Celebrating falling in love all over again

20th February 2021

Hard to believe it’s nearly a year since our first planned wedding celebration of 2020 for Annie & Jack last year was postponed, the start of the domino effect. After a very challenging year and lockdown hibernation we wanted to start the new wedding year with a newfound sense of optimism and hope. And what better way to do it than a new look. Sometimes all you need is a new outfit, a new haircut or even just a new lipstick to help you find your mojo, see things differently with fresh eyes and fall in love all over again!

So here we are, feeling all loved up with a brand spanking new website and logo. We hope you love it too. We needed to put the va va voom back into wedding planning and get ready to celebrate as soon as we are allowed. We wanted our 2020 and 2021 line up of couples, with whom we have been on this long journey, to feel good and fall back in love with their wedding again; and we wanted new lockdown lovers to feel inspired and see weddings with fresh eyes.

Our website aims to showcase our amazing couples and inspire others to follow in their footsteps to celebrate their own personal take on love and marriage.

For too long we have not been able to celebrate! So we wanted our new logo to capture a feeling of celebration especially now that we can see the light at the end of tunnel and the end of a dark chapter in our history. It symbolises a celebration of love, friendship and marriage and our relationships with family and friends that we have all missed so much. Visually the inspiration comes from our love of the flora and fauna of the great outdoors.

Get in touch. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Welcome to Celebration Ceremonies & Weddings! Specialists in personal ceremonies and outdoor weddings.

David and Nikita’s Yorkshire barn wedding

25th January 2021

Nikita and David’s intimate barn wedding ceremony in April this year was held at Cruck barn in the beautiful Yorkshire village of Appletreewick nestled in the valley. It was a stunning fusion of two places, cultures and lovers. The fern and the white rose representing Nikita’s heritage  David’s Yorkshire roots. And the sun didn’t disappoint, in fact it was more like a summer’s day! Beautiful memories of their special day were captured by the very lovely and talented Sarah at Folega Photography and are also featured in Love My Dress (10th July 2015). We have selected our favourites and given you a taste of how we made their ceremony personal and unique.

Nikita looked like a goddess in a soft, dreamy backless dress with beautiful english white rose details from the Australian boutique Grace Loves Lace; it suited her perfectly, understated beauty and full of romance. Nikita chose a pair of Melissa shoes with a raspberry heart design, although most of the day she went barefoot!

Her custom made crown was made by Beauxoxo.Nikita arrived in a Morris Minor, vintage style.

Nikita made her entrance with her dad to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo. Their ceremony told of a love story of a how a young, rough and tumble, tom-boyish girl living in Auckland, New Zealand and a young lad from who grew up in pubs, people watching and being entertained by their evening brawls; who played in pub football teams, fixed bikes and went hunting with his Dad; found themselves twenty years on in this off the beaten track barn in Yorkshire marrying their soul mates! It told how their relationship was sealed with a kiss at platform 16 at Leeds station and “how falling in love was like owning a dog”, their beloved dog Oscar to be precise! One of David’s Best men read this lighthearted poem by Taylor Mali we chose for them.Like all our ceremonies Nikita and Davids’s ceremony was written for them, they choose the traditions that were meaningful to them and we also incorporated some borrowed traditions and personal touches from Nikita’s Maori hertitage and gave them a new twist. Both parents welcomed their new son and daughter-in-law by presenting them with necklaces and placing them over their heads. Then, their personal promises and vows to each other were sealed with a handfasting using a third necklace made from tiny snail shells called “managai eis” that are unique to place called Managai Rorotonga, part of Nikita’s dad’s heritage. In traditional wedding ceremonies mum’s disappointingly tend not feature, but we have a more inclusive approach and so for Nikita and David’s ceremony “mum” was definitely the word, we asked David’s mum to read a surprise poem for them on their wedding day “A Lovely Love Story” by Edward Monkton. It couldn’t have been more true or more lovely! They took their first steps as husband and wife to “Polkarekare Ana” by Hayley Westenra.

We only give one piece of advice to couples and that is to find a quiet spot and have five minutes to take it all in. Here’s Nikita’s quiet spot!

“I just wanted to take a moment to contact you and say a HUGE thank you for your beautiful ceremony at Nikita and David’s wedding celebration on Thursday. It was the perfect start to what went on to be a perfect day – not only for the bride and groom – but also family and friends who attended. (And We could not have asked for better weather! ) Many of the guests spoke of how much they had enjoyed the ceremony and how unique to Nikita and David you had made it, whilst still maintaining a sense of the traditional from both cultures.

