Emily & Tom's Special Day
Some weddings have a rhythm all of their own, and Emily & Tom’s celebration was one of those rare days that felt effortlessly magical from beginning to end. Their elegant and intimate wedding unfolded in the soft light of a May afternoon, surrounded by the people who mattered most and filled with moments that seemed to glow.
The ceremony itself held a beautifully personal touch: a close friend, who happened to be a gifted violinist, played the music that accompanied their vows. It brought a depth of emotion that can’t be staged — a heartfelt, intimate moment that set the tone for the rest of their day.
They spent the whole day with us, enjoying every detail at a gentle, unhurried pace. Then, as early evening approached, their celebration took a wonderfully Lake District turn. With three Mountain Goat buses ready and waiting, the couple and their guests set off on a golden‑hour tour — that perfect window of warm, honeyed light that makes the fells shimmer and the lakes sparkle. It was a chance to breathe, to savour the moment, and to experience the landscape at its most breathtaking.
Capturing it all was the incredible Chris Freer, whose talent for working with natural light meant the evening unfolded into a series of phenomenal photographs. The soft glow of sunset, the sweeping views, and the quiet joy between Emily & Tom came together to create images that were not only beautiful, but truly unique to their day.
When the tour returned to the hotel, the atmosphere shifted into something soft and reflective. Our team had transformed the room into a cosy, relaxed space with casual seating, dimmed lights, and gentle background music — the perfect setting for guests to unwind, share stories, and quietly take in the beauty of a day that had been nothing short of stunning.
We felt truly blessed when this beautiful celebration was picked up by North West Wedding Magazine, allowing even more people to be enveloped in the warmth of their love story.
And now, in their own words, here is their story.
Emily and Tom met out one evening at a nightclub in the Leeds University Students Union, which is ironic as they both admit neither of them like clubbing!
Luckily, the evening wasn’t wasted as they both realised, they had a lot in common and got on well straight away. After romance blossomed, Tom proposed at Waterhead in Ambleside. Emily shares the story, “We both love the Lake District and enjoyed our first holiday together there, and many more holidays there since! It was a big surprise for me, I knew I wanted to marry Tom, but I wasn’t expecting it at all!”
We wanted to get married in the Lake District and fell in love with Lindeth Howe Hotel as soon as we walked in. We met Liz, one of the wedding coordinators, who was so friendly and helpful and had so many good ideas about how to make the day perfect for us. Our centrepieces were simply the bridesmaids’ bouquets in vases to make the most of them.
Lindeth Howe has interesting, quirky décor and lots of personality, boasting beautiful gardens and lots of outdoor space with a view of Lake Windermere and the fells.
Lindeth Howe provided a sponge cake and my maid-of-honour’s mum made and decorated a fruit cake.
Our gorgeous flowers were from Lytton Rose Botanical. We displayed photographs of each of our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings.
Mountain Goat took us out into the Lake District after the wedding breakfast; we visited Tarn Hows and Blea Tarn and got some amazing sunset photographs!
The big-day catering was provided by the hotel which was amazing. I wore an ivory wedding dress with a lace top. I knew I wanted lace to feature on the dress with short sleeves, and this fit perfectly – as soon as I tried it on, so I knew it was the one!
Tom and the groomsmen wore a grey, three-piece
wool suit from Slaters.
My bridesmaids all wore navy outfits each choosing their own style.
In the evening, we had some games and Lego which was fab! Our guests went on a little tour of The Lakes with Mountain Goat! It was great, as it was the first time visiting The Lakes for some of our guests, and even the ones who regularly visit hadn’t all been to Tarn Hows and Blea Tarn!
On the day we were both very excited and a little bit nervous but we both loved it. It was also great to have my childhood friend Matthew Chadbond playing the violin during our ceremony – the music was beautiful, but it was all the more special having Matthew play it!
We loved the drinks reception immediately after the ceremony – it was a beautiful day! We had just got married and we had all our closest friends and family there to celebrate with us in the sunshine.
The registrar had to say ‘Emily, concentrate!’ when she was explaining about the signing of the register because I was too busy looking around and smiling at all our family and friends!
Suppliers
Photographer | Chris Freer Photography | www.freerimages.co.uk
Emily’s dress | Elite Bridal | https://elite-bridal.com
Tom’s and groomsman’s suit | Slater Menswear | www.slaters.co.uk
Tom’s ring | Lakeland Rings | www.lakelandrings.co.uk
Hair stylist | Hair by Katie Dale | www.katiedale.co.uk
Make-up artist | MadeUpbyLottie | madeupbylottie@gmail.com
Flowers | Lytton Rose Botanical | www.lyttonrosebotanical.com
Transport | Mountain Goat | www.mountain-goat.com
Stationery | Papier | www.papier.com
Violinist | Matthew Chadbond | https://matthewchadbond.wixsite.com