Poppy and Rowan’s Norwich elopement proves that a ceremony of 5 people and a whole bunch of love is enough to create a wedding that melts your heart. Autumn is always the most Romantic season in our minds, and any couple that’s gets married looking like Bob Dylan’s Freewheeling album cover has absolutely nailed the style stakes in my book. Poor loves had a tough year trying to work out how to navigate getting married, finally were pushed to jump because of living situations (read on for the full story) which meant their date was finally, meant to be the 5th November, but had to make some nerve wracking quick changes before Lockdown 2 started ON THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER. So squeezed this absolute swooner of an ultra chilled, artsy, earthy, ceremony in, a few days before. Poppy describes her dress as ‘renaissance/punk/milkmaid girl’s prairie fantasy’ and we feel that is a good description for the whole aesthetic and we love it. Congratulations you love birds, we adored reading your story. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together, you did it!

ADORABLE PHOTOS BY THEIR BUDDY AND PHOTOGRPAHER SYD.

Who you are and what do you do?

I’m Poppy, 24, and I am an art student finishing my degree, after a tricky start and couple of intermissions I’ll hopefully be graduating in summer!

And Rowan is a mechanical engineer in the Army.

Spill the beans on the Roller coaster of roller coasters leading to this moment!
So we got engaged last October very spontaneously one evening just at home. He actually made a little makeshift ring out of the key-ring metal for the house I’d just moved into (it was kind of like ‘ours’ even though he was living in Yorkshire) and attached a pine cone. We actually met in April 2018 while he was on leave and visiting some friends we had in common. He’d just got back from from a few months in Canada and was about to begin a new two year posting in Cyprus. With this in mind I was determined not to be just a fling!! But strangely we ended up really getting on, he left a note at mine saying he’d see me in Summer and after June we began two years of long distance. We flew back and forth and inbetween visited Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, and explored all the island of Cyprus that we could. It was bizarre and magic and hard work too. Even when he moved back to England he was five/six hours away!

We’re fairly private people, I would always get a flight or coach in the early morning and post something online and people would comment “Whereare you?!” or “I had no idea you’d left”. Actually we didn’t even properly announce our engagement (I had our engagement drinks alone with my sister/brother-in-law-to-be as Rowan had to do guard duty that weekend!!). Then when the pandemic hit in spring we continued keeping stuff under wraps just not knowing when/if things were possible. After my friend posted a photo of us on Facebook to congratulate us the day after the wedding I *still* had people saying “I had no idea you even had a partner!”... I’m sure there are still dear friends who don’t know we’ve unintentionally eloped haha!

We always said when we got married we wanted to end the day by going “home”, to somewhere that was actually both of ours. He hadn’t had a permanent home since he was 18 (when he joined the army) and I’ve moved at least ten times since I was 18! It was such a simple dream, it wasn’t quite why we got engaged but it dawned on us a wedding was the way we’d realise our vision.

My sister was engaged the same time as me too, we got a lot of commentary assuming we’d be competitive or possessive in the build up to the weddings but that was never the case! Even when she had to stop working in the city (she’d meet me outside uni on lunch breaks once a week to plan) we’d have zoom lunches together to stay grounded and positive and help each other with decorations and emotions!

As she was beginning her count down I still couldn’t get through to even get a date to give notice! For quite a few months they even closed the phone lines, all brides were so in the dark. At last in August I sent another desperate email explaining how urgent it was and a very kind and helpful man called Ken set up impossible dates to give notice and get married all around our unique work & travel schedule. You can’t move into military accommodation unless you are married or have already lived together for at least six months, it created a lot of pressure as it wasn’t just our wedding that was in jeopardy - it was having somewhere to live (at the time I’d had to quickly move in with my mum and younger sister after my landlord sold our house in lockdown erk). On top of this Rowan was moving workplace again from Yorkshire to the south! And it turned out to be the same week we were given these unbelievably hard to get wedding dates at the end of November!... Did I mention my sister’s wedding was Sunday the 1st of November and ours was the 5th OF NOVEMBER.

