Betsie and Adam Low Hall, the Lakes a Micro Wedding.
The Lake District is well known for its grandeur and beauty, a rich tapestry of lakes, mountains and countryside invites you to explore from the moment you enter.
The very chance of capturing a micro wedding within these rugged mountains sent shrills of delight throughout my veins. As a wedding photographer, jaw-dropping backdrops like these are the ultimate dream, especially when Betsie and Adam expressed keen interest when I mentioned a wedding day adventure together.
On the run-up to the wedding, I met with Adam and Betsie to chat about where we could head for their wedding day portraits, they were now finally engaged!
Did I mention they’d planned their wedding before Adam had actually, asked the question?
These two free-spirited love birds had always said they’d get married on their 10th anniversary of being girlfriend and boyfriend, even though Adam hadn’t got around to popping the question, they still were set to do this.
Their initial enquiry, “We’re getting married on the 15th of March 2024, but we’re not actually engaged yet.” Right! Hmmm, I’ve never had this before, I loved their style and free-spirits from the get-go.
Back to the fact they are now engaged. Adam had asked Betsie to be his wife on the north-western side of Crummock Water, on the Peel (unbeknown to them both), which was quite fitting as their marital name is Peel!
Because of this, we’d agreed to look for somewhere around Crummock Waters to do their portraits and after conveying with Rosie at Low Hall (their venue) she suggested a few places for me to scout out.
If you look directly beyond Betsie and Adam, you can see the Peel where they got engaged, the ideal would have been revisiting where Adam asked Betsie, but it was at least a half-hour walk to the point itself, so not do able in the time slot we had. I was unaware the place I'd selected was opposite, so in the end, it worked out more perfectly than I'd imagined.
Scouting out the destination for their wedding portraits in the Lake District.
When I went to check out the destinations she’d pinned, the rain was lashing down SO hard I could barely see where I was going and the pathway I was walking seemed more like a waterfall than a footpath. As I was walking, I was wondering if their portrait session would ever be possible; even so, it was worth the look to make the most of this incredible opportunity.
We only had a small window of time, during their day and were planning to head there at golden hour, so the timing would be crucial.
Jaye brought a dry Mac for Betsie to throw over her dress, it kept her super warm in between the locations and it also protected the dress in case of unexcepted rain. What a super idea Jaye from Wild Love Visuals!
Waking to the sound of rain in my windows and a very loud, brimming babbling brook, didn’t fill me with much optimism and as I drove to Low Hall last Friday, I could barely see 20 feet in front of me as the thick blanket of fog hovered over the lakes and concealed the tops of the mountains. My window wipers were working hard as I crept along the mountain paths to the venue listening to Taylor Swift.
Low Hall in Lakes, Wedding Venue
The second I arrived at Low Hall I was greeted by Rosie and Ben who were tentatively preparing the breakfast for the couple and their guests. I was instantly embraced by Betsie, she gives the best hugs and I’m still in awe of her positive mindset and bubbly personality.
Betsie had thought of everything, she’d prepared so many surprises for her guests, (including a gift for each of them, left of their pillows the night before) and the decor of the day.
Now where do I begin?
The thoughtful details of their wedding day details
Betsie’s dress was handmade especially for her day by Jennie Palmer, who came out of wedding dress retirement, especially for the occasion, she also named the design “Cockermouth-Lorton” which is where they were getting married. Betsie borrowed her mother’s veil and delicate silk pumps to walk down the aisle to Adam. She’d also sewn a button from her mum’s dress into the lining of her own and also had found a napkin from her grandmother’s wedding day, this was sealed in a bag and sewn into the dress as well. (Her something old).
She’d made sea glass earrings for all of her bridesmaids because it was whilst she and Adam were skimming the shorelines for the little treasures that Betsie recalls falling in love with Adam as he found his first ever piece, the sea glass is so significant to Betsie and Adam’s journey so far.
Even the decor on the tables was carefully thought out with a selection of different-sized pine cones used to decorate the table (the tiny ones were from their first ever walk together in the lakes, the large ones were from Betsie’s childhood home and then they’d gathered medium-sized ones up just after they got engaged).
Adam had crafted the little wooden disks for the place names, from a piece of driftwood they picked up at the Peel the day they got engaged. Each little detail was so carefully considered by them both.
When I say she thought of everything, I mean it! Betsie’s bouquet had a lot of thought put into it, the ribbon around my bouquet had Betsie’s dad’s, mum's handwriting on it, Betsie had never met her nana Sheila and was not even one before her grandad Alan passed away, even so, she wanted them to be present somehow on her wedding day.
