Real Wedding – Kiryn & Ben’s Celebration at Deer’s Leap Weddings
“Our wedding at Deer’s Leap Retreat was, in a word, perfect.
If you are lucky enough to have the chance to celebrate there, jump at it!”
From the forest green colour scheme to the bride’s aisle style (we don’t think we’ll ever stop swooning over that gown and cape), everything about Kiryn & Ben’s Deer’s Leap wedding was just beautiful. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to offer you a glimpse inside their gorgeous day, accompanied by stunning imagery by Taylor-Hughes Photography. Keep scrolling and gather inspiration for your very own country wedding at Deer’s Leap in Devon…
Kiryn’s Bridal Look
The bride turned heads in the most exquisite pale peach-pink gown by Hermione de Paula, featuring intricate floral embroidery (including silver ferns, a nod towards her husband’s heritage as he grew up in New Zealand). Kiryn wore an off-white veil by Rose Savage for the ceremony, before changing into a bright pink cape by Hermione de Paula for the evening – a fun and fabulous transition from day to night! A pair of green and gold paisley court shoes from Irregular Choice were the perfect finishing touch – Kiryn had convinced her mum to buy them for her when she was 15! “I promised her that they would be an investment because I would wear them on my wedding day, so I had to keep that promise,” the bride explains.
Kiryn’s glam squad included Paris Bridal Hair, who were on hand to create an elegant up-do entwined with a golden fern hair vine from ASOS. “It held up even through the questionable shapes thrown on the dance-floor towards the end of the night,” says Kiryn. “I did my own make-up and went for a classic, pink and gold toned bridal look.”
The Details
The couple wanted to make sure their wedding day felt relaxed and instead of sticking to a particular theme, they were hugely inspired by the stunning natural surroundings at Deer’s Leap. “Dark green was our feature colour, our bridesmaids wore emerald-green dresses and we had lots of leafy green foliage on our tables.” Allowing the venue to do most of the talking, the couple didn’t stress too much about the finer details of decoration, and instead made the most of the array of trees, the fairy lights that were dotted around the site and simply added flowers from their family’s gardens and ferns/ivy from Ben’s parents’ farm.
The Venue
“We fell in love with the venue as soon as we visited. We wanted to have an outdoor ceremony, and the setting with the wooden gazebo by the lake surrounded by trees was just perfect. We also loved the way the different spaces at the venue had their own personalities and would mean that the day would flow naturally – we could immediately picture our drinks reception and lunch on the patio, lawn games on the grass, and feasting tables in the barn.
We were also really keen to find a venue which would accommodate us for the whole weekend, and where a lot of our guests would also be able to stay on site. It was amazing having the venue from Thursday to Monday – we had plenty of time to set up completely stress-free, and to soak it all in.
Probably the key factor for us though was Heather! From the first meeting, it was abundantly clear that she would be there for us throughout the whole process – she is an absolute wedding expert and has thought of every little detail. Her knowledge, kindness and clear eagerness to help us have the best day of our lives really set Deer’s Leap apart from other venues and in the end, it was the obvious choice.”
The Lakeside Ceremony
Kiryn & Ben chose to have their legal ceremony at their local registry office, opting for a humanist ceremony by the lake on the day of the official wedding. The bride walked down the aisle to ‘Concerning Hobbits’ from Lord of the Rings, which was played on the harp by her childhood harp teacher. “This was really special and brought a lot of our guests to tears before the ceremony had even started,” reminisces Kiryn. Their celebrant, Kevin Murphy, planned a beautifully personal and meaningful ceremony, with a selection of readings from books that the couple both love, a poem that Kiryn had written for the day and their own vows.
The Reception & Party
After the ceremony by the lake, the wedding day continued to be filled with happiness – and lots of delicious food and drink! The couple chose Field to Fork catering who understood the couple’s vision of huge sharing dishes. This included roast porchetta and lamb, arancini for their vegetarian and vegan guests, vibrant Mediterranean vegetable sides and hunks of sourdough and focaccia. Their dessert table was then laden with brownies, mini pavlovas, lemon tart and vegan apple cake – yum! “We were really pleased that we could provide our own drinks at Deer’s Leap without corkage, and enjoyed pre-ceremony Aperol Spritz, first toasts with Ben’s dad’s homemade sparkling apple cider, a variety of wine and local Hanlons Yellow Hammer beer throughout the day,” says Kiryn.
The rest of the day was spent playing lawn games and enjoying each other’s company. The speeches were incredible too! “Ben had three best men and they had absolutely everyone in stitches with their joint performance,” explains the bride. “We separated our speeches out so that they weren’t all at one time during the meal, using them to punctuate the day. This really helped the flow and meant that it never felt stilted at all.”
The newlyweds even had a firework display at the end of the night, before dancing until the early hours surrounded by their favourite people. “Ben and I ended our evening with a quick dip in the hot tub outside the bridal cottage, overjoyed, overwhelmed and trying our best to comprehend the incredible day we had had.”
Newlywed Advice
“Other than the usual good advice like don’t stress and enjoy every moment, get a good photographer! Neither of us are particularly comfortable in front of the camera and Ben wasn’t sure initially that we really needed a photographer at all, but I’m so glad I managed to convince him and even happier that we chose Taylor-Hughes Photography. They completely understood what we wanted from our photos and documented the day faultlessly. As a single element, I think that was the best money we spent.”
