Summer 2024 was pretty wet but between the showers there were a few gloriously sunny days, and Rachael & Shaun’s Town Head Estate wedding was one of these. When they were searching for their wedding venue, there were lots of things they were looking for; proximity to water as Rachael grew up sailing, a barn, and a location that was equidistant for both their families. Town Head ticked a lot of those boxes; Rachel & Shaun live in Malaysia so their planner, Ellen went to view it and as fate would have it, a cancellation for their perfect date came up and so it was set!
An outdoor ceremony overlooking Windermere
Town Head Estate really does offer everything you could want in a Lake District wedding venue; a beautifully restored barn, on site accommodation, manicured gardens, lake access with its own private jetty and a wonderful terrace overlooking the lake for an outdoor ceremony. Rachael & Shaun did their “legal bit” on the Friday with a a couple of friends and Eleanor their celebrant conducted one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever photographed full of glorious story telling, a really wonderful nod and a toast to Rachael’s late father, a ring warming (which I’d never seen before but the sentiment is just so special) and a musical interlude from Shaun’s sister.
booking a second shooter for your wedding
Rachael & Shaun’s Town Head Estate wedding really made the best use of the extensive grounds the venue has to offer; the walk from prep to the ceremony takes a few minutes (Rachael actually had a shoe change half way to save her feet!) and this meant that having a second photographer was really invaluable. It goes without saying that one photographer can only be in one place at one time but with a second, it really enhances your coverage and means we can be in more than one place at once! It not only meant that Rachael & Shaun each had a photographer with them during prep, there were two sets of eyes on the ceremony & speeches (look carefully and you may occasionally see one of us in the background of each others pictures) but we were able to tag team movement around the grounds during the day so one or the other of us could get into key positions. Read ‘Do we need two photographers at our wedding?‘ for more info about the benefits of having a second shooter on your wedding day.
A perfect, personalised Town Head Estate Wedding
There were so many really lovely unique touches to Rachael & Shaun’s day beyond their ceremony; Rachael’s shoe change, a place at the table for her dad at dinner, an early evening boat ride, and I really loved their seating plan which featured a hand illustrated picture of every guest by talented Malaysian artist Oh Beatricee that doubled as favours for everyone to take home. Just lovely. I also really love their tip to other couples planning their wedding…
“Do it your way. Do not listen to that little voice that says you should listen to the well meaning advice of friends/family. Everyone will have an opinion but ultimately the day is yours and you will not regret a single second if you do it exactly how you want to. Be selfish!”
Rachael & Shaun’s day was absolutely unforgettable from start to finish and viewing their highlights and reading their thoughts on the day probably needs a whole pot of tea, not just a mug! And of course if you’re planning your own Town Head Estate wedding, do get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!
How did you meet?
Rachael was living and working as an international school teacher in Malaysia. She had been there for 4 years and was browsing what delights the dating apps had to offer when she matched with Shaun a mere two weeks after he landed. He had also moved to work as an international primary school teacher. Our first date was at a hidden speakeasy style restaurant and bar in a dodgy looking area of town, and the rest is history! Rachael enjoyed playing tour guide for a while and Shaun fell in love with Malaysia and Rachael at the same time! Cheesy!
Tell me your proposal story
We travelled to Australia for the Christmas break in 2022, splitting our time between Sydney and Melbourne. Shaun is an avid cricketer so part of the trip was to check out the all important cricket games that happen in December. Shaun almost got caught out in immigration because he panicked thinking he needed to declare the ring. Rachael had a feeling she knew what was going on while Shaun was sweating and gesturing wildly to the immigration officer who eventually clocked on and wished us a very Merry Christmas. We had a lovely few days with friends and exploring around Sydney including a day trip to the Blue Mountains. There were loads of stunning viewpoint spots without the crowds of tourists we had expected. Rachael thought many times “this will be it” but ‘it’ never happened. The next day we went to see a lighthouse at the end of Long Beach along from where Home & Away is filmed. We got asked to move along by the security team as they were filming when we wandered along the beach and then as we climbed to the lighthouse Rachael suddenly realise Shaun was wearing a long sleeved shirt and chino shorts…. we were going uphill, there was a lot of sweating… Rachael queried why on earth he was dressed so inappropriately and he fobbed me off with some story about not realising it would be so hot. Shaun decided it was too windy to propose at the lighthouse (of course Rachael didn’t know) so we then went to Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden (apparently the most romantic spot in Sydney). We arrived and Rachael said “people get married here?!” so Shaun srarted to panic, because it did look really drab. Rachael suggested we keep walking and we popped out on the harbour side at Lavender Bay. We sat down and dangled our feet over the edge to watch the boats go by. The sun was just starting to drop in the sky, the harbour bridge was just ahead and it was very calm and peaceful. Shaun got down on one knee and a kind passer by took some photos and came back 10mins later to share.