Once again – many, many thanks, Susan” Mother of the Groom.

If you would like us to create a more personal and unique ceremony at your private home or estate, an off the beaten track or alternative wedding venue or an outdoor location and tap into our boutique wedding services then drop Jan a line: ceremonies@janshillito.co.uk. You can find more inspiration and real weddings here.

Contributors:

Independent Celebrant: Jan Shillito, Celebration Ceremonies & Weddings

Photography: Folega Photography

Venue & Catering: Cruck Barn, Craven Arms Appletreewick, Yorkshire

Flowers : A colleague

MUA: Hannah Louise Beauty

Hair stylist: Emily Taylor, La bella Boutique, Skipton

Dress: Grace Loves Lace, Australia

Shoes: Melissa Shoes

Bridesmaids dresses: Oh My Love

Groom: 3 piece tweed suit Next, Shirt Charles Thywrit

Shoes: Grenson

Transport: Morris minor, Classic Car Hire North

Jenna & Tom’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Woodland Wedding Ceremony

25th January 2021

A woodland wedding is always magical, especially at Camp Katur, but Tom and Jenna’s , featured on Festival Brides, was EXTRA special for us. They were a dream couple; open to ideas, trusting, appreciative of everything and such fun. “Jan Shillito, of Celebration Ceremonies & Weddings, was wonderful. Right from the beginning, she got to know us and chatted to us so informally that you almost forgot she was taking it all in and putting a wedding together in her mind! Working with someone that got married in her own garden, we knew that she would fully understand what it was we wanted and most importantly why. Weddings are about starting a new chapter, celebrating love and sharing it with family and friends. She understood this and made the whole process easy and enjoyable.”

We absolutely LOVED working with Jenna and Tom to create their unique and personal wedding ceremony, the ceremony area design and co-ordinating everything on the day. I’ll never forget arriving for our ceremony rehearsal the day before. Jenna was all ‘sad faced’, and feeling a little deflated at the enormity of her imminent big day which heavily weighted on her shoulders. When she saw us she said “I so needed to see you now”! I could feel a sense of relief knowing that things were only going  to get better! The design brief from Jenna and Tom for their woodland wedding ceremony area was to create a ‘natural’ design that complimented the woodlands and the relaxed feel of the day and that was a bit different. For their woodland ceremony we created four floral panel backdrops that hung from the trees to create an “altar” area and a large floral chandelier using pink and purple hydrangea and mixed flowers supplied by local flower grower Rachel at Owl House Flowers. “We wanted the ceremony area to be as natural as possible with lots of flowers. We leftthe design up to Jan, who of course, came up with a stunning backdrop. A hanging flower chandelier, ice flower bowls and floral wicker balls lining the aisles.
When we saw it for the first time, we were blown away. As were our guests.  A lot of them likened the ceremony to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ – a feel of total fairy-like beauty. Something we will never forget. “

Jenna looked stunning as she made her entrance with brother Jamie to “The Knot” by Jill Barber– just beautiful! We really enjoyed telling their story and entertaining family and friends with all the little things that make them them; like Tom’s dramatic side to his personality and showmanship, his extensive geographic knowledge and the culinary delights he brings to the table and Jenna’s sense of humour and sarcasm.

Traditionally, mums often get overlooked at wedding so at Jenna & Tom’s ceremony bother their mum’s welcomed their new son and daughter in law to their families by handing them two candles while we listened to Union “From the beginning to end” by Robert Fulgham, “After chatting with us about out lives, experiences and what is important to us as a couple, she sent us ‘THE SCRIPT’. Wow. Reading it was a beautiful moment. She had somehow managed to capture us from one meeting – it was definitely emotional and unlike anything we’d ever read before. It was us. She had chosen a reading that she thought we would like: ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ a gorgeous children’s book. A book that I just so happened to read to my school children. Totes meant to be. We chose two readings ‘Union’ and ‘The Future’, which Jan incorporated perfectly – creating some lovely links between them and our lives. “They have since told us they’ve never been to a ceremony like it: so personal, so emotional and natural. It didn’t feel forced or expected, it was simply stunning. A woman of many hats, Jan also co-ordinated our special day. She organised timings with our suppliers, settled and chatted to guests, announced our speeches, set up the ceremony area, married us and even checked there was enough toilet paper in the toilets! Phew! The day flowed so perfectly and it was because of her. We never had to worry.”

