVER , THE FATIGUE OF A 14- HOUR JOURNEY DID NOT PREVENT US FROM CATCHING A GLIMPSE OF ITS BEAUTIFUL SCENERY ; AND WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK TO EXPLORE FURTHER . BUT HOW AND WHEN ?
We first came to know Pete from Ap Art Photography back in 2008 through the internet , but never met until October 2016 . His witty jokes and good sense of humor were not the only things we liked about him : his photographs were absolutely stunning . When he later decided to commit full-time to his passion by becoming a wedding photographer , we were in awe of the creativity and freshness he was able to bring to his photos .
By the time we got engaged , we knew that we wanted Pete ’ s flair in our engagement photos . As he lives in Kent and we had wanted to visit for so long , it sounded like the perfect opportunity ; we booked our tickets without a second thought , feeling pretty ecstatic .
We arrived at Gatwick early on a Saturday morning and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the charming little town of Tunbridge Wells . On our way to Hythe , we discovered the majestic forests of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . From the scented woods to the salty air of the seashore , it was quite a change from the scenery in Switzerland and we gladly embraced it .
Once we settled in , we met Pete for a couple of drinks at The Gatekeeper Inn in Etchinghill ( cozy sofas and fireplace ) and later went for a delicious bistro dish at the Tiger Inn in Stowting . Though the night was a bit foggy , we were in love with the quiet charm of the countryside and fell asleep with a smile on our faces .
The sound of seagulls and the waves crashing on the beach woke us up to a bright and sunny day , perfect for our engagement photo shoot . We spent our morning strolling around near the Folkestone Warren , with its gigantic white cliffs and clear blue sea . At lunchtime , we ate a delicious roast at The Butt of Sherry in Hythe ’ s quaint High Street . Our appetites now satiated , we took a few shots along Aldington Road and then on to the post-apocalyptic derelict army barracks near Lympne to get some more incredible shots . But the “ end of the world ” feeling was never quite like the one we felt in Dungeness . We ’ ve never seen a place like this before : tiny old shacks and abandoned rail road tracks , the wind as the only background noise – we felt like we ’ d been transported into another dimension ; and a rather dystopian one . Yet , maybe due to its emptiness , we felt a calm and peaceful serenity over us .
We finished our session by going to the dunes of Camber in East Sussex , with the most romantic scenery we could have hoped for : a sunset on the beach ! Our journey ended in the most typical English way for our tourist eyes : a delightful evening at the Three Mariners in Hythe , singing to our hearts content while drinking good beers .
In short , we were beyond delighted with our weekend engagement photo session in Kent , as it provided us with more than we could have ever expected – delicious food and beverages , wonderful and unique natural wonders for the eye to see , warm and welcoming locals and not to mention a new good friend , Pete .
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