Rydal Mount - Samantha and Steven - June 2024
For a few years Weddings by Annabel had the pleasure of managing Weddings at this historic home in the Lake District. Each wedding brought its own atmosphere and charm to the space, creating some truly memorable stories to add to its legacy. Samantha & Steven were one of those special love stories to bring their personalities to the venue…
The Top Team:
Some words from the Bride:
How was Rydal Mount as a venue? The most serene, beautiful, fairy tale lake district setting. Like a scene from a movie.
What made you choose Rydal Mount for your wedding? I love walking in the area, the nature is stunning, and I have very happy memories of Rydal. It's my happy place. My late friend Mary was a huge fan of Wordsworth and his take on nature, and this also peaked my interest in him - so the fact his family home is right there offering weddings in my favourite place on earth, made it all extra special.
What was the most difficult part of planning a wedding? All of it was very difficult for me not being the planning type - I found the amount of time spent just researching vendors, suppliers, film, catering, photography, and music (that where still available with our date so last minute AND also felt a good fit for our day, plus within budget) - totally stressful and overwhelming! I had no idea how much planning, research, communications and logistics would be involved for a short 4 hour wedding, esp planning it in a different area to where we live, to run smoothly.
What are your key memories from the day? Waiting in the back rooms and hallway of Wordsworth Family home with some of the people I love most (mum and best friends) and then the moment of waiting and walking out, then seeing Steven and everyone waiting was a moment that still stirs up deep emotion for me - I felt I had died and gone to heaven - that moment it was so perfect and wonderful, like a movie, a dream.. maybe the best moment of my life I will look back on even at the moment I die and think wow, how blessed and lucky to have lived that - mostly as I felt everyone’s support, sincerity and love. All the past hardship and heartbreak was forgotten in that moment... it was so very special and intimate, and I wish I could replay it over and over again!!!
How was having Annabel and her team there throughout the event? Annabel, the team, and gardeners where all so kind, lovely, relaxed, welcoming, and calm. I was thrilled to have my bouquet made up by Annabel from flowers from the garden - it was so incredibly beautiful and just what I wanted - all wild and nostalgic looking... and it also saved us lots of money for our budget, plus more eco-friendly!
What advice would you give others planning a DIY style wedding?
Plan a long time in advance, if you can. I only had a few months and it turned into a full time job! Be very clear with your bridesmaids on what help you would likely need esp. if you have a train on your dress that you might want occasionally tending to during the rest of the day, such as for photos, and not just in the morning. Ask the catering person to quietly pull you and your spouse aside to enjoy seeing the food laid out before it gets demolished. Let them know if saving the top tier of the cake it traditionally important to you not to cut up and serve but to keep. We also saved a small fortune with flowers by decorating the church with artificial displays then adding some real foliage the night before. Also little touches make a big difference. The vicar advised us to create order of service books and although it was a pain to do last minute (3 am print order job!) I think it was so worth while for guests to have that as a keepsake and to help them understand the flow of the day. If you are tech savvy I also think the wedding invite website was super helpful for us to get a lot of info out to people in a very short space of time.
Have you feedback on the rest of your supplier team? The photographer Matt Dodd and Film guy James Tracey where really great... I don’t like cameras but they where so relaxed and discreet I barely noticed them and they did a great job of making everyone feel comfortable and giving us mostly natural results. The vicar Lawrence Basham held an incredible service for us, so relaxed and light hearted, and Pam the church warden was lovely and even let my mum and friends have a go ringing the bells which was a sweet memory. The registrar team where also amazing, so kind. Lucy's food from the feedback we got was absolutely TOP notch and her drinks and canapes too. Her help was very valued on the day (laying out, vintage clothes, serving, and clean up.) MUA and hair lady also did a great job - lovely sweet and calming girls. The harp player and Striding Edge where beyond excellent for what we wanted - really brought the perfect atmosphere to our day.
Would you recommend Rydal Mount? YES! So grateful to everyone and for Annabel for helping me to make this day, in the perfect location possible! A dream come true... everyone brought a thread of the heart to the day, and it was truly felt.
Annabel commented on this day…
“The place has its own love and serenity captured in every nook but this couple really added the emotion. The day felt super chilled and special. It was a pleasure to get to know them and their story. The team brought even more calm and happy vibes.
Anyone planning to use a space that doesn’t have a professional event team behind it, think on. Back up, expertise and foresight can dramatically change a day. Get the right support, you won’t regret it!”
Gorgeous images by Matt Dodd Photo