If you’ve been inspired by Jenna and Tom’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Woodland Wedding Ceremony and celebrations and would like us to create a more personal and unique experience for you at your private home or estate, an off the beaten track or outdoor location then drop Jan a line: ceremonies@janshillito.co.uk. You can find more inspiration and real weddings here.

Ceremony, Ceremony Design & Styling, Co-ordination: Celebration Ceremonies & Weddings

Jenna & Tom’s Photography:  Sally T Photography

Venue: Camp Katur

Ceremony flowers: Yorkshire flower grower:  Owl House Flowers

Bouquets & Reception flowers: Diana Kaye Florists

Catering: Chips and Things

Tepees: Papakata

Victoria & Jason’s Icelandic inspired renewal of vows ceremony

25th January 2021

There is no better way to kick start the year with a feature in FestivalBrides! Victoria and Jason married 10 years ago in Cuba, just the two of them, with strangers for witnesses. As  they started thinking about their 10th anniversary they decided this time round they wanted to share a more personal wedding experience with their friends and family. There are lots of reasons why couples choose to make more of a renewal of vows ceremony. It’s not always about renewing the legal vows said to each other; it’s about having the chance to say what you  really wanted to say to each other, making the personal promises you didn’t get to say first time round, rededicating your rings and this time, doing it your way. 

Jason and Victoria’s ceremony held at the Bivouac in North Yorkshire in August celebrates the love and commitment of two people who married young, who knew they were right for each other but just needed time to prove it. Their story was beautifully captured by the very talented Lissa Alexandra.

Victoria’s floral crown, bouquets and sprays of wild flowers, created by one of our local flower growers Susan from Yorkshire Dales Flower Company, brought such beautiful colour to the woodland backdrop. Ten years ago Jason & Victoria, a young free-spirited couple, fell in love; they may not have known quite where they were going but they knew they wanted to go there together.

“I’m looking for a place to start, and everything feels so different now. Just grab a hold of my hand, I will lead you through this wonderland”.  These lyrics from Victoria’s entrance song “Of Monsters and Men” by Yellow Light perfectly described the essence of their marriage as they stood hand in a special place to mark a ten year journey of discovery and to look forward to the next chapter of their lives together. They married in Cuba on 23rd August 2005 just the two of them but 10 years on the same date they wanted to make up for the celebration they didn’t have and have their families there to see Victoria walk down the aisle with her dad by her side.  

The ceremony was held next to the amazing Druids temple with draped canopies, straw bales and simple jars of flowers.

They were older and wiser and knew what they wanted this time. It had to be personal, unique and beautiful and it had to be outdoors in a natural woodland. Having a renewal of vows ceremony at the Bivouac in North Yorkshire was the perfect place and on their 10 year anniversary was time for them to pause, look back on the road they have travelled so far, smile at the times they have shared, the achievements they have made and all the things that have made them grow and become stronger as individuals and, in turn, as a couple.

But most of all this was a time for them to say what they want to say to each other, rededicate their rings and for their families to all to share in this moment.

Readings and symbolic gestures throughout the ceremony reflected their personalities and the things that are meaningful to each of them especially their love of the great outdoors and  cats from big wild cats to friendly cute cats!  Readings included extracts from Winnie the Pooh, Carl Sagan and Hugo Walpole, Captain Corellis’ Mandalin and “A Lovely Love Story” by Edward Monkton which was read by Victoria sister Katie.

Jason and Victoria’s love of the natural world led them to Iceland where they discovered a new kind of freedom in the raw beauty of desolate volcanic landscapes, pretty little villages and wood cottages. Just like the wild horses running free, they experienced a simple life on the open road, just the two of them and is an experience that will stay with them forever. To celebrate this they wove ten strands of icelandic wool together to represent ten years of marriage which was then used in the handfasting. Victoria’s mum read “These Hands Are” while Jason’s mum tied their hands.

At the end of the ceremony a traditional Icelandic wedding Mead drink was served to make a toast to Jason and Victoria, their ten years of marriage and their future together. 

We also designed a large format bespoke print “certificate” in the style of their wedding for all their guests to sign.

The surrounding views at the Bivouac and Swinton Park are just amazing something Jason and Victoria wanted their guests to experience as they meandered through the woodlands and the druids temple after the ceremony.

The celebrations continued with delicious canopes and cocktails in the woodland before everyone made their way to the barn.

“We wanted to drop you an email to say a huge thank you for helping us to create the ceremony we dreamt of.

