Kerry & Neil at Kendal Registry Office with a cruise on Windermere to follow. Nice day for it!

Big Big beaming sunshine on my way down to meed Adrian of Blackwater Photography who was assisting me on this bright Friday. We convened at the Salutation hotel to go over the itinerary for the day. Kerry was also leaving from the Salutation, so we could get some time in shooting the preparations before we left for the registry office in Kendal. Kerry had booked me only six weeks before the wedding as the wedding was… Wait for it… A suprise.

Bringing their closest family and friends up to Ambleside for the weekend, they announced that they were to be married on the Friday to them all on the Thursday night!

Its safe to say that people were looking a little bemused still early on the Friday morning but thrilled that Kerry and Neil were to wed in Just a few hours nonetheless. Kerry and Neil had also done their homework and preselected some locations that they would like to be photographed at. I had never been to these locations before on a wedding and with no time in a busy schedule to do a recce, I had to have my thinking cap on on the day.

Wedding Photographer in the town of Ambleside.
From the very beginning I knew that this was going to be a really nice, visual wedding, partly due to Kerry being stunning and also because people were already laughing before we entered the room.
Black and white wedding photographer, Lake District
We had a quick shoot on the balcony outside that looks out over Ambleside.
Early morning and all day wedding coverage in The Lake District
Forgot to put this one in earlier. Everyone was getting ready upstairs, so this was a good time to grab a shot of the dress at the hotel entrance.
Freat brides deserve great photographs in lakeland.
Looking around on the quick recce, we found this nice little hidey hole at the back of the lounge and on our return we were graced with the sun peeping through the blinds. This made what was a nice shot into a much much nicer one.
ambient light for bridal portraits aint always the way to go.
The golden glow here is from the lamp just over Kerrys shoulder. I pulled it a little closer so it was a little over the ambient light in the room to create a nice contrast in this image, shot in the lounge at the salutation.

One last shot on the balcony of one of the front bedrooms at the hotel (kindly allowed by one of the housekeepers) meant that we had a great summer image with the Ambleside skyline in the background. I must admit to pre-visualizing this one when speaking to Kerry on the phone, so it was a nice one to get in the bag.

Loving the Ambleside skyline for wedding images
Not many tourists on the third floor balcony. Possibly one of the only places in Ambleside where they find themselves absent.

Off to the registry office in Kendal now, just a short hop on from Windermere and Ambleside. We quickly met up with Ian before heading in to get the low down on one of our locations for after the service. So began the nervous wait after that with the whole family. It was here that we found out that the following Saturday Kerrys sister, also attending the wedding was to be married. Emotional times indeed.

Early bridal arrivals? Not to be caught off guard now!
Kerry arrived earlier than expected and was taken into a side room with her dad and little girl, who was nothing short of angelic all day.
Kendal wedding photography.
Love this room. It used to be the council chamber and is now used mainly for civil celebrations. It is set out like you would expect a courtroom to be set out.
Beautiful weddings are more than possible here. Loving the vintage glow at the moment.
One of the first runs out for the silent camera. I thought it worked a treat here as the registrar didn’t turn around once. Maybe we will start re-writing that no photography during rule that the registrars have.
Coming out of the registry office in Kendal.
Wooo hooo, nearly missed this for clapping. Over the moon for these two and they seemed to take it all in their stride.. I didn’t get emotional, it was a bit of grit that the wind blew in.
Confetti is only allowed at the bottom of the steps at Kendal, so I got everyone to throw it really far.
Lots and lots of confetti. There were only 14 people at the wedding, so everybody used two handfuls… Right off to Kendal Park for a few.
Kendal park wedding photographers, near the Castle Green Hotel
This is my pick of the groups in the park, shot without the use of a flash and at one of the lenses most difficult settings. I love it when things work out though.
Leaving kendal we stopped for two more mini shoots.
This was shot just outside of Kendal on the road up to Windermere. Literally blink and you will miss this lane at Black Moss.
Bright sunlit wedding image
This one a little further down the road was shot with Adrians help holding the flash just a little off camera. He is becoming a great wedding photographer and was a massive help. Thanks again.

After this challenging shot we headed to Windermere to catch the boat, but a little ahead of schedule we were allowed to park at the Lake Cruises office, which was fab. I do a lot of work with the Lake Cruises and their site has a few of my images on it. If you are getting married in the Lake District a Cruise on one of the bigger lakes is a great addition to the day.

