Rustic Lake District Wedding
Kirsty and Nick’s DIY Weekend Wedding at Longlands at Cartmel
Kirsty and Nick got in touch with me in late-2021 and we quickly went from Zoom chat to booked. They’re the down-to-earth, fun-loving type of couple that I love to photograph. They’d got their venue all lined up, Longland at Cartmel in the south Lake District and were working through their supplier list for their DIY wedding.
Longlands is a manor house and cottages built in 1810. The place has a wonderful rustic feel from the grand ceilings and sky-lit staircase of the main house, to the lawned courtyard surrounded by cottages for family, and not forgetting the huge walled garden – perfect for an intimate ceremony. The barn has been recently restored to include a large indoor area for receptions, including a bar. It is a fantastic place to spend the day as a photographer, and the weekend as bride and groom.
I met Kirsty and Nick for their engagement shoot on the Southbank, London on a cool February morning. Our 90-minute shoot turned into around 3 hours of wedding chat and coffee, before I had to run back to my hotel to checkout just in time – yep, I tend to lose track of time when coffee is involved!
We met again on a sunny April morning in the Lake District for their wedding. Despite all the plans for wet weather (April in the Lake District, it’s a given, right?) we had glorious sunshine throughout the day – I advise all my couples to buy umbrellas, which we rarely get to use!
Kirsty and Nick got ready separately at Longlands. The place is easily big enough that you wouldn’t see each other if you kept to your spot. I captured a handful of the getting ready before their midday civil ceremony in the walled kitchen garden.
The delight of a venue like Longlands is that there’s no shortage of backdrops for family and couple photos – in fact, it’s entirely possible to be spoilt for choice! So a good scout around was necessary to find the best place in the harsh midday sun, between the ceremony and the Graze Platter Co’s amazing feast for post-ceremony lunch (not a wedding breakfast!).
The afternoon was relaxed with lawn games in the courtyard, before the band – Nick’s dad’s own ‘Taller than Paul’ fired up to start the evening entertainment. Dude’s Dough and Triple B provided the evening food, a mouth-watering choice of hand-made, wood-fired pizza and bagels and burgers from the North West’s finest. The night culminated in sunset couple photos, a bonfire - Nick’s pride and joy, and a sparkler exit.
It was a fantastic way to kick off the busy wedding season. Thank you, Kirsty and Nick, for asking me to be your wedding photographer. Check out the highlights below!
If you’re getting married at Longlands at Cartmel or another rustic Lake District venue, give me a shout, I’m based in Sheffield, but I’m happy to travel, particularly to somewhere as scenic as Cumbria!
Venue: Longlands at Cartmel
Dress: Nicole Milano
Suits: Moss Bros
Hair + makeup: Jo Coole
Flowers: Sew in Love by Michelle
Band: Taller than Paul
Decor: Emma Jane Events
Graze Table: Graze & Platter Co
Evening Food: Dudes Dough / Triple B
Cake: Peezie Cakes
