lodore falls hotel wedding venue in lake district cumbria
lodore falls hotel wedding venue in lake district cumbria

Sarah and Michael held their wedding at the beautiful Lodore Falls Hotel, situated in the idyllic Borrowdale Valley, with views over Derwent Water.

The couple met online in a story worthy of a romantic comedy. Michael’s best man Jonathan wanted to try online dating, and so did bridesmaid Kelly… However neither would do it alone. Michael wrote an extremely grumpy profile description for himself and as luck would have it, Sarah found it funny and was the only person to like it! To cut a long story short, Sarah and Michael eventually found each other and fell in love.

On the day, Sarah’s hair was styled and make up done by the talented ladies from the Lodore Spa and in her white lace dress she looked stunning. The ceremony took place in the Beech Room of the hotel, an intimate, naturally lit room, with large windows looking out to the gardens. The flowers were arranged by a friend of the couple. The ceremony was beautiful, light-hearted and very touching.

Following the ceremony, newlywed Sarah and Mike lead their guests out for drinks, nibbles and congratulations. Everyone enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea, with finger sandwiches, scones, jam, cream and tea, in the Garden Suite.

There was a boat trip planned for the afternoon but unfortunately it was too windy on the lake so I took the couple for a drive to Ashness Bridge and Watendlath for a private shoot of the two of them, whilst their guests relaxed in the hotel.

As the sun sank over the hills, everyone returned to the Garden Suite for a sit down meal the speeches. The groom delivered a stellar speech, including a heartfelt and funny slideshow about his new wife, which had her and everyone else in tears. After Jonathan’s best man speech came a surprise for Sarah. As her father was no longer with them, Sarah had asked her bridesmaid Kelly to make a speech (and in turn, force her to say nice thing about Sarah!). Kelly did what she was asked and more… She had written a poem about her best friend. Then, suddenly, another friend of Sarah’s stood up and continued the poem, followed by another, and another! The bride was blown away by this show of love and support.

The cutting of the cake followed the speeches. The cake was made by friend Wendy and was a masterpiece. The bride and groom sat atop with their daughters and each tier depicted a different event from the couple’s lives (including the strange time when Mike and Jon lived in a little caravan together…). It was a lovely, personal tribute to their relationship.

After the emotional side of things was concluded, everyone headed for the dance floor to continue the festivities. Entertainment was provided by the brilliant [pcroadshows.com-justin scamwell] and the dancing went on well into the night!

Congratulations to Sarah and Michael on their marriage, and also for providing guests with such a memorable day!