Behind the scenes

My top five popular ideas give a starting point to consider when creating your wedding ceremony.

Marriage laws in the United Kingdom are confusing, with significant regional differences in marriage laws for such a small country. So where do you start if you want to have a wedding ceremony that relects your values, love for each other that can be expressed where and how you want.

Weddings bring with them the freshness of new beginnings – flowers, colours, new clothes, new excitement and a new sense of opportunity. Weddings have a way of opening our hearts and uplifting our minds. People will be excited to share your day. They literally get a contact high off your love. So why not take the joy of your wedding to the next level by holding it outdoors? Fresh air, sun, trees. According to some studies, nature is a magical thing that can have strong healing powers, such as improving mood, boosting your immune system and increasing your level of happiness! Right now, in the age of COVID-19's social-distancing and staying indoors at home, there's never been a better time and immense need for the benefits of nature. Researchers have found that nature makes us happy. Anxiety, depression and anger are decreased after spending time outdoors. Being outside Improves focus. Studies show that both adults and children who have difficulties focusing or controlling impulses are better able to concentrate after being in nature. The natural world allows our brains to take a break from all that mentally drains us. During the pandemic, the value of spending time outdoors to reduce stress and enhance mental wellbeing (rather than just to keep physically fit), has become a mantra of governments and public health charities worldwide. These discussions date back centuries in Scandinavia and provide further context for Swedes' love of nature. A concept called friluftsliv , which translates as "open-air living", was popularised across the region in the 1850s; it's very close to what we mean nowadays by mindfulness. So it is a search for a deeper connection to the landscape and being in nature and going into this very self-reflexive, meditative mood. If people didn't grow up believing that they should go into the woods… the woods are perceived as a dangerous place rather than where someone could go for a walk alone in the evening or celebrate a meaningful life event such as a wedding. Weddings are monumental, joyful moments in your life, so why not maximise the love, joy and excitement by holding your wedding in our woodland wedding venue? Being outdoors does not mean you have to forego the comfort of modern living. Our woodland wedding venue has fully functional eco loos, regular, sustainable electricity supplied from a nearby solar farm, excellent vehicle access, so you don't have to wear hiking boots! So if you are getting married and want to take a walk on the decadent wild side, we would love to have a chat with you about holding your wedding in our woodland wedding venue.

Many of us who aren’t religious are looking for a wedding that is more flexible and personal than a civil or registry office ceremony. In normal circumstances, a non-religious wedding ceremony allows you to marry where you want when you want, and how you want - we think that our woodland wedding venue is the perfect location for your special day! There’s no set script: it’s too personal an occasion for that. Instead, each wedding is unique. You can set the tone that’s right for you and choose your own words and music. A non-religious wedding; more often referred to as a Humanist wedding are perfect for couples who would like: • A meaningful ceremony that isn’t religious • To marry outdoors or at a location that isn’t licensed for civil weddings • The flexibility to create a personal ceremony that is unique to them • To get to know the person who will be conducting their wedding • To celebrate their marriage with family and friends but without legally registering – for example, when the formalities have already been conducted abroad. • Have their wedding span a couple of days, so that is more of a festival wedding event so that you can spend quality time with your family and friends. The person who conducts your wedding ceremony is called a Celebrant. Co-founder of Endeavour Woodland Weddings is an Accredited Humanist UK Celebrant which like other Accredited Celebrants means he is trained, friendly, and experienced. Someone who will guide you through the process of creating a wedding ceremony that’s perfect for you. They will: • Get to know you and what you want from the occasion • Share their ideas and draw on their experience • Write a unique ceremony tailored just for you • Edit the script in response to your feedback • Conduct the ceremony • Give you a presentation copy of the final script. The legal status of humanist weddings in the UK In the UK, marriage is a devolved issue: humanist marriages enjoy legal recognition in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, but not yet in England and Wales. Humanist weddings have been legally recognised in Northern Ireland since 2018 and in Jersey in the Channel Islands since 2019. In Scotland, Humanist weddings gained legal recognition in 2005. The Government is conducting a review regarding England and Wales so we hope this situation will change within the next year or so so that there is fairness with the rest of the UK. So currently in England and Wales, couples who want to have a non-religious wedding will often go to the registry office to take care of the legal formalities in the days before or after their ceremony. In Milton Keynes, this normally takes place on a Tuesday and lasts approximately 40 minutes. The fees for the registry office are broken into two stages; Notice to get married and Marriage or Civil Partnership. Notice to enter marriage or civil partnership; £35 per person. Marriage or civil partnership at Register Office offered on fixed days; £46. Always check with your local Registry Office for the most up to date fees and requirements. These are normally reviewed once a year in April. How much does a humanist wedding ceremony cost? Fees vary according to the distance travelled and what is wanted from the occasion. Humanist Ceremonies™ ( www.humanism.org.uk ) provides recommended fee bands, but always check fees with the individual celebrant. At Endeavour Woodland Weddings we are here to make sure that you have the woodland wedding of your dreams. If there is anything that you are not sure about our maybe want to chat through ideas; please do not hesitate to contact us.

Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, tortoise or anything in between, your pet is a member of your family, so it is only natural to want to include them in your wedding. So why do people have pets at weddings? Well, we are sure the answer is just one word, love. If you have a pet, then it really is part of the family and you wouldn't think of your beloved pet not being with you for such a momentous occasion. As weddings have become more flexible and couples are able to reflect the growing personalisation trend, it’s become more and more common for pets to be part of the celebrations. As you might have imagined, we’re definitely pet-friendly at Endeavour Woodland Weddings. Our woodlands are heaven for dogs and we’re always happy to welcome your pet as we consider pets to be a part of your family. Things to consider Many outdoor wedding venues allow pets, but not all of them do. Indoor venues differ from company to company — some may allow your pet, but they’ll be restricted to certain areas. Check with your venue early in the planning process. If you’re having a beach wedding, contact the local council to find out whether dogs are allowed. Needless to say that being outdoors in our fabulous woods, pets are very welcome at Endeavour Woodland Weddings. The most common pets we have are dogs, though there are considerations with animals that can generally be applied to all. "Always keep your dog on a lead," we advise there might be guests who are allergic or scared of dogs so don't assume that all your guests will love them as you do. Is there a friend or family member who can be the designated dog-minder for the day? Ideally, it needs to be someone your dog knows and will be happy with. Make sure they are someone who’ll be happy to spend the day with your dog and is reliable; especially when the fizz is flowing. As the saying goes, don’t ever work with pets or children! If you’re hoping to include your pet in your ceremony in some way, you need to accept the fact that they might not play ball. Always be prepared to change your plans. Pack a little bag for your pet so they’ve got everything they’ll need for the day – lead, collar, poo bags, food, water & food bowl, a few treats, a favourite toy and even their bed, travel cage or blanket. A good idea is to organise for someone to take them home before the evening starts or if that is not possible make sure there is somewhere for them to rest out of the hustle and bustle of the day after being stroked excessively and photographed. From ring-bearing pooches to llamas carrying flowers, they're a great way to have a more personal and memorable day! We will be delighted to have a chat with you as to how best include the ones you love on your wedding day in the woods.

At Endeavour Woodland Weddings we conduct Humanist weddings which are perfect for couples who would like a meaningful ceremony that isn’t religious with the flexibility to create a personal ceremony that is unique to them. Many of us who aren’t religious are looking for a wedding that is more flexible and personal than a civil or register office ceremony where you cannot choose your own words, vows, statement of love or include readings or music from guests. The key thing to note that a Humanist Weddings is not anti-religious; it offers choice to those chose not to have a religious wedding ceremony. The person that conducts your ceremony and helps you pull it all together is called a Celebrant A humanist, non-religious wedding ceremony gives you the opportunity to marry where you want, when you want, and how you want. There’s no set script: it’s too personal an occasion for that. Instead, each wedding is unique. You can set the tone that’s right for you and choose your own words and music. Your Celebrant is there to help you plan your perfect wedding. At Endeavour Woodland Weddings we have our own “in house” Celebrant; Paul Skone. Paul is an accredited Humanist UK Registered Celebrant; as such he is trained, friendly, experienced and will guide you through the process of creating a wedding that’s perfect for you. During the months leading up to your wedding he will: Get to know you and what you want from the occasion Share your ideas and draw on your experiences as a couple Write a unique ceremony tailored just for you Edit the script in response to your feedback Conduct the ceremony Legal status of Humanist weddings in the UK In the UK, marriage is a devolved issue: humanist marriages enjoy legal recognition in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, but not yet in England and Wales. In England and Wales, couples who want to have a humanist wedding will often go to the register office to take care of the legal formalities in the days before or after their ceremony. Humanist weddings have been legally recognised in Northern Ireland since 2018 and in Jersey in the Channel Islands since 2019. In Scotland, Humanist weddings gained legal recognition in 2005. Ceremonies are conducted by Celebrants trained by Humanist Society Scotland. Over the summer of 2020 a lot of progress has been made to legally recognise Humanist Weddings in England and Wales. The Government is halfway through a consultation process in conjunction with the Law Commission to review all aspects of current marriage legislation; they are due to release their findings in Summer 2021. We are hopeful that this will finally legally recognise Humanist Weddings in England Wales and finally bring parity with the rest of the UK. We will be delighted to answer any questions you might have regarding our woodland wedding venue, wedding ceremonies. You can keep up to date with our latest news on our on our Twitter, Facebook or Instagram pages; the links to these are at the bottom of each web page.

We all love an English Summers day, the gentle heat, the cool shady areas underneath our glorious oak trees. Now there is even more reason to enjoy those sunny summer days as we have some exciting news regarding our woodland wedding venue. Solar Electricity is coming to our woods! It means that you, your guests and contractors will be able to simply plug into regular house sockets in the middle of our woodland wedding venue. We are connecting our new Woodland Wedding electrical supply to the solar panel farm that sits on top of the large grain dying barns at Dodley Hill Farm. The Solar Farm at Dodley Hill is a fantastic facility and on sunny days provides all the power required to run the various offices and machinery in the drying barns; with any unused supply feeding into the National Grid. This means that on your wedding day the electricity used during the day will be solar powered which really sits well within our Endeavour green ethos; at night we will simply drawback from the National Grid what we did not use during the day, so its the best of both worlds. This is a large undertaking that is scheduled to take place in Autumn 2020 as it’s the best time of year to cause the least disruption to our wonderful trees.