A rustic home made wedding
I just adored this rustic, home made wedding in the Lake District. When I first met Rachel and Ed back in February for their engagement shoot (see here!) I knew instantly they were going to be wonderful to work with. They live near Manchester and love the music scene there but they also love to go and hike around the peaks which became evident when they emailed me from camping sites! I love these two for their carefree, happy go lucky approach to life and for their clear devotion to each other. It made it feel a privilege to shoot their beautiful Lake District wedding particularly the bit where I got to shoot the lake portraits from aboard a moving speed boat.
Here’s a few words from them on what it was like working with me then see below for their take on the day:
‘We loved working with Alice. She was such a peaceful, calm and positive spirit to work with from start to finish! Professional service with a personal touch with every step. She was really interested in all of our plans and was so genuinely on our wave length – we knew she had to be our photographer. We chose her by looking at the style of photos on her website and we really wanted someone who could capture the special moments of the day that actually matter; the laughter, the tears, the silliness, the anxiety but most of all he happiness and LOVE. We can safely say that she did that and more! Every time I look throughout photo’s I relive all the emotions I felt on the day and that it truly magical.’
How did you meet?
We met on Plenty of Fish.com. The first date was at the Museum of Science & Industry to the planetarium to look at the stars. We got engaged on Christmas Day 2015 (after me asking Ed to marry me daily for about 12 months prior!) We were both opening our presents sat on the floor, then he got up onto both knees and asked me with a bright green emerald ring to match my eyes!
What made you choose your venues?
We love camping, climbing, walking, rowing and generally being around the mountains and the lakes. To fit in with that vibe we knew we wanted a tipi. No other venues were ‘just right’ – they were all too ‘samey’ churning out the same sort of wedding day after day. We knew we wanted something totally different with a home made/festival vibe so we went for the tipi then we needed to find the site. The church was the easy bit! Ed found the church on a walking website, it was absolutely perfect. Tiny, intimate and right on the edge of a lake!
Tell me about your outfits
I wanted a long sleeved, lace gown in a pale pink colour, sort of ‘vintagey’ in style becuase thats the sort of girl I am! I love my lipstick and bright colours so I wanted the colours to be in the flowers, makeup and accessories (the bridesmaids shoes were all different colours, as were the beautiful flower crowns!) and the dresses were all different, white with some lace in there to tie us together. Ed chose his suit – tweed, with a multcoloured bow tie. All the blokes wore different suits and looks really smart. If Ed had his way everyone would just have turned up in T shirts and shorts!
Tell me a bit about your flower choices and general decorative arrangements:
Think: ‘fairy princess, carnival, festival, yarn bombed, multi coloured, home made, northern soul happiness’! We wanted personal touches (hence the polaroid photo name place setting for each guest), hand made things – all my crafty mates got together to crochet some coasters for my wedding favours and we made all the painted signs and other decorations.
Tell us a bit about the ceremony:
I loved it. It was so magical. I walked in to the church, arm in arm with my dad to the sound of ‘Many Meetings’ by Howard Shore – from Lord of the Rings and my four gorgeous bridesmaids and two flower girls followed behind. Beautiful Bella was so proud to be holding my veil! She told all her friends about it at school when she got home. The first reading was by my father in law, Mike and was the Song of Solomon 2.10-13; 8.6,7 – we chose it becuase its really earthy (Ed) & dramatic (Me!). Then the second reading was read by Eds nephew Harry and second cousin Chloe – the song of the trees by J.R.R. Tolkein. We found it here:
It was perfect for our wedding – speaks for itself! My mum did the prayers which was really special for me as she has just been ordained in the church of England and I know how much it meant to her to say the prayers at my wedding. My mum cried the whole way through the day! She was heartbroken thinking she was giving me away to Eds family! One of the hymns – ‘If I were a wiggly worm” – I will never forget. It was such fun to sing!
Did you have a first dance?
Ed chose the first dance song – Richard Hawley, ‘I’m on nights’. There’s a line in the song that goes: “Baby dont you know… I’ll love you till the end of my time, baby dont you know” its been our song since I met him. he used to work away a lot and we’d listen to it all the time, dancing in the kitchen like you do!
Did you have any entertainment?
Local Scottish Ceilidh band called Fuzzy Haggis followed by a northern soul DJ set by our mate Vin. Eds Uncle Sean played guitar and sang for a short while – the Irish love a sing song! We loved every minute!
What was your favourite moment?
The speeches. All our guests were sat in one space, merry from a few excited tipples so we were surrounded by the love of everyone. The sun was shining on the lake, we were drinking fabulous champagne about to eat some amazing food, Ed, my best friend, and dad all said lovely things (Sharon even sang!) and everyone was having a fantastic time. That’s all you ever want on your wedding day!
What would your advice be for those getting married?
Try to relax on the run up to the day. Delegate as much as you can, try not to do too much yourself especially the night before! If you’ve planned a lot yourself make sure you plan well in advance so that all your bridesmaids & groomsmen know what they’ll be doing. Get a videographer for the speeches – or ask a friend to film them for you. Thats the one bit I would love to watch again.
