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Real Weddings in Cornwall and Devon

Real Wedding at Shilstone House, Devon

Real Wedding at Shilstone House, Devon

Sunny Delights



The zesty shades of summer coloured Katharine and Dan's sun-kissed wedding. Perfectly complementing the glorious summer's day, the bright summery palette also echoed the sun-drenched setting of Dan's proposal in Archer's Bay, a private cove in Barbados.

A quintessentially modern groom, Dan took an active role in the wedding planning. "We wanted it to be bright and fun, and Dan really wanted flowery bridesmaid dresses," says Katharine. "I must have tried on 100 dresses before he finally said he liked one and thank goodness because they were beautiful and we designed the wedding around them!"


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Beautifully arranged by Dan's cousin, Annie Jones, the medley of yellow, red and green flowers aptly reflected Dan's desire for fragrant flowers and Katharine's love of peonies; they also included the favourite blooms of Katharine's grandparents: an abundance of gladioli for the church and freesias for the bouquets.

The ceremony at St. Bartholomew's Church proved a precious and memorable part of the day. "I hadn't really thought that much about the service, but it turned out to be so amazing and so personal," Katharine says. "Our family friend who is a vicar married us and wore a dog collar I'd illustrated for him when I was little." The emotional highlights came thick and fast: Katharine's cousin's reading of 'The Owl and The Pussy Cat', Dan's brother and father singing Ben Folds' 'The Luckiest' during the signing of the register and a performance of a Japanese love song and Frank Sinatra's 'When You're Smiling' by Dan's uncle, who is a Japanese opera singer. "I'm not sure I've ever heard such a big round of applause in church!" recalls Katharine.

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The crowd-pleasing musical performances continued after a high tea by Amazing Taste, which included the delicious likes of smoked salmon, cucumber and Coronation chicken sandwiches, scones, fruit tarts and no less than 11 flavours of cake, served in the sunshine in the garden of Shilstone House.

"Entertainment was one of the most important parts of the day as Dan is a professional musician," comments Katharine. A performance by steel band Real Steel in the walled garden enhanced the Caribbean mood. A hog roast from Natural Born Grillers and a personalised beer, aptly entitled 'Archer's Bay', from Dan's cousin's brewing company Moodleys, was served alongside an electric performance by covers band Fake Tan during the evening reception. "They are absolutely amazing and we all went crazy!" recalls Katharine.

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"I can't even imagine having a better wedding day!" reflects Katharine. Her favourite moment came during the ceremony: "We learnt our wedding vows instead of doing the 'repeat after me'. It really meant a lot to me to stand there and say our vows to each other uninterrupted."

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"Everyone says it but do not stress about the small things. We definitely had our fair share of problems but none of it matters," advises Katharine. "Get everything in writing with your suppliers, it's your wedding but it's also a lot of money and you want to get exactly what you booked."

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The venue

St. Bartholomew's Church, Yealmpton followed by Shilstone House, Modbury

The dress

Essense from The Wedding Company, Plympton
01752 347775 www.the-wedding-company.co.uk

Photography

Joseph Hall
07868 710176 www.joseph-hall.com


Copyright WED magazine 2012