Romantic Gribskov Forest wedding in Hillerød, Denmark

This is hands down one of my favourite weddings that I have shot to date. A really intimate, rustic forest wedding in Denmark, that had everything going for it, from laughter to tears and everything in between. I am so happy that Liz and Tim trusted me with photographing their special day, not only because of how cool they both are but also because together we created some truly beautiful photographs.

Liz and Tim’s love story is really a beautiful and unique one and it goes to show that when two people are meant to be together, fate brings them face to face, no matter how far away they live from each other. Liz is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, while Tim is from York in the UK, so they grew up and lived at opposite ends of the world, yet somehow they managed to end up in the same shared accommodation room in a hostel in Singapore! Liz was an English teacher in China at the time and they were both on holiday, travelling through South East Asia.

They only spent 5 days together in Singapore and that was enough to make them fall for each other and enough for Liz to quit her job in China in order to be with Tim. They moved in 3 months later and the rest is history. Almost 2 years later, Tim proposed in Bar Maroc in Huddersfield, and having been there myself I can confirm that they make some delicious vegetarian pizzas and the atmosphere is very romantic and intimate, so definitely check it out if you are passing through Huddersfield!

Anyway, I digress.

The wedding took place in Gribskov Forest, which is Denmark’s fourth largest forest and the location chosen for the ceremony was lovely, right by the water, on the shore of Lake Esrum, 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen and it was organised by Ditte Rendtorrf, a lovely wedding planner from Danish Coastal Weddings.

I thought the location was brilliant as I love a natural and relaxed rustic wedding. To me as a wedding photographer, these are probably my favourite to photograph!

The weather was a little chilly, as the sun decided to stay hidden behind the clouds for most part, but at least we were lucky enough not to get any rain while we were outside, especially since for the whole week I was in Denmark, we got rain every single day. I actually couldn’t believe how much the weather changes there, I could say even more than it does in the UK, which is crazy.. In the space of an hour we’d get rain, wind, sunshine, rain again, overcast skies which would then clear up and so on. It did rain on their wedding day too, but fortunately enough, only before and after the ceremony.

I don't know whether it was the beautiful forest location where the ceremony was held, the rustic vibe, intimate atmosphere or the strong emotions, or simply the amazing personalities of Liz and Tim, but I had an incredible time and if I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!

Creative and fun wedding photography in Denmark

The ceremony was probably the highlight of the day. It had everything, romantic moments when Liz and Tim shared the story of how they met, strong emotions and tears, quickly followed by hysterical laughter!

Now, you might be wondering what on earth could be so funny about two people getting married. Well, not what, but who!

Enter Mr. Jannik Petersen, from the local council, a lovely chap who was assigned to officiate the ceremony. Everything was going great up to the point where he asked them THE question.

Tim, do you take Liz to be your HUSBAND?

I do!…Waaait, what?

Liz, do you take Tim to be your WIFE?

*cracks up - I DO!

It was so funny and in all honesty, what can you do other than go with it? Laugh about it and carry on! And so they did. And so did Mr Petersen at the end when he realised what he said, but in his defence, that’s what was written on the piece of paper he was reading from.

I loved how at the end of the ceremony, Liz and Tim cut off their “boyfriend and girlfriend” bracelets and replaced them with beautiful, silver bracelets symbolising their transition from being just a couple, to now being married and entering a new phase in their beautiful relationship. The new bracelets read My husband Timothy / My wife Elizabeth ( although according to Mr Petersen above, the text should have been a little bit different haha).

Rustic Wedding Photography in Gribskov Forest, Denmark

After the ceremony and some very touching speeches, we had a quick walk around and did a beautiful rustic and natural wedding photoshoot. I loved how easygoing and fun to work with Liz and Tim were!
The landscape and the soft, diffused light were simply gorgeous and it was literally impossible not to get amazing, moody photos. We walked around for a bit, making the most of every backdrop the forest had to offer us, from beautiful fallen trees to the leaf covered forest floor and even the amazing Lake Esrum.

This is the end of Part 1 of this beautiful rustic wedding.

Next we went to Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerod, which I will cover in a separate blog post and link it here as soon as it’s ready, Stay tuned.