Casino shot in Windermere.
As Neil was waiting for Kerry we walked past and I happened to have my camera turned on. I managed to snatch two of these with the camera upside down as I was balancing my bag. This was the best of the two by a mile.
A great addition to a wedding for a meal is fish and chips on a boat!
What a great idea! fish and chips on a wedding day is a great idea, especially when you are on a boat in the middle of the Lake District…. With Champagne of course.

Lake District, Water, Fizz, Fish and Chips? Does it get any better than this? Done with style and panache too.

A wedding photograph taken just off Hawkshead.
Ironic that I was to be at Graythwaite the next week and we were on the other side of the lake at one point. This shot was taken on the journey to the drop off point at Ambleside next to the glamorous ferry terminal.
On the public Jetty at Ambleside.
This was taken as the crew were turning the boat around for our lift back up to the cars at Windermere. The evening light was sublime by this point. It always gets a little softer at this time of day and makes photographing in direct light much easier.
Bride and groom outside the waterhead hotel
Room for one more… Go on then!

The final image of the day was a little more unusual but works nonetheless. It was also taken on a rangefinder camera which makes it cool too, by default.. Seriously. They are the coolest cameras in the world and I get a massive kick out of using them to create images like the next one from the jetty with the Waterhead Hotel in the Background.

Windermere and waterhead wedding photographers.
Possibly my favourite of the day. As my style of photography evolves into different areas and I gain newer experiences. Risky stuff like this only appeals more.

Thanks for everything both and best of luck in the future. Adam and Adrian.

Liz & Barrys wedding at the Low House in Armathwaite

Liz and Barry booked me over a year ago now to photograph their wedding at the beautiful Low House in Armathwaite. I could tell from the outset that Liz was going to be an amazing bride to photograph and as you can see from the photographs below, that was exactly the case.

Wedding photographers in Carlisle, taking beautiful images nationwide.
At Lockstock hairdressers in Carlisle.

I started at Lockstock hairdressers in Carlisle for liz and the bridesmaids to get their hair and makeup done. I then went out to catch Barry and the ushers getting ready near Lanercost, just outside Brampton and had a real chuckle with them. Days like this make being a wedding photographer very rewarding and with it being a wedding close to where I live in Cumbria made it all the better.

Lanercost priory wedding photographers
Barry and the boys mucking about. There was too much in the way of photos here to include them all on the blog.
Wedding photographers for the Gilsland Spa hotel in Northumberland
The girls were finishing off getting ready and it gave me some time to get some lovely images.
Dog dressed up for a wedding
Even Rolo Lizzies dog was dressed for the occasion in a lovely bow. The top table was also named after Rolo with Rolo sweets as the favours.

Notice that I am not talking much in this post? There were so many images that I wanted to show from this wedding that I didn’t want to waffle on too much! At the house I had a little more time to photograph the animals, including Lizzies horse and also all of their dogs with bows on (all were well behaved) but I avoided lizzies mums carnivorous budgie as it never mixes well with strangers.

An alternative shot of a bridal party.
Whilst waiting to leave the girls had a bit of down time, so I just snapped away.
Photography of beautiful bridal cars in the cumbrian area.
Liz heading off to the car taking her to the Low House.. It was her Dads very nice black Porsche Boxster.
Wedding flowers for a wedding at the Low House
Lizzies wedding flowers were amazing and I think that they were from Vandella.
A wedding layout at the Low house, including carpet!
The guests were all seated for the wedding which was taking place in the gazebo at the back of the Low House.

An images of a beautiful bride and her bridesmaids.
Liz and her bridesmaids just before heading round to the gazebo.

 

Zipping through the ceremony as I am running out of space to post! The Low house like many venues is all about its outside space and gardens. Some of the best views are top be had looking out from the gardens over the river Eden flowing towards Carlisle. It is a very special location for those who choose to get married there.

guest and reportage photography in the lake district
Some of the many reportage images of the guests.
Photographs of a bride and groom at the Low House in beautiful Armathwaite.
Not often you see a portrait of a groom looking so composed.
Wedding breakfast and speeches photography.
The speeches were more of a criucifixion for Barry, I was in tears of laughter. Some of the table decorations are on here too. The tables were named after dogs from the Cumbria Greyhound Rescue.

