A wet and wonderful courtyard wedding at The Free Company farm

Not only did they get married during a global pandemic but it was also the wettest day on record! But nothing could stand in Jessica and Max’s way.

Full of creative touches (check out the headdress and those gorgeous paper flowers made by Jessica, who has a flower allergy!), delicious seasonal food and pops of colour, their micro wedding on a working farm near Edinburgh is making us smile!

What inspired your wedding plans?

When thinking about what we wanted, we agreed that our favourite weddings we had gone to were fairly intimate affairs and had an element of DIY to them which we felt made them more special.

As we had a micro wedding due to Covid, we wanted to take the opportunity of having a longer meal than in normal times as it seemed important to be able to gather all-around one big table together.

Tell us about your venue…

We found the venue [The Free Company near Edinburgh] through word of mouth. We choose it as we felt it resonated with our wedding concept of having a relaxed but stylish venue (it’s a working farm with a converted hay barn) that felt authentic and artisan!

We loved the beautifully converted hay barn with bespoke furniture and woodburning stoves. They have a lovely courtyard outside with pizza ovens and firepits as well as a canopy. We also really liked how their menu was derived from produce from the farm and is designed around sustainability.

The Free Company’s food was so delicious with all their ingredients grown or reared on the farm itself. The team are so friendly and accommodating. They make you feel so welcome. We couldn’t recommend them enough.

How did you choose your flowers?

Having previously worked as a florist for over 10 years (including working for Narcissus of Edinburgh), I sadly became allergic to them a couple of years ago. Fast forward to planning the wedding, I knew I wanted to have some kind of floral presence on the day but I’m not a fan of silk flowers. I then came across the art of paper flower making and the rest is history. I designed and made from paper, all flowers for the big day. I am now taking on commissions and orders for people that have approached me since seeing my wedding flowers.

We love your outfits! Tell us more…

My outfit consisted of an Ivy & Oak lace wedding dress, metallic shoes from Esska, a vintage jacket I got from Oxfam which I then took to a tailors to get adjusted to my size. As a jeweller, I made my headdress from silver in the first lockdown. I modelled the leaves on the plant myrtle as it symbolizes love and good fortune. My mum lent me her Russian grandmother’s earrings made from pearls and turquoise, brought over from Russia in the last century. We made our rings in the Borders with fellow Jeweller Linda Lewin and Silversmith Adrian Hope.

Max got a beautiful Donegal tweed suit handmade by a company in London called Tweed Addict. Max wore cufflinks made by myself and a silk tie from Liberty of London.

How did you choose your photographer?

I knew Rachel for her documentary-style photography as she had taken photos of the jewellery studio I work in. I love her talent for making one at ease and capturing candid moments. We love the photos she took of the day and she managed to capture the relaxed and joyful moments of the day so beautifully.

The day we got married was the wettest day on record and Rachel showed amazing amounts of patience and determination to capture the rainy moments of the ceremony outside. Rachel was absolutely brilliant at merging into the background to capture all the candid moments and also making us feel super relaxed while being snapped.

What was your first dance song?

Due to Covid restrictions, we could only have one dance which was Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me To The End Of Love. We listen a lot to Cohen and think it’s possibly the most romantic song ever written.

Were there any challenges along the way?

Trying to plan a wedding in a pandemic was a rollercoaster, to say the least. Every time we thought we had a concrete plan the goalposts changed and we were still holding our breath even the week before the wedding. It wasn’t until the night before we let ourselves believe it was actually going to happen.

What really emerged from our engagement was that come hell or high water we wanted to get married with or without all the frills. We got engaged in a storm and on the day of the wedding, Storm Alex arrived in town – along with the biggest rain to fall in a day on record – which could have put a dampener on it all, but we were so excited and delighted that it was actually taking place we didn’t care!

Any advice?


The day goes in a blink of an eye so do get a photographer to capture it all!

Honeymoon or minimoon?

Originally we had planned to go to Japan but swapped that island for one much closer to home… Skye. We managed to escape up there for four days when restrictions had lifted a little.

Skye in October was stunning and we can see why it’s flooded with so many visitors. We loved spending days walking on its beaches and evenings visiting a range of its top restaurants including The Three Chimneys and Edinbane Lodge. Our last night was spent at stunning Kinloch Lodge.

What’s the one moment you’ll always remember?

Exchanging our rings with our 18 guests all around us sheltering under the canopy while it poured with rain!

Love Jessica & Max’s attitude to the elements and the way they made the day truly their own! And how wonderful does a delicious, long meal with friends and family sound? x