Cartmel Old Grammar Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A Georgian house in the village of Cartmel

Cartmel Old Grammar is a boutique hotel and wedding venue on the southern edge of the Lake District, in the village of Cartmel in Cumbria (LA11 7SG). The venue describes an 18th century Georgian building with manicured gardens, set beside Cartmel Racecourse and a short walk from the 12th century Cartmel Priory.

We filmed Sarah and Ella's wedding here on 20 May 2023. This page follows it through stills taken from their highlight film. Our Lake District guide shows the area beside other venues, and here we stay with this one house. What we say about the building comes from the venue's own website, and what we say about the stills comes from looking at them.

For current venue details, explore Cartmel Old Grammar. The wedding here was in May, so ask the venue how its gardens and rooms change in other seasons.

01 / The spaces / From the venue's own description

A ceremony lounge, a garden and the priory a short walk away

The venue says it holds a limited number of weddings each year and that every couple has the entire estate to themselves. Exclusive hire covers the hotel and gardens, all 12 bedrooms and the bars and lounge areas.

For the ceremony the venue offers three options: the light-filled ceremony lounge, a garden ceremony, or a service at Cartmel Priory, which it describes as minutes on foot from the house. It also offers reception-only weddings for couples who marry elsewhere, and a small package called Simply Two for anything from two people to twelve.

The venue says it seats 70 for a wedding, with alternative options for larger parties. Its catering is in-house, using local and seasonal produce, with tastings once your date is secured.

This aerial view from the film shows how the venue sits: a white house with a slate roof, a formal garden of clipped hedges and a fountain in front of it, the racecourse running beside the lane and green hills beyond.

02 / May 2023 / Sarah and Ella

Sarah and Ella: rhododendrons, confetti and sparklers

Sarah and Ella were married at Cartmel Old Grammar on 20 May 2023. The photograph at the top of this page is a still from their highlight film: the two brides walk hand in hand between clipped hedges holding lit sparklers, with bridesmaids in sage green and the white garden pavilion behind them. All the photographs on this page are stills from that film.

In the garden a bride in a white dress carries a pink and peach bouquet along a gravel path between box hedges, arm in arm with a man in a grey-green suit, a stone balustrade and a fountain behind them.

The ceremony takes place under a white pavilion wound with magenta ribbon, in front of deep pink rhododendrons. In the still below the two brides kiss, one in a veil and one in an off-the-shoulder lace gown.

Afterwards they walk back along the gravel path kissing as confetti falls, with guests lining the clipped hedge and clapping. In another still they lean together at a curved iron railing in front of a stone building, each holding a bouquet.

In another quiet moment the two brides stand close among the long, fresh green branches of a weeping willow, both smiling downwards, the sun coming through the leaves.

03 / Staying at Cartmel Old Grammar / From the venue's own description

Twelve bedrooms and breakfast included

The venue has 12 individually designed bedrooms in three styles, which it calls Comfy, Grand and Superior, and four of them are dog friendly. Because it is a small hotel, it says all 12 rooms need to be taken by the wedding party, so that no other guests are on site. All overnight stays include a full continental and cooked to order breakfast.

For photographs, ask which rooms you can use for getting ready and when they are available, so the morning can be planned around where each of you is.

Planning your photographs at Cartmel Old Grammar

A few things worth asking the venue, and how we would plan around the answers:

1. Ceremony location: The venue offers the ceremony lounge, the garden or Cartmel Priory. Each changes the day: the priory means a short walk back to the house, while a garden ceremony needs a wet weather plan. Tell us which you choose and we will plan the rest of the timings around it.
2. Season and light: Our wedding here was in May, when the rhododendrons around the garden pavilion were in bloom and the willow was bright green. The film ends with sparklers in the garden, so ask the venue about evening plans if you want a similar finish to the day.
3. Race days: The racecourse is next door and the venue says its race days run from May to August over four weekends. If your date is in that window, ask the venue how race days affect the day.
4. Rain: Agree an indoor or sheltered option with the venue when you confirm the order of the day, for example whether the ceremony lounge can be used for a garden ceremony. On the day we settle it together with you and the venue.
5. Group photographs: We do as many as you like and typically recommend around 15, which usually take about 20 minutes. Ask a groomsman or bridesmaid who knows everyone to round people up.
6. Getting ready: If you and your partner are in different places, we move between you together, splitting our time as a team. Groom preparation typically takes about 15 minutes.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so a Georgian house, a formal garden and a village priory a short walk away is familiar territory. You get one conversation about the timetable, one set of questions for the venue and one plan for the portrait walk.

The photo and video team package carries a £120 deposit and a £400 saving over booking photography and videography separately. We are based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in standard full-day packages. When the drive is over two hours we always stay in a hotel the night before and cover it.

Questions about a Cartmel Old Grammar wedding