Wedding at Bickleigh Castle

Age of Elegance

Rachel and Nico first met at a friend’s 40th birthday party, and a Christmas Day proposal followed. Spanish-born Nico and Rachel, who has links to Devon, wanted to bring a European twist to their romantic English castle wedding. “We decided we wanted to get married in England but we loved the way that the wedding celebrations run for several days in Europe, rather than just one day, so we decided to bring the two ideas together. Bickleigh Castle was perfect as we had exclusive use of the estate for the entire weekend,” says Rachel.



The night before the wedding, the couple hosted a lively tapas evening with mouthwatering Spanish dishes. This proved a fabulous way of introducing guests before the wedding day.



Rachel’s duchess satin silk Caroline Castigliano dress and satin-edged veil oozed a chic look of timeless elegance. Nico’s Scottish heritage was reminiscent in the purple thistles used for the buttonholes and bridesmaids’ hair accessories; they also featured in Rachel’s bouquet of freesia, Singapore orchids and roses.





Rain clouds in the morning gave way to sunshine just in time for the civil ceremony in the great hall. The couple then received a blessing in the intimate, romantic setting of the sixth century chapel. “Spending our first few minutes as husband and wife in the armoury, while we waited to make our entrance together in the chapel, was a real highlight,” says Rachel. “We could hear our recessional music from Sigur Ros playing upstairs. Brilliant!”



Following drinks and canapés on the lawn, the couple cut the three-tier white chocolate and summer berries cheesecake before sitting down to the wedding breakfast of crab salad and fillet of beef. A traditional fruitcake – made by Rachel’s mother – was served later in the evening.





Despite nerves, the couple’s dance routine to Michael Bublé’s ‘Just Haven’t Met You Yet’ went down a treat, and live band ‘Jive Jacks’ ensured the dance floor was grooving into the early hours. A firework display made a magnificent finale to the day.





“It was a perfect wedding weekend from beginning to end,” Rachel reflects. Her advice to future brides is simple: “Try not to get over stressed or caught up in minor things, like music. It really doesn't matter as all that you remember are the important bits.” She adds, “Have some sort of  'do' the night before the wedding, as it allows all your guests to meet and starts the party off well!”



The venue
Bickleigh Castle
01884 855363 www.bickleighcastle.com 

The dress
Catherine Castigliano
www.carolinecastigliano.co.uk

The flowers
West Country Wedding Flowers
01884 855309 www.westcountryweddingflowers.co.uk

Photography
Harrera Images
07795 608941 www.harreraimages.co.uk

Copyright WED Magazine 2011