Writer Hannah and Data Analyst Richard tied the knot on 12th July 2022 at Callow Hall in The Peak District.
The couple wanted something relaxed and low key that reflected their mutual love of the natural world. Having lived in the Peak District already they have lots of fond memories of hiking and spending time in nature in this beautiful part of the world. They especially wanted a location that would enable more of an elopement wedding, and an opportunity to hold a ceremony outdoors and were thrilled when they discovered that Callow Hall provide treehouse accommodation in the middle of then forest.
Photography by the very lovely Helen Rose.
The Bride
My dress was from a bridal boutique In Kenilworth near where Rich’s family live, called Lily Rose Bridal. It was the very first dress I tried on and I loved the floaty material.
My antique pearl drop earrings and necklace which were my grandma’s, now passed away.
We didn’t have any flowers at our wedding, but I did wear a flower crown, created by floral designer, Grace & Thorn in London Fields.
My scent was by Paul Smith and is the scent I always wear.
My shoes were the Esska Vegan Charlie Heeled Sandals, from Anthropologie.
The Ceremony
My father and daughter accompanied me to the ceremony, to the sound of ‘The Wind’, by Cat Stevens.
We had two poems. The Orange by Wendy Cope (which I read) and Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou (which Rich read).
We also adapted a passage from bell hook’s book All About Love, about love being an action to open the ceremony (read by the registrar).
Photography
Our photographer was Helen Rose. We found her through seeing her Elopement images on instagram and loved the pictures on her website which looked natural and beautiful out in the Peak District National Park.
Helen fit in quickly and just became part of the experience, we would definitely recommend her to others who are also thinking of eloping for a micro wedding!
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How They Met
We met around 2011 through our mutual friend Anthony while out for drinks in a big group one night when we both lived in Warwickshire.
We were together for three years and lived together in Spitalfields in East London, but we went our separate ways in 2015. We then got back together again in 2017 when we met again at our mutual friends Anna and Tom’s wedding in Portugal.
We bought our little blue house in Leytonstone in 2019, became engaged in 2020, had our daughter Daisy the same year and then were married in 2022 in an elopement at Callow Hall in the Peak District.
Favourite Moments
Our favourite moment was when we exchanged the letters we had written to each other in advance, describing the things we love about each other and our hopes for the future.
My one-year-old (at the time) daughter was a flower girl and she wore a rose pink, hand-smocked dress with a willow collar, pearlized button-up back and ribbon tie, which we bought from Harrods.
High Tea
We had high tea in the garden with our parents and daughter, followed by roasting marshmallows on the fire.
Then our families left, and Rich and I had cocktails and tapas and on the deckchairs overlooking the beautiful Derbyshire countryside, followed by champagne and cigars!
Words of Wedded Wisdom
I loved my friend Jenna’s advice to write each other love letters to read at the end of the day.
