Royle Forest Wedding Photographer

Royle Forest Wedding Photography– Lily & Adam’s Autumn Wedding

Oh what a joy it is to photograph at Royle Forest weddings, Lily & Adam chose one of my favourite venue’s for their outdoor tipi wedding. Throw it back to their autumn wedding in the woods, their day was a masterclass in how to do a rustic, boho weddings! 

Royle Forest Weddings is a tipi wedding venue on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border situated in a 200-acre woodland. A blank canvas that couples can add their personality to, it was the perfect venue for this pair of creatives. As the latest tipi venue on the scene having opened in 2022 there had been handful of blessings held in the forest but Lily & Adam were the very first couple to legally marry there. And what a corker of a wedding it was.

Why choose Royle Forest Weddings?

It has a whimsical Robin Hood vibe, which I know was precisely what Lily & Adam were looking for. The anticipation builds as you arrive and enter through the majestic swan gates, then through a ruin archway onto a forest walkway lit by fairy-lights. It sounds like the start of a magical adventure story doesn’t it? It really is that enchanting! You then head into a forest clearing where you will find the tipis and a stone chapel. This is the ceremony area. Vows are exchanged in front of the chapel whilst guests sit under canvas on 250-year-old church pews. 

On the day, I got there early to capture some great images of Lily and Adam getting ready, one of my favourite parts of the day. Both were staying on site and I caught up with Lily and with her bridal party who were getting ready in the Bear’s Lair, which is Royle Forest’s stylish bespoke preparation area. The morning was super chilled, great playlist, delicious breakfast of pastries and fruit and all of Lily’s best girls around her.

Derbyshire wedding photography

I got some great images of Lily getting ready, including some really special ones of her with her daughter who was one of the flower girls. 

Lily looked stunning in a spaghetti strapped dress with a sweetheart neckline and a scooped low back. It had an A-line skirt shape giving Lily an amazing silhouette in all of my images. Hairstylist Selina Styles at Sassy Stylez styled Lily’s hair beautifully. Lily teamed the dress with a simple back veil that melted into her skirt at the back and a cracking pair of Jimmy Choo velvet heels! *chefs kiss*

I also got the chance to capture a couple of images of Adam before the ceremony. He and his grooms party all looked very smart in a light brown tweed three-piece suit. It was the perfect look for an autumn wedding in the woods. 

The colour scheme at Lily and Adams’s wedding struck a perfect tone for Autumn with bridesmaids in gorgeous rustic orange and dark green dresses. Flowers on the day were stunning autumnal arrangements in striking colours and were provided by the clever people at Pretty Pricks and styled by Lily. 

Storytelling wedding photography in Staffordshire 

The tipi wedding ceremony was bloody lovely. Lily was walked down the aisle by her mum, behind the flower girls and the bridesmaids to a stunning string quartet. A young groomsman was the ring bearer and nailed his duties perfectly and there were some wonderfully heart felt readings including letter’s to each other. The ceremony felt so personal to Lily and Adam, yes I had a lump in my throat the whole time.

After the ceremony there was an awesome confetti moment as guests lined up along the timber walkway. This was followed by a drink’s reception outside of the tipis,. The drinks were flowing and everyone enjoyed the freakishly good October weather. And I took my chance to get some great relaxed candid images of everybody. 

As guests were being seated for the wedding meal, I whisked Lily and Adam away for a few minutes for their couples portraits. They wanted to keep things relaxed and natural and were a dream to work with and I got some amazing images. With the low hazy sunlight and Royle Forest providing me with stunning backdrops.

We then re-joined Lily and Adam’s guests to rapturous applause. The tipi looked amazing all dressed up. It was lit with fairy lights giving it all the magical feels, rustic tables were arranged in rows and dressed with flowers and candles. What a place eh! 

Creative & Natural wedding photography at Royle Forest Weddings 

After some delicious food provided by caterers The Butler’s Pantry and not ones to follow tradition, Lily and Adam made their own speeches and had everyone crying with laughter and happy tears.

Evening celebrations started with the cutting of a gorgeous three-tiered wedding cake decorated in black icing. Followed by a romantic first dance for Lily and Adam on a lit dancefloor. 

I loved the evening party at Lily and Adam’s wedding. Their guests were so up for a party and the dancefloor with full, with guests from the youngest, to the oldest and everybody in between. I love family friendly weddings. It was so much fun, that I stayed on a little longer to capture some of the dancefloor antics! 

A wonderful wedding in the woods for Lily and Adam. Congratulations guys and thank you for allowing me to tell the story of it. I hope my images will allow you to relive it again and again for many years to come. 

If, like Lily & Adam, you’re getting married or thinking of getting married at Royle Forest, and are looking for an experienced Royle Forest wedding photographer to capture your day with creative and storytelling images. Then feel free to get in touch. I’d love to hear about your wedding plans. 

I’ll leave the last words to Lily and Adam. Here’s what they had to say about me.