Molly and Ciaran are one of the nicest couples you could meet and I had an absolute blast photographing their day at Armathwaite Hall. This Lake District wedding venue is a 16th century stately home and consists of over 400 acres of parkland, shoreline and ancient woodland. It sits next to the beautiful Bassenthwaite Lake and is towered over by the Lake District fells and Skiddaw mountain. You could not pick a more stunning location for a wedding! To top it off Molly and Ciaran also had fabulous weather all day long!
I arrived to find Molly and the girls getting ready in the bridal suite. This room has fantastic views over the Armathwaite Hall Estate and Bassenthwaite Lake in the distance. What I did not know when I arrived was that there was a secret door up to the roof terrace affording even better views over the whole location. We made sure to make use of this fabulous spot for some photos later on. I had previously met Molly and Ciaran on a zoom call and thought they were such a lovely couple but when I entered this room I was so impressed by the warm atmosphere and joyful enthusiasm. Molly was jumping around with excitement and you could just tell she was going to have the best day and I knew I was going to have great fun photographing it!
The girls busied themselves with hair and makeup, having a glass of champagne and generally having a fun time whilst I mulled about taking pictures. It was fun to document one of the bridesmaids testing out Molly’s rock hard abs which she’d achieved by lots of work outs prior to the big day. They were a very impressive set of abs!! Once everyone was ready we took the stairs up to the roof to get some shots from the battlements. I took a few fun group shots of the girls with their heart shaped sunglasses in front of the huge lake district view! We even got a sneaky peek, from high above, of Ciaran and his groomsman mulling about below and greeting guests a they arrived. Afterwards, I popped down to meet the boys and take a few shots of them chatting together and fixing their buttonholes.
Soon it was time for their outdoor ceremony in front of the garden pavilion and with views of the lake, you could not get a more lovely spot! After the bridal party walked the aisle, Molly walked in with her Dad. She looked absolutely stunning in her simple but very elegant slip dress by Grace Loves Lace. Ciaran looked so happy to see her as she reached the top of the aisle. The ceremony went really smoothly with some lovely readings and it was great to see the happy smiles exchanged between the couple and the guests. The couple walked back down the aisle to much applause from their audience, then made their way up to the venue terrace to enter their confetti tunnel. There was so much enthusiasm for confetti throwing and the couple were bombarded. Because it was such a long tunnel they turned around at the top and did a dash back down the line, much to everyones delight!
Molly and Ciaran enjoyed having some fabulous canapés and ice cream on the terrace whilst chatting to their guests and listening to some lovely music by Chelsea Reynolds. We then took a walk around the estate, making use of the garden and wooded areas, to get some lovely natural couple photos. We didn’t have time to go down to the lake but there was no shortage of beautiful natural backdrops for photography up near the house.
Finally it was time for the wedding breakfast and the speeches which went down a treat with the guests. All the speeches were both moving and very funny, having the whole audience and the couple in stitches. After the dinner everyone spent some time out on the terrace before coming back inside for the evening festivities. Molly and Ciaran did a fabulous job of whisking each other around the dance floor for their first dance. I love to photograph a boisterous dancing crowd and we certainly go that at the end of the night! Before I left, I took one last night time image of the couple having a kiss under the tunnel of fair lights in the venue gardens.
Thanks so much Molly and Ciaran for choosing me as your wedding photographer. I absolutely loved every minute of your day!
If you are planning a wedding at the Armathwaite Hall check out some of my favourite images from Molly and Ciaran’s day below. For more information about my photography style please see the Approach page and the Portfolios page or feel free to get in touch below. I’d love to talk to you about your plans for your upcoming wedding day and see if I could be the photographer for you.
Other Suppliers involved in this day
Grooms suits: PalJoey
Brides dress designer: Grace Loves Lace
Bridal shop: Grace Loves Lace Sydney showroom, a lady in kent bought it for her wedding and didn’t use it so sold it to me through StillWhite
Hair: Sophie McMillan (bridesmaid) for bride hair, Joanna Murray for bridesmaids
Makeup: ‘Anna McClen’ and ‘makeup by Urszula’
Flowers: Emma Greenshaw, Fellside Flower Company
Venue styling: ‘Memory Knot’ and ‘Simply Chairs and Bows’
Band: Dexter
Music: Chelsea Reynolds
Ice cream van: So sweet and scrumptious
Coach: Spencer Graham
Armathwaite Hall Wedding photography
If you are you looking for an Armathwaite Hall wedding photographer or a photographer for any other venue, I’d love to hear more about your day. I photograph all sorts of weddings from the most lavish events to intimate home weddings and would be very happy to offer you a no-obligation chat by phone or Zoom to talk about your requirements. I also arrange appointments to meet in person at my studio in Pudsey if you would like to look at sample albums. Please get in touch below if you’d like to be sent further information or arrange to have a chat about your day.
You can also email kirstyds@gmail.com or call 07564 953262.
