getting ready for December elopements
we’re not officially using the ‘C’ word yet, it’s still only November. But we’re getting ready for next month and this week I’ve ordered our Christmas trees to be delivered at the beginning of December. We always order our trees through the lovely Amanda Randall as she hand tags our trees in the supplier’s field before they’re cut down so we know each tree is hand selected just for us. Love that.
We always have a tree in the apex for our December elopement weddings, plus a tree in the wedding barn to give us a lovely twinkly reminder of the time of year plus one on the terrace for the elopement ceremonies. Too many trees? No such thing.
Amy & Paul’s 2017 december elopement
Ordering the trees this year put me in mind of one of our lovely elopement weddings last December. It sums up that wintery December feeling completely from bride Amy’s fur wrap to the winter light to the decorated drinks trolley – oh yeah, and the trees.
Amy & Paul had the most intimate of elopement weddings. Just the two of them. Clare our elopement photographer and I were witnesses. I love the teeny elopements, it’s so lovely to be a part of those days and yes, I have been known to shed a tear during the ceremony…
So let’s dive into the photos and get our wintery feels on.
First up there’s the lovely shots of Amy in the honeymoon cottage, reading a handwritten letter that groom Paul had written for her to read before she walked into the ceremony to marry him. I love it when the couple take the time to read something meaningful on such a memorable day. Whether you agree to do this together or as a surprise, it’s such a precious momento of your wedding day.
And the flowers. Can we just talk about the flowers for a second. Amy chose a stunning combination of dark plum colours and pale pinks which Amanda Randell our resident elopement florist put together in this jaw dropping bouquet. Amanda attached Amy’s treasured photo to the bouquet so she carried those people with her during the wedding.
I love this tender moment in Amy & Paul’s ceremony captured by Clare.
After their wedding ceremony, photographer Clare took the newlyweds off for some gorgeous couple portraits. Amy changed her lovely sparkly wedding shoes for much more practical winter outdoor wedding footwear (of course they matched with her wedding colours), grabbed her cosy fur shrug and off they went into the winter sunshine.
winter elopement couple portraits
This is what I mean about that winter light – isn’t it beautiful?
Our gardens are beautiful in the summer, full of green and flowers but in the winter it has it’s own special kind of beauty too. There are plenty of places in the winter to have photos – take a look at these from around the gardens,
And whilst we’re on these outdoor pics, can we take a moment for a girl crush on Amy’s gorgeous bridal up do created by the lovely Jodie owner of local hair salon The Hair Lounge.
and of course no Ever After elopement wedding would be complete without a lil couple shot in the apex…
elopement styling details
Did you spot the fairy light covered tree at the back of the apex? Whilst Amy & Paul were having their couple photos, the Ever After wedding ninjas were changing over the space for dining. Taking our cue from Amy’s flower colours, we set up a sweetheart table in front of the fire, dressed with a pale pink linen cloth, a silver filigree runner and silver chargers.
We love to make sure the table’s beautifully dressed so we laid out copper cutlery, heather coloured wine glasses and napkins and the bark vase for the bouquet centrepiece to give a lovely mix of rustic luxe. You can see another fairly light laden tree in the background.
Blush tea lights and tiny bud vases were the finishing touches to this tablescape, all set for Amy & Paul’s intimate wedding breakfast. We set up a drinks trolley near the table so their drinks were within easy reach (important!) and do you think we passed up the chance to style the trolley – of course not. The mirrored trolley was set up with an ice bucket for the champagne, tea lights and a suitably seasonal display on the top level. Underneath, cups and saucers for tea and coffee and more flowers beneath that.
I had these arrangements left over from a photo shoot the previous week and they worked perfectly as free of charge additions for Amy & Paul’s decor.
Oh and then there’s the cake. Whatta cake! Made by our elopement chef Harrie from Boo To A Goose, this little beauty really punches above its tiny weight for impact. Flowers were supplied by florist Amanda and arranged by Harrie to be sure they co-ordinate perfectly with the bridal bouquet.
tiny wedding package
Who could believe you could pack so much gorgeousness into a tiny wedding? We do. Because we do it all the time. Our inclusive elopement package includes bouquet & buttonhole, champagne, canapés, 3 course wedding breakfast, a lil wedding cake plus of course, 2 nights in our super fab honeymoon cottage. I know!
So are you ready to sign up to get your very own dream elopement wedding. Exclusive use of the whole venue just for 2 people. You don’t have to share it with anyone – except the Ever After wedding ninjas looking after you on the day. And even they have homes to go to, so by late afternoon you’ve got the whole place to yourselves, just Steven and I in the house if you need a hand with anything. Come on, there’s no place like it. Drop me a line and let’s figure out what date we’ve got to suit you.
Oh and very unusually, there’s a photo of Amy & Paul with the Registrars and the elopement team. That’s our Emma on the right who looks after you on the day and Clare on the left who is (obvs) not usually in the photos. And me standing next to groom, Paul.
Cheers!
See more of our elopement weddings over on our real elopements page.