Then there were the flowers, the bouquet was put together by Leoni, All In Bloom Floristry…
Wedding bouquet ideas with sentimental meaning
Blue thistles (the something blue) for Lucifer, (Adam’s sister, who was nicknamed this as a 12-year-old child by Adam and Betsie) represented courage and bravery.
White Lisianthus for Adam’s mum, purity and innocence.
Blue Delphinium - dignity and grace for Betsie’s mum.
Gypsophila - loving, for Lucy, Betsie’s maid of honour.
And Eucalyptus - true and beautiful for Ester, the other bridesmaid.
Adam wore a rainbow pin because his Nana is referred to as a rainbow by their family, she sadly passed away the week before Adam and Betsie met, and Adam always said he knew she’d have loved Betsie.
He also had little robins on his socks because they say his granddad is a robin, we saw a little robin sitting outside of Low Hall the morning of the wedding too, so he must have been there in spirit.
Betsie and Adam chose to have a small micro wedding, they only wanted immediate family and their closest friends there, even though there were just 12 guests the day was rich and full of energy. The vibes were energetic and refreshing.
Take a look for yourself here.
I’m always inspired by what I have to hand and will use bits of furniture or objects from within the venue to document details. I love window light and showing the atmosphere of what is happening during the day.
Adam and Betsie had hoped to have said their vows outside, unfortunately, the weather didn’t allow this, so they said them instead in the library, adapting though the day is such a key part of a wedding photographer’s job, we have to mix things up to fit with the weather or around other suppliers timings of the day.
I was branded the hottest photographer Betsie’s Dad had ever met too!
Oh my goodness, might I tell you why…
The library was a little tight for space for 12 guests, a dog, the registrars, a videographer, myself and the bride and groom (usually Low Hall use it for their elopement couples) and somehow, whilst I was attempting to get the best possible angle for a photo of Adam and Ozzie their Cocker-poo, I set my hair on fire.
Imagine my horror, when I heard that crackling behind my head and then realised there was a candle arbour. Head in hands moment! Thank goodness there was no lasting damage and no stress caused. Lesson Learnt!
Note to self, check out the positions of the candles in future.
Even with the small area to move around myself and Jade, the videographer worked well as a team to switch places and to try our best to keep out of each other’s way. It was a pleasure working with Jaye from Wild Love Visuals and I can’t recommend her enough.
It’s been an absolute joy working my way through Betsie and Adam’s images, witnessing the fun had throughout their day, from PJs in the morning until PJs at nighttime, this is the first wedding I’ve captured where the bride and groom were in their pyjamas by 7 pm, matching ones! As I ended my time with them, I left them in the snug, enjoying wine by the fire and playing charades, it was so much fun, especially to game of Mr & Mrs!
I love putting together these sneak peeks for my couples to see their images come to life for the first time. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be getting them all edited and sent over to Betsie and Adam via their online gallery. I hope you decide to go with a Fine Art Photo Book you two, because these photos will look insane within one of those.
So far I’ve had so many incredible comments from Betsie, Adam and their Guests they even sent me home with a pack-up of cake, pick ’n’ mix and a bottle of red wine to enjoy (which was amazing btw!)
Thank you so much for your warmness on the day everyone, I loved my time with you. Looking over the photos from Betsie and Adam’s Wedding Day proves you just have to go with it, the one thing you can’t change on the day of your wedding is the weather but generally there is always a little chink of time in the day where the rain stops or at least eases.
We still managed to get epic shots of the two of them out in the wilderness by the lake where they got engaged. I’m so pleased they weren’t put off and I’m even more proud of how you both embraced the day with open arms and optimism.
You were both a true inspiration to me and the way I work. Thank you for having me!
If you’re planning an elopement, micro wedding or even a huge shindig you should definitely check out Low Hall for your day, the venue is so quaint and diverse. If you do, be sure to let me know as I’d love the chance to revisit Low Hall in the future.
I promise I’ll not set myself on fire this time.
Are you planning a wedding yourself?
Would you like fun, charismatic photos that show your true selves and the atmosphere of your day, yet you hate the idea of being in front of the camera?
I get it, me too!
That’s why I work as I do. To find out more about me and also how I photograph weddings, click the links provided. I also offer relaxed family photos, horsey photo shoots and photography for local businesses and entrepreneurs too so why not take a look?
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North Yorkshire and UK Wedding Suppliers I recommend
VIDEOGRAPHER - Jade - @wildlovevisuals
FLOWERS - Leonie - @all.inbloomfloristry
DRESS - Jennie - @jennie.palmer_
CAKE - Allie - @alliescakery
HAIR - Lucy - @hairby_lucyanna
FOOD - Julian - @thecumbrianchef
VENUE - Francesca, Ben and Rosie - @lowhallthelakes