Yorkshire Wildlife Park Wedding | Grace & Martin
Red pandas, temporary tattoos, anime, plenty of laughs and one seriously unforgettable wedding day in Doncaster.
If there was ever a wedding that proved you don't have to follow the traditional wedding rulebook, it was Grace & Martin's.
Their Yorkshire Wildlife Park wedding was relaxed, personal, a little bit nerdy (their words, not mine!) and completely them. From subtle nods to their favourite anime and games, handmade details and temporary tattoos, to wandering around the park in their wedding outfits feeding red pandas, sea lions and giraffes — this one was always going to be a little different.
And I absolutely loved it.
Why Yorkshire Wildlife Park?
Being from Doncaster, Grace & Martin had visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park plenty of times before — but they had no idea you could actually get married there until Grace's mum mentioned it.
Naturally, a viewing was booked pretty quickly.
As huge animal lovers, the idea of having their wedding somewhere they already loved was pretty special. But once they saw the different options available for their day, they were sold.
And then there were the animals...
Because really, how many couples can say they spent part of their wedding day feeding red pandas?! For a couple who wanted something relaxed, fun and completely different from a traditional wedding venue, YWP couldn't have suited them better.
A Proposal That Didn't Quite Go to Plan...
Before the wedding, I asked Grace & Martin to tell me a little more about their story — and their proposal might be one of my favourites.
After a trip to Oslo, Norway, Grace was convinced Martin was going to propose.
Next to the fjords? Maybe.
On the balcony of their apartment that Martin mysteriously kept mentioning? Surely.
But nope.
Grace boarded the flight home without a ring and resigned herself to thinking, maybe next time.
They eventually arrived home, tired and warm from travelling. Grace had thrown her T-shirt straight into the wash and was standing in her bra and shorts when Martin casually hugged her and asked if she wanted to marry him.
She thought he was joking.
Then he pulled out the ring.
Not quite the dramatic Norwegian proposal she'd pictured — but actually, it couldn't have suited them better. Funny, relaxed, at home and surrounded by their two "children", cats Cinder and Hattie.
Perfectly Grace & Martin.
Your Wedding Vision: Did you have a theme or overall vibe for your wedding day? How did you bring it to life?
Relaxed, Rustic and Completely Themselves
There wasn't a strict wedding theme. The main brief was simple:
Keep it chilled.
Grace & Martin wanted plenty of greenery and rustic details, but more than anything, they wanted their personalities to come through. They even ditched the traditional seating plan so guests could mingle and sit wherever they fancied. Their love of anime and gaming was woven into the day in subtle little ways. Piano versions of songs from their favourite anime and games played during the wedding breakfast, while a "Dedicate Your Heart" banner gave a nod to Attack on Titan.
Grace wore a necklace featuring the same quote in Japanese, while Martin's tie was covered in tiny straw hats inspired by One Piece.
There were framed images from their favourite anime dotted around too.
Nothing felt like it had been added just because "that's what you do at a wedding". Every little detail had a reason behind it — and that's what made it so good.
The £110 Wedding Dress That Was Worth the Risk
Grace's dress came with a bit of a gamble.
Rather than spending thousands on something she'd only wear once, she took a chance on a £110 made-to-measure dress she'd found on AliExpress.
When it arrived? She loved it.
Whimsical, different and covered in beautiful hand-embroidered flowers across the corset, it suited her perfectly. After Grace lost weight before the wedding, her bridesmaid Zara took on the mammoth job of altering it for her. Grace then made matching floral boutonnières for Martin and their dads, tying everything together beautifully. And honestly? It just goes to show that an amazing wedding doesn't have to come with an enormous price tag.
Handmade Details & Personal Touches
A huge amount of the wedding was created by Grace and her family.
Grace and her mum made the bouquets themselves, along with the centrepieces and the gorgeous leafy runner decorating the staircase, finished with fairy lights.
They even went down a slightly unconventional route with the cake — an M&S naked cake accompanied by Costco Portuguese tarts.
Which, frankly, sounds like an excellent life choice.
But one of my favourite additions had to be the temporary tattoo station.
Grace & Martin are both tattoo lovers and even had ring tattoos for their wedding. They'd originally loved the idea of having a real tattoo artist there, but when the budget wouldn't quite stretch to it, they came up with the next best thing: custom temporary tattoos for their guests. They went down an absolute storm.
So much so that their friend Gemma later had one of the temporary designs tattooed for real. I'd say that's a fairly successful wedding favour!!
The WILDEST Wedding Photos
And then came the part we'd all been waiting for.
The animals.
One of the things that makes a wedding at Yorkshire Wildlife Park so unusual is the opportunity to incorporate the wildlife experience into the day.
For Grace & Martin, that meant heading off together to feed the red pandas, sea lions and giraffes — still fully dressed in their wedding outfits, obviously.
These weren't just incredible opportunities for photographs, either.
It gave the two of them some proper time together.
Wedding days move fast. You're surrounded by people you love, there's always something happening and somehow the hours disappear. Getting away from everything for a little while gave Grace & Martin a chance to actually enjoy being newlyweds — while feeding a red panda, because apparently regular couple portraits weren't wild enough.
For me as their Yorkshire Wildlife Park wedding photographer (and recommended supplier!), these are exactly the moments I love capturing.
Yes, the setting was incredible, but it was their reactions that made the photographs. The laughs, the excitement and those completely unscripted little moments between them.
That's the good stuff.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park - Couple Portraits
Animals, or no animals, we can still create stunning images!
Wedding Portraits
Wedding Portraits
Advice for newly engaged couples
"What matters is you're marrying the love of your life, don't let other people make the day stressful, because it's not their day, it's yours.."
Their biggest piece of advice?
Don't stress about the little things.
Your wedding is about marrying the person you love — not keeping everybody else happy or following traditions because you feel like you're supposed to.
Make things yourself if you want to. Skip the expensive cake. Don't have a seating plan. Include the slightly weird thing you both love. And don't feel obliged to invite somebody simply because you think you "should".
It's your wedding.
Make it feel like yours.
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