A Rustic Wedding With A Spot Of Rain

10 February 2021

While weddings are temporarily on hold, we’re taking a look back at some of the lovely weddings we’ve had the pleasure of providing venue styling and decor hire for. This rustic wedding at the beautiful Inn On The Lake in Glenridding, on the shores of Lake Ullswater was a slightly soggy one, but that didn’t hamper Gina and Ian’s special day! According to wedding superstitions, rain on your wedding day is good luck and signifies that it will last… we all know a wet knot is harder to untie, therefore if you ‘tie the knot’ on a rainy day it fortells of a strong marriage that will not unravel over time! And if you have Jason Chambers taking your wedding photographs, he’ll rise to the challenge presented by the weather and you’ll end up with some epic images too…

Gina and Ian… How did you 2 love birds first meet?

We both attended the same school, but we were in different year groups and never really crossed paths. Then on my 19th birthday (11 years ago) we met at our local and if we’re truly honest, we both can’t remember the night (I blame the birthday shots), but I woke up the next day to find a birthday card with his name and a phone number written in it. When I tried to call the number, it came up saying ‘incorrect number’ and I was fuming! The following weekend I bumped into him again and he asked why I hadn’t called… it turned out he hadn’t meant to give me the wrong number, he must have just written it wrong after having ‘one to many’.

Who proposed and how did you pop the question?

Ian proposed to me at Disneyland Paris in 2011, after 1 year of being together. I love Disney so it was perfect… it was mid-morning on the 1st day of our holiday when he got down on one knee in front of the pink Disney princess castle.

“I was a little embarrassed as everyone around us started clapping and cheering, but it was lovely.”

He had not even seemed nervous that morning and it turned out he had planned to do it later that night, but was too scared to wait after having the ring in his pocket and nearly losing it on space mountain… I’m so glad he didn’t wait any longer, as it was much safer on my finger! It was a perfect few days away and Disney will always be a special place for us and we can’t wait to take our kids there one day.

How did you decide upon your wedding venue and why did you choose it?

We are in love with the Lake District and have been coming a few times a year throughout our relationship. It’s just such a beautiful place whatever the weather, so we knew it had to be in the lakes.

Inn On The Lake was actually the first wedding venue we ever looked at 9 years ago and we fell in love with it. Years went by and we still hadn’t booked our wedding as we had a son in-between, so we had looked at lots of venues here and there over the years. Then one weekend in spring 2017, we decided to book the Inn On The Lake to stay for the night and it was just everything we wanted and more.

The views, the customer experience, the venue… everything was just amazing, so we spoke to the wedding team and booked our wedding that day for 10th August 2019.

The wedding team were amazing throughout all the planning and nothing was too much trouble. The Inn On The Lake was definitely the perfect choice for us and we visit whenever we can.

Which wedding suppliers did you choose and why?

Photographer - Jason Chambers Photography

Jason was incredible! It never stopped raining on our wedding day, but that didn’t matter and Jason used it to his advantage, capturing the most amazing, unique shots.

Everyone I show them to says they are the best wedding pictures they have ever seen. He’s brilliant!

Like Jason, my husband Ian is very much into mountain biking and my nickname for the bike is ‘the mistress’, as Ian is always out on it if he’s not at home with me and our son. I was very against the bike being in any wedding photos (he had taken it to the lakes, as we were staying there for a while after the wedding). I was unaware that at some point during our evening reception, Ian and Jason in their shared passion for bikes had snuck off to take photos with the bike in the rain…

But I have to say, it’s an incredible and unique wedding shot so it seemed their shared passion paid off after all.  I would highly recommend Jason to anyone, as he brings ease and character on the day and if you truly want some unique wedding photos then he’s your man.

Florist – Greenwheat Flowers

Laura was so helpful and lovely and her flowers just fitted our rustic vibe perfectly.

No request was too much trouble and the communication on the lead up to our wedding was fantastic. She gave me great advice on choosing flowers and sprays to match our theme.

Bridal Hair & Make-Up - Greg Malloy Hairdressing

Ashley was amazing on the day, doing 7 x hair up do’s on her own for my bridal party. She had a laugh with us and everyone’s hair was stunning.

One of my bridesmaids was actually a trained make-up artist, so that came in very handy for my wedding day make-up.

Wedding Gown – Mia Sposa Bridal (Newcastle)

I had looked at a lot of dresses in different shops and the girls are so lovely in Mia Sposa, it was my 3rd visit there when my mum picked out a dress and said ‘try this one’. I thought I would hate it, but as soon as a put it on I fell in love with it… my mum and auntie started crying and it was a moment I will never forget.

We all just knew it was the one and was surprisingly totally different to the others I had tried on previous. It was heavy lace with embellishment and a gorgeous, detailed train.

Grooms Wear & Usher’s Suits – Moss Bros

I helped my husband pick out the suits and we spotted the perfect one on the 1st visit…

It was navy with a subtle gold pinstripe and gold tie to match our rustic theme.

Bridesmaids Dresses – Coast

The bridesmaid dresses were soft pink, floor length dresses…

with a lace off-the-shoulder top and pleated bottom.

Cake

It was actually from M&S and tasted amazing …

It was perfect for our rustic wedding theme, displayed on a wooden log slice.

Entertainment – Classic Ensembles

Classic Ensembles played throughout our ceremony; they are so talented, and it was beautiful.

I had first heard them play at the Inn On The Lake wedding fayre and they blew me away. We’re so glad we had them at our wedding.

Entertainment – Silver Service Singers

We had the singing waiters, who surprised our guests straight after the wedding breakfast by causing a scene and then breaking into song!

They were amazing; they made our day and definitely got the party started. They also did our evening DJ set and carried on the party – would highly recommend them.

Videographer – Safe Harbour Productions

Our videographer, Brian, was incredible and we hardly knew he was there. Our wedding video is perfect and we love watching it back – he didn’t miss a thing.

Please could you let the reader know why you chose us as your venue stylists and what décor we provided?

We wanted a rustic vibe and had seen a set-up of a similar wedding that Jaimie and Andrew had done before. Then we met them one of Inn On The Lake’s wedding fayres and they were both so helpful and lovely, so we booked them for our big day. When we came to their showroom to finalise all our choice’s, they were both so brilliant and made my visions come to life.

Our venue on the day just looked incredible and everyone commented on our décor and how unique and beautiful it was.

We were thrilled with the end results – it was just what I have visioned and more.

The Memory Knot also provided all our table settings and every detail of our centrepieces.

Every little detail was thought of, from the ‘heaven steps’, which had photos on of all our family members that have passed…

… through to the seating plan with crates to go alongside the memory ladder.

We even hired chiavari chairs from Jaimie and Andrew’s other business, Simply Bows And Chair Covers, as we weren’t keen on the ones the venue already had and that really changed the room.

We chose hessian and lace chair décor tied in a long drape style, which looked lovely with gypsophila bunches tucked in the centre.

with matching table runners, which really added the finishing touch to our shabby chic décor.

The beautiful fairy light curtain gave us an amazing backdrop for our evening do.

What was the most memorable moment of your big day?

I could not possibly pick a moment… it was all just amazing and we could not have wished for more. Our guests had the best time too.

Where are you going on your honeymoon – we’re just jealous and like to be nosey?

The night after the wedding, we stayed at Lodore Falls in Keswick in a spa suite, where we reflected on our amazing day and relaxed. Then we mini mooned in The Lakes for the rest of the week. A month later, we went to Crete and stayed in a beautiful luxury resort called Daios Cove and it was fabulous.