Carol & Mike were married in April, on yet another glorious day at Cragwood Country House Hotel, Windermere (we were so lucky in April with 3 outdoor ceremonies!). We'd met for their pre-wedding meeting & photoshoot a few weeks earlier, and had a good look around the grounds at suitable photo locations for the big day.
On the morning of the wedding we covered both Carol & Mike's preparations as they both got ready at the venue. We love this part of the day as it allows us to capture all the excitement, and for everyone to get used to us being there. We very much stay in the background at this time though as we appreciate that people can be nervous before the ceremony (as we were on our big day!). Carol & Mike's young son Charlie kept everyone amused as well, particularly when he decided that Carol's bouquet looked tasty and tried to bite a chunk out of it! He was really well behaved all day, and looked very smart in his suit.
The ceremony was beautiful, with a few tears from many of the guests. While Carol & Mike were signing the register their friend Bernie sang to everyone. She had the most amazing, powerful voice, and sang the very appropriate Beatles classic There Are Places I Remember. Carol & Mike are from Liverpool, so it was great to hear this classic song in the surroundings of the Cumbrian fells.
We had plenty of time between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast, which allowed us to take photos of Carol & Mike at several locations in the grounds, along with plenty of informal shots of their friends and family enjoying themselves.
The speeches were fantastic, some of the funniest yet emotional speeches we've heard. Best man Greg was nervous beforehand, but you couldn't tell once he started and he had everyone in hysterics with his great storytelling about the various scrapes he and Mike had got into as youngsters.
After the speeches we had a little more time with Carol & Mike for some creative shots with the view of the lake in the background using some off-camera flash. The first dance was next, followed by the release of sky lanterns. The sky looked amazing, with broken cloud and the moon peeping through (not superimposed we promise!).
Huge thanks to Carol & Mike and all their guests for being so friendly and welcoming, and of course to Philip at Cragwood for keeping the day running to schedule. We're looking forward to coming back to Cragwood in the future as it's a superb all-round venue for us.
Here are some of our favourite shots of the day....
A couple of shots from Carol & Mike's pre-wedding shoot at Cragwood
We love this photo, capturing a special moment between Carol & Charlie
We like to use natural light wherever possible, the light from the window perfectly illuminated the detail in Carol's fabulous dress
Not forgetting Mike the groom of couse!
Mike & Greg heading down to the gazebo for the outdoor ceremony
Bridesmaid Helen giving Charlie a helping hand along the terrace
Carol with a very proud Dad
A beautiful moment, Carol composing herself while making her vows to Mike
Bernie singing to the guests while Carol & Mike signed the register
The gardens at Cragwood are fantastic and very well kept, providing great colour whatever the time of year
Getting Charlie ready for the group photos, he looks a bit puzzled!
What an incredible backdrop for the wedding photos, we couldn't have asked for better
Best man Greg having a quick drink before speech time!
We must give the food a mention - top class!
It was a tight squeeze but everybody managed to fit in for the speeches - Cragwood have two adjoining rooms they can use to seat plenty of guests for the wedding breakfast
There were a few tears during the speeches, we both had lumps in our throats too
And plenty of laughter too!
The story behind these expressions was hilarious..... however we'll keep that one for the guests of the wedding!!
These were taken using off camera flash to create more dramatic images, what a view!
The lighting was great for the first dance, with a touch of flash to illuminate the happy couple
We promise we didn't super-impose the moon - what an incredible sky!
Labels: cragwood wedding photos
