For couples tying the knot and looking for an exclusive Lake District wedding venue, The Wild Boar Estate takes some beating.
So it proved for newlyweds Kerry and Craig, who chose to book out the whole venue for their nuptials.
The bride and groom had a difficult decision to make on where to marry. The beautiful Greek Island of Paxos was a favourite, but a wedding in the Lake District got the nod in the end.
“Paxos and the Lake District are both special places to us,” explains Kerry. “And we wanted somewhere to reflect us as people, what we enjoy and where we are our most relaxed.”
A home from home wedding in the Lake District
A key factor in their decision was the ability to secure a real gem amongst exclusive wedding venues in the Lake District. An autumn wedding fitted with the couple’s work schedule. Indeed, The Wild Boar’s exclusive use availability, plus the warmth of its open fires, won the day.
“The Wild Boar wedding offer in the Lakes won us both over,” says Kerry. “We knew we wanted exclusive use of the venue. More guests would be able to join us, with as many as possible staying over on site. And it gave us a relaxing venue with a touch of luxury, great food, wine and real ale to cater for everyone’s tastes.”
A high street meeting becomes a wedding day in Windermere
So how did Kerry and Craig first meet? Both were running their own businesses, coincidentally on the hight street of their village.
The romance blossomed and the rest is history. Soon, Craig’s proposal came during a surprise birthday trip for Kerry. And with the Amalfi coast in Italy a spectacular backdrop, he asked for Kerry’s hand on the balcony, at sunset, overlooking the sea.
Planning their ideal Lake District wedding
So there was much to do to plan and organise their big day. Working with The Wild Boar Estate’s wedding co-ordinator Amy Smethurst, Kerry and Craig started to piece together their choices for the wedding breakfast, table settings, flower arrangements, decorations and of course their respective outfits.
Kerry’s gown and veil was designed and made by Charlotte at Wilden Bride, Epsom, Surrey. And her boots were fashioned by Freya Rose.
Craig’s suit was bespoke by Gieves and Hawkes, Saville Row. An added plus was the addition of a flat cap by Lawrence and Foster of Castleford, and boots by Barbour.
For their Wild Boar wedding breakfast, the couple plumped for white onion and thyme soup with cheese scones, Sunday roast dinner and apple crumble with custard.
Kerry adds: “For an extra touch, we had beer mats designed and made for place names, and calligraphy written by The Creative Nib. My vision was for an autumnal banquet style, with gold candelabra in differing sizes.
“And we had small compotes bowls with selections of seasonal flowers in ivory, plum, green, navy and peach. We added fern and hellebore plants scattered amount dreamy Spanish moss to soften the look, all finished off with plums and grapes.”
On the formal wedding invitations, the couple added a note that hats were to be encouraged. And on the day there were guests sporting fedoras, fascinators and flat caps galore.
Wedding cakes and floral decorations
And of course no Lake District wedding venue would be complete without a delicious cake to mark the occasion. Kerry and Craig chose a small wedding cake made by the mother of one of the bridesmaid’s. And it was decorated with fresh flowers and fruit. Harwoods Patisserie created a selection of mini cakes.
The couple’s pre-ceremony song was Embryonic Journey by Jefferson Airplane. And they chose Neil Young’s Harvest Moon for their last dance to wrap up the big day.
Kerry also had her own team of skilled florists amongst the guests. They took it upon themselves to construct several large-scale floral installations. That included the main entrance and ceremony room.
Kerry adds: “Having my friends from the floristry industry join us to celebrate and have them decorate the entrance to the venue with a jaw dropping Autumnal floral arch was a special memory. All the more so as they were allowed to forage from the woodland around.
“Even The Wild Boar Estate’s Land Rover, ‘The Mad Pig’ got a floral make over, covered in wild foliage and flowers.”
Wild wedding celebrations in the Lake District
Kerry and Craig took the idea of a wild wedding to the next level. Alongside the canapes and family photographs, there was a surprise ‘Wild Boar-nament’. This included indoor games, clay pigeon shooting and a quiz after their wedding breakfast. They announced the winners with a victory shot of Fireball.
Kerry and Craig had chosen to have a sweetheart top table – just for the two of them. That meant they could look around the room to see all their favourite people having a great time. They also cherished that rare wedding day opportunity to talk to each other.
They had a beautiful celebrant lead ceremony in the main restaurant filled with personal vows and their favourite songs. As the ceremony ended the bride and groom thanked each of their guests row by row until they were the last two people in the room.
So from the warmth of the exclusive use of a Lake District wedding venue, Kerry and Craig jetted off for their honeymoon. They chose Tenerife for some much-needed winter sun, but they’re already planning a second honeymoon too, possibly in Thailand.
