Wedding at The Carlyon Bay Hotel

Champagne and Butterflies

Emma and Andrew met through mutual friends. Five and a half years later, this fortuitous introduction culminated in a starlit proposal on a beach in Tenerife. Andrew had not only asked permission from Emma’s father, but had engraved the ring, provisionally booked the wedding and arranged flowers and champagne in their hotel room to celebrate. “I couldn’t quite believe it!” says Emma. “It was magical!”



The surprises continued on the morning of the wedding. “The best man arrived with a dozen red roses, my favourite perfume and a beautiful love letter from my hubby-to-be!” There was more emotion as Emma slipped into her Ronald Joyce gown and her chief bridesmaid presented her with a lucky sixpence.



A theme of dusky pink, champagne gold and butterflies was carried in every detail, from the cake and flowers to the chair covers and stationery.





The church ceremony featured a Shakespeare sonnet and a poem by Wilfred Peterson, which Emma describes as “very poignant”. At The Carlyon Bay Hotel, the newly weds greeted their guest with a traditional line-up. Guests feasted on a sumptuous choice of dishes, which included roasted tomato and basil soup for starter, pan-fried duck with honey and figs for the main course and strawberry champagne parfait with tulle biscuits for dessert.



Photographs on the lawn and the cutting of the cake – a lavish four-tier creation of ginger, lemon, chocolate and sponge – paved the way for the couple’s first dance. Emma changed into a maxi dress to perform a choreographed routine, which the couple had prepared during a series of lessons. “The dance involved a Viennese waltz and a few other dance moves including turns and drops. The finale to the dance involved Andrew lifting me into a table top spin and spinning me round!”



A friend provided a “fun, cheesy disco with fantastic music from the various decades” as guests munched on a buffet and enjoyed the additional treat of a chocolate fountain. Setting off a series of sky lanterns into the night sky proved “a beautiful ending to a perfect day!” And the fun didn’t end there. The couple jetted off to the tropical climes of the Maldives for their honeymoon.



Emma advises other couples to “visit every wedding fair! You get to meet people and find out what styles and themes you like. Wedding magazines are the best place for inspiration. Tear pages out and create a scrapbook.” Finally, “Enjoy the planning stage its great! It goes all too quickly!”







The venue
St Paul’s Church, Charlestown followed by Carlyon Bay Hotel
01726 812304 www.brend-hotels.co.uk/TheCarlyonBay

The dress
Ronald Joyce from Bliss Bridal Gowns
01872 573377 www.bliss-bridal-gowns.co.uk

The flowers
Wedding Flowers in Cornwall
01872 553080 www.weddingflowersincornwall.co.uk

Photography
Andrew Hawker
01637 881039 www.andrewhawker.co.uk

Copyright WED Magazine 2011