Why did you choose a Town Head Estate wedding for your day?
Rachael grew up sailing, so having a ceremony near water was high on the wish list. We both settled on wanting barn vibes of some kind. We also wanted it to be in the Lakes because it’s a nice middle ground between our NW and NE based families. Our wedding planner Ellen found us Town Head, but they weren’t available on any of our preferred dates. A day after this disappointment, the venue told us they had a cancellation for the perfect date we wanted – we couldn’t believe our luck! Rachael’s mum, sister and Ellen (wedding planner) went to take a look on our behalf and we had a video call tour. We booked it there and then!
What was it you loved about your outfits and accessories that made you choose them?
I picked a dress that was nothing like the ones I had been imagining and trying on. I was going for lace bodice, A line and fairly modest neckline. The brief was sort of ‘woodland fairy princess elf’!!! I made sure I tried on all kinds of other styles just to be sure, but the dress shop threw a curveball by asking me to try on a dress with ruffles, which was a hard no at the time. They insisted, so I did. Everyone was instantly in tears! Later when I had the styling appointment, again I was looking for some delicate floral hair pins like babys breath or even pearls. My sister spied a sparkly headpiece which I tried on for fun and end up literally looking like Galadriel and everyone was in tears again so it stuck!!! The rest of my accessories were all family jewellery.
Shaun knew he wanted blue suits and we went with the pop of yellow to make it a little more summery.
Tell me about the vision you had for your wedding including your theme/colour scheme/styling/flowers:
Shaun’s favourite colour is blue and Rachael’s is green so we know we wanted to include this somehow. Rachael decided on the pop of yellow to inject a bit of summer and fun into the blue/green palate. We didn’t really have much of a vision beyond this – our focus was making sure the whole day felt like a huge get together full of love and joy and so much fun. We wanted everything to be very natural feeling and fairly relaxed. We also considered sustainability as much as we could – we really wanted to reduce waste.
What was your first dance and why did you choose it?
We used “our song” (an Indonesia song called Sempurna) for walking down the aisle, so we spent ages trying to pick a first dance song. We have a few bands that we both love a lot. In the end we settled on a mash up of Baby I’m Yours cover by Arctic Monkeys going into I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor. It meant we didn’t have to spend too long awkwardly dancing and having everyone staring at us, and would immediately get everyone up on the floor – which it did!
What were the most wonderful parts of the day for you?
Oh my goodness how to choose?! The ceremony was very special for us. It meant so much to us living so far away to have our family and friends from all over the world in one place together. Also, because we live away they know us all fairly virtually so it was important for everyone to feel they got a sense of the real us.
I think the other most awesome part would be the boat trip. Robert would have really loved that part the most, and it was nice to feel connected to him after such a difficult and recent loss.
Why did you choose Hannah Hall Photography as your photographer, and what was your experience of your photography on the day?
We loved Hannah’s bright and fun photos, and we really liked that there was less focus on the staged photographs and more on capturing the real moments and emotions of the day. We want to remember the day as it was, not the “instagram highlight reel” version. We adore our photos and think there is a perfect balance of the pretty photos for the wall and the ones that make us laugh out loud and relive the joy of the day. Hannah and Rhys made us feel so comfortable throughout and it was easy to forget they were there. We aren’t great in front of the camera but the experience was lovely and not daunting at all.
What would be your best bit of advice to other couples planning their wedding?
If it’s within your budget, get a wedding planner!!!
Do it your way. Do not listen to that little voice that says you should listen to the well meaning advice of friends/family. Everyone will have an opinion but ultimately the day is yours and you will not regret a single second if you do it exactly how you want to. Be selfish!
Rachael & Shaun’s Town Head Estate wedding suppliers
Venue Town Head Estate
Planner LND Events
Photographer Hannah Hall Photography
Celebrant Eleanor The Celebrant
Florist Rock & Wreath
Caterer Karen Rhodes Wedding & Event Catering
Cake Church Mouse Cheeses
Violinist What The Pluck
HMUA Ellie Ryder
Photo Booth Birdie Photo Booth
Lighting Emma Jane Events
Stationery Genie Is Good & Oh Beatricee
Lake Cruise Windermere Lake Cruises
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