As the seasons change and peak wedding season comes to an end, we get to look back over the hectic summer months and see the incredible and unique weddings we’ve been part of.

Louise and John Chipperfield’s was our very first outdoor wedding experience and took place in an hidden woodland location in Peover. Collaborating with another brilliant event planner Jojo Crago we came on board to make a day full of creativity and love come alive.

The location couldn’t have been more idyllic, tucked away in the countryside just 40mins drive from Manchester on the grounds of a beautiful country estate. The vows, which included a humanist ceremony and hand-blessing in a quiet little nook surrounded by towering trees, was followed by a gorgeous vegetarian wedding feast and party in a nearby village hall.

Peover Village Hall is a hidden gem, covered in dark wood with a small stage, vintage piano and views looking out onto Polo fields. It really felt as if it had been frozen in time from the 1970’s, retro in all the right ways! Whilst the site couldn’t have been more perfect it came with it’s own set of challenges, mainly having to build the entire infrastructure of a bar from scratch and of course, having to deal with a spot of troublesome rain.

This really was an alternative wedding in its fullest sense. Groom John Chipperfield went to town making sure his entrance would be as unforgettable as the brides, making a series of woodland animal heads for himself and his groomsmen and women! Promenading through the country lanes the group couldn’t have looked dandier and of course, these Roald Dahl-esque characters came out again later  on the dance floor once the bubbly was flowing.

Louise Chipperfield looked stunning in her one of a kind Vivienne Westwood dress, as did her bridesmaids and flower girls wearing dresses Louise had made herself! A little bird tells us that Louise is planning to go into business making bridal wear for future couples, so stay tuned for future blogs about her beautiful, sustainable bridal lines.*

Other additional touches included home-brewed strawberry champagne and a string quartet playing unique wedding music. All the guests were invited to join the newly wedded couple in a hearty chorus of The Beatles classic “With a Little Help From My Friends“. Alexander Cook rocked the dancefloor, throwing in some Hacienda classics from Prodigy to Fleetwood Mac!

Alternative Weddings MCR also helped the bride and groom save money on their flowers by doing all the arranging in-house. After meeting directly with wholesalers and allowing Louise to pick exactly the flowers she wanted for her table arrangements, bouquets, button holes and floral head pieces it was handed over to us to do the arranging. We dressed a willow bough in the woodland and the hallway of Peover with a mixture of dusky Roses, Gypsophilia and Dahlia’s and had so much fun doing it, saving the bride and groom an estimated £800.

We loved being part of this incredibly unique alternative wedding and have once again made firm friends for life. Thanks to Ed Sprake for capturing so many wonderful pictures and for all the friends and family who made the day what it was – one big fat glorious love fest!

*Alternative Wedding Mcr’s director Stef has now actually commissioned her own wedding dress from Louise. Step-by-step ‘making of’ blog to follow!