Winter weddings have a unique magic all of their own. There’s something wonderful about warm candlelight, especially paired with a darker wedding cake and dramatic stationery. The hues of winter hellebores and the gentle sparkle of taper candles, with polished glassware and late autumn foliage are simply breathtaking here. The venue, a gem in the Lake District: Ghyll Barn is located in the Eden Valley. Images are by utterly brilliant, ridiculously talented and bloody lovely Lakes wedding photographer: Hannah Hall, based in Kirkby Stephen.
I was over the moon to be asked to be a part of this inspiring wedding photoshoot, lending my calligraphy for the day, and creating the invitation, vow booklets and table plan to fit with the winter wedding palette chosen for the day. The look is dramatic with modern winter colours, which will work for weddings throughout the winter season.
There’s an art to capturing winter weddings and Hannah Hall captures every detail and moment magnificently. From the November sunlight falling across the insanely beautiful cake, to the soft glow of candles and Katie & Isaac’s cosy snuggles and loving looks: every one of the amazing photographs Hannah shared after our day at Ghyll Barn took my breath away. There are so many: I’ll be sharing more of my favourites on insta at @englishweddingblog and you can find Hannah Hall at https://hannahhallphotography.co.uk
Daisy’s floral styling (Rocke n Roses) with dark hellebores and hydrangeas iss absolutely stunning. Beech branches tie in beautifully with a designer wedding cake from Kelly at Wren Cakes: a dramatic dark wedding cake with exquisitely handcrafted autumn leaves.
Dresses and accessories from lovely Julia Tasker Bridal Couture are ultra elegant, the first a Sassi Holford dress with puff sleeves and a gorgeous belt which our model Katie wore as if it were made for her.
Isaac’s suit from Arnison’s is the perfect look to team with Katie’s romantic bridal style. (Black tie is becoming more of a thing for UK weddings – guys should feel amazing on their big day too!) Katie’s make up by talented and absolutely FAB Megan Hartley is ethereal and radiant – and her hair by lovely Amanda Jones set in romantic soft curls is just gorgeous.
Emily from Juni Jewellery showcases the most exquisitely made pieces for Katie to wear: pearl drop earrings, a stunning solid gold heart pendant and wedding & engagement rings. Emily’s craft is incredible and her jewellery is designed with love for the modern groom and bride.
My calligrapher’s heart is smitten by the table styling. Tiphanie from Willow & Fig worked alongside Julie from Lune Valley Crockery Hire to create a superb and twinkling tablescape with runners in soft claret, taper candles and amber glassware. Each place setting was styled with elegant plates and dark linens which felt like such a treat to place my little name scrolls onto!
And my recommendation for your wedding in 2025: book a celebrant. Juliet Golding is a rockstar: she brings character, fun and warmth to ceremonies and will make you (and your guests) feel incredibly special. Celebrants are a world apart from council-employed registrars: they’re quirky and independent, focused on you and on giving a personalised ceremony – and Juliet plays her part with so much heart.
A huge thank you to Chris at Ghyll Barn for hosting us, and for introducing us to this glorious Cumbrian wedding venue. A sustainable space, characterful and with every door, wall and artfully crafted piece of furniture telling a story, Ghyll Barn feels like the place to book for Lake District weddings.
We were spoilt on the day by pizzas from Super8Pizza. If and when I write a ‘wedding trends for 2025′ article (and I can feel one coming on, I’m not gonna lie!) Pizzas will be right up there. For weddings in any season, at any venue and with any vibe: filling your guests’ tummies with the joys of a pizza truck will make your wedding unforgettable! (These pizzas were just that!)
It didn’t snow on the day, but that was ok because everyone brought their own brand of twinkly winter magic, and the team created the most blissfully beautiful winter wedding you could ever imagine.
Venue https://ghyllbarn.co.uk
Concept / photography https://hannahhallphotography.co.uk
Styling https://www.willowandfig.co.uk
Crockery / glassware https://www.lunevalleycrockeryhire.co.uk
Florist https://www.rockenroses.co.uk
Makeup https://www.meganhartleymakeupartist.com
Hair https://www.instagram.com/amanda.joneshair/
Cake https://wrencakedesign.co.uk
Celebrant https://julietgoldingcelebrant.co.uk/couples-ceremonies/
Dresses & accessories https://www.juliataskerbridalcouture.co.uk
Suit https://www.facebook.com/arnisons
Jewellery https://www.junijewellery.co.uk
Calligraphy & stationery http://calligraphy-for-weddings.com
Pizza https://super8pizza.co.uk
Pizza bibs https://www.instagram.com/daydreamer_creative_studio
Confetti https://www.yourconfetti.com/
Models https://www.instagram.com/katieandisaac_/
I adore this day because it’s a real family occasion, with gorgeous bride and groom Ann and Robin making sure their favourite little people were a huge part of their day! The venue is Broadoaks Country House in the Lakes. The photographer is super lovely Jaye-Peg Photography. Jaye is one of my favourite Lake District wedding photographers and gets a glowing review from Ann & Robin!
Wedding photographer’s website
Wedding photographer review
Jaye is an absolutely amazing photographer and one of life’s truly good people! She has an amazing soul and it shows in her work! We feel so lucky to have found her!
Your best wedding moment or memory
It was the atmosphere…. We wanted a family house party vibe, and that’s exactly what we did….. everyone relaxed and enjoying sharing the moment all together….
Venue name + review
Amazing!!! The team took care of everything and more, we were so looked after and they really made it special – a big shout out to all the team in the kitchen too, they bought our bespoke menu to life, we asked them to re create dishes that had meaning to us, and they smashed it!
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Bride – natural and comfy were in order…. And my head piece and veil were my mothers from her wedding a mere 35 ish years ago!
Groom – traditional with a twist, personalised linings with bespoke stitching with our initials inside…. It was all in the finishing touches!
Dress or suit shop name + review
https://www.arelesbridal.co.uk/ Boutique shop ran by the most wonderful mother & daughter duo….!
Florist name + review
We did our flowers ourselves, they were all artificial so hopefully our daughter can use them in the future!
Cake maker name + review
Wren cakes – make a fantastic gluten free cake…. Nobody knew!!
Stationery maker’s name + review
https://www.ruffordprinting.co.uk/ Hand made on traditional press…. What they guys don’t know about printing isn’t worth knowing! They were fantastic….
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
We really enjoyed making all the place names, we didn’t want just little cards we wanted them to be keep sakes, so we used little slates and more of the artificial flowers to bring it all together.
First dance song?
Just Call by John Butler Trio a very personal favourite that no one will have ever heard…. [apart from Claire! I have a quote from John Butler’s Bound to Ramble on my wall!]
Hair + makeup name + review
Brides hair – mother of the bride and maid of honour – 5* and very reasonable price!! One bottle of bubbles!
