Photography Paige Grace paigegracephotography.co.uk Venue Tate St Ives tate.org.uk
Bethany and Sean first met through mutual friends en route to a music festival. It wasn’t until Bethany later moved to Manchester – where Sean was living at the time – that they reconnected, bonding over a tour of the city’s vegan and vegetarian restaurants. “It kind of went from there,” she says. “Sean then took me on a very romantic surprise trip to London to see my favourite ballet, Swan Lake.”
They became engaged in the company of their children, when Sean arranged a private dining room at The Headland Hotel in Newquay with a harpist, followed by a family meal. “It was lovely to have the space to ourselves without an audience, and to relax with the children for the evening,” reflects Bethany.
Choosing their local church, St Ia in St Ives, the ceremony was the most meaningful part of their wedding day. “This was the most important moment for us – it was truly personal and felt incredibly special to both of us,” says Bethany. “I practically ran down the aisle because my nerves were so high!” she laughs. “We finished by singing All You Need Is Love, with Sean and family members playing kazoos.”
After a confetti throw and pasties in the church gardens, everyone made their way to Tate St Ives for the reception – overlooking a beach close to the couple’s hearts. “We spend every summer there with friends and family,” says Bethany. “I love that we could walk from one venue to the next through the cobbled streets of St Ives – it made the day feel really relaxed, homely and special.”
A minimalist palette of green and white set the tone, with elegant florals and LED wax candles in tall vases adorning both venues. “We wanted to make the most of the architecture,” she explains. Bethany made the stationery, from the acrylic menus to the capiz shell place settings. Guests were treated to a vegan and vegetarian sharing feast, with dishes including miso potatoes, feta, herb and spinach filo parcels, flatbreads and Muhammara. “It worked well with our caterpillar-style table layout,” adds Bethany.
As evening fell, live music and DJ sets from soul band Motown Magic kept the dance floor full. One of Bethany’s favourite moments came at the end of their first dance, which they had rehearsed with a choreographer in the lead-up to the wedding: “That’s when I finally felt I could truly relax!” she says. The final dance of the night, set to That's Life by Frank Sinatra, proved just as unfogettable.
Another highlight came courtesy of the weather. “The lead-up to the wedding had been horrifically stormy, but by some miracle the clouds parted and we had glorious sunshine all day,” she says. “The following day, when we went for a post-wedding sea swim with family and friends, it was absolutely chucking it down!”
When asked for her advice, Bethany shares: “Keep it simple and remember the true meaning of the day,” she says. For parents, she adds one extra tip: “Hire a nanny. We chose someone our young daughter was already very familiar with, who kept a constant eye on her and took her home when she got tired. It gave us such peace of mind throughout the day, knowing she was entertained.”
Photography Paige Grace paigegracephotography.co.uk
Venue Tate St Ives tate.org.uk
Planning & styling Rebel & Anchor rebelandanchor.co.uk
Dress St Ives Bridal Boutique stivesbridalboutique.co.uk
Make-up Emily Simpson emilysimpsonbridal.com
Catering Fego Food Co. fegofood.com
Philp’s Pasties philpspasties.co.uk
Cake Amber’s Cakery amberscakery.com
Flowers George Mackay Flowers georgemackayflowers.com
Event hire Abbotts Event Hire abbottseventhire.co.uk
Illustrator Gigsketch instagram.com/gigsketch_art
Entertainment Taylor Jane London instagram.com/taylorjanelondon
Fionnuala Kirby kirbyharp.co.uk
Motown Magic instagram.com/envivolatinouk
Production JHAV jhav.co.uk
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