Your ability to incorporate our love of Iceland and for each other really was fab. As you know we were both a little nervous about how people might take the ceremony, however we didn’t need to worry as everyone said how different and amazing it was!

I have to say I absolutely love the dinosaur reading and will definitely be getting it framed and taking pride of place, it’s just so lovely!

Rebecca on the day was brilliant, and we loved how she blended in with our boho theme, it’s so thoughtful and meant a lot. (Everyone was asking where we “got” you from as the ceremony was so alternative! Which we both found hilarious)

So once again big thanks Jan.

Much love Victoria and Jason xx

Ps. Loved opening our little box of love”

If you’ve been inspired by Victoria & Jason’s Icelandic inspired Woodland Wedding ceremony and celebrations and would like us to create a more personal and unique experience for you at your private home or estate, an off the beaten track or outdoor location then drop Jan a line: ceremonies@janshillito.co.uk. You can find more inspiration and real weddings here.

Ben and Erin’s garden festival wedding

30th November 2020

Think woodland garden festival, deckchairs, Mexican waves, gypsy caravans, poetry slams, acoustic guitar, ring warming, handfasting, bubbles and wood signing and you’ll start to get a feel for Erin and Ben’s super cool garden festival wedding ceremony held in the woodlands at the fabulous backwater location at the privately owned Markington Hall in Ripon, North Yorkshire.  It is has to be one of our favourites of 2015 and Woz at Howelljones Photography has captured the whole atmosphere and spirit of the day fabulously. We were also delighted that their ceremony and celebrations were featured on Festival Brides (27.7.15) so do pop by and see what they thought of it!

We knew the moment we met Ben and Erin that their ceremony was going VERY unique and special. Both are talented professionals but they definitely work to live not live to work.  Whenever they get the chance they are off in search of  bluebird days snowboarding with their friends and travelling the world. Ben and Erin were a great couple with very laid-back  attitude who were open to new ideas and experiences and certainly know how to party! The only thing they were very clear about was that they wanted it to be a unique, personal and chilled garden festival party where ties were not compulsory and trainers WERE allowed!

It was not a day for rules, etiquette and opinions, there are too many other working days in life for that!!  To give you an idea, their guests had been told to expect the unexpected!

We created a ceremony area nestled in the circular woodland “Copper Beech Glade”, an area surrounded by tall ancient yew, oak and copper beech trees, and against the backdrop of the colourful trio of gypsy caravans, Bella, Carmen and Rosita, reaching across the arched stone bridge that crosses the stream.

We also had a small wooden “stage” in the centre covered with Ben’s rug collection picked up along his travels- Ben is very fond of rugs and cacti and cool wood carvings from around the world! It was no co-incidence that we designed an amphitheatre of deckchairs; Ben proposed to Erin as they sat on deckchairs in a quiet little spot after a bluebird day of snowboarding in Mayrhofen so we wanted to bring this into their ceremony and it created the perfect festival feel.

Tosh & Ellie’s handcrafted diy woodland wedding ceremony & barn celebrations

17th September 2020

Feast your eyes on this little beaut, one of this summer season’s fabulous woodland ceremony and barn weddings we created and co-ordinated at Camp Katur with the awesome Ellie and Tosh- now featured on Rock My Wedding and in Yorkshire Post magazine last month!  This was no ordinary wedding, it was a proper Northern affair and boy did they know how to celebrate! Their Handcrafted diy woodland wedding ceremony and barn celebrations were full of  personal touches, style, personality, fun, good northern grub and LOTS of alcohol!

Their boutique personal ceremony told the story of a long distance relationship, parenthood and their love of each other and Bertie their cheeky chappy which was sealed with promises and a handfasting using ties made from the Radiohead T-shirt Tosh gave to Ellie when he left to go to university. It was of real sentimental value to Ellie and represented the start of their relationship and the start of their marriage. In addition to exchanging rings and making their own promises to each other they made promises to Bertie and their family and exchanged 10th anniversary letters to each other. Their ceremony was set amongst the tall woodlands and Ellie began her entrance in a VW campervan; but planning for their ceremony started many months before. They wanted their ceremony to be more contemporary, informal with a bit of quirkiness thrown i, but most of all it had to be individual and have their own stamp on it. After their consultation they received their script for their first read. This was their first glimpse of what their ceremony will be like on the day and totally personal, unique and refreshingly different.

“We love the script! I got so emotional reading the final reading to Bertie. It’s going to be so perfect for our special day!!”

