Sören & Sami's Blencowe Hall Wedding | Relaxed Wedding Photography in Cumbria

Some weddings just feel like one big weekend away with all of your favourite people, and Sören and Sami's beautiful Blencowe Hall wedding was exactly that.

Living in Berlin meant their guests had travelled from all over the world to celebrate with them in Cumbria, so rather than everything being about one single day, they hired Blencowe Hall on the Rowley Estates near Penrith for the whole weekend.

Three nights together gave everyone time to settle in, catch up, celebrate and genuinely enjoy being in the same place, something that felt particularly important when so many of their friends and family live miles apart.

By the time the wedding day arrived, everyone was well and truly ready to celebrate.

From a Castle Howard Proposal to Their Wedding Day

My story with these two actually started long before their Blencowe Hall wedding.

Last year, Sören got in touch and asked if I'd photograph him proposing to Sami at Castle Howard, something I'd never photographed before, but of course I was completely up for the challenge!

We came up with a plan that involved me pretending I was working for Castle Howard and asking if I could take a few photographs of their gorgeous dog, Archie.

Sami had absolutely no idea what was going on and, while I was busy distracting her with Archie, Sören pulled out the ring.

She said yes... thankfully!

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It was the very first proposal I'd ever photographed, so when they later asked me to capture their wedding too, it felt particularly special. From secretly photographing that moment at Castle Howard to watching them say their vows surrounded by everyone they love at Blencowe Hall, what a lovely story to have been trusted with.

And of course, Archie was there for the wedding too. It wouldn't have felt quite right without him.

An Outdoor Wedding Ceremony at Blencowe Hall

The weather absolutely delivered for their outdoor ceremony. Beautiful sunshine, blue skies... and just enough wind to give Sami's veil a complete personality of its own.

As Sören and Sami stood together reading the personal vows they'd written for one another, the veil decided it had other ideas and needed taming mid-ceremony.

Everyone giggled, including Sami, and it was one of those completely unplanned moments that made the ceremony feel even more like them.

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It's exactly why I love photographing weddings in a relaxed, documentary way. You can plan the flowers, the outfits and the timings, but you can't plan the moments that end up making everyone laugh.

Their guests watched on so fondly as they said their vows, and seeing the pride and emotion on their parents' faces was particularly lovely. It's very clear that these two aren't just completely in love, they're best friends too.

A Relaxed Wedding Weekend With Family at its Heart

Family ran through the whole day.

Both Sören and Sami come from wonderfully big families, and there was such a feeling of warmth between everyone. The way their parents spoke about them, looked at them and celebrated the people they'd become was incredibly touching.

Sami's bridesmaids wore different pastel-coloured dresses too, which looked gorgeous together and added to the relaxed feel of the day without everything needing to perfectly match.

One of the things Sören and Sami really wanted was for their wedding to be as enjoyable for their guests as it was for them. They'd brought all these people together from different parts of their lives and different parts of the world, and they wanted everyone to have time to actually enjoy it.

And they absolutely did.

Persian Food, Speeches and a Gin Hour

Food was a particularly special part of the celebrations.

Sami's father is Persian and, growing up, she remembers him cooking huge banquets for family and friends. Her school friends even spoke fondly about the incredible feasts they remembered eating at her house over the years.

So having a Persian buffet as part of their wedding celebrations felt incredibly personal. It wasn't simply choosing something delicious for dinner, although it absolutely was! It was another little piece of their family's story woven into the day.

I also loved the way they spread the speeches throughout the celebrations rather than having them all together. It gave each person their own moment and meant the stories, memories and words being shared never felt rushed or lost amongst everything else going on.

Then came Gin Hour.

Rather than having that slightly awkward lull between dinner and the evening celebrations, Sören and Sami turned it into another part of the day for everyone to enjoy. Drinks, conversation and time together before the first dance, exactly the relaxed atmosphere they'd hoped to create.

Wedding Photography That Lets the Day Happen

This was one of those weddings that reminded me why I love photographing days as they naturally unfold.

There was so much happening everywhere, conversations, hugs, laughter, children, families catching up and people who'd travelled huge distances simply enjoying being together.

Of course we made time for some beautiful portraits of Sören and Sami too, but we didn't need to disappear for hours to create them. Their wedding was about spending time with their people, so that's where they needed to be.

For me, wedding photography has never been about taking over someone's day to manufacture photographs.

It's about paying attention to what's already there.

And there was an awful lot to pay attention to at this one.

Sören and Sami, thank you so much for trusting me to capture your wonderful Blencowe Hall wedding. It was an absolute joy spending the day with you, your families and friends, and seeing just how loved you both are.

Here's a little preview of your day while I work on the rest.

I have a feeling you're going to love reliving this one.