Adventurous Nature-Inspired Autumnal Camp Katur Wedding

Get ready for all the festival, woodland vibes thanks to Patti and Mike’s epic Camp Katur wedding held in North Yorkshire. Hoorah!

I can’t tell you how much I adore their autumnal adventurous day complete with camping, dancing in the field, stunning seasonal dried flowers and nature-inspired vibes. From their gorgeous outfits to the beautifully styled tipi reception, golden hour portraits, stylish outfits and sparkler exit, you’ll be in wedding heaven.

Thanks so very much to Alex Bates Photography for sharing with us these sensational images of what looked like a very memorable day indeed.

Camp Katur Wedding

The Proposal

We were on an adventure holiday where we had hired a campervan and were travelling through the Lake District and Scotland.

During the day, we kayaked around Loch Lomand and got absolutely soaked! We dried off in a pub with a pint and left for our camper parked on the shore of Loch Lomond. At this point, I didn’t realise why Mike was so upset when he realised he’d left his bag with his wet kit (and the ring!!) in the pub!

As the evening went on, the rain cleared away so we took our beach chairs onto the shore and sat underneath the most beautiful stars, listening to Bon Iver. Mike went back to the van to “get a drink” and came back with the ring and proposed. It was so beautiful!

The Vision

Before we found our venue, we knew we wanted a space where we could have all of our friends and family to come for a full weekend. Neither of us are tranditional, so it was important we could be relaxed and bring our personalities to the day!

Being nature enthusiasts we needed to find a place where we could bring that into the day somehow and it was key for us to be surrounded by woodlands on our big day. We wanted a laid-back space that our friends and family could relax in and feel like it was a mini holiday for them too.

We envisioned our friends and families children and pets all playing together, giving the adults a safe space to relax and enjoy themselves. Being big music fans, we matched our favourites to each part of the day, and asked our guests for their favourite songs so that they wanted a dance too! We love festivals, so wanted to bring in the festival vibes – which having a tipi, and dancing in a field helped with! And obviously, the romance!

Budget

We went over – of course we did!

The Styling & Decor

We worked with OhsoBoho after finding an autumnal palette previous wedding they had done before. They use dried, preserved and fake flowers so that they can be used again, which was a big bonus for us!

They captured the autumnal colours perfectly and made an explosion of beautiful colours that completed the woodland perfectly. I love that I get to keep my bouquet on display – it lives on our coffee table and brings me joy every day.

To keep the budget down, we worked in partnership to make a few bits of décor ourselves!

The Venue

Camp Katur – Forests, glamping, open fields and meadows, BBQ pits and a huge bonfire to while away the early morning hours!

Your Outfits

Bride

I had an idea of what I wanted, and went to Lacy Days of Ramsbottom for a day with my mum. Interestingly one of the first dresses I tried on was the one I ordered! I knew I liked the Madi Lane style and found a dress that encompassed the nature vibe!

Groom

The groom took a little longer, not wanting a traditional suit, he tried a few different options, but couldn’t move away from his favourite shop – Uniqlo!

We both wore our favourite Converse trainers.

The Ceremony & Music

Our wonderful brothers made a fully personalised ceremony for us, talking about the two of us, sharing marriage advice and bringing in funny stories. Our friend Paul read a passage from our favourite book – The Humans by Matt Haig.

Instead of hymns, we sang two of our favourite songs with our friends and family! We wrote shared vows of how we want to live our lives together. The bride also gave a surprise reading of all of the “glimmers” that her new husband gives her.

Glimmers = the opposite of triggers. They are micro-moments of joy that elicit a rush of happiness, gratitude, peace and safety.

Your Photographer

We hired Alex Bates. We met a few photographers but instantly connected with Alex. Over a Zoom call, we shared excitement about the venue and the ability to capture shots in a woodland and the potential to capture golden hour photos.

We ended up chatting for so long, we got out a G&T and chatted about music and family! We knew we had to work with Alex, and we made such a good choice! Over the year of planning, we decided that because the venue was so sparse it would be great to have a second shooter – which Alex arranged for us!

On the day they were incredible! Alex made us feel so relaxed, he was keen to capture some more unusual photos which we loved, and his candid style was just what we wanted – capturing guests having the best time!

The Honeymoon

Montenegro! We stayed in the beautiful village of Perast, spending our days overlooking the beautiful mountains and the bay of Kotor. We visited the old town of Kotor, got the cable car to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset, drinking beers and listening to our favourite music.

We went on an adventure tour to Durmitor National Park where we zip-lined over the Tara River Canyon, hiked around the Black Lake, even taking a dip in the glacial waters! We ate delicious food, spent a few days lounging by the infinity pool and even got matching tattoos after a few too many glasses of Port!

Memorable Moments

Dancing around the firepit after the big day, singing our favourite songs with all our friends and family at the ceremony, seeing everyone playing garden games together, walking down a tree aisle, having our brothers marry us.

Advice For Other Couples

If you have an idea that you love, do it! Your guests will love seeing you genuinely happy doing what makes you happy. Prepare to go over budget too.