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Never fear! Brides Up North is here to soften the back to work gloom, with a full schedule of Real Wedding gorgeousness this Tuesday. Starting off the pretty, a stunning Grasmere celebration packed full of beautiful details and beautiful people, sent to me by real bride Laura and Tom Bramwell Photography.
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Gaze!
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Let’s hear from Laura: Richard asked me to marry him on a weekend break in Dublin in July 2011 and we were married on 24 May 2012 at Dale Lodge, Grasmere in the Lake District, Cumbria.
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We wanted somewhere cosy and friendly and we knew as soon as we walked in that this venue was perfect for us. Not too large but big enough to accommodate all of our family and friends. It had a homely feel which made us and our guests feel welcome. The setting in Grasmere was idyllic and the staff were just amazing.
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We didn’t have a specific theme, we just picked all of the things that we liked and waited to see how it all came together. The bridesmaids wore Sailor Blue, but the groomsmen all chose their own colours. The flowers were all whites, ivories and greens as I love simple white flowers.
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I wore a fitted, lace vintage style gown with a slight fishtail and train and high neckline, I matched it with a floor length veil. The wedding dress and veil were both from Justin Alexander bought at Marrime in Kendal.
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My bridesmaids wore floor length, chiffon gowns from Dessy, also bought at Marrime in Kendal. The groom and groomsmen all chose to wear their own suits. This allowed them to express their own personality, but also I wanted them all to feel comfortable. The groom and some others had suits tailor made by Moss Bespoke in Manchester.
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I had a hand tied bouquet made from gypsophelia, phlox, stocks and freesias with lots of foliage. My bridesmaids carried smaller versions of my bouquet. All our flowers were by Claire at Flowers by Popplemire.
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My favourite special touch was surprising my husband by arranging for the Eye Of The Tiger to be played as we walked back down the aisle. His favourite film is Rocky and he loves that song, he knew nothing about it and his face was priceless.
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I would really struggle to name a perfect moment as the whole day was everything we wanted and more. One of the moments that I will never forget is as we walked out of the venue after the ceremony into the grounds. Two fighter jets flew at low altitude right over our heads! My father passed away in 2005 and he was a huge aircraft enthusiast. It was almost like a little gift from him and it was absolutely perfect!
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As we had exclusive use of the venue I bought some of my own decorations which we scattered around the hotel. Most notably we took photos from past family weddings on both sides and placed them around the hotel. I also placed sweet jars in various rooms which I made myself, and I converted an old picnic basket into a card basket for the entrance hall.
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For our entertainment we used Pete Lashley, a fantastic local musician who played the first few hours of the night and then we had DJ Travis, a local DJ who came in to play for the rest of the evening.
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Our cake was a three tier fruit cake with ivory icing, with lace and pearl effect and a bow. It was made my one of my best and oldest friends who offered to make it as a present. Despite only having a few quick conversations giving her a very rough idea of what I wanted, Jess made the most beautiful cake which matched everything else (especially my dress which she had never seen!) absolutely perfectly.
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We haven’t had our honeymoon yet due to other commitments, so we’re saving and we are hoping to go on a holiday of a lifetime next year. Something to look forward to!
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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be don’t get too bogged down in planning every tiny little detail. If you make sure that your guests are looked after and have a good time then you will have the most wonderful day, because despite anything else, nothing for me beats being with all the people you love and having an amazing time!
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Congratulations Laura & Richard! 
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If you would like your Real Wedding to feature on Brides Up North, all you need to do is get in touch.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Tom Bramwell Photography
This is not a sponsored post
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