Jo and Bradley’s Magical Forest Wedding in Derbyshire by Peter Hugo Photography

I do love a woodland wedding especially when they happen here in the UK, so I am delighted to be able to share this stunning wedding with you from Derbyshire, which isn’t far from me at all. Jo and Bradley both love the outdoors, so they wanted to find a wedding venue that reflected this and gave them the ability to share their love of the outdoors with all their friends and family. They found this in Royle Forest, the most gorgeous venue set in the heart of the woodland countryside. They filled their day with flowers, homemade decoration, a whole lot of fun and so much love and laughter. Big thanks to Peter Hugo  for capturing the day so beautifully for us.

A magical warm day, full of love and laughter! With the best after party

Jo and Bradley were married on 10th June 2023 at Royle Forest, Drakelow, Derbyshire. ‘We love the outdoors and hiking! When we saw the venue on a rainy day in October we fell in love! It felt so magical! We had 120 guests in the day, with 200 overall including evening and it took 9 months to plan.’

How they met 
We met at work! We’ve known each other for over 11 years and been together nearly 10

The proposal
The best surprise ever! At the top of school knott tarn in Windermere with all Jo’s family, including our dog Mr Bo. It was a total surprise but the best!

How did you allocate your budget?
After booking the venue we worked out how much we could save each month, and then Bradley built a fantastic spread sheet so we could keep on track!

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We saved on decorations with doing a lot ourselves! We splurged on entertainment and flowers!

How did you choose your photographer?
We met Pete over 5 years ago as he was capturing our friends wedding! Ever since then we have followed him on Instagram and loved his work (Bradley also has done wedding photography in the past) so when our time came we knew exactly who we wanted! Pete’s vibe is just what we wanted, relaxed and capturing the day as it unfolds!
We also had a fabulous videographer – visions of Grace who Bradley has worked with previously and known for years!

The dress
My dress was by All Who Wander, North Gown purchased and alternations by Natalie Ann Brides. Shoes from rainbow club! Accessories from copper lane

The suit and bridesmaids
We rented suits from Bridgens in Derby and bridesmaids dresses from ASOS!

Theme or colour scheme
Not particularly! We kept with soft greens and white flowers to match the forest surroundings!

Flowers 
Beautiful flowers! We had gorgeous flowers for the bouquets and pin holes – including lovely peonies! Then for the tables one of our close friends provided brightly coloured flower arrangements.

Decoration 
Flowers, photos, greenery!

Food
The most incredible food! We made our own crisp wall for snacks throughout the day!
The best – Cherry Pickle Catering for our wedding breakfast we had:
Starters: goats cheese salad or pork bao buns
Mains: tomato arancini or shoulder of lamb
Dessert: white chocolate and raspberry blondie
For evening food we had incredible pizza by fire and embers pizza

Wedding cake
3 tiers of lemon drizzle and red velvet! Made by Bradley’s cousin and partner!

Entertainment
For the ceremony and drinks reception the incredible Emily Rose Sings
For evening the amazing Platinum Party Band – who kept the dance floor full till the end!

Who supplied the stationery?
We didn’t have any stationery as we used withjoy for wedding e-invites.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Crete , Greece

Personal touches
We put photos up of our journey lining the trees as you walked into the venue. We also made our place name cards from Magic the Gathering cards (one of Bradley’s favourite hobbies!) – we also had a game of flip cup between the bridal party and grooms men

Special moments
The ceremony was beautiful being outside and the sun was shining we did our own vows which meant everything! The band in the evening were incredible and we didn’t leave the dance floor all night!

Advice for other couples?
Enjoy yourselves! This day is about the 2 of you and celebrating your love for each other!

Biggest surprise
The heat! It was 29 degrees at the start of June – we were not expecting that! Also how quickly the day went after the ceremony!

Supplier Shout Outs

• Venue: Royle Forest
• Photography: Peter Hugo 
• Videography: Visions of Grace
• Wedding breakfast catering: Cherry Pickle Catering
• Evening food: Fire & Embers
• Dress: Natalie Ann Brides 
• Suits: Bridgens
• Make up: Holly Lousie make up 
• Hair:  Amy Hair 
• Flowers: the flower lady 
• Table flowers: Perfect Patch Flowers
• Singer: Emily Rose 
• Band: Platinum Party Band 

Peter Hugo Photography

www.peterhugophotography.com / www.peterhugophotography.com/blog/ / [email protected] / 07828627988 / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

“Hey! I’m Pete, My mission is simple: to capture genuine, heartfelt moments that feel natural, personal, and timeless. Whether you’re a confident pro or a bit of a Chandler Bing, I’m here to make your wedding day fun, relaxed, and completely stress-free. No stiff poses, no awkward “gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes” nonsense—just you and your favourite person, having the absolute time of your life. I thrive on capturing the real moments—the belly laughs, the happy tears, and the little glances that convey everything. And the best part? You’ll have photos that don’t just look like you, but feel like you. Moments that instantly transport you back to that special day whenever you see them.”