An Outdoor Wedding in Nottingham

Lydia & seths beautiful outdoor wedding

Having had their legal wedding up in Scarborough just 2 days earlier, Lydia and Seths beautiful outdoor wedding in Nottingham had no need for any of the formalities and legalities of a traditional wedding, and allowed them to have a wedding celebration that was completely them. The sun was out all day, making their beautiful spot of woodland the perfect area for their ceremony and the field beyond an amazing space for their reception.

How to prep for an outdoor wedding

Most of the preparations had been done by the pair of them and their loved ones during the week leading up-to the wedding, and when I arrived at the site, it felt like their own small personal wedding festival. The space that they had chosen for the outdoor wedding ceremony was a small clearing within a patch of woodland on the grounds of Seths childhood scout hut in the outskirts of Nottingham. They had lovingly cleared and tidied a space in the middle and added rows of hay bales set out as seating for their guests. At the end of the aisle they had created their own archway using big sticks in keeping with the space and decorated the whole area with fairy lights, little plants and jars with tea lights. The beautiful dappled light streaming through the trees added a gorgeous cosiness to the whole area really added to the love and celebration of the day.

Seth surprised Lydia with a gorgeous VW camper van to bring her and her bridesmaids to their special spot for the wedding ceremony, and when the door slid open they all looked incredible. Lydia was wearing a stunning outfit made up of separates of a long skirt and a gorgeous lace top. The whole outfit was finished off with the most amazing flower crown with a matching bouquet both created by the talented Sophies Flower co. Her bridesmaids each wore a different coloured dress which really added to the whole festival feel.

the Outdoor wedding ceremony

The outdoor wedding ceremony itself was super personal, conducted by a friend of the couple. Lots about the couple themselves and a few in jokes which had the guests and the couple in stitches throughout. As the light shone through the trees, Lydia and Seth beamed at each other, their love and happiness was infectious. The guests were all given confetti by the groomsmen as they were seated, so as the couple walked back down the aisle together, they were greeted by a sea of dried petals.

The Reception

From their gorgeous outdoor woodland ceremony, the couple walked out to their festival feel reception. With a beautifully decorated marquee for the meal and party, horse trailer bar and a lovely outside space filled with games for the kiddies and little bistro sets for the adults to sit and enjoy a drink in the sun. The tables were decorated with lots of greenery and wooden cutlery really bringing the outside feel in with them. Their friends had made lots of lovely food for them and it was all laid out in a very relaxed buffet style for everyone to help themselves to.

In the marquee there was also a very special ‘guestbook’ which was probably the best one I’ve seen yet. The couple had decorated a surfboard, bringing their love of surfing into the day and had it stood ready with pens for all their guests to sign. Such an amazingly personal touch, and something truly special that they can keep forever.

The Speeches

Their speeches were full of tears and laughter, from guests and bride and groom alike. Adding to the personal touches even further, the wedding favours were mini bottles of homemade limoncello, which were used to toast the couple at the end of the speeches. They even had a spare one for me, and it was delicious!

The Party

Lydia and Seth kept with the outdoor festival feel all the way through to the end, having a live band for their first dance, and party afterwards. Along with the outside bar and beautiful summer weather, the party carried on outdoors right to the end.

If you’d like to see more inspiration for your outdoor wedding head over to the blog for more weddings and tips on planning.

A few more photos…