The original concept for Lila’s Wood was conceived when Faye and Sam Messenger struggled to find a wedding venue that rivalled the photos they had been seduced by on Pinterest. Never ones to be beaten, they created their own wedding venue in the woods on which Sam had played as a boy. Now called ‘Lila’s wood’, Woodland Weddings was born.
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”We wanted to create a venue as oppose to merely a ‘dry hire’ woodland space. Somewhere brides and grooms could indulge their creative, fantastical personalities and focus on the details. So may DIY weddings become logistically painful and couples can get bogged down in the stress and tedium of hiring toilets, generators, staff, and water bowsers. (The list goes on.) We wanted to build somewhere they could enjoy titivating. We also wanted to create a space that can change week on week to produce truly unique weddings.”

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Faye and Sam have a network of suppliers around the home counties. Together they aim to source services locally, thus creating low impact sustainable weddings, and supporting a thriving rural economy. They are personally managing their woodland at the farm in order to offset any ecological impact caused by events.

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Woodland Weddings Ltd has thrived and they are now opening a second site in Northamptonshire. The Messenger family has grown somewhat since the inception of the business. It now includes a heard of Alpacas as well as another baby. No doubt future sites will be named after other members of the family. ‘Neville’s Wood’ has a nice ring to it…..this was the name of one of their beloved Lurcher dogs who are a common sight at weddings and are quickly becoming the most photographed dogs ever!