LANGDALE CHASE | WEDDING story of Louise & Darren

How did you both meet?

 We met at Darren’s old work. I was temping on the reception desk for two weeks and at the end of I thought I’m not going to see him again so I asked him out! And nearly five years later……

Tell us about the proposal?

It was very romantic and unexpected. I was pregnant at the time and we went to Coniston for a break. Darren took me down to a bench by the waters’ edge and the jetty and said there was one thing he needed to know before our new member arrived. Completely oblivious I said “ok”. Then he got down on one knee!

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

We got married at the Langdale Chase hotel on Lake Windermere after looking at a few locations around the area. The lakes has happy memories for us and the scenery and views are stunning, especially from the hotel. It’s an old country house so it looks unique in its style and all the rooms are different but equally gorgeous. The staff are so helpful (even to a crazy bride to be!) and nothing was too much trouble. The wedding day ran so smoothly and every single guest commented on the hotel and the views. The location was perfect, looks fantastic on the photographs and we could not have chosen better. What was your colour scheme or wedding theme? The colour scheme was Cadbury’s purple. So bridesmaids dresses, some flowers, table decorations, chair ties etc were purple, but not over the top. I think it’s important to have a colour scheme. Tell us about your dress? My dress was perfect and stunning. It suited me very well. It had a peplum neckline (bit like a round neck tshirt), but was sleeveless. The top part was a lace pattern on sheer lace then it went to the body section. It had a pearl coloured wide twisted waistband then more beautiful lace. It was a fishtail so had a lovely shape. The back was sheer lace at the top and had buttons to my waist. The train was a good length but not too long with more lace, but it was very elegant.

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

Yes! I thought I would be quite traditional and have this. My something old and borrowed were two bracelets my mum gave me to wear from her jewellery box. My something new were some pearl earrings my new husband gave me the night before our wedding, and I had a blue ribbon on my dress to tie the back up at night (although I didn’t actually tie it up)

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

Wow! There are far too many amazing and stunning photographs to choose from. I love the photos that capture the little ‘moments’ of the day, such as peoples’ expressions. The ones of Darren and me on the hills look fantastic and I will never stop looking at them all!

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

The Langdale Chase hotel had a good and useful list of local makeup artists, photographers, florists etc so that was helpful as we are not from the area. We looked at all the reviews on websites as well for different things. Friends are a good source of information for some things as well and ideas!

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

To be honest the majority of people we booked gave excellent service. Valerie Annes florist in Windermere listened to what I wanted with my flowers and they looked beautiful. Marks & Spencer’s for the cake were also great as we ordered it in Manchester and picked it up in Kendal.

Do you have any advice for future brides?

In all honesty I would say don’t compromise. If you think on your wedding day you wished you had chosen the other dress, shoes, venue etc then get the one you want. Yes money is an issue but you only get one wedding day and it should be perfect and you should feel perfect! For things such as photographers, I would choose someone who has local knowledge and preferably knows the venue. Pick people who listen to what you want for photography, flowers etc and who you feel comfortable with.

What was the best part of your wedding day?

All of it, we both had the most amazing and perfect day. I liked putting my dress on for the ‘real’ occasion and being the bride was a truly special experience. Dancing with my two best friends’ was fantastic. Darren loved seeing me for the first time and for both of us just to have our family there and share our wedding day was lovely.

Was Steve from Derwent Photography the right photographer for you?

Without question!!! We booked Steve without meeting him because we loved his portfolio and brochure. Getting married in the lakes, we wanted someone who not only knew the area but took stunning pictures as well. Steve made even cloudy days looks spectacular. When we first met him he was lovely and friendly and we both felt very relaxed and comfortable which is important as your wedding day is emotional and some of the ‘before’ shots can be quite personal. We have a toddler also and Steve was great with Dylan which is good. He called me before the wedding day to confirm and was on time on the day. Steve just got on with it and captured some amazing moment from our day. Being able to go out to have some more scenic photographs done was incredible and made me feel like a model (which I’m not!) Everyone has commented on the photos, especially those. I would absolutely recommend Derwent photography without hesitation, Steve is fantastic!!

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