INSPIRATIONAL EDITORIAL - Eco-Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas From Cornwall, Captured By Verity Westcott Photography

18th December 2019


This delightful styled shoot beautifully encapulates heaps of eco friendly wedding ideas. I'll leave it to Anna of Wild Tipi Cornwall, to talk us through all the inspiration provided by the team of talented local vendors...


Whether its finding idyllic spots hidden down lanes flanked by native hedgerows, breathing in unending views from high on coastal cliffs, or stumbling upon secret meadows tucked in a gently undulating hillside, the natural beauty of Cornwall is endless and has a special place in the hearts of many. It is therefore little wonder that many couples choose Cornwall as their wedding destination; whether they are local to the county, have family there, or have memories of sandy feet on Cornish beaches from childhood holidays; Cornwall offers a special attraction to many for its beautiful destinations and the happiness it evokes.

In a place of such natural beauty, it is essential that we do whatever we can to keep our wild surrounds protected, nurtured and safe. We are more aware than ever of ways to reduce our environmental impact in our day-to-day lives, but how to have a wedding that doesn’t take its toll on the environment, whilst not compromising on style and quality? Our collaborative shoot brings together some of Cornwall’s most environmentally conscious suppliers; to create a luxurious yet laid-back Eco Farm wedding in the heart of Cornwall’s countryside. 

Captured by award winning, alternative wedding photographer, Verity Westcott (who lives just two miles away from the venue), these images have a relaxed and yet edgy feel to them. A self-confessed "Cornish ninja with a camera and a rebel heart", Verity believes that rules are meant to be broken. A natural storyteller, she prefers to capture the day as it unfolds rather than try to pose shots. "I am lucky enough to live in one ofthe most beautiful parts of the UK, Cornwall," she says. "Wedding photography in Cornwall is truly magical... I literally am in love with what I do, all things photography, people, dogs and weddings".  Her laid-back style tells a magical story and captures beautifully the emotions of a wedding day in its entirety, as well as the stunning, Cornish backdrop.

The Ethos Behind Wild Tipi's Concept

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyThe ethos behind this shoot was to showcase ways to have an environmentally kinder wedding. Here at Wild Tipi, our drive comes from the power of nature; we understand the benefits that our wild surrounds can bring and alongside our corporate hire business, we are setting up a social enterprise to bring nature to children and women, to allow them to develop mental well-being skills through an immersion in nature.  As such, we are extremely mindful of our own impact on our environment and the need to make small changes to protect our natural surrounds.   

All of our tipis are UK made from sustainable English pine and we have recently switched from single use cable ties to reusable Velcro and set up composting and recycling access for our couples.  We have also established a Wild Weddings forum on Facebook for environmentally conscious suppliers and couples and are in talks with our local MP to form a Cornwall-wide business forum for environmentally conscious businesses.  

We want to show people that making environmentally kinder choices doesn't have to mean a compromise on style or quality.  Our suppliers and venue for this shoot were selected on this basis and at every opportunity we strove to source local, choose recycled, re-purposed or foraged. We opted to support environmentally friendlier choices such as going digital with our invitations and not having table seating plans etc.

The Bride

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, Dress by Roamer RoseThe bride’s dress was created by ethical dress, accessory and floristry design studio, Roamer Rose. Concerned with mass production, waste and pollution in fashion, founder Kyla Sidwell has long been making pathways into repurposing discarded materials since 1999. Their plans for 2020 are to create a limited collection of simple, tailored dresses and separates for brides and bridesmaids; beautifully cut in unusual fabrics, which are produced using ecologically sound methods. Each design will also incorporate further scope for reinvention!

Surrounded by rural Cornish landscapes, this dress was inspired by the abstract shapes and textures found in nature and the patterns in the art of farming practices. Specially created by hand for this shoot, the dress beautifully shows off the texture of the fabric and construction techniques; with pleats and shaping used to give the recycled fabric new life and purpose.  

