Some weddings feel like they could only happen in the Lake District, and Ami and Chris’s Armathwaite Hall wedding day was one of them. A tiny ancient church in the middle of a field on the shore of Bassenthwaite, a vintage car bumping down the track to reach it, the fells brooding away in the background. It honestly felt like we were in a movie. And then back to the grandeur of Armathwaite Hall to celebrate. It’s about as Cumbrian as a wedding day gets, and I loved every minute of it.
Getting ready
The morning had that lovely, unhurried feeling you hope for. Ami’s dress deserves a mention all of its own — off-the-shoulder with the most beautiful embroidered detail, the kind of gown that makes a photographer very happy indeed. Paired with a long veil and a bouquet of blues and whites, with her bridesmaids in soft powder blue, the whole palette echoed the lake and sky outside. Chris and his groomsmen looked sharp in blue three-piece suits with tan shoes — a combination that works so well against Lakeland stone and green fells.
St Bega’s Church
If you don’t know St Bega’s, it’s one of the Lake District’s & England’s most magical wedding churches (really and truly) and one of its best-kept secrets. There’s no road to it. It sits alone in the fields on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, below Skiddaw, and you reach it by a track across the meadows. Ami arrived in a gorgeous vintage car making its way down that farm track, church in the distance, big Cumbrian sky overhead, one of my favourite scenes of the whole day. The vicar is fabulous too and built a truly personal ceremony for the couple tied to their love for ultra running and including the children that were part of their day.
The church door was framed with an arch of blue and white flowers, and inside, hydrangeas lined the pews of a building that’s been standing for the best part of a thousand years. Stained glass, stone arches, and a congregation packed shoulder to shoulder, small churches make for the most atmospheric ceremonies, with every emotion close enough to touch. Chris’s face waiting at the front. Ami on the walk down the aisle. The pure joy of the two of them walking back up it married. These are the moments I’m there for.
Afterwards, we stole a little time in the churchyard and the surrounding fields. Dry stone walls, that endless view down the lake, Ami’s veil catching the breeze. When your ceremony venue comes with scenery like this, you barely have to do anything except be in it.
On to Armathwaite Hall
From one of the smallest venues in the Lakes to one of the most impressive: Armathwaite Hall, the grand old country house sitting in acres of parkland at the top of Bassenthwaite. It’s a venue I always enjoy (and where I got married!) sweeping lawns and lake views for the drinks reception and group photographs, and all that baronial character inside when the party moves indoors.
The details
- Ceremony: St Bega’s Church, Bassenthwaite
- Reception: Armathwaite Hall Hotel
- Dress: Mori Lee from Amelia’s Bridal
- Flowers: Brackens of Bowness
- Car: Own
- Video: I captured a short highlights video for the couple, chat to me if you’re interested in a hybrid photography and video package for your wedding. You can find the video at the end of this blog.
Armathwaite Hall Wedding Flowers
The flowers deserve a paragraph all of their own. Ami and Chris went for the most gorgeous palette of blues: epic blue hydrangeas lining the pews and framing the church door, softened with white blooms and trailing greenery by the wonderful team at Brackens of Bowness. Blue is such a brave and brilliant choice for a Lake District wedding; it echoes the lake and the summer sky, and against the ancient stone of St Bega’s it looked nothing short of magical.
One of my favourite touches of the day was their wedding newspaper, handed out to guests and filled with photographs from the engagement shoot we did together in the months before the wedding. Engagement sessions come as part of my full day package, and this is exactly why I love them: by the time the wedding morning arrives, we’ve already made pictures together, the nerves are gone, and the photos get a second life in details like this.
Armathwaite Hall Wedding with Kids
Armathwaite Hall is a dream with children in tow. Acres of lawns and parkland for little ones to run completely free, and a fabulous swing that proved just as popular with the grown-ups — some of the best candid moments of the afternoon happened right there.
Thinking about St Bega’s or Armathwaite Hall for your wedding?
This corner of the northern Lakes is one of my favourite places to photograph: quieter than Windermere, wilder, and ridiculously beautiful. St Bega’s and Armathwaite Hall pair together perfectly, and I know both, and the fields in between, well.
If you’re planning a wedding at Armathwaite Hall, St Bega’s, or anywhere in the Lake District, I’d love to hear about it