Their wedding is another very special day full of love for family and friends, with a relaxed and deliriously happy feel to it — the wedding photographs from Taylor Barnes Photography (based in Bristol) really capture the emotions of the day (and some gorgeous details too!) — while Hannah and Dave’s wedding report captures the excitement and is guaranteed to bring a big soppy smile to your face! (I’m doing mine now!)
You’ll love this real wedding blog — with the most stunning bride in Maggie Sottero ‘Tracey’ and her adoring (and handsome!) groom who just doesn’t stop smiling all day — it’s an amazing day and I’m so glad to be sharing this wedding with you today.
Enjoy!
A personal, natural and timeless wedding: Churston Court
Who proposed, and how?
This may take a while as I am still soppy about the whole scenario! So, Dave proposed. I’ll attempt to summarise – Dave had given me a card with strict instructions to not open until Tuesday evening. On opening the card, it said that we were spending the day together on the Wednesday and that (obviously in cahoots with my manager) work was taken care of.
We then drove down to Cornwall where we got a helicopter to Tresco (one of the Isles of Scilly). If you have never been, I thoroughly recommend it, they are truly beautiful. Tresco in particular is like a utopia – no cars, sand that sparkles and turquoise seas.
After a walk round the tropical gardens, we headed to the beach; Dave had made us a picnic and the sun was shining. One aspect of the picnic was a kinder egg (this has been a recurring theme in our relationship for some reason!) which, instead of a toy, contained a ring and a note ‘will you marry me?’. On the knee, questioned popped, engagement secured!
After a quick swim and a lot of romantic gazing (cringe),we flew back to the mainland. We then drove down to Porthcurno (another stunning part of Cornwall) where we ate cheese/biscuits/grapes/wine. We even managed to see a dolphin, honestly it was so stupidly perfect it was like he’d hired it! So that was our perfect day…sigh…
Wedding venue:
16th Century Churston Court, NR Brixham. Also the place where Dave asked me out. Very unusual venue, lots of history & quintessentially English.
Wedding photographer:
The wonderful Taylor Barnes — who else?!
How would you describe your wedding style? … Classic, quirky, personal, vintage, natural, timeless.
The wedding ceremony:
Religious or civil? … Religious
Which readings did you choose? … No readings, but the talk was given by someone who has known both of us for donkeys years so it meant a lot.
The wedding reception:
What were your highlights? … Seeing each other for the first time, our mini-trek down to the beach, band & DJ, incredible food, brilliant speeches…
What did you both wear?
Dave — Next suit & shoes, Debenhams floral print white shirt, Dessy green tie.
Hannah — Maggie Sottero ‘Tracey’ dress, floor length veil, irregular choice shoes.
Memorable moments:
Probably not the best, but definitely memorable — Me (Hannah) forgetting the rings on the way to the ceremony! There is a reason the best man should worry about that! Our woodland walk down to Elberry cove, speeches, lanterns. At one point there was a helmet from a suit of armor being passed around & someone was up the chimney — very amusing! Cutting the cake with a sword… The list is endless! The whole day was just brilliant, as it should be
Wedding venue styling and details:
Tables — pearls, lace, green gems, plants in terracotta pots. Table numbers — photos of us with the table number on a large chalkboard doing silly things around the local area e.g. on haystacks, cycling, at the park.
Place names — egg cups with Lord/Lady and then name written with green porcelain pen (Dave conveniently does calligraphy!). Of course, kinder eggs sat in the egg cups as the favours!
We also had vintage style postcards & a postbox for everyone to write comments of the day and advice on & then post. We gave the children crayons so that they could keep themselves amused too! The comments/pictures were brilliant and gave us a good laugh the next day!
Music and entertainment:
Unusual (and fantastic) Blue Orchid — covers band. The amazing and lovely Zak Peters as the DJ — finished at half 2! Due to it being quite a long journey, we made a cd for each car load (including evening guests) to put them in the mood for a good time. Also we had scones for the guests when they first arrived and after the speeches we all went outside to let off Chinese lanterns.
Wedding day advice:
Always take a moment to step back for a minute & soak it all in. Let the best man look after the rings! If waiting for your meal, walk round & talk to your guests; chances are, if you have a large wedding then you won’t have another opportunity to say hi. Enjoy every second!
Recommended wedding suppliers:
Pirouette — incredible service, beautiful gowns in an unusual setting with a vintage feel. Hair done by the lovely Kaye & Beth at Penhalagans, Ilminster. Everything else was homemade!
Thank you to the lovely www.taylorbarnesphotography.co.uk for submitting such a gorgeous wedding to English Wedding Blog!
See more of Hannah and Dave’s wedding at Churston Court here