Endless 2024 Inspiration from this festival style Woodland Wedding?

January 25, 2024 katy coe

If you’re looking for 2024 Wedding inspiration then look no further! Catherine & George absolutely rocked it with their Glastonbury themed festival Wedding in September. At every corner there were beautiful personalised details which just took this wedding to the next level and oozes inspiration for anyone looking at getting married this year.

Catherine and George created a Wedding like no other, offering a charming and adventurous twist on the traditional wedding, creating an atmosphere that is equal parts romantic, unique, and with fun at the very heart of it all.

Exchanging vows, with the back drop of weeping willows, water and towering fir trees. The wilderness setting here at Happy Valley sets the tone for an intimate and enchanting celebration no matter how many guests you have.

We always ask that you use petals or bio degradable confetti

The unique atmosphere, the chance to connect with nature, and the opportunity to unplug from the outside world all contribute to an unforgettable celebration. Plus, guests get to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors while still having access to the creature comforts of luxury glamping and hot tubs. Providing the perfect venue for your Destination Wedding.

Enjoy glamping at your Wedding in rustic luxury, complete with private air source heated hot tub so you don’t have to lift a finger.

One of the benefits of a Happy Valley wedding is its versatility. Whether you're going for a festival wedding, bohemian vibe, a rustic-chic style, or a whimsical fairytale aesthetic, and the barns provide a canvas for your creative freedom to run wild.

It was an absolute honour to be a small part of this incredible day and be able to witness the love, creativity & support encompassing this gorgeous pair.

Some of the Dream Team involved -

Photographer - Emma Shaw Photography

Catering: Gingerlilly catering

Florist:King witham

Band:Colonel Spanky’s Love Ensemble

Props: Happy Valley Rugs & Array prop hire

Makeup:Leanna Stibbon

Hair: Ashley Kay @AshleyKaybeauty

Dress - Angelica Bridal

Feel like a local, no matter how far you’ve come #HappyValleyNorfolk

Wedding Trends for 2024! Our Favourite Top 6 Trends for 2024

October 25, 2023 katy coe

Here at Happy Valley, we’re all about making your special day uniquely yours!

We also love to see what’s happening within the industry, see what key trends are creating waves, proving popular and will provide that little something extra for your wedding.

We are delighted to see that in 2024 the wedding landscape is looking less traditional, and is all about breaking away from the norm and creating weddings, which are exceptional and distinctive.

We are seeing more couples making choices, which have a personal significance to create unique and memorable days – and we are definitely down for that!

So let us jump into the top 6 wedding trends of 2024 that have captured our hearts.

1. Natural Venues

For us, there is no better place to start than with what seems to be one of the most significant trends taking centre stage in 2024 – the rise of Outdoor Wedding Venues.

The growing popularity of non-traditional weddings has been a noticeable trend in recent years, none more so than outdoor, natural wedding locations. Originally boosted by the pandemic, where couples were forced to look at alternative options and move their ceremony outside, thereby embracing nature and it’s spectacular backdrop. Outdoor weddings are now making a movement of their own.

Art and Story Studio

Trish Peters Photography

Art and Story Studio

Eloise and Mitch Photography

At Happy Valley, this resonates deeply with us and we completely agree there is something magical about the changing seasons. The natural world offers us a breathtaking canvas allowing couples to paint their unique wedding day.

With the increase in popularity of outdoor wedding venues, the styling is also following suit, with couples embracing nature and the inherent beauty of your surroundings. Picture raw wood tables, seasonal flowers and greenery, and organic fabrics and drapes, everything is inspired by the gifts that nature bestows upon us.

2. Celebrant – Led Weddings

This past year has seen a remarkable 49% surge in search volumes for “Celebrant Weddings” (as reported by Hitched.co.uk) and this increase doesn’t surprise us at all here at Happy Valley – we love a celebrant led wedding.

Celebrant led weddings have captured our hearts and many of our couples too, for a multitude of compelling reasons.