 

Wedding speeches at the low house in Armathwaite really made me giggle.
When other wedding photographers are tucking into their starters I am getting images like this. Going the extra mile really helps to tell the story of a wedding day.
Bride and groom images from the Low house
Liz had a really timeless look for her wedding and her hair was incredible. Lots of detail.
Bridal portraits in the eden valley area by beautiful images and photography by Adam from Lake District
Some brides are great smilers and Liz is one of them. Her and Barry had a right giggle while I was photographing them together.

 

Wedding first dance images from a wedding in the Eden Valley, Cumbria.
A great first dance to Nobody Does It Better by Aimee Mann.

The Low house is an achingly beautiful venue and I have another wedding there next year which I am looking forward too immensley. Congratulations Liz and Barry, enjoy your honeymoon in Italy too.

In the pursuit of happiness… Lisa and Steve at Inn on the Lake… Oh, and Stig.

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, Mate, friend, organizer, right good laugh and all round diamond in the rough. You got hitched! Mazin! Good day it was too with lots of fine people and at a venue that is as familiar to me as the clutch in my car.

I was over the moon to get a call from Lisa to ask me to shoot her wedding. I have known her for many a full moon now and then to find out that she was marrying a guy as nice as Steve, a real life tough soldier type?.. Well, that was the icing on the cake. The only downside? As an army wife, she had to move to Darlington! Mind you, the throbbing metropolis that is Brampton will have to take the hit of your loss.

SOOOO.. Inn On The Lake, for a beautiful and quirky wedding on a very sharp but fair winters day. Winter weddings at the Inn are great. There is lots of space to move around its many lounges and the staff are fab at helping to shift bits around and even hunt for stray guests. The wedding was coordinated by Johnothan on this occasion and a fine job he did too. The best bit was probably the X-Wing flyby above the hotel, organized by the fine people at Photoshop for Steve, the massive Star Wars fan (episodes 4-6 only). I can remember talking about Stormtrooper bridesmaids and whether or not the registrar should be dressed as a Wookie? John would do it. Lisa Did walk in to the Imperial March though which was awesome.

Well here we are. A wedding where I got to say an emotional goodbye to an old friend who was strolling on to pastures new. I think I can speak for everyone who attended to say how much we will all miss you. At least I can’t throw you on bouncy castles from this distance… Later Dude.

(At least the Stig had a bath!)

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Bryan and Tori at Broadoaks Country House Hotel. Britain Vs USA…. A foregone conclusion.

On the very day that I should have been at the Rheged Wedding fair and left my stand in the capable hands of my wife, I was doing what all of the other photographers in Cumbria weren’t: Shooting a wedding. Bryan had a rather large support from his family who flew over from the states for the wedding at Jesus Church, Troutbeck. The “legendary amongst photographers” vicar there only lets photographers shoot from the back ( probably spoiled by a few amateurs) and it’s not particularly bright inside either, so long lenses and steady hands are an essential piece of kit.

It is a rather nice venue the Broadoaks. Loads of trees, hunting heritage, great views, friendly staff and even with a few fields between it and Windermere, they still seem to get the eccentric, creative types that tend to book me for weddings. I seem to find myself pigeon holed into photographing the weddings of designers, other photographers, artists and people coming from overseas. I can honestly say that I have never photographed a wedding for a dentist… Just thought I would throw that out there.. Tori and Bryan are half foreign and for honeymoon are going to sail a yacht to Africa, so they fit into the foreign (half due to Bryan being from the US)  and eccentric category. Basically I seem to do weddings for those people who want something a little more unusual than a template of images.

So… Last wedding before the new website is launched with the remainder of the 18 blog posts that I still have to show within it. New site, new start and for me, that couldn’t be more poignant. This website was created when my little girl Rose was born and now Samuel is here I have a new website on the way. Suffice to say, if i want a new site after this we may have to have another child. Maybe if we got a dog I could have a small site? Maybe?

Moment of the day goes to the young man who on the way up to the church said “Mom… Who’s that guy?” after I had been photographing him for the entire morning. Then Bryan asking a little girl if what she had on her head was a hat and she replied in perfect queens English “No, it’s a basket” (see photo below). Safe to say the whole day was a real giggle for all, with everything going as planned apart from the sky lanterns in the evil wind and rain last thing in the evening.

 

Great people, great friendships formed, really, really funny children and some images that will still look cool in decades time. So.. Here we go (With a look over my shoulder to make sure there is no Alexi Lalas to rain on my parade) with the wedding of Bryan and Tori, up a tree, next to an old barn and on a swing, in around and near the Broadoaks Country House Hotel.