Regardless we all strove onwards, supporting each other and rising/falling/recovering on repeat. On Halloween we drove to a hotel to prepare the night before my sister’s wedding, yes that’s right.. the very afternoon lockdown was announced after all that anticipation!! I didn’t want to impact on her important moment and it was out of our hands so me and Rowan went for a little walk around the hotel grounds that night to see the full moon and find some quirky looking mushrooms and breathe and try and absorb all the rapid news, the juxtaposed elation and grief was very confusing. Naturally lockdown would begin on our wedding day.

My sisters wedding was beautiful, fifteen people and streamed online to the rest - what people are calling “micro” which seemed strange considering there was only five of us at mine!

We all peeled away to our different homes on Monday morning. My mum is a teacher so needed to go directly to work, me and Rowan took my little sister home, needless to say we were all exhausted. Frustrated I’d not heard from Norfolk county council I dug through my emails and retrieved dear Ken’s office & aha! Mobile number! I called and caught the poor man eating his lunch but he was more than understanding. He phoned me back shortly after and although he couldn’t help he did say that the ceremonies team was creating a plan and I’d hopefully get a call that day. And I did.

“Hello, you’re the first on our call list! We’re trying to fit in as many ceremonies as we can before lockdown... Could you do tomorrow morning? 9:30am?”.

Ummm... Yes. What could I even say? We immediately had to get in the car in a flurry, there was no time to react!! and go to Norwich to get some trousers that weren’t tracksuit for Rowan (the man had a suit for my sisters wedding but Levi’s troos and jacket for ours? I try not to question it).

My sister couldn’t come on the short notice - bless her she’d not been married 24 hours herself!! - my excellent friend Gem immediately stepped up to the mark.

A few rushed texts, my mum at work frantically messaged the one-and-only incredible Wild Folk Flowers who jumped on board and got me a glorious yellow crown, bouquet and pin in a matter of hours. My veil, by Anne Marie Prescott, was hand made and finished/delivered that weekend just gone also - an order that was already rushed for the old date but beyond perfect and in time for this new one. It’s detailed with Californian poppies for me and for Rowan, rowan tree leaves and berries. There’s also marsh wild flowers for us as I grew up in the sticks by the Yare, bullrushes, unfurling forest ferns and toadstools in a bespoke design all hand made by Anne-Marie.

My shoes were actually a birthday present from my best-woman that she’d found in the famous Norwich vintage Sue-rider. They lasted right up until our lunch after the ceremony (at wonderful old haunt Franks Bar in Norwich) where they promptly crumbled to pieces and I had to walk back to the car in the puddles in just my stockings. They were clearly waiting all these years to carry me through and then gave in! I got a sweet opal necklace and earrings from the Angel crystal shop on Guildhall hill in Norwich as it’s my birthstone. The lady behind the counter was so thoughtful and patient with my mad schedule, I’d always been enchanted by the shop ever since I was a little girl and I challenge anyone who didn’t feel enchanted in the same way as a child.

Our rings are plain bands from the same lady who made my engagement ring. She does live in America but has this immense talent for making jewellery as if its plucked from alien ores sunken in the ocean for thousands of years! All stones and metals are ethically sourced. Everything about this we wanted to be conscious, kind, supportive, caring and even in these bizarre Covidian circumstances we managed that I’m proud to say. No one makes you feel more special and displays more tremendously sensitive humanity than small, passionate businesses.

I actually had two dresses although I have gloriously ballooned in lockdown and couldn’t quite fit in my first one. I saved it for the honeymoon! It’s a true 70’s cotton, pistachio green Gunne Sax found by a wonderful old uni friend Cat Stones at Worthless Vintage - she’s got such an excellent eye and has built an awesome business all on her own with her equally talented in taste partner, Alfie.

