October elopements
Honestly how is it nearly October? I thought we just had Christmas? But a quick check of the calendar confirms yep, it’s the last week of September right now, October is coming up fast.
Oooh October, the start of Autumn, thoughts of cosying up in front of the fire and autumn October elopement weddings. Fab.
Shall we have a look back at some of the yummy October elopements we’ve had in years gone by? Yes, let’s do that!
BTW I think this may be the longest blog post I’ve ever done. I thought I’d just go through our October elopements from past years and it wouldn’t take that long. Uh wrong. It’s taken hours and then a few more hours. Down that rabbit hole I went and didn’t come up for a long while. Enjoy!
First October elopements
Ok here’s our very first ever October elopement, back in 2016 it’s Alice and Jonathan. I still remember that.dress. It was one of the things that totally convinced me about what we were looking to do here with elopements, have all the big wedding trimmings, on a tiny scale.
This view looks pretty much the same after 7 years except the doors look a bit more aged (battered) and the hedges in the foreground are a lot taller. Same photographer too – our Clare Kinchin.
Later that same month we had Vanessa & Gary with their 2 boys. Vanessa went for muted autumn colours with a beautiful tonal bouquet and a yummy chocolate cake dressed with fresh flowers provided by our florist.
October 2017 elopements
Roll forward 12 months to October 2017 and it’s some of my all time fave pics from Claire and Simon’s elopement, no guests – it was just the two of them. Soft tone colours again here with nods to autumn.
And another favourite from October 2017, Karen & Keith. No guests for them either. Beautiful shades of apricot and peach and this time a mini chocoloate cake with drips and fresh flowers.
I think Leanne & Sam in October 2017 were the start of elopement photos in the woods thing – see what you started guys?
I did a blog post all about Leanne & Sam’s wedding at the time which you can read here.
October 2017 was a vintage month, we had this gorgeous pair too, Liz & John – in the woods with wellies…
Yep 2017 was the year we really got going with the elopements, check out Sarah & Dan and their adorable baby (who must be 6 by now!) – again, no guests. Pared back neutral colours with a rustic vibe for them.
October 2018 elopements
Another year rolled by and by October 2018 we were really figuring out how to take elopement weddings to the next level as we did with Charlotte and Matthew. They had the most incredible October weather and the most incredible flowers. Soft pinks and creams with lashings of foliage for their fabulous ceremony arch and beautiful crescent bridal bouquet.
Jessica & Stephen travelled all the way from Georgia USA to get married here in October 2018, Jessica’s first ever time to the UK. We even managed to lay on some Dartmoor ponies when they went for their photos in the woods which was a lucky coincidence for them, we don’t guarantee photogenic equines with every elopement wedding.
Burgundy and blush pink are always a favourite of mine. You can see a lil film of Jessica & Stephen’s wedding by Baxter + Ted here on the website.
Jayna & Adrian were with us in October 2018 for their fusion elopement wedding. Two ceremonies and two frocks in one place in one day – oh yes!
October 2019
Galloping forward into 2019, the last season before Covid and we have Amy & Christian with pale pinks and creams but keeping it cosy with the sheepskins – and yep, another sunny day.
Georgia & Lewis are up next with purples, dark pinks and succulents – yum. Table dressed in neutrals with opulent accents of purple and gold.
Samantha & Robert got married here in October 2019 with their son as the only guest – such a sweet day. Sumptuous dark red with greens, whites and greys were sophisticated and elegant.
This wedding in October 2019 was all the glam. The bride wore silver sequins and the flowers were whites, creams and blush pinks. We dressed the sweetheart table with a matte silver sequin overcloth and touches of blush in the accessories. The drinks trolley was set up for two with champagne flutes, canapes and candles. The mini wedding cake was dressed with blush fresh flowers.
Steph & Chris are up next with their adorable Jack Russell (Sprout) and all change here with bright orange and red flowers. Additional flower sprays for the ceremony which then became the back drop for the cake, hair flowers for Steph and of course a collar for Sprout.
Final October wedding of 2019 was Yasmin and Nick who went for purple and red with touches of blue. They had a running table centrepiece of moss dressed with autumn fruits for a banquet feel.
October 2020
Of course 2020 was the first Covid year. Some of our elopement couples had started out as bigger wedding bookings but opted for an elopement wedding when the covid wedding restrictions hit. It was a stressful time for our couples, not knowing if they would be able to go ahead with their wedding. In fact we got shut down by the Government again at the end of October 2020, so just weeks after these photos were taken, all our November 2020 elopements were cancelled. I remember all that, trying to re-arrange so many dates and re-assure all our couples that we would do whatever it took to get them married. Which we did.
So first up for October 2020, it’s Carly & Michael with their 2 furry friends as the only guests. Mainly nude/blush colours but touches of red with the king proteas and orchids in the flowers.
Carly made this spectacular macrame back drop herself (super talented) which was set up at the venue with its own copper frame.
Next it was Charlotte & Mark. They had soft apricot and peach colours with added sparkle in gold and sequin accents. We were subject to covid restrictions on dining and guests had to be separated into bubbles on the table – remember those rules?
Ellie & Niall went for pinks and blues for their October 2020 elopement wedding. Ceremony in the barn by candlelight with cosy sheepskins reminding us autumn is really with us.
Another October 2020 elopement couple – no guests. An outdoor feel was requested so we dressed the sweetheart table with a rug and had plenty of rustic touches. The weather co-operated on the day but we’re all set up if the weather is wet, you’ll still be warm and cosy so no need to worry about what the weather might do, we’re prepared for everything.