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Wedding planner ironing in the Lake District Broadoaks country house

 

Broadoaks country house, windermere.Bridesmaid prep in the broadoaks

 

Bride arrives at Jesus church, Troutbeck

 

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The gate at Jesus church in Troutbeck for a wedding photograph

 

Tori in a door near the wedding venue

 

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Britain vs USA wedding

 

Memories are forever in the Lake District.

 

Groom on swing in the Lake District.

 

Lake District Wedding Photography

 

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Well… I think that went well. A great first dance to finish off the evening for me, but I am sure things carried on until very late. There were so many images from this wedding, I couldn’t possibly post them all and some moments of prayer and silence that I captured which were so meaningful that I left them out on purpose. Thanks again both…

Ohhh, It’s brand new!

I am madly chuffed to announce that the West Coast site is finally here thanks to Pixel Distortion and is online now here. It is a site based around the weddings I am covering in the west coast of Cumbria and the neighboring areas including Barrow and as far up as Silloth. I am there so much I thought you should have your own website. My new work will feature on here for a bit with some duplicates on the main Lake District site and in this very blog. It hasn’t really been inspired by any of the other Lake District Wedding Photographers sites and is a bit unique. Being a wedding Photographer in Cumbria is exciting enough, but this will have app support so you can have an app built for your phone or tablet of your own wedding! It is also fully responsive which means that it will display properly on your phone or tablet. I hope to see everyone at the up-coming Rheged, CN Group and North Lakes wedding fairs in September and October too. Thanks all.

Dress design by Mia Bridal.
Dress design by Mia Bridal.

Laura and Stewarts’ wedding photography from the Heather Glen, Cumbria…. He’s her Lobster.

Such a great wedding day. Really, such a great day. Laura and Stewart had planned their wedding at the Heather Glen with a rather meticulous eye. I can appreciate that as we all know that with weddings (and wedding photography) the devil is in the detail. So, once again I shot too many images, then had the job of trawling through them for a day and a half, just to get the selection done. I did also get to work with one of my firm favorites again in Silver Lady Wedding Cars , which was great and the cars just looked awesome. They always do… One of those suppliers that you don’t mind saying to a bride who needs transport for her big day, “Call them, their cars are the best kept”. It’s my new mantra, It isn’t about being best buds with a supplier but just recommend the best ones.

So I started in a house filled to the rafters with girls, champagne and goodies from Hotel Chocolat. Not a stress in sight… Mainly due to the hairdressers and makeup starting early. I started early too and got there with a good head of steam to shoot one of my first weddings with the Fuji X cameras. I also managed to nip down to the pub to catch Stewart and the boys prepping with buttons, Stella and Stout. Not cute names for groomsmen but more what was on supply behind the bar.

Everything went without a hitch, erm, except for getting hitched which also went without a hitch… Okay…. We had a bit of time to adventure in the garden, did a pile of group images bathed in gorgeous evening light and also a little creative stuff with a kindly borrowed straw edged hat and some beautiful Cumbrian shadows, which I will leave to you fine people to spot for yourselves. Some of the children from Laura’s’ school were surprise too when they popped up just after the signing of the register to sing for everyone. Not many dry eyes in the house after that i can assure you. They all sang amazingly well and had been practicing secretly for weeks at school!

Right then, oh the Lobster. Can’t miss out the lobster. It is probably familiar to some but not others. Maybe He’s her Lobster will explain. Enjoy the images, a great great couple who will have an amazing life together. Before that they had awesome dancing, awesome cake at an awesome venue. Bon Voyage…

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Suzanna and Simon…. It all started with a conversation about condiments…. Lake District Wedding Photography.

It is a strange vocation being a wedding photographer, you get to see the eccentric, lovely and often most emotional moments from your clients. One of the most important moments of their lives…” It’s such a responsibility” a wise head once said to me and I agree more so now than ever before I think. Weddings like Suzanna and Simons’ make me smile every time I see the images. Running Lake District Wedding Photography has made me the photographer and probably individual that I am and I am grateful for every inquiry and opportunity to photograph weddings in the majestic beauty of Cumbria.

It was a great day, with a little driving involved over to St Andrews in Penrith and back to the Tithe Barn in Carlisle for their meal and evening function.  Shooting around the alleyways in Penrith is a lot of fun too. There are some beautiful old houses and frontages that are often overlooked around that area and I love, love shooting there, as well as St Andrews which has one of the best (and most respected) Vicars to work with.

