A Spring Wedding at York Maze: Bunting, Barns and a Jumping Pillow
Shoes kicked off in a heap, a bouquet dropped beside them, and the whole wedding party mid-air on a giant green and yellow jumping pillow. That one frame tells you most of what you need to know about Emily and David’s wedding at York Maze: relaxed, a bit daft and full of people having the time of their lives.
York Maze: a relaxed farm wedding venue on the edge of York
York Maze is a farm attraction on Elvington Lane, about ten minutes from the centre of York. Farmer Tom Pearcy cut his first maize maze in 2002 and moved to this site in 2008. Every summer a new design is cut into a 15-acre field of more than a million maize plants, and it’s billed as the largest maize maze in Europe.
For a number of years the farm also hosted weddings outside the summer maze season, and Emily and David’s took over its timber-clad barns, red-brick outbuildings and gravel yards. We’d last photographed a wedding here a couple of years earlier, and from the first time we saw it we knew it suited our relaxed style. It isn’t on the City of York’s current register of approved ceremony venues, so if you love the idea, ask the maze directly what it offers now.
A venue that was perfect for them
We first got to know Emily and David at their engagement shoot, where we heard all about their plans, so we had a good feeling about how this one would go. Weddings in the UK have changed so much, and the biggest change is the choice of venue. More and more couples choose somewhere that really fits them, and Emily and David are a perfect example.
They have very different jobs, David in IT and Emily a teacher, and each can be stressful. Maybe that’s part of why their connection is so obvious: they always seem so genuinely happy together. Their day brought together the most important people in their lives, all of whom shared their relaxed attitude. There was no awkward small talk, just anecdotes and belly laughs, and even pets were welcome, with several guests bringing their dogs.
Bunting, barns and a ceremony full of smiles
The morning had all the familiar moments: ties and cufflinks being sorted, shoes being laced and make-up going on in the mirror. The ceremony was in a timber barn hung with polka-dot bunting in pink, green and blue. Emily came down the aisle grinning from ear to ear, and there was plenty of laughter during the vows.
Outside, a flower girl scattered petals over her dress on the gravel. Then came the jumping pillow, heels kicked off at the edge, and a few quieter portraits by a red-brick barn with an old cartwheel propped against the wall.
The speeches: “I don’t know why, I just DO!”
Speeches are always one of our favourite parts of a wedding. These were in a brick barn strung with Just Married hearts, floral bunting and jam jars of roses and gypsophila, with a little boy charging past the top table as everyone fell about laughing.
We loved David’s speech, especially when he explained exactly why he loves Emily: “I don’t know why, I just DO!” It’s not the kind of line you read in books, but it’s about as honest as it gets. Love isn’t something we can explain, so why should we? What we can say with absolute certainty is that these two are very much in love.
Why we loved a wedding at York Maze
If you’re after a relaxed, informal wedding near York, here’s what this one taught us:
- Informal suits families. Kids, dogs and the whole family had room to relax, and nobody needed to be on their best behaviour.
- Play makes better group photos. A jumping pillow beats a line-up every time, and everyone remembers it.
- Barns give you options. Timber, brick and bunting meant plenty of backdrops, whatever the weather.
- Check the ceremony first. Make sure your chosen venue is licensed for ceremonies, or plan a short ceremony elsewhere before the party.
Planning a relaxed wedding near York?
See more on the York Maze weddings page, browse our York wedding photography and Yorkshire wedding photography, or get in touch to check your date.
