Wedding at the Whitehouse

Down By The River

Pulses were indeed raised when Sam and Rob met at their local gym. Romance flourished and, after the question had been popped, the duo opted for two venues to celebrate their unique wedding, which was a hands-on collaboration by everyone involved.



Whitehouse was their first venue. “We fell in love with the stripped back, eclectic sophistication and the hotel’s combination of modern and retro furnishings and I think that became our theme,” says Sam. With the couple being avid surfers, its close proximity to the coast was ideal, especially since Rob wanted something as close to a beach wedding as possible.





Sam’s gorgeous Charlotte Balbier gown flattered her baby bump. The wedding breakfast and speeches followed the ceremony; guests were invited to dig into shared platters of cold meats and vegetarian dishes followed by potato gnocchi with chilli dressing or a choice of chicken or lamb with seasonal vegetables. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding with cream or poached pears with chocolate sauce.






The party relocated to the Dart Explorer boat for the evening reception, cruising from Dartmouth to Totnes along the beautiful River Dart. Live band The Man from Funkle provided a funky and upbeat set, ensuring that the entire boat was on their feet for their ‘Sex on Fire’ finale. A surprise musical interlude occurred mid-way through the evening when Rob and the band serenaded Sam with Ray LaMontagne’s ‘You Are The Best Thing’.



A honeymoon was never a feasible option Due to Sam's pregnancy. However, a friend generously offered the use of a luxury villa in the Algarve as a wedding gift so they were able to spend a “blissful ten days before the big day doing nothing but enforced chilling. It allowed us just to get excited and reflect on what the wedding was really all about for us: celebrating our love and new life together with our amazing families and friends.”



Sam and Rob advise others to “make the most of the people’s skills around you and consider relinquishing complete control of the day! Your friends and family will want to be involved and if you can see the preparations as an opportunity to work with people on different aspects it can make the day itself more special and allow you to keep the budget to a minimum. Our wedding was never just about us – we always wanted it to be as inclusive as it could be.”





The venue
Whitehouse, Chillington followed by Dart Explorer Boat
01548 580505 www.whitehousedevon.com

The dress
Charlotte Balbier from Jo Christoforides, Wells
01749 670170 www.jochristoforides.co.uk

The flowers
Emma Vowles
01803 866831 www.emmavowles.co.uk

Photography
Rosie Parsons
07710 827045 www.rosieparsons.com


Copyright WED Magazine 2010