So the theme on the tables in the Tithe Barn was Sci-fi with hand painted stained glass table center pieces made by hand by the bride. They looked awesome and a brilliant sweetie cart too which proved popular. For images we snuck round through St Cuthberts and into Carlisle Cathedrals grounds (ninja style) to grab a couple of images with the most beautiful building in Carlisle (Apart from the Civic) in the background. Then retreated…. Quickly as you aren’t really supposed to photograph there. Carlisle is my home town, so I know it as well as the Lakes, but I am not one of the local photographers there, so when a booking comes in for somewhere like the Halston or Dalston Hall I do get rather excited.

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Now one of Rock ‘n’ Roll brides Rockstar Vendors.

Mad chuffed to be honest that I now have a wedding featured on Rock ‘n’ Roll Bride. It has been a bit of a way to get here but here I finally am. I always said that I would rather be judged by my peers as to the quality of my photography, so being on the biggest wedding blog in the world goes a long way to making it a reality. Rock ‘n ‘ Roll bride have made the wedding of Amy and Ross at Ashton Memorial earlier in the summer one of their featured weddings! I think that I am the first photographer in Cumbria to achieve this too.

Finally a rock 'n' roll bride photographer. Feels Sweet.
Finally a rock ‘n’ roll bride photographer. Feels Sweet.

Lake District Wedding Photography. The wedding of Phil and Jen at the Merewood… Troutbeck too.

* Big post warning *

There really aren’t enough adjectives to get me through the descriptions of Jen and Phils’ wedding. Lets throw a few in early on so you can all get a feel for the kind of wedding that it was, the shenanigans that occurred and also the great people who were involved. So: awesome, fortunate, bright, emotional, sweet, grand, beautiful, wicked, dope, supafly… okay that’s enough. I always say that it is the characters that make any wedding day shine, regardless of weather, planning, location, style or color themes. This…. This wedding was no exception.

The Merewood is a favorite for me and I am sure that I am not alone in saying that as the location and the views are some of the best in the Lake District. Being high up off the Windermere shoreline means that you get a later sunset too. For winter weddings this is great as it means on clear frosty days you get at least another 20 mins of good light. Not to be sniffed at when you only have six hours of daylight total on a winter wedding. This was a summer wedding though and everything down to Jesus Church in troutbeck had a lovely hazy glow on an overcast but warm day. As I was photographing in Jesus Church I was consigned to the back as usual on the balcony but managed to get some really nice images with a long lens. 

After church and a great confetti shot we retired to the Merewood for a few extra images, drinks and giggles. I could put another hundred images into the online portfolio alone. Every single one was a keeper and together produced a portfolio of mighty proportions. A great day in the heart of the Lake District… Thank you both.

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Jo and Danny at Gibbon Bridge.. Not so near Preston.

So…. The third wedding in as many days shot with the assistance of the awesome Adrian Mcgonigle and despite having my head shut in a car boot the day before and blacking out I felt really quite chipper. This one was at a bit of a distance as we had gone from Inn on the Lake to Gilsland Spa and now a really rather long drive to not so near Preston and Gibbon Bridge Hotel. It was a wedding that I shouldn’t have shot yet but Danny and Jo decided to bring the date forward, moving locations and adding a whole new challenge for my average sat nav. I am being told off for my massive blog posts so this one is a condensed version, which means that I am doing as I am told. Now there’s a positive.

It was a really bright day, as bright as I have ever seen a wedding day in this country, but it was an awesome location with lots of cover from the high trees and also lots of tucked away areas for Ade and I to explore, plan and plot our days photography. The grounds are huge at Gibbon Bridge, I know this because I fell off them into a bush trying to light a table at 10.30pm. Not to be downbeat at that moment I threw the light into the middle of a plastic roof, took the shot and then retrieved it with a big stick!

Lancashire is not my usual stomping ground and things are done a little differently down there but with people as nice and warmhearted as any that I have met to work with, the day went a breeze. It was different, but in a good way and we really nailed a detailed and comprehensive portfolio of images. Jo and Danny were amazing and were up for any of the insane things that we suggested. Phrases rang out from the day like ‘We have found an amazing allotment’ which still make me grin.

It was an amazing allotment though..

Lakes wedding photographer in Preston, LancashireGibbon Bridge Hotel Wedding Photographers
Lake District Wedding Photography Cumbria

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Lake District Wedding Photography, 21 Mill Road, Glasson, Cumbria, CA7 5EE [email protected]