I can step out of my front door and see the fells of the Lake District. It’s the most incredible place to get hitched, and as destinations for weddings go, it’s absolutely top of my list! Gorgeous couple Krystan and Abi tied the knot at the stunning Cragwood Country House, and had an intimate wedding with their closest family. Seeing this amazing celebration land in our inbox last week was basically a dream come true! Huge thanks to the beautiful couple for sharing their day with us, and to Jaye Peg Photography for the images.

We had a full weekend event booked from Friday – Sunday at Cragwood in the Lake District. The staff at the venue were lovely & our rooms were incredibly bright & beautiful. My wife (!!) and I danced alone in the library to Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’, secretly filmed by our friend Rebecca. The funniest moment was probably during the ceremony itself, we couldn’t figure out which ring was which because they’re identical… I confidently picked one up & said ‘this one!’ then put my wedding ring on Abi’s finger… my fingers are tiny! There was a panicked moment (and some very funny photos) where we thought we might have to, quoting Abi, ‘revisit this later with some butter…’ It wouldn’t be our wedding without some kind of mishap!

“We had our mums walk us down the aisle, it turned out to be an all woman wedding (mums, aunty, grandma, best friend) plus the photographer, and the two wonderful ladies from Cumbria Council who officiated. Girl power!”

Wedding photographer’s website

https://jayepeg.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

We found Jaye by searching through Lake District Photography results on Google – we looked at her Instagram & website & decided her style matched what we wanted perfectly! We met Jaye at Cragwood, our venue, to confirm everything & we were even more sure then that we’d made a great decision.

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

We loved Jaye, from the first meeting to the speed at which she sent through our finished photos – everything was spot on. Our wedding was very small (5 guests plus us) so I was a bit worried people would get bored, but Jaye’s humour & easy going style of working made everything fun & she made sure to capture lots of candid photos of the guests as well as Abi & I! The photos were perfect, I’m still in awe of them now 8 months later! Great quality & editing & lighting. 10/10!

Videographer details if applicable – and any thoughts for other couples about having a wedding video?

I think videographers are a great idea, we’re just a bit too…awkward? To be filmed completely. Friends of mine have had videographers & they’ve loved it all, so I’d say go for it if you have the money!

Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?

If you Google Cragwood Country House & Hotel, you’ll see why we fell in love with it. It’s beautiful, the rooms and grounds are gorgeous & overlook Lake Windermere, as well as the surrounding hills. The staff are amazing, the food is incredible, the way they make you feel like the only people in the hotel is so unique & personalised. They accommodate specially for small weddings – they couldn’t do enough! I could do it all over again, a million times.

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?

I got my wedding dress from ASOS! Abi got her jumpsuit from Reiss. It was so easy…really lucky actually that we got what we wanted so quickly.

Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness

We were originally due to get married in July 2021, but we got Covid 9 days before! Originally we’d bought some beautiful dried flowers from Artisan Dried Flower Co on Etsy, but they didn’t last until September when we’d rearranged. I worked for M&S at the time so I bought two massive bunches of white roses & hand tied our own bouquets with twine, using the petals from about 5 other white roses for our confetti. They were simple but we loved them. I did wait until the morning of the wedding which was a big rush but we got there!

As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?

We didn’t have a cake! Calvin, the chef at Cragwood, made two amazing 4 course dinners on the Friday and Saturday. So we ate & drank our fill of that! I can’t recommend the food highly enough, it was sensational.

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves

Abi’s mum gave her a locket with her Gran, Grandad and Grandma inside, and a bracelet for her ‘something borrowed’. My mum gave me the necklace she got for her wedding 20 years ago – which I still have on now!

Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?

We had our own wedding vows that we read to each other later in the day. We’re not natural orators so we chose the traditional civil service ‘to have & to hold, in sickness & in health’ vows which were really meaningful in their own way.

What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?

Nat King Cole – Unforgettable. We chose it on a whim but it has a meaningful link to both of our Grandads, so it was a nod to them.

Favourite wedding suppliers

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ArtisanDriedFlowerCo