Seduced by the romance of Pentillie Castle, the pair opted for the serene setting of the Victorian bathing hut for their snowy ceremony. "One of my fondest memories of the day was waking up at dawn to see the mist hanging in the trees over the valley and realising it was going to be a proper white wedding," comments Dara.
Whilst she waited in the bridal suite, the ushers ventured out to check whether the path to the bathing hut was passable for guests. The green light was given, and guests gathered for Dara's grand entrance.
"As it was snowing and the grounds were a tad treacherous, everyone (including me) ended up wearing trainers or boots to the ceremony," reflects Dara. The brother of the groom even wore Hobbit feet for the ceremony to reflect his role as the ring-bearer!
After the ceremony, the newly weds stole a private moment to themselves: "We stepped away from everyone for photos just outside the bathing hut and it was wonderful being able to say privately to Steve 'we're married!' and having a hug and a kiss."
After some fun trudging through the snow, Dara and Steve returned to the warmth of Pentillie's dining room for the wedding breakfast, which was interspersed with various speeches, including a beautiful poem written by Steve's mother. Guests dined on a locally sourced feast of crab and scallops, roast beef and all the trimmings and apple crumble and custard. "Even the champagne was from Cornwall and delicious!" says Dara.
Following the newlyweds' first dance to The Eagles' 'Love Will Keep Us Alive', an iPod disco kick-started the party. "The atmosphere was wonderfully laidback as everyone had the run of the house to do as they please," recalls Dara.
Cheese and soups were provided for a late evening snack before guests started to leave, though many were unable to return to their accommodation due to the snow. "Luckily the Pentillie team were on hand to assist and even at 1am they helped take our guests home," says Dara.
The newly weds have plenty of advice for other couples: "Organise and pay for as much as possible in advance and make quick snappy decisions. It means that you are practically stress-free in the run-up and more so on the day. Both Steve and I were unbelievably calm the whole day and happily nothing went wrong."
The venue
Pentillie Castle and Estate, St Mellion
01579 350044 www.pentillie.co.uk
The dress
Creative Thread, Dubai
www.creativethreaddubai.com
The flowers
Phillip Taylor Corps
07892 488053 www.taylorcorps.com
Photography
John Armstrong Photography
www.jap.co.za
Copyright WED Magazine 2011
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