LANGDALE CHASE | WEDDING story of Jayne & Chris

How did you both meet?

Not a very interesting story really – through mutual friends – Chris had come for a night out for my birthday, afterwards he said I was too drunk that night for him to make a move. The week following we text each other, Chris sent me leading questions such as “what are you doing tonight?” and knowing that if I said not much, as it was a work night, he was going to suggest that we do something – a date. I just cut to the chase and replied “well you are taking me out” and he did.

Tell us about the proposal?

We had just got back from visiting Chris’s brother Richard in Australia and Chris decided to take me to one of our favourite local restaurants in Parkgate on the Wirral, we had a very romantic table by the window which looked out across the River Dee towards Wales. Chris had arranged for the staff to play Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’ Endless Love as he got down on one knee to pop the question. Towards the end of the meal the restaurant staff brought out a cake with sparklers for us, at which point the rest of the restaurant guests began to sing ‘Happy Birthday’. The waiter called out “No, No, they are getting married” and we got a big cheer instead.

Where did your wedding take place and what made you choose that location?

At the Langdale Chase Hotel, Windermere. We had looked at quite a few places locally on the Wirral but there hadn’t been anywhere yet that really stood out to us as being ‘our’ wedding venue. We had booked to stay at the Langdale Chase at short notice as a valentines treat for each other, it was a dark and miserable rainy Friday in February but as soon as we arrived we knew that this was the place we were meant to get married. The hotel has such character and the grounds in which it is set are beautiful, even in the wet weather and semi darkness. We had holidayed in the lakes the year before and everything about the area holds a magical quality for us, and we hope it will continue to do so in many years to come.

What was your colour scheme or wedding theme?

My favourite colour is blue. So that was it really – I didn’t want to be someone who stresses about trying to find the exact colour to a theme so I didn’t. We had different shades of blue for the bridesmaid dresses, the suits, the flowers and the cake and I think that they all worked really well together.

Tell us about your dress?

From the start I had in my mind immediately when thinking about the dress that I definitely did not want something strapless. I had seen some dresses that I liked and found a shop in Chester that had them all, made an appointment, tried them all on and although they were all very nice dresses, I couldn’t pick one of them as being my dress. The same day we had another appointment at a different shop at which I didn’t know what dresses they stocked and this time I let my bridesmaids have a look through and choose some dresses for me to try on. This turned out to be a great idea as I would never have picked this dress myself. It was strapless, and had a much fuller, more princessy skirt then I would have chosen but it felt right when I tried it on. The shop owner suggested the full length veil to go with it and that was it, perfect!

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

Yes. My something old was a ruby and diamond ring of my grandmothers which I wore on my right hand, my something new was the dress and shoes, my something borrowed was a garter my sister in law lent me from her wedding day, and my blue was the flowers and bridesmaids etc.

What was your favourite photograph (so far) and why did you like it?

We both agree that so far our favourite is the one known as ‘the Hollywood kiss’ It is a beautifully framed photograph with the arch, window and trees, it makes the whole photograph seem ten times more romantic for us.

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

I guess I would have to say photographs of real weddings, whether from magazines, hotel brochures, photographers who have shot at the same venue. You soon start to get a feel for what you like and what you don’t. If I saw an idea I liked or had an idea in my head I would research on the internet to see how it had been done before or if it was possible. There are a lot of resources out there and wedding forums are great too, for finding out who has had similar ideas, or problems and how they have worked them out.

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

Apart from Derwent Photography? – We think we would definitely have to say the Langdale Chase Hotel. They were always on hand to answer any questions whether by telephone or email and the whole process was made so much easier by them. They put in a lot of hard work to help everything come together on the day, and it really did. All the staff were fantastic and we can’t thank them enough.

Do you have any advice for future brides?

Remember it is a day to celebrate you and your new husband, you are free to make up whatever rules for your day that you want. Try not to feel pressurised by tradition or family and friends, you will have the rest of your life to make compromises. If there is something you love – find a way to include it. If there is a certain aspect that you don’t like about weddings then don’t have it, for example I have never liked flower buttonholes, so we just didn’t have them, its as simple as that, for you it may be a sit down meal, or a first dance. Ask anyone and everyone for advice, you may be surprised by what you hear and get some great inspiration at the same time. Have someone to make sure everything is going smoothly on the day, whether it be a wedding coordinator, a best man, bridesmaid or relative, or all of the above – many people will say how quickly the day goes and how it will pass by in a daze and it is true, having everything looked after for you in the background means that you can really finally relax on your day – it is what you have worked and put all the effort in for after all!

What was the best part of your wedding day?

There are so many! It sounds quite cliché to say the happiest moment was when I saw Chris waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase (‘the aisle!’), all the niggling worries and nerves really did just disappear and the happiness that I was overcome with lasted all day. We both really enjoyed spending the time with Steve for photographs in the grounds and as it was the first time we were together, just the two of us, made it even more magical. That time seemed to fly by and soon enough we were back with all our family and friends that we love and that we couldn’t be happier sharing our day with.

Was Derwent Photography the right photographer for you?

Without a doubt. Getting the right photographer was, apart from the venue, the most important aspect for us, as they represent all the memories from your day for the years and generations to come. We saw an album of Stephens work actually in the reception area of the Langdale Chase and we were blown away by how stunning they were, and how perfectly they captured the landscape of the lakes that we knew and love. We knew it would have been a dream to have wedding photographs that were as good and as memorable as the ones we had seen in that album and that dream has come true.

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