Kiryn’s last words…
It was just the best day of our lives! We were on cloud nine all day and for ages afterwards, it was quite overwhelming. It was so amazing to have all of our friends and family together in one place, and we just loved seeing everyone enjoying themselves and getting along so well.
It is obvious that the venue is beautiful, and in a setting stunning, but what really sets Deer’s Leap Retreat apart is the team – a well-oiled machine which is brilliantly led by Heather and James. Over the weekend itself they could not have been more helpful, making sure everything ran smoothly and taking a lot of work off our shoulders. More than anything, they are the loveliest people – you get a real sense that they love what they do, and they genuinely do care about their couples…”
We hope you’ve enjoyed a sneaky peek inside Kiryn and Ben’s beautiful countryside wedding day at Deer’s Leap in Devon. If you want to explore the setting for yourself, we’d love to show you around so please do drop us an email and we’ll book you in for a private viewing. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow our latest wedding shenanigans over on the ‘gram!
Blog written by Lottie Dainton
Supplier List:
Venue: Deer’s Leap Retreat (@deersleapweddings @deersleapretreat)
Celebrant: Kevin Murphy – https://humanist.org.uk/kevinmurphy/
Photographer: Taylor-Hughes Photography (@taylorhughesphotography)
Florist: Roots Floral Designs (@rootsfloraldesigns)
Bride’s Dress: Hermione de Paula (@hermionedepaula)
Shoes: Irregular Choice (@irregularchoice)
Hairpiece/Veil: Veil – Rose Savage (@rosesavagebridal)
Rings: Lucy Lyon jewellery (@lucyljewellery)
Bridesmaids: ASOS (@asos) and Silk Fred (@silkfred)
Hair Stylist: Paris Bridal Hair (@paris_bridal_hair)
Groom’s Suit: TM Lewin (@tmlewin)
Groom’s Shoes: Loake (@loakeshoemakers)
Catering: Field to Fork (@fieldtoforkuk)
Fireworks: Sonic Fireworks (@sonicfireworks)
Couple’s Weekend 2022
A Couple’s Weekend at Deer’s Leap Weddings
By Lottie Dainton Writer
Picture the scene… it’s late September on a Saturday afternoon, the sun has been shining all day and golden hour is now stealing the show. The sunlight softly dapples through the trees, where friends and family have gathered in one of Devon’s undiscovered secrets. You can hear children laughing, the clinking of glasses and acoustic music playing – it really is a dreamy set-up.
As a Wedding Copywriter, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Deer’s Leap Weddings & Retreat throughout 2022, so when I was invited to one of their much-loved couple’s weekends I really did jump at the chance. Owner, Heather, had initially told me a little bit about their annual couple’s weekends, explaining that it was an opportunity to gather those who were old and new to the venue, together to reminisce, inspire and mingle. Many couples had been back year after year (when they had tied the knot back in 2015 etc), whereas some couples were planning on getting married here next summer. However, they were all here to celebrate the same thing – the fact that Deer’s Leap had become an integral chapter in their love story.
First things first, I headed to the bar (which was free may I add) and grabbed myself a delicious glass of bubbly. Owners, Heather and James, are renowned for their generosity towards their couples, with the open bar being just one of their gestures. As I took a sip from my prosecco, I took the opportunity to wander around the venue while the sun was still making an appearance.
There are so many pockets of magic that Deer’s Leap has to offer. For this particular event, Heather and James had hired various items and filled the lawn space with fun and games. I’m talking… a bouncy castle, a sheep rodeo ride, skittles, face painting and so much more. The event is family-friendly and completely caters for children – they really were in utter heaven. I made my way into the yard area, said a quick hello to the horses who were tucked away in the stables and found myself in the glamping area. Wow! Cue all the heart eyes. Their luxurious tents sat perfectly in an open field with views that stretched for miles and miles. Individual timber blocks (with toilets, and washing-up facilities) were beautifully named, and designed for each tent to use freely. I could just imagine roasting marshmallows, falling asleep under the stars and waking up to the rolling countryside here!
After I had mentally checked into their gorgeous glamping space, I ventured into their other onsite accommodation, the Farmhouse and Hartford Cottage. From the moment you walk through the charming gateway, you feel like you’re at home. The Farmhouse really is incredible, it has a massive kitchen area with a huge dining table for guests to sit at, the cosiest rooms and fireplaces, and even a sauna and 2 hot tubs! Their bedrooms have all been carefully considered too, filled with thoughtful details and little luxuries. When couples visit for this event, they can enjoy an overnight stay in their accommodation, allowing them to really relax and unwind over the event.
I made my way back to the Stone Barn, where a talented duo was playing acoustic tunes, as guests chatted and mingled. It was wonderful chatting with everyone about their wedding day – what they did, how they styled it, and why they fell head over heels in love with Deer’s Leap. Couples who had previously tied the knot here were offering their advice to those who were newly engaged and still in the midst of wedding planning – all while delicious cocktails were being served up! Every couple I spoke to mentioned the warmth of Heather and James, and how welcome they were made to feel during their time here. If the venue itself isn’t enough to entice you – their owners are!
A sweetie treat table awaited couples and their children (which of course I helped myself too), while Heather & James whipped up a delicious feast for everyone to enjoy. It was a huge honour to be invited to this event and it was impossible to ignore the passion of the owners, and the love they feel for their couples and the weddings they host.
Photos by Little Silver Photography
