Lake District Civil Partnership

Francesca & Adam contacted me last year about their Lake District Civil Partnership and I instantly fell in love with their vision for their day. Starting of at Cockermouth Town Hall for their civil ceremony and then venturing out across crummock water, a stone's throw from where they were staying.

"Adam and I met online through a dating website in late 2014 and went on a few dates. After a short hiatus, we reconnected in January 2015 and have been inseparable ever since! We moved in together after 11 months and two years later bought our first home which we've been in for two years. First and foremost, Adam and I are best friends. We just genuinely like each other!  We're not big romantics but instead focus on the small daily things to show how much we appreciate each other. Whether it's making that morning cup of tea, asking (and genuinely caring) how our works days have been, cheering each other's hobbies on or just making sure that we're being fair and understanding with each other. We both love the outdoors and spend our free time going camping and hiking in the UK, or going to new and interesting places abroad (for more walking!)."

"Our decision to get a civil partnership instead of a marriage is reflective of our views towards equality. While we support any commitment people make to each other, marriage for us was too steeped in tradition and patriarchy. A civil partnership is more secular and equal in our eyes and does not detract from the lifelong commitment we are making to each other. We chose an elopement in the Lake District because we both felt we didn't want all the pomp of a traditional ceremony, and wanted to incorporate a long walk in our favourite National Park into our special day, which would have been impossible with dozens of guests there too!"

We are combining a week-long walking trip with our ceremony and will be hosting a party for close family and friends back home in Cambridgeshire in September. We've very much chosen our own way to celebrate our love for each other, and we are thankful that all our closest family and friends are supportive and not disappointed to not be part of the ceremony itself. Neither of us felt that so much time, effort and expectation of a traditional wedding day should be placed on a single day to celebrate our commitment. Every day we are thankful to be together, and while we are looking forward to making our commitment official through a civil partnership, for us it is just solidifying what we already have with each other rather than being the start of something new."

Have a look at the below images from this Lake District Civil Partnership and If you would like me to photograph your big day, Or your outdoor ceremony or elsewhere, please feel free to contact me!

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