a bride and groom sitting in the window seat in the music room at broadoaks country house hotel

The Broadoaks Country House Hotel Wedding of Claire and Kris | Windermere Wedding Photographer

Autumn is my favourite season for weddings. If you would like me to combine an Autumn wedding with a trip to Broadoaks Country House Hotel near Windermere for makeup and photography duties, I just need to know where to sign up! I had the pleasure of being booked as Wedding Photographer and Makeup Artist for Claire and Kris on their wedding day in early October. An Anglo-Canadian fusion of warmth, happiness, love and family, and I was much made to feel like a part of Claire and Kris’ family for day, not forgetting the brilliant team at Broadoaks Country House hotel of course.

Before I began taking photographs as Claire and Kris’ wedding photographer, my day started in The Retreat attending to the wedding makeup for Claire and her bridal party. In Claire’s own words here is how the day was planned and turned out…

The Proposal

“Kris proposed to me in Scotland when we were away on holiday. We were on a side hill overlooking Loch Awe and it would have been so romantic if I hadn’t messed it up by completely missing the ring! He’d tied it to the handle of a wooden cup he’d made me and passed it to me. I passed it back asking why he hadn’t poured any coffee in it yet, also not realising he was down on one knee. When I finally realised what was going on I felt awful! But I, of course, said yes!”

The Venue

“We had originally picked another venue in Scotland near to where we got engaged, but unfortunately they let us down and left us without a venue 10 months before we’d planned on getting married. Though I’m from the North West we both live in Nova Scotia, so our guests had already started booking flights for that time. My poor parents were dispatched to the Lake District to look at new venues and I came over for a visit to help look. I’d come across Broadoaks Country House Hotel on the internet and from the moment we drove up their driveway I knew it was the right place. They were so friendly and made organising a wedding from Canada a breeze. Nothing was too much trouble and it felt like we were in our own home on the wedding day. It was exactly what we wanted, relaxed and informal but still special!”

The Dress, Hair and Makeup

“I found pictures of lots of dresses I thought I wanted before I went to try dresses on, and one in particular I though was my perfect dress. When I went to try it on though, it was all wrong. It looked terrible on me and I knew that the one thing I really wanted was to look and feel like myself on our wedding day. When I went to visit The Bridal Barn, Emma had the most beautiful selection of vintage inspired dresses. I completely fell in love with Gwynnie and decided to go for the tea length. My favourite colour is yellow so I wanted to add pops of colour with my shoes and wrap, which I hand knit using yarn from the Lake District.”

“With my hair and makeup, I was really undecided about having someone come in and help or if I should do it myself. I hardly wear make up and past experiences of makeup specialists had put me off a little because I never seem to look like myself. When I came across your website though I loved the work you had done and I thought it was worth visiting you for a trial. Asking you to do my wedding makeup and wedding photography was hands down one of the best decisions we made for the entire wedding! You listened to me and what I wanted for the day and made me feel amazing. Not only did my wedding makeup and wedding photographs turn out perfect, it was also a huge pleasure having you there for the day. It was like having another member of the family around and I felt so relaxed and happy. You also helped me find the best hairstylist with Katie, she was just amazing!”

The Men’s Suits

“Kris has long been a bit obsessed with Walker Slater, so it was a no brainer to get his suit from them. The tweed was perfect for an Autumn wedding. He actually got his suit way before I even started looking for a dress! We went together to pick out what he was wearing at their Edinburgh store, and they were so lovely and helpful. His brother also wore a Walker Slater suit in a complimenting tweed and my dad wore a matching waistcoat. He had no idea what my dress was like but he did know about the yellow shoes!”

The Flowers

“I had no idea what to do about the flowers, so when I found Brackens of Bowness from the Broadoaks supplier list and decided to email Kevin and see what he thought. He was fantastic right from the beginning. He had the best ideas and we loved our flowers so much. When I mentioned I was a knitwear designer he suggested sending some wool for him to use. The bequests and button holes were tied with yarn and I had pom poms hanging from my bouquet.”

The Ceremony

I was really nervous before the ceremony, but our JP was so kind and warm. Kris didn’t seem nervous at all and looked so handsome! It was just what we wanted, intimate and relaxed, and not too long!

The Rest of the Day

“We had lots of fun having our wedding photographs taken and then had our wonderful wedding breakfast. Afterwards there was dancing and laughing and we finished with chip butties and lots of cheese!”

Suppliers

Wedding Dress: Lou Lou Bridal purchase from The Bridal Barn Boutique

Wedding Shoes: Miss L Fire

Men’s Suits: Walker Slater

Wedding Flowers: Brackens of Bowness

Wedding Hair: Katie Simpson Hair

Wedding Makeup: Jaye Adams Make-up Artistry

Wedding Photographer: Jaye-Peg Photography