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyThe bride’s hair was styled by Hair by Emma C; Emma only uses cruelty free products which are of the highest quality and long-lasting; she particularly favours a vegan range called Maria Nila. For our shoot, the effortless boho look was created without any electricity; the bride washed and braided her hair the night before to create soft waves and was then pinned back with a hair piece crafted by Roamer Rose made from recycled feathers and leather to resemble Cornish wild flowers.

The bride’s vivid autumnal makeup was done by Hannah Symons MUA.  Hannah favours vegan and cruelty free products and for this shoot used a blend of Arbonne, Urban Decay and Charlotte Tilbury products.  Hannah cleverly set the makeup with Arbonne’s setting powder to ensure the look stayed put in the Cornish mizzle! 

The Groom

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyThe groom wore wellies and a hat borrowed from the farm; the overall look for the couple was soft, relaxed and in harmony with the natural landscape.

The Ceremony

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyEco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Cornish CelebrantsThe ceremony itself was conducted by Denise from the Cornish Celebrants; helping to create an authentic and unique ceremony in a dream location. The Cornish Celebrants are working hard to reduce their carbon footprint (Denise lives minutes from Besowsa Farm) and encourage couples to do the same; favouring skype calls over meetings in person, electronic documentation and locally sourced, ethically created materials for handfasting and confetti; Denise understands well that simple changes can make such a difference.  

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Dreamspell JewelleryThe couple exchanged rings crafted by Dreamspell Jewellery; based in a shepherds hut on the North Cornish coast, founder Sophie takes much of her inspiration from the wilds of Cornwall.  Sophie works mainly with recycled silver, sustainable wood and ethically sourced, local stones to create unique, one-off pieces and small batches.  The delicate leaf print wedding rings are made from solid recycled sterling silver, embossed using a rolling mill and a real skeleton leaf to create the fine leaf detail.  

The Flowers

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Tide FlowersTide Flowers provided the stunning altar, bouquet, button-holes, tipi crown installation and table flowers for our shoot.  An eco-florist, owner Cat provides natural, creative and ethical floral design services using locally sourced and foraged materials. Where needed, she will reach out to like-minded growers across the UK and only ever imports from MPS and fair-trade certified farms.  

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Tide FlowersInspired by Besowsa Farm and the local woodlands, all of the flowers and foliage for the shoot were foraged with permission from the farm or locally sourced; the stunning bright dahlias were picked from the Besowsa Farm cottage garden, the mixed grasses, pampas, rhododendron, pittosporum, garden roses, rose hips and woodland ferns were collected by Cat from her own garden. The wood and branches used for the altar installation were all foraged with permission from the farm.

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Tide FlowersThe overall look was wild, unstructured and ethical.  Each installation was plastic and floral foam free and with zero landfill waste. Any green waste was composted in Cat’s garden workshop in Heartlands, Cornwall. 

The Reception Venue 

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyBesowsa Farm is a brand new wedding venue in Cornwall and provided the stunning backdrop to our shoot: we are completely in love with the beauty of the farm. Farmed by the Ward Family for 5 generations, they are making huge headway in being as self-sufficient as possible. They grow their own barley, wheat and oats to feed their cattle and sheep and have opted to switch from protein-rich soya beans which are currently only farmed abroad to home-grown peas. They are planting trees around the farm to further offset their carbon footprint and work hard to maintain their Cornish hedgerows, which are a vital habitat for a number of indigenous species.  

In addition to a wedding venue, the farm also offers couples the chance to use their home-grown beef, apples and vegetables in their wedding feasts should they wish to further reduce the food miles.  Besowsa uses solar and wind power and the family are constantly looking for further ways to reduce, reuse and to support their natural surrounds. With acres of land to enjoy, couples can make use of the farm’s diverse landscape, including woodland walks, farm horses grazing in the fields and quirky agricultural buildings. 

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography at Besowsa FarmEco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyThe reception field itself offers seclusion and stunning views across the Cornish countryside.   The firepit can be provided by the Farm and was handcrafted by Cornwall Firepits; providing a stunning focal point for guests to gather in the outdoor seating area.  

