After meeting on the first day of university, Grace and Jamie became firm friends and their friendship soon blossomed into romance when he asked her on a date. The couple were celebrating their 10-year anniversary in Mauritius when Jamie made the holiday even more special. “The sunset was absolutely beautiful and we went for a walk along the beach; that’s when Jamie got down on one knee and proposed,” Grace reminisces. “He knew I wouldn’t want it to be done in front of a lot of people, so he managed to find a secluded spot so we could enjoy the moment.”
The search for a wedding venue began – and both Grace and Jamie had their hearts set on marrying in the South-west. “We wanted to get married in Devon or Cornwall as we met at Exeter University, plus I spent a lot of my childhood in Rock and Jamie spent his summers in Shaldon and Teignmouth,” she explains. “It felt right for us to get married around these areas and it meant a lot to us to find such a beautiful venue in Hareston Manor.”
A gorgeous array of seasonal flowers such as peonies and roses carried their colour scheme of white, blush pink, sage, olive and dusky blue for their May wedding. “We chose to have our wedding as a black tie event as we always love an opportunity to dress up and also loved the contrast of a relaxed setting with the sophistication of black tie,” explains Grace, who wore a customised Suzanne Neville gown, while her bridesmaids opted for satin dresses in olive green.
The couple chose to have a ‘first look’ before Grace walked down the aisle to an acoustic rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. “We both felt like we might get quite emotional and wanted a moment beforehand to see each other in private and give each other a hug and a kiss before the big moment!” she says.
After their outdoor ceremony, with the beautiful historic house as their backdrop, guests spilled into the sun-filled gardens for drinks and canapés. Settling into a tipi dressed with flowers and foliage, everyone tucked into the sumptuous likes of crab arancini, buratta with slow-roasted tomatoes, slow-braised brisket and cauliflower steaks with chimichurri sauce. “Instead of a cake, we had a sweets table which had a selection of brownies, mini cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies,” says Grace of the sweet endnote.
The couple’s first dance – to You’ve Got the Love by Florence and The Machine – opened the evening celebrations, with everyone enjoying an espresso martini shot to “bring the energy to the dance floor”. Eight-piece band Clique kept the party going, playing an infectious mix of Motown and soul music. And the end of the night didn’t mark the end of the celebrations, with guests returning to the manor the next day for drinks, pizza and ice cream in the sunshine.
“The entire day was amazing,” says Grace, looking back. “The 'first look' was so special and made us feel calm going into the ceremony. The sunset was also a standout moment. We were very stressed about the weather leading up to the day, but we were so lucky and the sunset was so beautiful. It felt like a perfect moment of peace nestled into a very full-on day.”
As for advice for those planning she asserts: “Choose your non-negotiables and arrange your budget around them. Also, spreadsheets are your friend!”
Photography Kathryn Clarke-McLeod kathrynclarkemcleod.com
Venue Hareston Manor harestonwedding.co.uk
Dress Suzanne Neville from The Bride the-bride.co.uk
Bridesmaids’ dresses Amsale amsale.com
Suit Hugo Boss hugoboss.com
Hair & make-up Lucille and Co lucillenco.com
Flowers Thorn Flowers thornflowers.uk
Catering Four Elements fourelementscatering.com
Stationery Print for Love printforlove.co.uk
Sweets table Sweet Buns facebook.com/sweetbunsdevon
Transport Wembury Cars wemburycars.com
Entertainment Rebecca Puckey encoremusicians.com/Rebecca-Puckey Band
Clique entertainment-nation.co.uk/clique
Videography Salty Beard Productions saltybeardproductions.com
