Lake District Wedding Photography – Georgia + Owen

Lake District Wedding Photography

A couple of months ago I packed my bags and headed up the Lake District for Georgia and Owen’s amazing wedding. They were married at the local church around the corner from Georgia’s home before heading off to Derwentwater Independent Hostel for their marquee reception. The views were absolutely stunning and the insane weather brought with it an insane sky over the lake. Swings and roundabouts 🙂 Here are Georgia and Owen with some more about their amazing Lake District wedding.

How did you both meet?
The real story is that we first met over a bowl of porridge as uni freshers and bonded over our recent travels to Latin America. The more romantic story is the day that we first actually hung out: I was a university rower and Owen was a college rower. Durham were trying to connect the two levels of rowing squads by putting on a ball where everyone would be invited. I remembered that Owen did rowing so thought I would invite him along (more thinking that I was fulfilling my duties for the ball by doing so). We agreed to meet on Elvet Bridge at 7pm. However, the bridge was looking particularly atmospheric that night with a thick mist across the river leaving the old lanterns to guide the way across. I remember seeing a handsome man in black tie emerge from the mist as I ran to meet him in my ball gown. Whether it was just the romantic setting of the night or something more, we both refer to that night as the flourishing of our friendship.

What was the proposal like?
Tricky. Not the actual proposal, but the process of it. Owen spent months designing a ring & we both knew that we were ready for marriage. The problem was that Georgia’s Dad didn’t agree. We were just 21 and so, understandably, we were thought to be a little too young to know what we really wanted. However, marriage meant a huge amount to us both and, as Christians, we believed it was the right covenantal promise to make publically with one another. It took a few months before Owen got the thumbs up to propose but from then on, the proposal was perfect (apart from Owen didn’t get down on one knee…). We went on our favourite walk back home in the Lake District along the shores of Derwentwater lake, just as the sun was setting. Owen had said that he would never say “I love you” until he had a ring to say it with. So when he started saying wonderful things about the journey of our relationship and then said the 3 magic words, Georgia knew that the proposal would follow. It was just a beautiful moment for us both – we had waited until we knew that both families had completely backed us so it felt amazing knowing that this moment was happening with the full support of our families as well. The ring was stunning, the scenery was to die for and the special weekend events that Owen had then planned were really precious.

How did you find wedding planning? 
We were perhaps a little unconventional as Owen did all the honeymoon planning and Georgia did all the wedding planning. It actually worked really well for us and amazingly we had no stressful moments (we kept waiting for bridezilla to make an appearance but she never came!). Georgia loves event planning so was in her element. The only weird thing about planning a wedding is when you start having to rank your friends when it comes to the guest list – it felt so awful! Our advice would be to remember that a lot can change with relationships over a year so if you are having a long engagement period then perhaps don’t sort your guest list too early! Invite guests in 2 waves: the family & friends that you know will definitely be invited, then wait a little while to invite the 2^nd batch! This means that if some people in your first batch can’t make it, you can add more people to your 2^nd batch. Or if some friendships change/catering numbers change etc. then you can be flexible due to having that 2^nd batch. I ended up meeting some of my now closest friends in the 6 months leading up to the wedding so the guest list and wedding numbers for the catering etc. had to be adjusted.

Why did you choose Derwentwater Independent Hostel your wedding venue?
It was a place of childhood memories for Georgia. Derwentwater Independent Hostel is very much part of our family and community so it was the perfect place to have a community-run wedding. The views are spectacular with a large lawn that was ideal for our marquee. It’s lakeside location made for some fab photos as well as providing the perfect place for a swim and guitar-strumming for all the guests who managed to stay up after the dancing had stopped!

What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
For Owen, it was the photoshoots at Surprise View and on the lake pier. These are 2 of our favourite spots as a couple (amazing views) and the photoshoot times were actually really refreshing. Kyle is such a gifted photographer that he almost goes unnoticed! So the photoshoots provided time for us to catch up as the bride & groom with space away from all the guests (as lovely as they all were!).

For Georgia, it was the meal & speeches. As the social creature that she is, she loved being in a room surrounded by all the people she loves most! The food was delicious, the transparent sides of the marquee made us feel like we were amidst all the surrounding nature and the buzz of all the guests was just so beautiful. Having put so much work into all the planning, it felt amazing being able to watch everyone enjoy themselves and there is something quite profound about sharing your first meal as Mr & Mrs with your most dearest family and friends.

Who were your favourite wedding suppliers?
Our band were FANTASTIC! If you need a band and are in the North West area, check out The Herdeez.
They are good friends of ours and were the main inspiration for all of Georgia’s music growing up as she used to perform with them when the band was a little different a few years back. So it meant the world to her to have them play. But we were still completely blown away by their talent and they work so well as a group. The dancefloor was full the entire night and every song they performed was spot on and had everyone singing along! They are a band you can trust to just do it right!

Our favourite photograph was taken near the end of the night down on the pier. The rain started to fall at which point most people would run inside, but Kyle knows exactly how to work with the rain and he set up a light behind us and caught the most magical photo! The light manages to capture so much about our expressions and even the details of the bridal dress, despite the photo actually being a silhouette. It just sums up that precious moment for us perfectly. 

Lake District Wedding Photography by North West Wedding Photographer, Kyle Hassall