First and foremost, the appeal lies in the incredible flexibility and freedom they offer. With a Celebrant, the script is entirely customised to you, reflecting your unique loves, passions and joys. This means that your wedding can be a true reflection of your individual journey as a couple.

A rising trend we’ve observed is couples choosing to formalise their legal marriage at their local registry office ahead of the big day, or even onsite at Happy Valley the day before. This enables the day of the wedding service, led by a Celebrant, to become an exclusive reflection of your relationship, creating an experience that is authentic and meaningful to you both.

3. Bold and Bright Colour Schemes

2024 is going to be about embracing colour and pattern… if you love bold and bright then this is the year for you.

Wedding prep at Happy Valley, cheerful colourful tables — ***Bold and Bright Decor***

Vibrant shades of pink, orange, purple, or red infusing life into your tables, cake and drapes. Seasonal bouquets and flower arrangements becoming canvases for splashes of brilliant colour and personality.

And, its not just the décor that is getting an injection of colour in 2024! New York Bridal Fashion Week bore witness to colour playing a significant sight on the runway, with pastel pinks, soft blues and floral patterns creating a magical and whimsical addition to many collections. (ref: Vogue)

Pic Credit Above - Photographer @salsabilmorrisonphotogaphy Right - Photographer - @Lisaandneil Florals @Floralsistas.

This truly is the year to celebrate and embrace your personal style. It is time to showcase your individuality and personality, turning your wedding into a vibrant canvas of colours and patterns that reflect your inner spirit.

4. Wedding Weekends and Extended Celebrations

Why limit your celebrations to a single day when you can extend your wedding festivities over several glorious days? At Happy Valley we wholeheartedly embrace this trend, as standard!

Most of our weddings are thoughtfully planned either mid-week Tuesday-Thursday, or as Weekend Weddings. This choice offers couples that invaluable gift of more time to bask in the warmth of their loved ones and extend that ‘best day ever’ feeling, for just a little bit longer.

The day before arrival isn’t just practical; it’s a chance to take a deep breath and unwind, especially after a long journey. All the worries about making it on time, finding a spot to change or freshen up simply disappear.

The evening before the big day is a golden opportunity for guests to meet and get to know each other. At Happy Valley the night prior often involves relaxed drinks and food around the courtyard fire pit. It is a time for your loved ones to bond, share stories and establish connections that will make the wedding even more memorable.

As the sun rises on the day after the day before, it’s the perfect moment to gather together over morning brews, reliving the beautiful stories from the day before.

Your journey with us at Happy Valley isn’t confined to just one day, it’s an enchanting voyage which extends your celebrations over several days, creating unforgettable memories.

5. Relaxed Wedding Photography

The era of the entire wedding party standing in perfect formation for extensive periods, waiting for the photographer to capture countless iterations of the ‘group shot’, is now a thing of the past.

Relaxed Photography

2024 is all about embracing the relaxed, candid, and social approach.

A wonderful opportunity for your photographer to artfully capture all those spontaneous, heartfelt moments that naturally unfold throughout the day. These photographs will not only look beautiful but will also capture genuine emotions, making your wedding unique.

Additionally, there is an increase in the popularity of Wedding Content Creators. These skilled individuals are dedicated to producing real-time content to be shared to your socials. They capture unscripted moments that unfold, allowing your friends and family to join the excitement, even if they cannot be there in person.

Your wedding photos should be a reflection of your love story, your personality and your style as a couple. In 2024 it is all about celebrating the real moments, the laughter, the tears and the connections that make your wedding day truly special.

6. Bespoke Cocktail Toasts

Keeping up with the theme for 2024 of creating personalised weddings, the same is being reflected across food and drink.

This year has witnessed a notable surge in the creation of signature cocktails for weddings, and this trend is set to continue into 2024. Couples are taking inspiration from the drinks they hold dear and crafting cocktails that truly resonate with their tastes and preferences. This is particularly the case for the post-ceremony tipple of choice.

