Jade and Will’s wedding at Higher Holcombe was a relaxed outdoor wedding in Devon, with a ceremony in the Silver Birch Church. Some wedding days feel completely tied to the place they happen in. This was one of them.

Higher Holcombe was so green that day. Wet grass, birdsong, wildflowers, trees dripping with rain, and everyone there all in this little world together. The weather was very much part of the day, but Jade and Will were always clear that they wanted to get married outside.

So that is exactly what they did.

I started the morning with Jade and her bridespeople in the main house. It was relaxed and easy, with music playing, people chatting, and everyone slowly getting ready.

There were flowers everywhere, which felt very fitting as Jade is a florist and runs Meadow Thicket Floristry. She did her own wedding flowers, and alongside the invites by Studio Pheebs and stationery by Sweet Ophelia Designs, those details made the whole day feel really personal.

Will and his groomspeople were getting ready over in the hobbit hut, with lots of guests staying on site too. 

The rain was on and off, but Jade and Will still wanted their ceremony outside in the Silver Birch Church. I loved that.

Outdoor weddings in the UK always need a bit of flexibility. Timings might shift, umbrellas might appear, and everyone has to work with the day as it comes. But when a couple is happy to lean into it, the weather can add so much atmosphere.

Guests sat under umbrellas, the trees surrounded the ceremony, and Josie May sang during the ceremony and daytime reception. Everyone also sang along to Accidentally In Love, which was such a lovely moment.

It wasn’t polished in a formal way. It was better than that. It felt real, personal and full of character.

When the ceremony was over, there was a break in the rain, so we went straight into confetti. After the confetti it immediately began to rain again. So Jade and Will agreed it was the perfect time to for a couples portrait session. While their guests stayed dry, sheltering in the marquee, we went up the the willow cathedral to do some dancing in the rain!

Then we kept the group photos fun and simple under the giant willow tree. There were a lot of belly laughs during these photos, which I’m choosing to believe was because I was being very funny, and not because everyone was just having a brilliant time.

One of my favourite parts of the whole day was the first dance.

Jade and Will had their first dance outside, beside the giant willow in the early afternoon. The grass was wet, and everyone was laughing and dancing outside in the middle of the day. It was a moment that summed up the whole wedding really well.

After drinks in the marquee, everyone headed into the barn for the wedding breakfast. The Good Grub created an incredible vegan menu. There was also cake from Blossom and Bee Bakehouse.

Later in the day, everyone walked up to the Willow Cathedral for more music, drinks and chatting. We also did the bouquet toss there, which ended up being a lovely moment. 

The late afternoon light was soft and moody, so we took a few more portraits nearby. The rain had left everything looking deep green and atmospheric, which suited the whole day perfectly.

The day finished back in the barn, with Ben Prescott DJing the evening party.

By that point, the day had already had so many different layers to it. A quiet morning in the main house, the hobbit hut, a rainy woodland ceremony, confetti, dancing by the willow, vegan food, music in the Willow Cathedral, portraits in the fields, and then a proper party indoors.

The rain never felt like a problem. It became part of the story. Jade and Will made the day their own, and that is always what makes a wedding worth photographing.

If you’re planning a wedding at Higher Holcombe, or anywhere in the south west, and want natural, cinematic wedding photography that captures both the atmosphere and emotion of your day, I’d love to hear from you. Simply get in touch here.

Jade and Will’s Review

Elliot captured the most beautiful parts of our wedding day in a way that just felt like our friend was with us and picking the moments they’d know we’d want to keep forever.

The weather was tricky on our day but Elliot was so unphased and worked around our plan to bring us the best opportunities for the perfect shots.

To find someone who loves the outdoors like we do, who can work within parameters of disability and who is LGBTQ+ friendly felt like a dream come true for us.

We couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be with us on our wedding day and to capture our forever memories.

Our gallery has been made to such a high level that it’s like we’d back having our wedding day all over again.

We’d recommend him to anyone else in a heartbeat.