“We wish we could say something more romantic but we’re a Tinder love story!” says Joi of how her and Declan first met. “Our first date was at Crazy Pedros in Manchester for pizza and tequila and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We do have a lot of mutual friends, so we’re sure we’d have met at some point anyway!”
During a family trip to St Ives, Declan asked Joi to meet him at the chapel on the island where he popped the question. “I clambered up to my favourite spot in the world and saw him sat on the wall, ocean stretching out behind him, with a bottle of champagne and a bouquet. It was the most amazing sunset and I remember thinking that everything was perfect.”
The seaside town was also the setting for their September wedding, where they exchanged their self-penned vows at St Ives Guildhall. “The ceremony was super personal and really set the tone for the rest of the day,” says Joi. They then walked with their guests to the Beach Café Bar for Pimm’s and nibbles. “It was brilliant as we had loads of people wishing us well as we went by,” she reflects. “The sun was shining; I was in my hometown walking barefoot across the front with a champagne glass in my hand...it was perfect.”
Adopting a “subtle celestial theme”, the day was decorated with a mixture of golds, pinks “and lots of sparkle”, with added details including tarot themed table numbers and celestial place names. “Hundreds of wild Cornish flowers in my favourite colours were arranged spectacularly,” adds Joi.
Photos on the pier and around the town were followed by the wedding feast at The Loft, where guests tucked into the delicious likes of Cornish mussels, mixed herb gnocchi, crab linguine and mixed mushroom, sweet potato and cashew wellington rounded off by sticky toffee pudding, affogato and biscotti and rhubarb and custard.
“We also designed our own cocktails,” says Joi. “I chose a cherry negroni and Declan’s was kind of like a Manhattan, with bourbon, amaro, sherry and chocolate bitters. Both were served with a personal affirmation card for guests to keep.”
“In the tipsy lull between the end of the meal and the disco we rounded up the troops for a stroll over to Porthmeor Beach where we frolicked and watched the sun go down. Then we went back to The Loft for a disco and pasties. We ended the night with sparklers and a very drunken walk back to our Airbnb!” recalls Joi.
“Don’t worry so much about what other people think!” she says by word of advice. “There were things about our day that we weren’t sure everyone would ‘get’, but those turned out to be the things that made it really special because they were true to us.”
Photography Clara Cooper claracooperphotography.com
Venue St Ives Guildhall stivesguildhall.co.uk
Beach Café Bar beachcafe.bar
The Loft Restaurant theloftrestaurantandterrace.co.uk
Dress Eliza Jane Howell elizajanehowell.com
Headdress & earrings Tilly Thomas Lux tillythomaslux.com
Groom’s outfit Twisted Tailor twistedtailor.com
Flowers Cornish Cutting Garden cornishcuttinggarden.co.uk
Table numbers Paige & Co paigenco.co.uk
Entertainment DJ Aldo from Disco Shed discoshed.com
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