Outdoor Wedding Ceremonies

Outdoor wedding ceremonies just fill me with happiness!  To have your wedding ceremony ouside, in nature, surrounded by your nearest and dearest is really very special.  Buildings (even pretty ones) make me think of institutions, of tradition and of being compelled by history and the past. Surely the earliest weddings would have been outside, right? Back in the day?

Here at Higher Holcombe in glorious Devon countryside – our maturing woodland is perfect for your outdoor wedding ceremonies. This blog is about two of our unique outdoor ceremony spaces.  The third  is how to have an outdoor ceremony even if Mother Nature decides to show us what she is capable of! So, we offer you:

• The hill-top Willow ‘Cathedral’
• The secluded Silver Birch ‘Church’
• A cool stretch tent in the Celebration Meadow in case of rain!

The Hill-Top Willow Cathedral

Our unique Willow Cathedral (we believe that we are the only venue in the country to have one) (so very special) (!) is reached by a meandering willow walkway that leads to our triple chapel cathedral.  Instead of stone pillars (like you might find in a traditional cathedral building), these are specially planted willow arches.

We will set the chairs out for you to leave an aisle (if you want). They really don’t need anything else to decorate or make them more special.  All through Spring until Summer’s end, the naturally growing willow is just elegant as it is! You may choose to decorate the chairs along the aisle with lavender or rosemary sprigs, or little flower posies as you like. Your families and friends can enjoy the views while you are getting ready. . .

After your arrival, your guests will sit down and your own special outdoor wedding ceremony will begin.

The Secluded Silver Birch Church

Another option that we offer for outdoor wedding ceremonies is the glade of trees to the east – the secluded Silver Birch Church. As the tree saplings were being planted, they weren’t mixed up in the usual way.  As a wonderful (if unplanned) result, we have rather elegant rows of white-barked silver birch trees.  Their delicate leaves provide gentle shelter and this has a really rather lovely secret feel!  Just perfect for smaller and more intimate wedding ceremonies.

The Celebration Meadow Stretch Tent

If ‘weather’ is predicted and you don’t want to risk being wed in a downpour – we have a wet weather plan that means that you can still have a woodland feel outdoor wedding ceremony!  The Celebration Meadow is not at all far from the Old Dairy reception area – just a few steps across the grass for your guests to navigate.

The walkway for the bride is from a secret path behind the farmhouse knot garden.  From here you will cross the wooden bridge over Holcombe Brook to the start of your aisle up through the middle of the rather funky stretch tent. This is on the woodland fringes and you will know that you are in the beautifully secluded and private part of the venue.

So – there you are.  Three rather gorgeous options for you to have an outdoor wedding ceremony and a wonderful woodland wedding here at Higher Holcombe!

You can read more about engaging a celebrant in another blog that I have written and have a sneak peek at our unique outside ceremony spaces.