Amongst the top cocktail choices gaining popularity for 2024, Espresso Martini and the Paloma are set to be favorites.

These signature drinks add a touch of individuality to your celebration, allowing you to share your love for specific flavours with your guests and create a memorable and personalised experience.

Tray of cocktails at wedding — Jeremy James Photography

Cheers to a wedding day that’s truly unique and reflects your one-of-a-kind love story!

The overall takeaway trend for 2024 is definitely looking like it’s going to be the year for weddings to be unique, unconventional and personal. We can’t wait!

Trend Setter Alert

September 12, 2023 katy coe

If we had any advice for couples on how to create the day of their dreams it would be to go with your heart, choose what you love and do what makes you happy and everyone will feel it.

From the moment we met R & A we knew this was going to be a mega Wedding for all the right reasons, beautiful souls creating their own vision & as it unfolded the happiness oozed through the venue from start to end.

Wedding Review -

Magical forest wedding venue in Norfolk

We had our wedding celebration at Happy Valley in July 2023 and it was the best weekend of our lives. The happy memories will last us a lifetime. We truly believe that this is a magical place, you can feel the love that has been channelled into the site. From our first visit in November 2021, we knew this was the place we wanted to get married. The venue has everything you need and more for the perfect wedding!

Our priorities were - a venue where our wedding party could stay on site, so we could spend as much time as possible with them, and a venue where we were surrounded by nature. Happy Valley gave us both of these in abundance. When you quietly walk around the site you can hear the trees gently creak as they sway in the wind, and it feels like they are offering blessings, it's pure wedding magic.

Led by Katy, the staff are super kind and helpful, and communication is always clear and friendly. They have worked with many local suppliers and we really felt the sense of community that has been built here as a business. Marie at The Cattle Yard bar put together the perfect drinks package for us, complete with local wines & bespoke cocktails. All the bar staff were so lovely to all our guests and instantly understood the vibe of our day. Our coordinator Alex was super calm and friendly and was always on hand with encouragement and support. We noticed every single kind word and gesture from the Happy Valley staff and we will always be grateful. If we haven't made it clear enough already - this is the dream team you want on your wedding day.

The venue has so many gorgeous spaces to chose from, both indoor and outdoor so you are covered whatever the weather. It looked like it might rain on our wedding day (it didn't in the end) but we can honestly say that wherever you have your ceremony on the Happy Valley site, there will be a beautiful backdrop.

The accommodation is beautifully put together and it really felt like the best possible (luxury!) festival with our nearest and dearest. The time you are allowed on site is really generous, so we never felt rushed and we felt like we had plenty of time to settle in and then to clear up. Checking all our friends into their accommodation was so much fun! Whether we were having breakfast together in Keeper's Cabin or a post-disco hot tub at Toad Hall, the accommodation was a huge part of the magic of our wedding weekend spent at Happy Valley.

If you are looking for a versatile wedding venue, full of magic and beauty, and run by the coolest, kindest people - look no further, this is it. Have your wedding at Happy Valley and the special memories will last a lifetime. A&R x

It is our honour to be able to host these incredible ceremonies of love, and we are so grateful to have worked with some of the best Wedding Suppliers
🌲 @happyvalleynorfolk
🍛@goldleafcatering
🍽️@banquetinghire
🪩@smokeandwildwood
🌺@floralsistas
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💡@quirkevents.uk
📸@lisaandneil
☎️@myaudiomoments
🎧 Earl Harlem
🍦@ronaldoices
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Autumn Weddings with a touch of Halloween

October 23, 2022 katy coe

An Autumn palette for the most spectacular Autumn Wedding at Happy Valley.

J & G were absolute legends when they had to move their initial Wedding date & we watched in awe as J turned what was a frustrating start into one of the most spectacular Weddings we've seen here at Happy Valley.

J loves Halloween so got to live out the most stylish Autumn Day Wedding and you will see how this was followed by an equally swarve & spooky Halloween after party in our next blog.