In addition to creating their handcrafted diy weddding ceremony we also loved co-ordinating their barn celebrations on the day bringing everything together, working with such fantastic wedding suppliers but most of all seeing Ellie and Tosh’s happy smiley faces. Many thanks to Ellie and Tosh for sharing their celebrations and a big shout out to  fellow Northerner and partner in crime on quite a few weddings, alternative wedding photographer Ryan at Shutter Go Click whom we love to bits- your shots are an artistic joy and a breath of fresh air!

“Thank you so much for everything on Saturday, Jan! The ceremony was brilliant and everyone said how nice it was. Also, got to say a huge thanks for all the extra help you gave us such as coordinating the day, setting the woodland area up (and tidying up our mess down there!) but also just guiding us through everything and making it all run smoothly. Really impressed and you helped make it a fantastic day. Apologies for being massively under prepared for it all haha! Cheers.”

The flowers and orange and green ribbon ceremony backdrop hanging and bridal bouquets created by Greenhouse Florist Floral Design looked amazing against the trees! Ellie is quite the creative herself and was a dab hand at making her own signage and LOVE letters which really made it look and feel more personal.

To complement her woodland setting Ellie was looking for an alternative to the samey strapless dresses covered in bling found in many bridal shops; she chose a  beautiful vintage bridal dress from Glory Days in York. They offer a wonderful alternative choice of dress for the off-the-beaten-track bride from edgy rock and roll to chic Hollywood elegance.

Their beautifully colour co-ordinated cake and and other delicious sweet delights were handmade by Bake My Day.

Grab a coffee, make yourself comfy and enjoy!

If you’d like to see more of our wedding and ceremonies captured by Ryan at Shutter  Go Click have a look at Rufus and Claire’s secret garden wedding featured on Festival Brides and Laura and Liam’s Claps of Thunder woodland wedding featured on Rock n Roll Bride.

We also created and conducted Laura and Paul’s wedding Yorkshire seaside wedding ceremony at Wold Top Brewery, friends of Ellie and Tosh and we are over the moon to have been asked to create the wedding ceremony for friends of theirs next year who have been to both Ellie and Laura’s weddings!

SOLFEST Emma & Andy’s Music festival wedding

18th January 2019

We’d been patiently waiting for a long time for Emma and Andy’s musical country SOLFEST wedding to come round as we knew it was going to be extra special and unique, and that’s why it was featured on Rock n Roll Bride! It was also our very first outdoor wedding ceremony at the quirky Skipbridge Country Weddings and first time working with photographers Colin and Heather at  Colin Murdoch Studio who have done a fabulous job at capturing the spirit of the day, so it was doubly exciting! We knew as soon as we met Emma and Andy that they were our kind of bride and groom- both talented musicians performing in bands, both with their unique individual style, a chilled attitude to life and always game on. And did their musical country wedding rock! This is a couple who are not afraid to show their personalities and be themselves.

And those outfits- wow totally awesome!!!

Normally all eyes are on the bride but Andy made sure that he wasn’t getting overlooked on his big day, they were going to look equally amazing! Andy’s wedding suit had to be pretty out there to out-do his usual wardrobe of Shitewear! so he had a suit handmade to order.  His best man followed suit with a jazzy pink and blue flamingo patterned suit and one of our favourite worn by a guest was a jammy dodger patterned suit- brave to say the least but loads of fun! Emma also had her own fabulous wedding dress designed and handmade just for her with a more country folksy twist- no big white wedding dresses and bling here! And she looked amazing!

American blues, jazz and rock guitarist, Robben Ford says: “The most important thing is that you make sure you follow the music, which is a musician’s way of saying follow your heart. The two things are intertwined.” This is Emma and Andy through and through and their wedding ceremony and celebrations were no exception. As couple they exist together with music and both follow their heart.

One of the readings we included in their ceremony was an extract from “Soul Music” by Terry Prachett, one of Emma’s favourite authors:

“A voice said: One. One. One, two. One, two. Then the footsteps went back into the distance. After a while, another voice said: One, two, three, four- And the universe came into being. It was wrong to call it a big bang. That would just be noise, and all that noise could create is more noise and a cosmos full of random particles. Matter exploded into being, apparently as chaos, but in fact as a chord. The ultimate power chord. Everything, all together, streaming out in one huge rush that contained within itself, like reverse fossils, everything that it was going to be. And, zigzagging through the expanding cloud, alive, that first wild live music. This had shape. It had spin. It had rhythm. It had a beat, and you could dance to it. Everything did.”

