Tucked away in the Lincolnshire countryside, Chloe and Ethan’s wedding at Brackenborough Lakes Resort was a masterclass in effortless elegance and joyful connection. With golden-hour light spilling across the water and laughter echoing through the gardens, their day unfolded with warmth, authenticity, and quiet magic. From heartfelt vows to dancefloor revelry, every moment was a reflection of their story, and it was an honour to capture it.
The Beginning
“Ethan and I met in 2011 at secondary school. Although we were never close friends, we would always cross paths in one way or another, whether that was through mutual friends, being sat together in a class or messaging each other over snapchat. I always liked Ethan, but I was too shy to tell him! That was until the summer of year 11- we became part of the same friendship group, grew really close and the rest is history!”
“Ethan finally proposed on Christmas Day in 2021. He handed our son Jayce the ring box and had him bring it to me! Having Jayce involved made it even more special!”
Top tip from the newlyweds
“Soak in every second! From the planning, to walking down the aisle, to having the last dance together. Even though planning can be stressful at times, try to ignore outside noise and enjoy it! It comes around so quickly so just remember to take a second to take everything in, be proud of yourselves and enjoy having all of your favourite people in one room.”
The Wedding
Meet Ethan
Ethan was a ball of nerves bless him! But he spent the morning perfecting the décor and making sure everything was ready like an absolute trooper! It’s very rare to see such a dedicated groom on the big day, his priorities were absolutely on point.
Chloe had left him a lovely gift bag which just made his morning.
If you’ve seen any of my previous Real Wedding Stories; you’ll know I always start with the guys first because they get ready a lot quicker (sorry girls, it’s true!) and it’s much easier for them to take their jacket off again and relax if they want to!
Suit boutique: Coates Couture Bridal
Meet Chloe
The bride zone was a super relaxed place to be. Chloe and the girls got ready in one of the lodges near the lake, and I absolutely love these rooms for prep photos! Chloe opened a lovely card from Ethan and we were even ready with enough time for three reveals to dad, mum and the bridesmaids!
Hair: Yasmin Leigh Hair
Make-up: Brigita MUA
Dress boutique: Coates Couture Bridal
Flowers: Everbloom – Kate Hindley
The Ceremony
The wind and slight bit of rain didn’t stop us! They tied the knot outside and it was beautiful. They had two lovely readings given by Chloe’s mum and another guest which just adds so much personality to the ceremony.
“Our 4 year old son walked his younger twin sisters down the aisle! Some people thought it would be better for one of our adult bridesmaids to walk the girls down but we knew Jayce would do such an amazing job and will be a beautiful memory that they will cherish forever.”
Cocktail hour
“We chose the Brackenborough hotel because we just instantly fell in love with it! The location was great, the staff were amazing and the grounds are absolutely beautiful! It was actually the first venue we viewed but we knew it was perfect for us.”
In true British fashion, the sun was quick to return after the ceremony (typical!) The kids enjoyed the garden games, while the adults enjoyed the refreshments!
Garden games: Emma Lane Designs
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Family Photos
We had our family photos just before the wedding breakfast. The sun was shining high (when it felt like it!) and we were able to get this beautiful golden glow to some of them!
Wedding breakfast
The newlyweds were announced into the Brackenborough Tennyson Suite which looked absolutely gorgeous! It was like being in a fantasy fairy garden with all the lights and wildflowers.
“We chose a wildflower theme for our wedding with pink as our main colour (Chloe’s favourite) and soft peach, blue, yellow and ivory as the accent colours. We both loved the idea of a colourful spring wedding and we knew we’d be able to put our own stamp on it! We chose to name our tables after different wildflowers that were personal to us – for example, “sweet pea” and “rose” to honour grandparents that are no longer with us, “marigold” and “poppy” to represent our birth flowers and finally “honeysuckle” which is the name of the hospital ward that our children were born on. We also had bud vases as part of our centrepieces for each table – everything came together so beautifully!”
Venue dressing: Finishing Touches & Balloon Boutique
Speeches
We had four incredibly unique speeches. Chloe’s dad spoke first, followed by Ethan, the best man and then the three bridesmaids.
Cheers to the newlyweds!
Newlywed Photoshoot
The Brackenborough has so much to work with in terms of photography, it’s definitely one of my favourite venues for this reason among others! We had a chilled out walk around the grounds, and popped back out later as the sun set for some stunning photos near the lake.
Cake cut & first dance
Cake maker: Baked By Sas
“We chose a piano cover of Erasure’s “A Little Respect” by Carrie Mac. A little respect has been ‘our song’ since we were teenagers, so it only felt right! In fact, that moment felt so full circle and having our family and friends join us on the dance floor only made it more perfect.”
Reception
After the father-daughter dance, Chloe was absolutely down to get her PJ’s on and show some more moves on the dancefloor! Hats off to her!
Why choose The Brackenborough Hotel for your big day?
As a wedding photographer I have the pleasure of working at so many gorgeous venues and have the privilege of working with so many incredible staff. From ‘prep to party’ everything at Brackenborough Lakes Resort is just flawless. They even have an on-site hair & beauty salon!
Every room has an elegant décor choice and the lodges on the lakes are a fantastic choice to spend your wedding morning in. The lodges let in so much natural light; and they’re all decorated neutrally which goes with any theme or colour scheme; great for your wedding photos!
The food is delicious, and everything from the ceremony areas to the dancefloor radiate with such a timeless elegance to compliment your wedding day.
There are so many photo hotspots with beautiful backdrops and plenty of space; and when the roses are in bloom they add such a romantic touch to your wedding photos. I absolutely love working on weddings here!
