A secret summer holiday of two parts saw Will propose to Rachael during a surprise trip to Venice followed by a holiday with friends to Morocco, where they celebrated their engagement in exotic style. "The whole experience was overwhelming and at every surprise I was crying with happiness," she says.
Their service at St Cleer Church was a personal and family-centric affair. Will's brothers both creatively contributed to the order of service, with Richard personalising and reading a Shakespeare sonnet and Stephen adapting the couple's favourite songs into a bespoke piece that he and his girlfriend performed during the signing of the register.
"Finally reaching the aisle and seeing each other in the church after waiting nervously the whole morning was a very emotional and overwhelming moment," recalls Rachael, who teamed her ivory lace gown with freshwater pearls and a bouquet of calla lilies to complete the classic aesthetic. Bridesmaids in ivory tea-length frocks finished with marine blue sashes accompanied her down the aisle.
Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Club staged the reception, where traditional decor met a touch of heritage for a classic yet beautifully bespoke celebration space. "I have always been a fan of jigsaw puzzles, so we had a double heart wooden puzzle handmade with our names and the date engraved in the middle for our guestbook and marine blue puzzle shaped cufflinks for the men," says Rachael of the personalisation that was lovingly in play. "We also had Cornish fudge for our favours as well as pasties in the evening buffet."
The sumptuous sit-down meal comprised leek and potato soup, prawn cocktail, chicken wrapped in bacon with tarragon sauce, roast beef, profiteroles and lemon tart.
Later, an evening buffet kept guests' hunger at bay alongside the heart-shaped, three-tier cigarillo cake, while a disco struck the perfect chord with a playlist of dance floor filling tracks. "My 87-year-old gran was one of the last to leave!" laughs Rachael.
Looking back at the day's sweet success, Rachael is replete with advice for other couples who may be worrying unnecessarily about the details. "Enjoy every second! Everyone told me that the day goes so fast, and it seriously does! There will most likely be things that don't go to plan, but in the moment even I didn't realise that this was the case."
Photography Ben Photography www.benphotography.co.uk
Venue St Cleer Church followed by Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Club www.lanhydrockhotel.com
Dress Ella Rosa from Vu's Bridal www.vusbridal.co.uk
Bridesmaid dresses Colins Bridal www.colinsbridal.co.uk
Hair Hair by Mel
Make-up A Little Beauty
Groom's outfit Moss Bros www.mossbroshire.co.uk
Flowers Barbara Smetherham
Cake Tina Mollard www.aisleofdreams.co.uk
Transport Westcountry Wedding Cars www.westweddings.co.uk
Entertainment Northern Lights DJ www.northernlightsdj.co.uk
Copyright Wed magazine 2014
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