Emma and her bridesmaids arrived in a chevy truck on hay bales and walked down the aisle to ‘We interetwine ‘ by her favourite band Larkin Poe where she married her best friend under the beautiful weeping willow. After a ceremony full of fun, laughter and sentiment they began their marriage with a bubble confetti shower and a Fairport Convention medley followed by good food, cheese lots of it (of course!) by Love Cheese, drink, live music and a special bride and groom performance for their first dance.

This was certainly the best day of their lives…so far!

ENJOY!

“A big thank you to Jan who helped us make the ceremony personal and individual to us, beautifully written to be both touching and light hearted- loved it!”

Secret woodland wedding ceremony: Sandie & Mark

17th January 2019

You just know when you’ve hit gold when you have such an awesome, bubbly couple whose energy and excitement is contagious;  You also know it’s a jackpot when you’re working alongside Melia Melia Photography -who happens to have been on our personal wish list to work with for years. Throw in a close-knit group of friends, a family who would do anything for them and secret woodland wedding ceremony and you’re onto a winner of a wedding.

From the minute we spoke on the phone we felt like we’d known Sandie and Mark forever. Both work in the entertainment business and ooze personality, a match made in Pontins- that’s where their connection began!

We searched high and low with Sandie & Mark to find the perfect ceremony area for them to say their I do’s. This was not an ordinary ceremony area, Sandie and Mark were looking for something truly off the beaten track and natural! Dedicated groomsmen carried benches and sign posts through fields, over stiles, down to their chosen spot in a glade in an ancient woodland with a water fountain pond and rustic temples.

It was the most perfect summer’s day for it too, mother nature was extremely kind to them!  Guests arrived by bus and were handed refreshments to take down with them to the ceremony area. They set off on and adventure into the unknown starting  with a leisurely stroll following the handmade signs to a secret opening where Sandie and Mark’s secret woodland wedding ceremony would take place.

What a start to their day- beautiful views of the Yorkshire Dales, birds singing and the peaceful humming of the great outdoors. And boy was it worth it when we saw the bridal party arriving through the trees and we got our first glimpse of Mark’s bride, Sandie. She made her entrance to Prettiest Friend by Jason Mraz, it was breathtaking, and an unforgettable moment.

You know we love to incorporate interesting readings and music into our ceremonies, well we excelled ourselves on this one! We never thought in a month of Sunday’s that we would be including an amusing adapted version of the shipping forecast Mark’s not-so-secret guilty pleasure. In his defence, he is an avid sailor escaping to the water whenever he gets chance. The majority of non-seaworthy listeners have no idea where these places are but it’s appeal has a history of sparking the imagination and creativity of those firmly on land – music, poetry and artworks of all kinds have been inspired by it.In addition to this Mark’s dad sang and played acoustic guitar to celebrate Mark’s love of sailing and their joint wanderlust.

As their ceremony came to a close they were surrounded bubble confetti as they took their first steps as husband and wife to I do Adore by Mindy Gledhill.

After their secret woodland wedding ceremony the celebrations continued at Hill Top Farm, a super chilled blank canvas barn surrounded by meadows where everyone could just let their hair down and have a good time. Mark, Sandie and their friends and family did a wonderful job of decorating it themselves as you’ll see!

A hugely satisfying and enjoyable day was had by all. Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness xx

Rufus and Claire’s Musical Secret Garden Wedding Ceremony

20th July 2018

Rufus and Claire’s secret garden wedding ceremony may not be quite so secret now having been featured on our favourite wedding blog Festival Brides. However if there ever there was a secret garden this is it! Photographer Ryan at ShutterGoClick captures this fantastical ceremony and location with it’s hidden pathways and hideaways, enchanting views, little ponds, wooden seats and beautiful wild flower gardens. It the sort of magical place that you would find the world famous Cottingley Fairies, if they really did exist! Rufus and Claire were so lucky to be able have their wedding ceremony here in Rufus’ Uncle & Aunt’s beautiful English country garden, in the quaint village of Green Hammerton in York. They worked tirelessly over the year to make there garden perfect, even growing flowers to fit with their chosen colours.

“Everyone commented on how amazing it looked and that it really did feel like a secret garden.” Claire Over the last few years they have been making a special effort to encourage bees by introducing more wildflowers and bee friendly flowers. We, ourselves are great supporters of the Great British Garden Revival (#gbgr) and work with local flower growers to provide seasonal British flowers to use in our ceremony area designs; Rufus and Claire had it all here though, which is, after all, the attraction and beauty of having a garden wedding!!  Guests arrived through the cobbled pathway entrance decorated with lanterns and delicate fairy-lit hangings creating an air of anticipation of what was to come. 

