4 minute read
FINALLY, WE DO
After having to postpone their wedding eight times, Ceara and Chris tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony at St Catherine’s Church
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In typical modern fay fashion, Chris and I met online,” says Ceara. “Our first date was a huge success, and over the next few months, we “ would meet up to go walking or exploring the Lakes. For the first two years, we commuted between Ulverston and St Bees each weekend, exploring different areas and building our relationship. In 2017, we decided to take the plunge and buy our first home in Eskdale.”
Chris proposed on Father’s Day in 2019. “As we were unable to see our respective fathers that day, Chris suggested we go for a walk up Harter Fell at the bottom of Eskdale Valley,” shares the bride. “When we got to the top, Chris told me to shut my eyes as he had a surprise. I genuinely thought he was going to give me a small Lindt chocolate bunny as we had several leftover from Easter, but when I opened my eyes, there was a ring! He asked me to marry him, and we had the most perfect day.”
Here she shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...
We were engaged in June 2019 and planned the most amazing wedding for 30th May 2020. We were going to have a huge celebration with friends and family, then COVID-19 came along. We initially thought, as most people probably did at the time, that things might be better by May, but in April we decided to postpone until September. We then postponed again and again, and then to save heartache, we concluded that we would try and get married with a small guest list, so we completely re-planned and re-worked the wedding. Our smaller day was then cancelled due to restrictions and then cancelled again, so in April, we decided to bite the bullet and plan our big day for the eighth time. After endless hours of rearranging, we had the most perfect day ever. We had our ceremony at St Catherine’s Church and afternoon tea and canapés from Woodland’s Bistro & Tea Room that we ate while walking around the fells.
Chris and I decided to decorate the church ourselves with bunting and made an incredible photo board of all our guests. Since we weren’t allowed to sing due to COVID-19, we secretly hid musical instruments under everyone’s seats, and we played these during the hymns, which was fantastic.
My little sister died nine years ago at the age of 22. She would have been a bridesmaid, and it was a highly emotional day for our family as the last time I walked down the aisle in a church was at her funeral. We fully believe she was there with us on the day – bringing the sunshine, and for that, we’re eternally grateful.
My dress was called Emma from Maggie Sottero. My mum and I found it in October 2019 at Serendipity Brides in Warwickshire. I realised that I needed to find my dress quickly, so we called Serendipity Brides, who were fully booked and explained the situation, and they managed to squeeze us in! Once I tried it on, I knew instantly that it was the one. Chris chose a Ted Baker suit in lockdown in preparation for our May 2020 wedding. He definitely stood out being one of only four men at the wedding!
The sense of love we felt from everyone was overwhelming. Everything was perfect, from the weather and food to the company and make-shift church music. I asked the groomsmen to record a short speech for Chris, which was a total surprise! He still asks to watch them now, even though the wedding was months ago. They were absolute legends and made it really special.
The weather held out for us. In what had been the wettest and coldest April on record for quite a while, our wedding day was simply glorious.
CEARA AND CHRIS’ CONTACTS
Ceremony venue, St Catherine’s Church | Photographer, Adam Tranter Wedding Photography, www.adam-tranter.com | Bride’s dress, Serendipity Brides, www.serendipitybrides.co.uk | Groom’s suit, Ted Baker, www.tedbaker.com | Hair and make-up artist, Hair For a Wedding, www.hairforawedding.co.uk | Cake, Sharon’s Cakes, www.facebook.com/sharonscakeswhitehaven | Flowers, Made in Flowers, www.made-in-flowers.co.uk | Stationery, Blush & Blossom, www.blushandblossom.com | Catering, Woodland’s Bistro & Tea Room, www.woodlandstearoom.co.uk For our honeymoon, we managed to have a few days away in the Peak District in a self-catering cottage, but given the weather turned and everything was closed due to the lockdown, it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to having a proper honeymoon when we can!
