Set in the glorious countryside of Cumbria’s Eden Valley, Cora and Alan’s wedding at Holesfoot was a celebration filled with warmth, laughter and effortlessly laid-back summer beauty.
With its sweeping gardens, graceful architecture and peaceful rural setting, Holesfoot was the perfect choice for this elegant country house celebration captured by the wonderful SL Photo & Film, who come with a high recommendation from Love My Dress.
The couple created a relaxed and modern look through soft neutral tones, pampas grass and macramé details that complemented the venue’s timeless charm. Cora wore a beautiful Enzoani gown, customised with added sleeves, and finished her look with delicate pearls in her hair. The day unfolded with heartfelt moments, family touches and a joyful ceilidh that kept guests dancing long into the night — a truly romantic English summer wedding to remember.
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Venue/Inspiration
We got married at Holesfoot, near Penrith in Cumbria. It is an absolutely stunning venue roughly halfway between Alan’s family home in Dundee and my family home in Wiltshire.
I have always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding and when we saw the gardens at Holesfoot we fell in love.
It also has plenty of accommodation on site, and as everyone had to travel for the wedding, it meant a large percentage of our guests could stay with us for the evening before and the night of the wedding.
We booked the venue from the evening of the 30th and held a pre wedding garden party, with food, drinks and garden games.
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The Dress
Enzoani
My dress was Enzoni and I added sleeves to the original design.
I bought my dress from Belle of the Ball Bridals in Melksham. Overall the experience was positive, however I would have preferred to be put in the main room to have a look at the dresses myself. Instead I was put in the plus size section, as a bride had come to show her dad her dress, she got the main room.
This meant that I could only try dresses they selected for me, but as I didn’t have a specific style in mind and was open to trying anything, I would have liked the opportunity to look for myself.
The ladies in there are lovely, complementary and make you feel comfortable.
The dress I chose was actually a sample sale dress that they said had now been discontinued. It was the dress I felt most myself in and felt it flattered me. I hadn’t expected to buy a dress, as we went two years before the wedding, however I loved this dress and didn’t want to lose it if the sample sold.
My shoes were Rainbow club and I wore stick on pearls from Shein. My pefume was Miss Dior’s Blooming Bouquet. I actually got this as a gift in Qatar. I hadnt yet used it as it felt too special for every day use. What better time than on our wedding day, and it also had a very apt name.
My mum and mother in law bought me a bracelet from Abbot Lyon, this was my something blue and new as it had a slightly blue stone in a little heart.
I got my necklace and earrings from Etsy (but i cant remember the shop).
I bought faux and dried flowers myself and created the bouquets with the help of my mum.
The girls got their dresses from Vinted. I gave them the criteria of champagne and let them go with it. They all have different body times and confidences so I wanted them to feel happy and comfortable on the day.
The Ceremony
My dad accompanied me down the aisle, to the sound of a Swahili song called ‘Malaika’ – we got engaged to this song in Zanzibar
My mum and mother both delivered a ceremony reading. Mum read ‘Wedding Poem’, by Whitney Hanson and my mother in law read the peom ‘The One’, by Cheryl Barclay.
My engagement ring was from Jessica Flinn, Alan designed it himself (with a few hints from me). Our wedding rings were from the Souq in Qatar. We wanted to have them made there as it was a significant part of our lives.
The Reception
We bought the decor ourselves second hand. We had pampas in demi johns, we had table runners, bud vases with fresh and dried flowers and we had drapes for the ceiling of the barn.
Our caterer was Karen Rhodes and my mum made our cupcakes- we had pistachio, cherry bakewell, chocolate, vanilla, lemon and salted caramel. We are both vegan, and she makes the most incredible vegan cupcake.
Our wedding favours were our table place settings. We collected corks and painted them to look like men in tuxes and ladies in dresses. We then printed out the head of each guest and stuck it to a cork. These went down so well and all the guests took them away with them.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Enjoy the run up to the wedding and try not to stress, easier said than done as I was so stressed about everything. In hindsight I didn’t need to be as the day was perfect.
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