I have always had a love for train stations. They are just so romantic. A place where tears are shed as goodbye hugs are given...a place where lovers are reunited after time apart...a place where new adventures into the unknown are begun together...

Holly and Ed's gorgeous engagement shoot evokes all of those emotions AND some...their shoot isn't just from any old station. These images come from Sheringham Station, which is a part of the old North Norfolk Railway Line.

The sense of nostalgia seeps through the images - you can practically hear the whoosh of steam, the chugging of the engine and the station master's whistle as the train leaves the platform.

I love that Holly went to town on her hair and make up too - she looks every inch the 40s lady. Engagement Shoots are a great excuse for a bit of dressing up, especially if your wedding isn't going to be vintage themed, and this is such a fun one from Katherine Ashdown.

Holly The Bride: Ed and I met in November 2011 - at the time I was working and living in Paris, and I was home in the UK for the weekend visiting my Mum. I met up with my friend Helen while I was back, and Helen's brother Nick introduced me to Ed, who is one of his oldest childhood friends.

Ed and I hit it off straight away. It was amazing that we hadn't met before then, as we found out that in fact, we had grown up in the same town, our family homes were only a mile apart, we had gone to the same secondary school, and we had mutual friends, including Helen and Nick! We got there in the end though, and it's lovely that we share so much common history.

We got engaged 18 months after meeting while we were on holiday in Sardinia, Italy. We had discussed getting engaged, and even browsed a few jewellery shops for rings, but I didn't know when a proposal was on the cards. So I didn't think much of it when we headed home after our week's holiday still boyfriend and girlfriend...As we sat on the plastic chairs in Sardinia airport, waiting for our gate to be called, Ed completely surprised me by turning to face me and asking me to marry him! He said he hadn't found the right time to ask me during the holiday, and on the night we had gone for a romantic meal and sat looking at the stars, he'd forgotten to bring the ring!

I was crying with happiness - I think most of the people sitting round us would have thought we'd just broken up, except I was laughing too! Ed gave me a beautiful diamond ring, and I don't think I looked at Ed (much) for the rest of the day after that - I just kept staring at the shiny shiny ring. It was a very funny proposal, and our friends and family love to tease us about it, but it was a very 'Ed' proposal and I wouldn't change it!

Our photographer Katherine Ashdown offered us an engagement shoot as part of our wedding photo package, which we thought sounded fantastic and like a great opportunity to have some photos that were just of us as a couple. Ed loves steam trains (I think all men have a secret fascination with them?) and Sheringham Station, part of the North Norfolk railway, is particularly beautiful and has an amazing vintage look, so we had the idea to have the engagement shoot there.

The atmosphere when a steam train is in the station is incredible- with the billowing steam and smell of coal it transports you to another era. The staff at Sheringham very kindly agreed to let us have our shoot on the platforms and even gave us the train timetables so that Katherine could get the all-important steam shots!

Katherine was so enthusiastic about getting the most out of our shoot and suggested we go a little 'vintage' with our outfits to match the setting, including perhaps some red lipstick for me and a 40s style dress. I surprised her by turning up on the day with my hair styled by the incredibly talented Flamingo Amy, who created a fabulous 40s rolled style for me. Kathy got some amazing shots and made sure the whole morning was really relaxed and enjoyable- we felt like magazine models! Her passion and talent for finding the shots meant we had many fantastic images to choose from, but we eventually managed to pick one to use as a postcard to give out on our wedding day. We're really glad we have the pictures to cherish and pass on, and I think the pictures show how much fun we had!

Photography Katherine Ashdown
Venue Sheringham Station | Hair & Make Up Flamingo Amy