Balloons lined the aisle bobbing in the breeze, almost in time to the sounds of an  accoustic medley played by Seth Meshowitz from the band Fold FM which together created an ambience as guests arrived and explored the wonderful garden. “Jan had her own wedding ceremony in her garden so she completely understood the direction that we wanted with our wedding…” Claire

We knew their ceremony was always going to be a musical one from the first time we met. Writing, singing, performing and dancing to music is one of the things that connects them, it is part of their DNA as a couple and makes them happy. Rufus plays in two bands so it was really important that there was lots of live music. When we visited Croft Cottage and looked around we spotted a beautiful spiral staircase in the orangery that we instantly new would make the perfect bridal entrance.

“Jan came and visited us at the ceremony venue and helped visualise the setting for the day including the idea that I would make my entrance walking down the spiral staircase and the best ways of utilising areas of the garden. ” Claire

On the day, Claire made one of the bedrooms that opens onto the orangery balcony her dressing room. The staircase was lined with pretty glass jars filled with flowers from the garden. The only difficulty we foresaw was whether Claire would be able to get down the staircase in her statement shoes – a pink version of the shoes that Carrie Bradshaw wore when marrying Big in “Sex and the City”- so she did that bit barefoot and her pink beauties were waiting for her at the bottom the stairs!!

Bridesmaids and pageboys helped with the little details collecting the dried flower petals from the garden for the confetti. Claire and Rufus, like many couples, were not keen on the formal nature of traditional ceremonies, it made them feel uncomfortable and out of their comfort zone. We’re always up for trying new ideas so we decided to try a different approach that would make them feel more at ease. We told their story almost entirely through music using songs, accoustic guitar, lyrics, the spoken word and poetry to give more relaxed a festival spirit.

“Jan was great; she understood our vision and produced the whole script, from choosing my entrance song to the readings and the songs. We were really impressed by it all.” Claire

After their “First Read” of their script Rufus actually said that he felt “inspired”, just the gut reaction we like from our couples!
Guests were all seated, our beautiful Bridesmaids lined the orangery holding simple but pretty bouquets of gypsophila, while Rufus stood beside his best man awaiting his “first look” of his bride. This brilliant shot by Ryan captures the moment Claire stepped onto the mezzanine balcony ready to make her entrance to the superb “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Civil Wars -it’s still gives us goose pimples when we hear it.

The lyrics “Oh dance me to the wedding now, oh, dance me on and on And dance me very tenderly and dance me very long. We’re both of us beneath our love, and both of us above. And dance me to the end of love, ooh won’t you dance me to the end of love” perfectly sums up her love of music, dance and Rufus. 

Claire dad’s gave her away and together Rufus and Claire walked down the aisle hand in hand together with the bridesmaids leading the procession into the garden to cheers and clapping. 

“Jan was great; she understood our vision and produced the whole script, from choosing my entrance song to the readings and the songs. We were really impressed by it all. On the day it all flowed together with live music and singing from everyone.” Claire

As lovers and dog lovers, it was only right that their Cockapoo “molly” featured somewhere in their ceremony (she was a bit too excitable to make a contribution herself) so Rufus’ sister read “Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog” by Taylor Mali. You’ll be pleased to hear that she did however, make it to an “official” wedding shot and was very quick to take to the dance floor later on at the reception!!!

“And all these useless dreams of living alone like a dogless bone… So come let me love you. Come let me love you. And then… colour me in” Damien Rice. Rufus has music running through his veins, it is his language; he has always written songs since he can remember and his guitar is his most prized possession, other than Claire obviously!

Music for him is about self expression and a cathartic experience, interpreting life through his own filter so we were very careful in our choice of lyrics; they were from musicians they both admired and took inspiration from and they had specific meaning for them like “It Takes a Lot to Know a Man” by Damien Rice. Others included Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s “Every Part of You”: “Every part of you is just another part of me. The memories you created and everything I do, all the million pieces is part of me and you we are like the birds in the air we are like the notes in a song where you are is where I belong Notice how the river finds its way into the sea, every part of you is another part of me.”
As big fans of the Big Apple, New York is a place that has a special magic for them, it’s cool and filled with exciting people, a vibrant city that inspires them to dream and a place they’d like to live and be part of one day, so “New York” by Frank Sinatra was another fitting choice.

