So this one’s really close to home for me: a Lake District wedding at one of our finest venues, nestling amongst the highest English mountains in the charming village of Grasmere. The venue is the Michelin-starred The Forest Side – a gem I’ve dined at, organised a photoshoot at, and where my mum & dad used to stay on their Lakes holidays before I was born!

Gorgeous couple Hemal and Katie had the most wonderful Lake District wedding, surrounded by their closest family and friends and with the venue dressed from head to toe in the most incredible florals, courtesy of outstanding florist Kevin from Brackens of Bowness. Their amazing photographer is lovely Tiree Dawson, and their day is already going down as one of my favourites on the blog for 2020 (and yup, I know it’s only January but WOWEEE!!!)

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.tireedawson.co.uk/

How did you choose your photographer?

Word of mouth – Tiree was recommended to us by a friend who had a relative who had used her before. After an initial consultation we really liked her and therefore proceeded.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Yes – she was absolutely great – did the brilliant thing of grabbing in action shots but also took great stills. She wandered around in the crowd without us even knowing she was there and made us as a couple feel very relaxed about our pictures. Also she was very quick to turn them around post editing etc!

Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?

It was 3am the following day! She had a sample up on her Facebook page so it was great to see them so quickly! We got the rest soon after when she posted them to us. We had a great time plugging the USB into the TV and going through them reminiscing!

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Everything we hoped for and more!

Your wedding style or theme:

Rustic come glamourus!
Flowers were central to everything
Colourful

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Mainly recommendations from people we knew / Tiree recommended / florist recommended etc.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

No wedding planner – did everything ourselves but went all out so can’t say we saved money!
Guests to a minimum!

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

Flowers and Food
Also making sure we only had the very closest friends and family at the wedding and no extended people made the day brilliant!

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

Katie’s good friend Mari (@paperandblot) did it all!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Katie took time to find the right one and fell in love with it after doing some alterations / additions of her own

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Pronovias

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Manolo Blahnik shoes
Jewellery from all over – Tacori Rings, earrings Carat.

And what did the groom wear?

Bespoke made to measure Reiss Suit, Paul Smith Shoes, Hermes Cuffs, Mrs Bow Tie tie.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Coast shoes
Mauve / light pink dresses. Can’t recall brand

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

Emma Jewell – Hair
Holly Winder – Makeup

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Kevin from Brackens of Bowness. The most incredible florist in Cumbria – second to none.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

Not really – Kevin is the supplier to the hotel so ensured the colour scheme of flowers ahead for the general hotel matched ours. Helpful as we hired the entire venue for the weekend.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

Confetti – dried over a year by brides mother!

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

the Bakery No.4 in Kendal

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

Mowtown live band

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Keep your guest list to those you REALLY want there.
Remember to be selfish and make choices that you want to make given its your big day.

What’s the best thing about being married?

My wife now has a personal butler for life!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Florist – Brackens of Bowness
Photographer – Tiree Dawson
Venue – The Forest Side
Pronovias
Manolo Blahnik shoes
Reiss Suit, Paul Smith Shoes, Hermes Cuffs, Mrs Bow Tie
Emma Jewell – Hair
Holly Winder – Makeup
Stationery by @paperandblot
Cake – The Bakery at No. 4