Unforgettable weddings are all about those little, sentimental details that both you and your guests will remember long after the day is over. At Sissons Barn in Peterborough, owners Ben and Laura have come up with the most romantic idea for couples to add a special moment to their wedding day. Scarlett Cooke from Sissons Barn tells us more…
“Since we began hosting weddings on the farm in 2011, each couple who has celebrated their wedding day with us have received a copper leaf which is engraved with their names and wedding date. The couples then padlock their leaves to the steel trees during the day. The keys to the padlocks are then taken home by the couple to do with as they please. We have had couples take the keys on honeymoon to be thrown away so the padlock is locked onto the tree forever, or kept in a 3D memory frame with other momentums from the day. Our aim is to create a map of the world and plot where all our couples keys have gone at some point in the future.
Each tree is original and made on the farm. The leaves are cut specially for the venue and this year’s leaf design is a Maple leaf. Once the leaf is cut it is sent away to have the couple’s names engraved on it. The leaf then returns to the farm and on the morning of the wedding Ben heats, bends, beats and shapes the leaf ready to be locked to the tree. “It’s his little tradition!” says Scarlett.
“The idea was originally thought of by Ben and Laura when they got married. They made a tree for their family garden to mark special life events, then once the new barn was built the idea was incorporated into the garden design which Laura herself designed. The original tree is still in the garden and is seen through the office window.”
The idea for locking leaves on to the trees originally came from the gates and bridges across Europe which for decades couples have attached their padlocks to keep as romantic gestures, securing their love for all time. “The very first time this happened” Scarlett tells us “is thought to have been in an Italian bestselling book and film, which then became a romantic moment for couples to recreate all over Europe. Many bridges and fences now can’t have any more added onto them as they have become unsafe with all the extra weight.”
couples take the keys on honeymoon to be thrown away so the padlock is locked onto the tree forever…
Sissons Barn
“Thankfully, it’s something we don’t have to worry about as we have several trees made just for the leaves and we can make more if we need to in the future. We want to have an arboretum full of couples leaves, which will slowly turn a lovely oxidised copper green making them look like real trees.”