I think you could say Jess & John are pumpkin enthusiasts. They brought a whole loadda pumpkins to their October elopement. Hand decorated pumpkins were their only guests. We also used a pumpkin as a centrepiece vase on the table. And Jess wore a spectacular dress with the colours picked out by our florist in the bridal bouquet and (of course) by us in the styling.
Laura & Adam went for classical elegance for their October 2020 elopement. Rich burgundy lightened with nude tones for the bouquet and the cake. This was another covid distanced table under those rules at the time.
Next up, Nadia & Rob and their adorable mini me’s as their only guests. They went with bright orange autumn colours with a special request for grey and blue tones on the wedding breakfast table. No covid restrictions as they were all in a family bubble.
Nicola & Michael had their 2 daughters as their only guests – again no covid restrictions needed. They went for mixed shades of blue and whites for their day. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies to match.
Pippa & Theo seriously downscaled their wedding plans due to the covid restrictions but still had a beautiful day filled with special touches and details. Burgundy and blush tones for this one and another gorgeous day weather wise. Covid restrictions on the dining lay out were still in force.
So that was a romp through October 2020 – a lot of weddings! I’ve added a handy link to each of the weddings above on the couple’s name so you can see more pics from each wedding if you want.
October elopements 2021
Let’s move onto October 2021 and another 8 weddings. Let’s go!
And we’re kicking off with this beaut of a wedding – it’s Jess & Hannah. It perfectly captures why October is such a great month for an elopement. Those flower colours, those bridal dresses (c’mon those dresses), that cake – it’s all so beautifully put together. It’s almost as if someone planned it – oh yeah that’s right, we did.
Another sunny day, another October elopement. Alison & Paul got married with us in October 2021. Just the two of them, no guests. A teeny drip semi naked wedding cake with fresh flowers. Rich reds, oranges and peach tones in the flowers which we carried through to the rest of the decor.
Alyshia & Paul had another beautiful October day here for their wedding. Blues, peaches and pops of orange in the flowers and this fab dark green iced cake with gold leaf and fresh flowers.
4 guests to the wedding of Lorelei & Liam. And look at the beautiful colour combination chosen by the couple. It all centred off Liam’s kilt tartan. And boy is this a beautifully curated wedding, Harrie our cake maker even had a strip of the actual tartan fabric to go round the base of the cake. Love a detail like that.
Toffee and copper colours for Charlotte & Marc’s wedding in October 2021. Love this wedding. Just the two of them. No guests. And Charlotte rocking her leather biker jacket & boots with her wedding dress.
Claire & Tom went for brighter autumn shades for their October elopement day back in 2021. They had 4 guests and a great day with sunshine and showers all in together. Oak leaves in the flowers, those pink/apricot roses were just delicious looking, a caramel drip semi naked wedding cake. The colours on the tablescape toned down with soft taupes, ambers and caramels. Lovely.
The next October 2021 elopement is Renata & Phil who had soft pastel tones of pinks, peaches and sage green with a rustic vibe. The wedding cake was hand painted and dressed with fresh flowers. The dining table was socially distanced again and I’m sure there was a reason I put a sheepskin rug on the table acting as a runner but I can’t remember what it was – looked good though when the table had to be so wide due to covid.
Lauren & Jordan chose whites with pops of orange and blue for their October 2021 elopement wedding. We wove all the styling elements together to bring everything together. Dark blue water goblets picking out the blue of the bouquet thistles, orange chargers with gold and bark decor accents and neutral table linens. An orange drip semi naked mini wedding cake dressed in white flowers and orange berries with rustic decor is a lovely finishing touch.
It definitely rained for part of Lauren & Jordan’s wedding, but as you can see, you still get great pics. You’re getting married, you’re with your favourite person – nothing else matters.
October 2022
Is there more I hear you cry? Yes, now we’re into the final year of this retrospective, last year 2022.
First up for last October, Charlie & Andy who had all the blues and whites, classic combination and so beautiful at any time of year. We added greys and silvers to the tablescape for greater depth and dark blue water goblets for extra impact.
Louise & Sam also had an October elopement in 2022 and they went for lemon yellows, peaches and purple for flower colours with additional flower sprays for the ceremony arch and fresh flowers for their rough iced mini wedding cake. We kept their sweetheart table colours pared right back as requested with the rustic touches they asked for so the flowers could take centre stage.
This October 2022 elopement had four guests and vibrant colours of dark pink and deep apricot – stunning. Rustic touches for the decor were requested with neutral backdrops to allow the flower colours to sing through.
And there you have it, a romp through most of our October elopements from 2017 to 2022 – phew.
If you’re looking for an October elopement of your own, we’ve got another load coming up in the next few weeks for October 2023 so keep your eyes open for those new weddings going up on the website gallery.
All photos by Clare Kinchin
All cakes by Boo To A Goose
All flowers by our retired florist Amanda Randell Cox.
Check out our full gallery of Autumn weddings here.
I’ve helped host dozens of elopement weddings over the last 7 years and I remember all of the early elopements I’ve posted here as if it was just a couple of years ago. Lovely.
What this retrospective has reminded me is that we’re always looking to up our elopement game, we’ve come a long way but we’ve always been ambitious when it comes to our elopement weddings. Creating beautiful tiny weddings is something we’ve been doing for years now and it’s such a joy to do them. Looking back has given me inspiration to keep putting together these mini weddings and making life time memories for our couples.
Get in touch
So is October the elopement month for you? As you have to give 28 days legal notice to marry, you’ve missed October 2023. We’ve still got dates for October 2024 so you can swing by our up to the minute availability calendar to check which October 2024 dates we’ve got available. Go on, check it out and then drop me a line with any questions not covered by the brochure or the FAQ’s. You’ll reach me at [email protected]
