From their very first date – a romantic hike to an alpine lake followed by s’mores and a beach bonfire – Amanda and Brian’s love story has always been intertwined with nature. Their engagement was just as intimate and meaningful. “Brian proposed while we were on one of our walks around the neighbourhood the night before he was leaving for deployment,” reveals Amanda.
Set against the rolling landscape of Dartmoor, Bovey Castle provided the perfect backdrop to bring their forest-meets-mountain celebration to life. A rich and earthy palette of dark greens and autumnal shades of mauve and brown set the scene, while a breathtaking flower meadow transformed the ceremony room, bringing the wild outdoors in.
As guests settled in their seats and Amanda made her grand entrance, another showstopping moment was to come. “We had an owl fly the rings down the aisle!” she says, counting the graceful swooping of the owl and the exchanging of their personal vows as amongst her most cherished memories of the day.
Following the ceremony, the couple shared a private first look at their beautifully styled reception space. “We were absolutely stunned by what our planner, Laura, had created!” says Amanda. The tablescape was a vision of woodland elegance, with abundant foliage, rich forest-floor hues, textured accents and moss green linen perfectly capturing their enchanting forest aesthetic.
Guests gathered for al fresco drinks, soaking in the picturesque grounds before sitting down to a decadent feast. The menu featured starters of goat’s cheese, vine tomato and red onion tartlet, and a pressed terrine of smoked gammon and chicken. For the main course, guests enjoyed Devonshire beef wellington or herb-crusted loin of lamb, followed by indulgent desserts of milk chocolate tart with honeycomb ice cream and warm sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream.
The newlyweds took to the dance floor for their first dance to Ed Sheeran’s Tenerife Sea, a moment Amanda admits was both nerve-wracking and magical. “It’s hard to be the centre of attention with all eyes on you, but we did enjoy our first dance as a married couple!” she says of a standout moment. Another highlight? Their feathered ring-bearer making an encore appearance for photographs. “Getting to interact and take photographs with the owl was a wonderful addition to our pictures and fun for our guests.”
As day turned to night over Dartmoor, a live band, a magician and a casino table provided a crowd-pleasing mix of entertainment.
For couples in the throes of wedding planning, Amanda has one key piece of advice: hire a planner. “Let them take the lead and make suggestions,” she says. “The amount of details our planner added made it a day we will never forget and better than we ever could have imagined. It took all the stress off us and kept us on-schedule.” And above all? “Don’t stress over the small details. You're marrying the love of your life, so don't let anything ruin that.”
Photography James Frost Photography jamesfrostphotoblog.com
Venue Bovey Castle boveycastle.com
Wedding planning & styling Kept Weddings keptweddings.co.uk
Celebrant Gem of a Wedding gemofawedding.co.uk
Dress Seattle Bridal Rack seattlebridalrack.com
Suit Suit Supply suitsupply.com
Hair The Lighthouse Hair thelighthouseweddinghair.com
Make-up Millie Elizabeth instagram.com/millieemua
Flowers Emma Hewlett Floral Design emmahewlett.co.uk
Trees Fuss Pots fusspots.co.uk
Decor & stationery Kept Weddings with Laura keptweddings.co.uk
Cake Hat-a-Cakes hatacakes.co.uk
Napkins The Knotted Napkin Co. theknottednapkinco.com
Owl Sharandys Birds of Prey sharandysbirdsofprey.com
Transport Cars-Exec cars-exec.com
Entertainment Chris Tennant Magician christennant.co.uk
Mammoth mammothband.co.uk
Creme de la Creme Fun Casino cremedelacremecasino.co.uk
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