The Tipi

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Wild Tipi CornwallThe Tipi was supplied by Wild Tipi; made from UK-sourced, sustainable English Pine, it can be put up virtually anywhere and taken down with little trace.  More than just a hire company, the Wild Tipi team have been driven by an ethos focused on the benefits that an immersion in nature can bring. Inspired by nature, they work with couples to bring the outdoors in; helping with interior and exterior set up and décor, such as the stunning hops garlands used to decorate the tipis here.  

The Wild Tipi team have been working hard to find other ways to reduce their environmental impact and have recently switched from using single use plastic cable ties to re-usable Velcro ones.  Wherever they go, they encourage their couples to use local suppliers and make environmentally friendly choices, most recently offering a recycling and composting service for couples to use.  The team have recently founded a Wild Weddings eco forum on Facebook and are working with local businesses and their local MP to set up a broader environmental forum for Cornish businesses.

Reception Décor and Styling

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott PhotographyAlongside the Wild Tipi team, Tide Flowers and Ladyvale Bakery, support for the styling was provided by wedding planner, Jen Pokinghorn from Weddings Made in Cornwall. Jen is a champion for greener weddings in Cornwall and endeavours to support couples in choosing local suppliers and finding ways to reduce their travel around planning their big day. 

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Zennor MadeThe stunning wooden plates, bowls and trinkets are all handcrafted by Zennor Made from locally sourced wood, including driftwood and windfall. Jamie at Zennor Made creates environmentally conscious designs, from large sculptures and tables to small trinkets; even the wood shavings are used as plastic free packaging. Finished with chemical free products and UK made beeswax and hemp oil, each piece takes its inspiration from the Cornish landscape and from the way the wood has been grown or found.  

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Trevarno MarqueesThe beautiful chill-out area and Persian rugs were provided by Wild Tipi, while the striking lanterns, seating plan, blankets and upcycled crates were supplied by Stargazey hire.  Additional napkins, cutlery and glassware were from Trevarno Marquee and Event Hire. Hiring decorative items and tableware from companies like Trevarno and Stargazey is a fantastic way to cut down on waste; it offers couples the chance to re-use and recycle, especially given that much of the stock provided by Stargazey is upcycled or repurposed to create a soft, boho feel for the day. 

The Cake

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography, with Ladyvale BakeryThe cake sits on a beautiful wooden platter created again by Zennor Made. The cake itself was made by the incredibly talented Lara from Ladyvale Bakery. Based only a few miles from Besowsa farm, Lara takes pride in creating beautiful, seasonal cakes made from natural ingredients that have been sustainably or locally sourced wherever possible. Crafted with love, each cake is unique, our shoots cake was decorated with dahlias, mixed grasses and garden roses picked from Lara’s home garden and decorated with additional foliage from Tide Flowers, to give a wild, natural look and feel. We particularly love the colours that complimented the day perfectly. 

The Sparkling Wine

Eco Friendly Rural Farm Wedding Ideas from Cornwall, Captured by Verity Westcott Photography with FloreatThe bride and groom toasted their union with a glass of Floreat English Sparkling Botanic Wine. Produced by Anne-Marie Hurst, a qualified herbalist, Floreat has been crafted with a special blend of high-quality botanicals chosen for their therapeutic advantages and flavour, offering a lower alcohol wine that optimises socialising while unveiling the often-overlooked healing benefits of herbs, all in a wine that has been organically or biodynamically produced where possible.

KEEP SCROLLING TO VIEW THE FULL GALLERY!

Credits

Venue: Besowsa Farm

Photography: Verity Westcott Photography

Dress & Hair Accessory: Roamer Rose

Hair: Hair by Emma C

Make Up: Hannah Symons MUA

Celebrant: Denise from Cornish Celebrants

Rings: Dreamspell Jewellery

Flowers: Tide Flowers

Tipi and Chill Out Area: Wild Tipi

Styling: Weddings Made in Cornwall

Tableware: Trevarno Marquee and Event Hire

Wooden Bowls and Cake Platter: Zennor Made

Props: Stargazey Wedding Décor Hire

Cake: Ladyvale Bakery

Sparkling Wine: Floreat

A special thanks to Karla's Parties, Michelle and Stacy Thomas. Thank you to Stacy and Karli for the beautiful horses and Denise for her well behaved dog!


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