On 12 October 2021, Sarah and Jonathan, who're the talented creatives behind Lyra Moth, wed inside a magical outdoor ceremony within the woodland at Potager Garden, Constantine, Cornwall. Inspired by the Autumnal forest and ethereal feel of Arthur Rackham's Fairytale illustrations, the pair added Renaissance vibes with décor of fruits, beeswax candles, and natural foliage and flowers for his or her glasshouse reception.

"We always knew we desired to get married outdoors at Potager Garden. We frequently go there for lunch as it's a vegetarian cafe therefore it means Jon can eat anything. The big plus with Potager Gardens is the fact that even if the weather conditions are wet, it's still an attractive, natural space indoors encompassed by plants and nature. People could be cozy indoors, regardless of the weather."

The bride wanted a relaxed, non-traditional gown on her day, and approached the designer to hand-make this ethereal, whimsical piece for her within the palest of blush tones. It featured a tulle cape and delicate ivy detailing.

"I always knew I wanted my dress hand-made. I don't suit white whatsoever so using a 'slightly blush' dress worked better for my skin and hair tones. I wanted something not typically bridal. I wanted something quite ethereal and fairy-ish but using a long train isn't practical for any woodland venue or cuddling and obtaining three years old, therefore we went having a flowy tulle cape and dreamy poet sleeves."

Bridesmaids received a brief of 'blush bridesmaid dresses', each picking out a different gown to match their personality and elegance.

"Everyone had something completely different but they joined together with the greenery crowns, bouquets, and boots. I didn't wish to put everyone within the same dress as I wanted everyone to possess one they might wear again and produce out the facets of their personalities within their outfits. I also love mismatch like the vibe – I'm not a very uniform kind of person."

The bride carried a whimsical and wild bouquet, by The Cornish Cutting Garden.

"Clare may be the loveliest human ever and thus talented. She grows everything herself in their Cutting Garden that is much more eco-conscious and she or he's a social enterprise so her ethos is amazing. When she's not a florist, she's a painter and that results in her very unique work. I adored the sculptural rambling rose arch she made for the ceremony space, along with the floral cloud within the greenhouse."

Sarah and Jonathan were built with a special first look before being sailed over the Helford river together in the sailboat 'Magpie'.

"Although postponing was frustrating, we tried on the extender as a chance to add much more magic using the extra time also it feels so great when it finally all comes together. We'd also advise that outdoor ceremonies are incredible and thus magical if you have the chance to do so, we recommend them."

The couple met at the outset of 2017 via a mutual friend who had double-booked them both for any coffee date.

"She decided that it could be easier as we all just hung out together. I realized I had met my match when Jon vanquished me in a game of 'Ticket To Ride' (something I hadn't thought possible). We bonded on the love for film photography and I offered him employment second shooting for my new wedding photography business."

'They matched my bridesmaids who all wore boots. They better suited the venue vibe and were very practical since we took a boat over the Helford River to get towards the ceremony.”

The marriage ceremony and hand-fasting were held within the woodland at Potager Garden and were simple, rustic, and magical, with wooden chairs along with a floral arch.

"Jon and I went 'down the aisle' together with our daughter Lyra. There wasn't a lot of an aisle because of a mistake using the ceremony setup and chair layout therefore we sort of rocked up towards the arch together. We were built with a violinist, Sue Aston, playing some folk songs for all of us."

"We wrote the entirety of the ceremony ourselves once we were already legally married in a registry office and wanted something that would be a bit fun and celebrated life and silliness. Our close friend Dave officiated for all of us and performed a hand-fasting."

As the pair walked down again the outdoor aisle and through their confetti tunnel, the 'Poldark' theme tune was played.

"My nephew Theo was a page boy. He wore rust-colored The Simple Folk dungarees having a linen popover shirt and Piran, Ailsa's son, wore handmade dungarees. I'm not a fan of toddlers in suits so dungarees seemed much more fitting to have an outdoorsy, woodland wedding."

The autumn Renaissance theme continued within the couple's fun and quirky entertainment plans, which also included a Glitter Bar from Cornwall's Eco Glitter Bar.

"We set a kind of photography scavenger hunt competition. The challenges were 'recreate a renaissance painting,' 'capture an elusive flower fairy' (the kids had handmade linen fairy wings to decorate up in even though grown-ups got a large amount of use from them too!) and 'the most handsome plant.' We got a large number of interesting entries the ones who enjoyed it."

Jonathan and Sarah possess some beautiful memories using their day.

"We both loved preparing together and going within the river around the boat. We didn't have photographers or videographers for your part also it was relaxing sailing in the Helford River on the soft autumn day. The ceremony was magical too, outdoors within the woodland encompassed by trees and our friends. We loved playing bonfire songs with these loved ones around the fire in the evening and also the BBQ feast am delicious. It's very hard to pick a popular element, it had been all magical!"

Words of Wedded Wisdom

"Don't take a look at what other people are doing for weddings. Focus around the two of you and create something which's uniquely you. We got ready and did our couple photos before our boat ride towards the ceremony to provide us more time with these guests which we appreciated because the day passes so fast."

For more woodland wedding ideas, we now have so many more to inspire you here. Or, to determine other brides wearing feeltimes dresses, love this particular selection.