Emily & Olly: A Dreamy Woodland Wedding at Low Hall The Lakes

After getting engaged and having many wonderful memories in the Lakes, it has always been our special place. Low Hall The Lakes was the only venue we visited. We wanted a venue that was homely, in a beautiful setting, and gave us different spaces to play with throughout the day. It was obvious how much love and care had been poured into every inch of the venue and farmhouse, so once we met the lovely Ben, Francesca and Rosie, we knew Low Hall was the perfect place for us.

Finding a dress felt overwhelming, but when I tried on the timeless and dramatic Peter Cape from Halfpenny London, I was overcome with the feeling of “This is it!” I spent my next few appointments trying to find a dress to match it before pairing it with the simple Finsbury Dress, which has a beautiful art deco yoke skirt.

The bridesmaids looked perfect in their pink, blue, green, and gold Ghost dresses, which complemented the wildflower colours in the bouquet. Heather from The Collective made everyone feel like the best version of themselves and was a delight to have with us in the morning.

Olly went for a bespoke dark fir green merino wool tweed suit from Norton & Townsend, complemented by the groomsmen who rented sage green tweed suits from Moss. They enjoyed looking handsome posing around the venue on the day, with playful pocket squares to match the bridesmaids. They fitted perfectly to the rural and rustic nature of Low Hall and the Fells.

We knew we wanted to get married outside, regardless of the weather. With the Fells and romantic woodland as our backdrop, our style was ethereal and traditional.

Our brief to Sam from Free Range Floristry was, “Imagine you’ve plucked a handful of flowers from a wild English meadow and give us that”. Sam took our brief to another level and completely blew us away on the day. She created an incredible nest of wildflowers for our ceremony, hid berries in the bouquet and repurposed everything to make our wedding breakfast look incredible. She was also a hoot in the planning process.

For our food on the day, we wanted something unpretentious, well-executed, and exceedingly tasty. Smoke & Steel delivered with their smoking and barbeque set-up, providing our guests with amazing canapés and a three-course dinner. We had a few sceptics of the wedding barbeque, but everyone was blown away on the day. The Pit Beans were a game-changer.

Low Hall invited us to a wine-tasting and pizza event a few months before the wedding. We sampled and chose unique wines from their favourite supplier, and we liked them so much that we saved a few bottles for future special occasions.

My Nan and I made our wedding cake, a simple and traditional fruitcake. It wasn’t our best work. It was so dense the cake stand broke when we tried to cut it! We still laugh about it.

We love live music, so we used this to create the energy and atmosphere we wanted throughout the day. Waiting to turn the corner and walk down the aisle, with the wind in the trees and Dhalia Duo playing acoustic guitar and cello, was probably the most magical moment of my life. Colin and Rebecca played beautifully throughout the afternoon reception before Agent Smith arrived to get the party started in the evening. Liam kept everyone on the dance floor with us for hours, exactly what we wanted. There were plenty of sore feet (and heads) in the morning!

People have commented so much on how outstanding our photographer is. Jo Greenfield understood that we wanted a day that was busy and full of fun, with as little time posing as possible. Jo captured the movements and moments of the day as they happened, never missing a beat. You spend so much time with your photographer on your wedding day, and we couldn’t have wished for anyone more charming and talented than Jo.

All of it. It was the best day of our lives, and we’d do it all again in a heartbeat. From having a first look by the pond to the magical woodland ceremony to everyone getting carried away with Pimms and tug-of-war, to the barbeque feast, to the cheeky game of Mr and Mrs, to an evening getting sweaty on the dance floor, every moment was full of love, joy and our favourite people.

Throw yourself into the day. It is an emotional, fun and slightly bizarre whirlwind that’s over before you know it.