Boho Woodland Wedding in Yorkshire
When we first spoke with Holly and Simon and they told us that they were planning to have their wedding in the family garden and do much of the work themselves, we could not have begun to imagine just how incredible the resulting wedding day would be. Of course we were excited to jump in and be a part of the day, but wow, this one was special!
Holly & Simon’s pre-wedding photoshoot
The woodland theme is strong in this one with our adventure starting with a pre-wedding shoot in Nutwood, a woodland we love and also one with real meaning for Holly and Simon as this was the location that Simon popped the question just a few months earlier. This was a brilliant couple of hours exploring the woods together and hearing all about the wedding plans so far. We were also invited back to view the family garden which would be the location for the outdoor ceremony and wedding reception, of course we accepted the offer and went along to have a walk through the space together.
First impressions of the garden ranged from “this place is epic” to “how on earth does this become a wedding venue”. For context, we were seeing the family woodland in its true natural state in February. The leaves were on the floor rather than the trees and the branches above were looking a bit naked. We were presented the vision by Holly and Simon and were so incredibly excited to see what the family could do with the space.
Humanist woodland wedding ceremony
Fast forward to June and we were back again for the wedding day, it was a bit of a grand designs moment for us as we walked in knowing what it looked like the last time we were there and then been completely blown away by the transformation. The whole place looked incredible and was so far above what we could have possibly imagined, the amount of work put in by Holly, Simon and the family was so clear to see. The wedding suppliers chosen to be part of the day all agreed they should make this a permanent wedding venue!
The woodland ceremony space was immaculate with not a single leaf out of place, with the guests seated on benches it was over to the wonderful celebrant Charlotte Griffiths to welcome everybody to this most unique of wedding ceremonies. Charlotte delivered the most beautiful humanist wedding ceremony that was truly bespoke to Holly and Simon and full of moments we were absolutely honoured to be able to capture with our cameras. Charlotte had talked us through the ceremony earlier in the day so we had an idea of how this would unfold, the tying of the knot was a moment we loved capturing, with the knot held high above their heads, the tree canopy above and their friends and family watching on behind, this is a photograph that we were delighted to capture and be able to include within the gallery from the day.
The whole ceremony experience was really magical, everyone in attendance would agree and will certainly remember this for a very long time. There was something really special about been outdoors with the sounds and smells of the trees around us, we also loved having the freedom to move around freely and be able to document this wonderful ceremony from every angle.
Charlotte prompted everyone to grab a big handful of confetti and shower Holly and Simon with it as they walked back down the aisle together as husband and wife, cue more photos!
Drinks were served in the woodland from the Randy Rabbit, we’re not sure if there are any awards out there for best home bar but if there are then for name and location the Randy Rabbit would be getting a rosette!
What is a humanist wedding ceremony?
A humanist wedding ceremony is a non-religious ceremony that breaks away from what we know as a traditional wedding ceremony. These ceremonies can take place anywhere and at any time of the day so they really do open up so many possibilities to couples looking to put their own creative stamp on their ceremony. Humanist wedding ceremonies are completely unique to each couple, a humanist celebrant will get to know your story and help to write a ceremony that truly celebrates your personalities and unique love for each other, often including non-religious readings and customs such as handfasting. Humanist wedding ceremonies are completely inclusive and are welcoming for everybody!!
Following the stunning ceremony we had some time to get the group photographs which were important to Holly and Simon, this included getting our drone in the sky for a big group photograph of everyone all together and also included Chris getting closely aquatinted with a friendly donkey or two which were roaming around the wedding too!
The afternoon was so relaxed with a focus on people, enjoying time together. The beautiful weather meant the marquee sides could be open all day with people able to flow in and out, the addition of hay bail seating outside was genius and gave plenty of places for people to share time together. Catering on the day was served by Annikas Apron, such a fantastic company who did the most amazing job serving up the most delicious food. We can give a double thumbs up for that, one for the people who are fab and just so friendly and another for the food itself which we were lucky enough to be able to sample too!
Wedding Ceilidh band, let’s dance!
Into the evening and we were so happy to catch up again with the Hessle Ceilidh Band who we absolutely love, as always they had everyone of all ages up on the dance floor joining in the Ceilidh. For anyone considering a Ceilidh our advice is to book it, a band like the Hessle Ceilidh Band will call the dances in a way that is really inclusive for everyone and create so much joy. This is obviously great for photos but mainly it is just great fun and is guaranteed to have big smiles on everyone’s faces as they dance into the night.
With photography coverage of the bands entire first set we were asked by Holly and Simon if we would like to have a dance too, we immediately said yes and had so much fun sharing a dance (or two) with them! Please check out some of the behind the scenes TikTok videos below where you can witness our moves in the Ceilidh!
Come behind the scenes with us
A massive congratulations to Holly and Simon, wishing you the happiest of adventures in your married life together!
We were delighted to receive this amazing review from Holly and Simon and just had to share it here too…
“Honestly couldn’t have wished for better photographs or better photographers! Don’t look elsewhere or you’ll be missing out!! I would scream their praises from the rooftop if I didn’t think I’d get noise complaints! Found them on Hitched and was so pleased I did!
They have not only sent us THE most beautiful photographs which really captured us at our best, but they are just the most amazing people to work with, couldn’t do enough and just were the most fun to have around.
If I ever need photographers again, there’s no-one else I’d turn to!
Couldn’t give higher praises if I tried and will be recommending them to everyone and anyone!“
We are a husband and wife team of wedding photographers in Hull with a love of storytelling through images. If you are planning your own wedding day and like our style it would be great to have an informal chat to hear your story so far, your plans, and see if we’re a good fit for you.
Have you seen our 10 top tips to get the most out of your wedding day?