Tipi Wedding at Oaklands in Brandesburton

Cast your minds back a few months to when I photographed Ellen & Jonathan’s pre-wedding portrait shoot on a sunny evening in Hull. We walked and talked and took a few photographs and I knew from talking to them then, that their wedding day was going to be something special. They told me about the Tipi’s and about the location, I was really looking forward to this one!

I started the morning photographing Ellen getting ready in a ‘Bothy’ at Burton Lodge in Beverley. I had to ask when I got there and was relieved to find out that no one else really knew what a Bothy was either. It turns out that a Bothy is a sort of wooden hut, and very cosy it was too – as well as being photogenic. The Bothy had a really nice light inside, which I was a bit worried about when I initially saw the size of the windows!

Oaklands in Brandesburton is not somewhere that I’ve shot before. It’s probably the most remote and peaceful place that I’ve been to for a wedding & it’s absolutely beautiful. I didn’t even know there were places like this in East Yorkshire. They specialise in Tipi weddings and the venue has it’s own ‘hunting lodge’ style building which we quickly decided was straight out of Twin Peaks (We sort of went with the Twin Peaks theme for a shot of the Bridal party later on). It’s also at the side of a beautiful lake, which is where the wedding ceremony took place.

I think my favourite part about this wedding was the outdoor first dance, in the woods, lit by fairy lights – it was the perfect end to the day. Before that though, the Groom’s band – The Schoolgirls, played a set and got the dancing started.

Later on, as it got a bit cooler, the party made it’s way into the Twin Peaks lodge to finish the night with drinks and conversation.  Meanwhile, I had to try to find the car park. In the middle of nowhere. In the dark… 🙂

Warning: The wedding photographs below contain one swear. (It’s the sticker on the guitar.  You’d have probably missed it if I hadn’t mentioned it but I felt that I had to warn you.)