James and Aimee’s wedding at St Mary’s Church, Rydal and Rydal Hall, Lake District wedding photography

On the 29^th August I travelled down towards Ambleside to photograph the wedding of James and Aimèe. The service was to be held at St Mary’s Church at Rydal, followed by the reception at the wonderful Rydal Hall.

The Chapel of St. Mary, Rydal is a lovely little church and always very accommodating for photographers. It’s great to get up into the balcony for a couple of wide shots looking down on the service but you have to pick your right moment to be able to leave the front of the church to get there. The church was built by Lady le Fleming of Rydal Hall, at a cost of £1,500, she herself laid the foundation stone in July, 1823. The Chapel was opened for public worship on Christmas Day, 1824, and consecrated by Dr. Blomfield, Bishop of Chester, on August 26th 1825.

Rydal Hall is a very special location for a wedding with fantastic settings, great staff and always well run. They do not host many weddings during the year which is a shame from my point of view because I just love photographing weddings here. Rydal Hall was previously the home of the Le Fleming family before being sold to the Diocese of Carlisle in the 1960's. Beautifully restored over many years, the Hall, and the surrounding estate and buildings are now available for individuals and groups to come and enjoy. Rydal Hall we also have the advantage of owning a large estate which includes the restored Thomas Mawson garden which is open every day 10am until 4pm, over 34 acres of woodland, the free flowing beck which produces the majestic Rydal waterfalls (made famous by William Wordsworth) and is situated on a section of the Coffin Trail – the picturesque pathway from Grasmere to Ambleside. With wonderful views over the Rothay Valley, with the Fairfield Horseshoe and Nab Scar as a backdrop, Rydal Hall is the perfect place for you to come and enjoy this beautiful part of the world.

The evening reception was held in the Bully Barn with ‘Cornerstone Band’ providing the evening Ceilidh entertainments. Below is a selection of my favourite photographs from this wonderful Lake District wedding.