Photography: Mimosa Photography Venue: Brickhouse Vineyard
“We met as one of the lucky ones who both swiped right!” says Wayne. “As soon as we set eyes on each other, it was love at first sight and we felt a connection,” he says of their first date – a chilly January beach walk in Westward Ho! with their dogs (“who also equally fell in love with each other straight away!”).
The following August, Wayne took Oliver to Bellever Woods in Dartmoor with a picnic and a very important question. Armed with a fake scratch card that read ‘Will you marry me?’, he set about his proposal plan. “When I gave Ollie the scratch card, he immediately flagged it as a fake and started examining the terms and conditions!” laughs Wayne. “We were sitting on a fallen tree carved into a long bench by the river, and Ollie scratched it anyway!”
A last-minute change of plan – from a Caribbean cruise to a British elopement – led the pair to Brickhouse Vineyard. “As soon as we saw it, we knew we had found the perfect place,” says Oliver. Their chosen spring wedding date was gloriously sunny. “The cherry blossoms were in full swing, just as we’d hoped.”
Adopting a ‘music by candlelight’ theme, the vineyard was decorated with an abundance of candles, herbs in rustic terracotta pots and soft cheesecloth. “We made our buttonholes using rosemary, lavender and eucalyptus from our garden,” adds Oliver, recalling the scents that perfumed the day.
With just eight guests – their three children, Wayne’s mother, Oliver’s siblings and their partners – the couple exchanged vows. “We both have very busy careers and didn’t want the stress of a big wedding; it was about us celebrating our love together,” explains Wayne.
“The ceremony was beautiful and personal, and we really couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful setting,” he continues. “We said our vows, which turned out to be incredibly similar despite keeping them a secret. We walked down the aisle together to Elvis Presley Can’t Help Falling in Love and exited to Wham!’s I’m Your Man.”
Afternoon tea followed in the thatched Round house, soundtracked by a cello playlist, before the party moved to Hotel du Vin in Exeter for supper. “Ollie and I checked into the honeymoon suite, had some time to relax, go for a swim and process our amazing day,” reflects Wayne. “The suite was the perfect end to a perfect day – and the night before going to London to start our honeymoon in Borneo.”
Not wanting to forgo all the traditional elements of a wedding, Wayne and Oliver still managed a first dance – but saved it for their friends and family. “Only a small handful of people knew we had eloped,” reveals Wayne. “So we threw a joint birthday party after our travels, which was actually a surprise wedding reception instead of a 40th birthday!”
While in southeast Asia, the couple had filmed themselves dancing to Taylor Swift’s Daylight in locations across Malaysia – from city skylines to forest cabins, jungles and beaches. “At the party, we had the DJ stop the music and play our wedding video along with the footage of our first dance,” recalls Oliver. “The room erupted with shock and happiness. Everyone was so pleased for us, and we celebrated surrounded by our loved ones.”
Photography Mimosa Photography mimosaphotography.uk
Venue Brickhouse Vineyard brickhousevineyard.co.uk
Suits Moss Bros moss.co.uk
Catering Hotel du Vin hotelduvin.com
Cake Cakehead cakehead.co.uk
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