INN ON THE LAKE | WEDDING story of Ruth & Fred

How did you both meet?

We met when we were 16 at A-level college and have been friends since, but we didn’t get together until our late twenties when Fred came to Sheffield to study as a mature(ish!) student. I was already living in Sheffield so he moved into my spare room. We became really close and eventually it turned into something more than friendship.  

Tell us about the proposal?

We both love nature and the outdoors, so Fred wanted to propose to me on a walk in the countryside. I found out afterwards that there were a couple of failed attempts! He knows I’m quite a shy person and wouldn’t like an audience, so there were a couple of times he intended to propose to me on a picnic but with a constant stream of other walkers or cyclists going past, decided not to. However, he eventually proposed to me by getting down on one knee with a ring while we were sat on a bench on a walk in the Rivelin valley near where we live. I was totally shocked! It was such a lovely moment.  

Why a lake district wedding? and what made you choose your venue?

As we live in Sheffield, we had planned to get married in the peak district. However, we stayed an The Inn on the Lake for Fred’s birthday around the time we were looking at wedding venues and fell in love with it. We loved the fact that we could get married outside on the shores of the lake with that amazing scenery. The hotel itself is beautiful and it had a separate bar for the evening do… it was just what we were looking for.  

What was your colour scheme or wedding theme?

The bridesmaids wore navy dresses, and the flowers were cream, blue and lilac.

I suppose there are an animal loving theme- it was a vegetarian/vegan wedding, my parents’ spaniel dog walked down the aisle with one of the bridesmaids, and we had an owl ring bearer and various owls and falcons from a local bird rescue centre that the guests could handle after the ceremony.

There was a left-wing slant to it too- the tables were named after British people we admire who were mainly civil rights activists of various sorts.

Tell us about your dress?

I had planned to get something lacy and a bit bohemian but ended up going for something completely different; a strapless dress with fabric that wrapped around- it just hung nicely and felt amazing to wear.     

Did you have ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?

No, just something new and something blue (the flowers!) 

What was your favourite photograph and why did you like it?

Our favourite photograph is a black and white one of the two of us sat on the end of the pier kissing. It captures the lovely setting and looks arty and romantic.  

What was your most useful source of wedding ideas and information?

I’m not sure really. Google! We did so much research on lots of different websites. It was also helpful going to the wedding fair at the Inn on the Lake to meet local suppliers given that we don’t live in the lakes.

Tell us about a supplier who provided a first-class service.

It’s a bit of a cop-out answer but genuinely, everyone we hired for our wedding was fantastic. In particular Amanda  Jennings who did hair, Keseme Goodwin who did make-up, Vine and Roses who did the flowers, the Inn on the Lake team were fantastic and Steve at Derwent Photography of course!

Do you have any advice for future brides?

Nothing original I suspect, but don’t worry about every detail being perfect, when the day comes you will love it and the little things really won’t matter.

Be in the moment and enjoy every minute of it. Make it about you and your partner, rather than what tradition dictates or what other people want.

Everyone is different but I had both parents walk me down the aisle and I’m so glad I did. My Mum has done so much for me and she said she felt so proud to walk me down the aisle.

Also Fred wanted to add (to brides and grooms!) that Steve advised us to make sure we looked at each other during the ceremony rather than feeling we had to look at the registrar the whole time. Sounds obvious but in the pressure of the moment we may have not thought to do that and I’m so glad we did as it was a really special moment and the photos of it are lovely.

What was the best part of your wedding day?

I was quite nervous while I was getting ready but as soon as I started to walk down the aisle and looked at Fred, it all clicked into place and the whole day was amazing. The ceremony was the best part- we wrote our own vows to each other which we hadn’t heard before and it was really emotional reading them to each other. But the whole day was great- we really enjoyed having our photoshoot, the meal, speeches, boat cruise, ceilidh and then dancing to our playlist until midnight. We didn’t want it to end!

Was Steve of Derwent Photography the right photographer for you?

Yes, we chose him because of the natural, non-posed moments he captures, as well as the artistic shots of the couples he is shooting and we are really pleased with how ours have come out.

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