The magic of Darren and Linda’s wedding was hard to put into words – not in the ceremony itself, thankfully (as a Yorkshire wedding celebrant, that’s kind of my whole job) but in the retelling.
This is unhelpful for blogging, especially when the way people often arrive at blogs is by searching the specific words used; so if you’ve arrived here, I’m gonna suggest you take it as a sign. Grab a brew, pull up a (non-denominational) pew, and get inspiration from this wonderful wedding that you were clearly meant to see.
Darren and Linda’s Yorkshire Sculpture Park wedding
“Together for 38 years and they’re not bored yet”
This was a line from their ceremony, and it couldn’t be more true. Darren and Linda met in 1986, but never got round to getting married. No wedding plans they could think of felt special enough for their relationship… so they didn’t make any at all!
This might sound cheesy, but in actual fact they’re not super saccharine and sentimental – they just really respect one another. (Did you know, you can have a wedding ceremony that’s full of meaning without being super cheesy?) Plus, they’re as bonkers as each other so they totally work.
Recently though, Darren kept seeing reasons to get married and decided to propose with a ring he bought at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Together they decided they would like a “damn good party”, and magically the wedding came together very quickly.
Dogs and Seamus Heaney
Darren and Linda’s ceremony was 100% them – as is not only possible but actively encouraged when you’ve chosen a humanist wedding celebrant.
Their beautiful Border Collies, Pip and Jim, walked them down the aisle and gave them away (with a pause for them to voice their dissent, of course, which they didn’t do, because Darren and Linda are perfect together!)
They then chose a corker of a reading for Linda's brother-in-law Martin to share, in the form of Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney, which spoke to to the longevity of their love for each other (as did the tree that they married in front of but we’ll get to that in a minute).
Linda's sister wore ivy green
Vows from Valentine’s Day cards
Couples often want some external guidance with their vows (side bar - I can help with your vows if you like too!), and for Darren and Linda we decided to do something different. They sent me pictures of EVERY Valentine’s, anniversary and Christmas card they’d sent each other over the past four decades.
I read through them all and edited the most poetic bits, as well as the sections that summed up their relationship best, and transformed them into their vows. The cards were mostly homemade, and included original poetry, favourite song lyrics and hand drawn art work. It was pretty special, and one of those parts of the job that reminded me just how much I love being a Yorkshire wedding celebrant.
Creating the ceremony
In a way, the process of creating this ceremony felt almost as significant as the wedding itself. It was a bigger part of my job than it tends to be with younger couples, as they simply had more shared history to go through, and giving Darren and Linda a chance to talk together about their relationship and reflect on (most of) a lifetime together was an incredible privilege.
Before you worry that I’m getting too sentimental, don’t worry – it was by no means a walk in the park. Darren and Linda would both agree that they’re hard to pin down to details, and they found it very hard to say nice things about one another, in front of each other (which is quite common with my couples). Plus, they didn’t do their “homework” of having a date night!
However, we made it work in a way that felt right for all of us – for them, to enjoy the process without feeling too vulnerable, and to have a ceremony that reflected their story; for me, to get what I needed to make that happen, without pestering them or overstepping any boundaries.
I don’t mean to brag – but if you can’t brag on your own website, where can you?! – but people have said before that ceremony planning with me is like getting to know a new friend. That’s 100% what Darren and Linda’s wedding was like: we talked about music and art, nature and the great outdoors, and a million other things that are important to them.
Outdoors Yorkshire Sculpture Park wedding ceremony
Sure, sure, the ceremony script and delivery itself was excellent, blah blah blah – but we must talk about Darren and Linda’s venue, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
What do you do when you have Europe’s leading sculpture park on your doorstep? You visit it frequently, and then 38 years later you choose it as your wedding venue because it’s so meaningful to you.
Their ceremony took place in the midst of all the stunning sculptures – and in particular, an enormous bronze head emerging from the ground. Their particular spot was also in front of a Cedar of Lebanon tree, which is Darren and Linda’s favourite tree in the whole park. It was also very fitting as the species are symbols of wisdom and protection, and they’re known for their longevity and resistance to decay. See, I told you we’d come back to the tree.
Though Darren and Linda’s guest numbers made this spot make more sense, there’s also an incredible ceremony option at the Deer Shelter Skyspace, which is well worth a look. To be honest, the whole venue is a treasure trove of options. It also makes for an epic backdrop for wedding photos, like the fabulous ones you can see here by the talented Hannah Brooke.
Yorkshire wedding celebrant
There are so many reasons to have a wedding celebrant co-create and conduct your ceremony, and Darren and Linda’s wedding was a perfect example of this.
Not only did they have a ceremony that fit their requirements, rather than forcing them into a generic box that wouldn’t have shown off their brilliance (because they’ve never been boring or stayed inside the lines their entire lives, so why would they start now?), but they also got to do it in one of the greatest venues our county, if not our country, has to offer.
If you’re looking for a Yorkshire wedding celebrant to create a day like Darren and Linda’s – apart from not like theirs, but like you instead – then I’d love to chat. I’m a Sheffield-based celebrant but I travel all over God’s Own Country for couples; you can get in touch here to tell me all about your exciting plans!
The images on this page were all taken by photographer extraordinaire, Hannah Brooke. Like me, she's based in Yorkshire. She creates feel good photography for fun-loving couples.