Live music was key to creating a relaxed festival feel and we were so pleased when fellow band member of the Four 45’s and friend Joe Flanagan stepped up to the mark to be our partner in crime and play a couple Beatles numbers for us: “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and our last big sing where everyone joined in to” I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends”. Perfecto!

Claire and Rufus wanted the vows part of the ceremony to remain quite traditional and choosing to say “I do.

Then the moment Rufus was waiting for “Toothpase Kisses” by the Macabees which played while they signed their certificate.

“We had said all along we wanted a unique ceremony that everyone would remember and I think this was achieved, many said afterwards that this was one of the best ceremonies they had ever attended and also it was so nice to actually sit and listen to something a little more personal. A lot of people were surprised too that this type of service exists; only thinking that you can hold a ceremony in a licensed venue. I would definitely recommend this option if any brides were thinking about this for their big day, it’s a great way to put your own individual stamp on your wedding day.” ClaireAfter the ceremony everyone made their way over to the neighbouring village of Whixely  where the celebrations continued with food, fun, laughter, merriment, speeches, lots of music, of course, and a very, very special song written and sung by Rufus for his beautiful new wife. The perfect end to their story.

If you’ve been inspired Rufus and Claire’s not so secret garden wedding ceremony and musical medley celebrations and would like us to create a more personal and unique ceremony for you at your private home or estate, an off the beaten track or outdoor location then drop Jan a line: ceremonies@janshillito.co.uk. You can find more inspiration and real weddings here.

The line up:

Ceremony: Celebration Ceremonies & Weddings

Photography: ShutterGoClick

Marquee: Wills Marquees

Flowers: Katie-Laura Flowers

MUA: Cat Johnson

Millinery Boutique: Lou Lou Puchalka

Jewellery: Estella Barlett

Entertainment: Luna Tricks

DJ : Rory Hoy

Music: The Citizen Smith Band  The Four 45’s Seth Meshowitz Fold FM

Photobooth: Booth Revolution

Stationary: Lovely Cuppa

Handmade decor: Wedding in  a Tea Cup

Vintage teas & parties: Pinnies and Pearls

Lanterns: The Hanging Lantern

Colin & Angela’s Spring woodland wedding ceremony full of gospel soul

25th January 2018

What’s not to love about a Spring, it’s the perfect season for a Spring woodland wedding. A new season that brings with it new life, new beginnings and new inspiration any couples wanting an outdoor wedding. Many, many thanks to the Rebecca Dawe Photography and Colin & Angela for sharing their boutique and personal wedding ceremony and celebrations.  When we met Colin and Angela on a trip back to the UK from Dubai for their consultation, they both had a very clear vision of the dream wedding they wanted. It was just a case of finding it!   We worked with them to find an off the beaten track location (that wasn’t glamping) that had the best of everything worlds, a beautiful woodland over overlooking beautiful meadows, a reception space for fine dining where their guests from around the world could dance under the stars in style and luxury accommodation. We found it all at the new secluded  The Woodlands, Hothorpe Hall in Theddingworth., including a stunning tree house suite for their wedding night.

Angela had waited along time for her prince charming and now there is no stopping them. Their relationship is a true partnership, living the expat life, seeing the world and having crazy adventures together.

The gospel choir kicked the ceremony off with “Oh happy days” as Angela walked down the wooded aisle with her dad at her side and her entourage of bridesmaids dressed in deep blue and holding bouquets of colour.

The woodland ceremony area, simply decorated with bright colourful spring flowers, was surrounded by an array of greens that you only get in Spring as the natural world awakens. 

There is something magical about live music but a gospel choir singing in a woodland makes it something special, the atmosphere was amazing; joyful, soulful, enjoyable and memorable.

Their ceremony included a ring warming, an exchange of 10th anniversary letters, their personal promises to each other and their marriage and “One more step along the world I go” a poem by Sydney Bertram Carter, words that perfectly describe their journey together traveling the world:

Guests followed them from the ceremony area to the woodland reception for a refreshments while listening to the unique sounds of  Angela’s dad’s steel band. It doesn’t get any better than this!

If you’ve been inspired by Angela & Colin’s  Spring Woodland Wedding Ceremony full of gospel soul and would like us to create a more personal and unique experience for you at your private home or estate, an off the beaten track or outdoor location then you can find our more here or drop Jan a line: ceremonies@janshillito.co.uk. You can also find more outdoor wedding and woodland wedding inspiration here.