Your Guide to a Wedding in The Lake District

Congratulations on your engagement! If you have begun to think about planning your wedding then this could be the perfect article for you. This guide to planning a wedding in the Lake District has been put together to offer some helpful tips about considerations when it comes to what one of the world’s most stunning natural venues for such a special day.

Choosing a venue

There are many reasons to consider the Lake District when choosing the venue for your wedding day. Your choice might informed because you have ties to the area, special memories linked to a place or simply that you are blown away by the majestic natural beauty of a particular place.

The Lake District certainly falls into the latter category with breath-taking views of lakes, mountains, rocky crags, and wooded areas to be seen everywhere.

There is no shortage of venues in the Lake District where you can have your wedding service so the first thing on your list should be to do some research and compile a short list. Things to consider when doing this are:

• Capacity – How many guests will a venue accommodate?
• Price – Check what is included in the price, you don’t want any nasty surprises later
• Amenities – What amenities does the venue have?
• Are they licensed for ceremonies? – This doesn’t need to be a deal breaker. Having a wedding in a church followed by a reception at another incredible venue is popular with many couples.
• Outside locations – Having plenty of options for photographs is always a good choice. Check to see if your venue has a gallery of photographs to showcase their location
• Food options – A good venue will be able to show you a range of menus, with something to suit a variety of guests

Armed with a list of things to check, you should be able to create a good list of potential locations.

Visit and book the venue

A good venue will be more than happy to do a tour of their space, highlighting all that they have to offer. They will also be able to answer any questions and even give you information that you may not have thought about yet. Make sure that you see any different options they have for a ceremony, where the reception will be held and, of course, all of those wonderful locations at the venue that will create a stunning, romantic backdrop for wedding photographs.

You will know when you have found the perfect venue, so the next step is to book them as soon as you can. Popular venues will book up well in advance.

Look for a photographer

You will often find that venues have photographers who they have worked with before, and this can be helpful when choosing a photographer. They will have galleries of previous weddings they have worked on which will not only allow you to see their work but also the venue in full “wedding mode”. A photographer who is familiar with your venue isn't essential. However, if you opt for someone who hasn’t done a wedding there before, having a walk-through with them can be a good idea and will help you to scope out those special places where you would like to take some memorable photos.

Make sure that you do plenty of research into the lake district as a whole, ask lots of questions and visit potential venues to ensure you find the perfect one. Remember many of the most popular venues will book up early so if you have your heart set on somewhere, book as soon as you can or consider changing to a midweek wedding.