The one I’m wearing in these photos is by Meadows, a brand based in Hackney designed by a Central St Martins grad. It’s every renaissance/punk/milkmaid girl’s prairie fantasy, especially when worn with some second hand floral dm’s and a ginger mullet. I know wedding photos are supposed to be timeless but I couldn’t resist the clash to fall out-and-in-love with every year for the rest of my days.

I did my own make up and hair, luckily my mum got the morning off to drive me to the registry office in all the rain as Rowan had gone ahead to collect Gem and rendezvous at county hall. All at the same time my little sister was getting ready for college and catching a bus. I have to say, in the whirlwind I felt so cool standing in that room with the crumby weather pelting down behind the celebrant, all defiant and dressed up. Unafraid to be soppy, hold hands and giggle in a way we hadn’t had the pleasure of for a long time. Flanked by our soul sisters Lucy and Gem as our witnesses, wearing the funkiest, bold dresses too might I add. We skipped champagne and went straight for hot chocolate then a long walk in a swampy meadow with our puppy Echo. My mum made us a vegan sticky toffee date cake and an old-school fruit cake with ginger after work (seriously, mums... they are not of this earth). The next day against the clock we packed the car up and drove seven hours to our new house before my family even got back from work. With all the belongings we could fit in and a jade tree on my lap we drove “home” to the sound of a Terry Pratchett audiobook and the lockdown-countdown happening on every radio station.

I grappled with this day for a long time, sucking all meaning out, balancing, managing expectations. But I look back and see people showing up for me! The industry redefining what it is to have a wedding along side me. And when things weren’t working out, being there in such a spirited and sympathetic manner. I said to Rowan, for two fairly unlucky people, we’re got pretty lucky!!

What are/were the parts of the wedding you thought you were going to really miss.. was that how it was when it came to it?

We really wanted to spend the night before apart and meet at the registry office. We whittled it down to practically just a little travelodge by the train station but in the end we just needed to crack on so we had an early night at my mums house! I would really have liked to spend some time mentally and emotionally preparing and employing my mindfulness techniques. I think once the flow of the morning had begun though the fact I hadn’t overthought and fussed it helped me absorb the present and actuality of the day.

Also I missed the fireworks we would have had that night it being the 5th of November (we were going to go to a drive in display like the old cinema screen styles but not even that could happen in the end!). I would have been a tactical way of having something eventful that was affordable and already would have a lovely social vibe - but now every anniversary we’ll get toffee apples, bonfires and events so that’ll always be a treat.

Lastly, as an art student I was sad I couldn’t design invitations/favours etc! So instead I made goodie bags! This is something I recommend to anyone else who’s had to scale down or struggled with people wanting to be included. I linocut my own A5 block with personal details so people could have a print to keep that wasn’t too “in your face with our portraits on” or something haha. Also I got vegan hotchocolate cones and soy tea lights from British etsy shops, some fire-worky fountain candles. I also made some mulled wine spice sachets from the spice stall in Norwich market and bought some empty bauble orbs to fill with pine cones and dried flowers from the day!

Is there anything that has actually ended up being for the better out of the situ?

Well... Secret, I’ve never actually met Rowans family! I’ve hand made some presents that he’s taken over holiday visits and sent some letters back and forth to his sister, Lucy (who I got to meet for the first time at the registry office). With Rowan’s work we’ve never managed it, so getting married in this way means we can go and visit his relatives freely and focus 1 to 1 when the time eventually comes rather than squeezing everything into the wedding day... I thiiink this is a good thing anyway!!?
Generally having privacy was a plus for us. I think everyone would probably benefit from things being out of their hands eventually for a wedding, so (or too!) many choices!

Advice for couples going through putting their wedding together right now..

To jump on opportunities knowing no matter what it will surely be memorable. Breathe and stay flexible in your expectations. One strangely wonderful aspect of this situation is that you have no chance to get swept away with the material aspect. Pick your most precious desires (for me is was the veil, local bouquet and a home-made special cake!) and the essence of your union. That’s all the recipe truly needs.