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
