Buckinghamshire woodland wedding just outside Aylesbury
When ecologists Rebecca and Neil asked me to photograph their Buckinghamshire woodland wedding, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I love the romance of dappled light patterns and sun rays beaming through a willowy tree canopy – I could imagine all kinds of wonderful portraits we could create together.
As ecologists, Rebecca and Neil have a great love of the environment so a woodland wedding seemed like an ideal pairing. The venue they chose for their Buckinghamshire woodland wedding was Endeavour Woodland Weddings in Swanbourne, just outside Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.
I hadn’t been to the venue before so I met up with the couple ahead of the wedding to look around and get a few ideas for photo opportunities. We also did a mini engagement shoot; I’ve included one of the pics at the beginning of this set.
Endeavour Woodland Weddings has been going for just over three years. The venue is run by, husband and wife team, Paul and Bettina Skone who are very friendly and keen to offer ideas.
Paul is also an accredited humanist wedding celebrant although I should mention that a humanist wedding ceremony is not currently recognised as legally binding in England (or Wales) so you will still need to have a legal ceremony somewhere else if you choose Endeavour as your wedding venue.
An outdoor ceremony under the trees | Buckinghamshire woodland wedding
Rebecca and Neil had their official ceremony a few days before their Buckinghamshire woodland wedding celebration which seemed to do away with a lot of the nerves couples often experience before their ceremony.
It was certainly a laughter-filled event.
After the ceremony, in honour of Neil’s Dutch heritage, the couple enjoyed coffee and cake with guests before we headed off into the trees and around the lake for a few quick portraits.
Unfortunately, because of the drought in the summer of 2022, there wasn’t much water in the lake so I wasn’t able to recreate the reflection shot, I took with Rebecca and Neil when we met the year before but we still got some lovely romantic stuff.
One of the great things about shooting at Endeavour Woodland Weddings is that it’s quite compact so you’re not leaving your guests alone for a long period of time if you want a few private photos as Rebecca and Neil did.
Endeavour is also excellent for candid natural photos of guests at your Buckinghamshire woodland wedding. There are lots of discrete vantage points where a photographer can blend into the background.
Sunset at Endeavour Woodland Weddings
As sunset approaches, the light around the lake at Endeavour becomes quite pleasing for golden hour portraits. I was able to grab twenty or so images in just a few minutes by the lake and on the way back to the wedding party.
In addition, on a summer’s day, you get an incredible warm back light through the tree as you enjoy time around the fire pit with your guests. You can see the bokeh of the setting sun in some of my candid photos during the speeches below.
After dark, Endeavour Woodland Weddings lit up with the gentle glow of fairy lights in perfect time for Rebecca and Neil’s first dance.
Then there was time for just one more photo before I packed up my backs and headed for home after a thoroughly enjoyable Buckinghamshire woodland wedding.
I hope it’s not too long before I can go back to Endeavour and do it all over again. Thanks for having me Rebecca and Neil.
If you’re thinking about having a Buckinghamshire woodland wedding, or any other kind of woodland wedding for that matter, why not get in touch. You can find more examples of my work on my Buckinghamshire wedding photographer page.
For more information on Endeavour Woodland Weddings, visit the Endeavour website.
Endeavour Woodland Weddings
Dodley Hill Barns, Station Rd, Swanbourne MK17 0SR
Tel: 07776 347428
Can you get legally married in the woods in the UK?
In principle, you can have a legal outdoor ceremony at any venue that is approved under the Marriage and Civil Partnerships Regulations 2005. However, when it comes to woodland wedding venues, it does not appear that many (if any) of the UK’s woodland sites qualify for approval under the regulations.
Instead, what is more commonplace is that couples have a small legal ceremony at their local registry office a few days before their woodland wedding and then have a humanist ceremony with friends and family at their chosen venue.
For information on packages and pricing for your winter wedding, check out my pricing page.