Seasonal and handcrafted November wedding

It is lovely to be able to share such a beautiful seasonal wedding full of handmade details, and one that took place in November.  Photographed by Laura Babb, Dan and Ali’s November wedding was held at Folly Farm, a stunning green wedding venue set amongst 250 acres of woodland and nature reserve.  On hearing more about this handcrafted wedding I knew it was just the kind of wedding you would love to see.

“When we found Folly Farm we knew it was the right spot. We completely lucked out with the weather on the day, it was hard to believe it was November – but as we fell for Folly Farm’s vantage point and woodland walks on a dreich February morning, we knew it would be beautiful no matter what.”

“Our inspiration primarily came from wanting the wedding to feel homely – part of us and the way we live together.  We love the handmade and handcrafted, especially when those things are made by people we know.  It was very important to us that everything had some meaning for us.”   Dan and Ali had help from family and friends the night before the wedding, tying leaf bunting, arranging teasels in flasks, and piling up leaves and twigs late into the night.

Ali made this incredible leaf bunting, which I think is so beautiful and original.  She does say that although making leaf bunting is straightforward, you should leave yourself plenty of time to collect and dry out the leaves.  “After that it’s a matter of clove hitches and a lot of string!”

“In an ideal world, we’d have had everyone round to ours for a house party.  Sadly, one bed London flats don’t really lend themselves to weddings.”  Instead, Dan and Ali used everyday items from their home, such as blankets, cushions, bike bits and ornaments to create a homely atmosphere.

Dan is originally from the far north of Scotland, so it was important to them to weave elements into their wedding, from Dan’s sporran and kilt, to the knitted items made by Ali.

“I’ve always had a habit of ‘making’ and in recent years that’s predominantly been knitted things.  The first bit of the wedding I made was my gloves, before I had any clear idea of what my dress would be like.  The wool was an inspired gift from Dan, which I’d been saving for something special.”

“I made shawls for my bridesmaids and a jumper for my page boy who is very fortunately fond of owls.  I even ended up designing Dan’s socks because I couldn’t find a pattern I liked, and I was really pleased with how they turned out.”

“All these things were knitted in Alice Starmore’s yarn, whose colours are inspired by the Scottish landscape – specifically places where Dan grew up and we’ve both shared some of our happiest times together. We couldn’t get all our guests up to the remote Highlands, but we did manage to carry them with us during the day.”

Look at all the leaf bunting hanging from the barn at Folly Farm – such a lovely way to decorate for an autumn wedding.

Ali wore a unbelievably beautiful dress from BHLDN of tiered lace in an old gold hue, and sage green straps and waist.  She carried a stunning seasonal bouquet from The Real Cut Flower Garden.

“We set out not wanting a “theme” in particular, just wanting to include the things that we love: great music, the handmade, plenty of colour, nature, the outdoors and each other.  The woods at Folly Farm provided an amazing backdrop, with owls calling in the nighttime, deer and badgers.”

What a lovely autumnal day they had for wedding photographs – Dan and Ali have created a wedding that I think truly reflects the season and landscape around them.

On the reception tables each guest received a jam jar potted up with a flowering pansy plant, and the room was decorated with my autumn leaves and pine cones.

The used a bike wheel to display their table plan and these paper bag lanterns with birds cut out to create a pretty glow.

For dinner they feasted on pies from Pieminister (who knew they did wedding catering!) – a perfect choice for a November wedding.

I love the quirky and unusual guest book…

“Dan’s Grandma is a weaver in the highlands; although she sadly could not make the journey south for the ceremony she made our cake and we used a number of her woven rugs for the ceremony.”

This is such a touching picture and Ali looks so beautiful with her the feathers in her hair.

Dan and Ali were the lucky winner’s of a competition that Laura Babb ran on Rock N Roll Bride, and said, “Laura and partner Pete were completely lovely from our first meeting onwards. They made us feel entirely comfortable with ourselves on the day, and let us be as silly in front of the camera as we are in private.  We really, genuinely can’t thank them enough – they helped make our day even better.”

A huge thank you to Dan and Ali, and their wedding photographer Laura Babb, for allowing me to share their incredibly beautiful wedding with you all.  I hope you have been inspired for your own wedding – whether its the beauty of autumn, incorporating items from your home, handmaking items, or making all your choices meaningful to you as a couple.

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Images: Laura Babb Photography
Wedding Venue: Folly Farm
Wedding Dress: BHLDN
Bride’s Shoes: Hush Puppies
Flowers: The Real Cut Flower Garden
Groom’s Kilt: Alan Beith Kiltmakers
Groom’s Jacket & Waistcoat: MacGregor MacDuff
Groom’s Shoes: Grenson
Caterers: Pieminister