Your Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wedding - August/September 2020 (Issue 84)

34 To reflect our love of the great outdoors, we chose to elope to the Rocky Mountains in Canada which was a trip that we had both wanted to do and they allow UK citizens to marry there. We tied the knot in Alberta’s stunning Banff National Park by the Bow Falls. We also wanted the chance to celebrate our marriage with friends and family in the UK so we planned a hand-fasting ceremony and summer festival-style celebration the week before our Canadian adventure. Steph’s friend and Katie’s cousin both sang an acoustic version of Christina Perri’s A Thousand Year s as Steph walked down the aisle followed by Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows after the ceremony. With one on guitar and both singing, they somehow managed to rehearse together beforehand, despite being at home in Northern Ireland and Wigan! We wanted a large outdoor space in which to set up our giant tipis and a glamping zone for our guests to stay over in what was ideally a wooded area to reflect the woodland where we first worked and met. Fawley Fields on Roundhouse Farm in Henley- on-Thames provided the perfect place and was exactly halfway between each of our families based in Bedfordshire and Kent. We had a selection of large bell tents each set up with beds and creature comforts. We chose to hold a hand-fasting ceremony in the centre of the woodland which is rooted in ancient Celtic tradition. It symbolises the natural binding together and commitment of two people using a cord, allowing couples to tie the knot! Steph’s sister led the ceremony which we’d written ourselves and each of our bridesmaids and groomsmen was involved in the wrapping of our hands and well-wishing which added a personal touch. Inspired by a YouTube video, we made our braided cord from a selection of coloured ribbons and beads. The views from the 20 acres of open fields at Fawley Fields on Roundhouse Farm were stunning, stretching across rural Berkshire.