Despite having ‘missed’ one another while attending the same college, Jules and Kieran clicked years later while dating online. It was after a Christmas morning sea dip in Portreath that Kieran popped the question through the final piece of an elaborate advent calendar he had made Jules, dropping to bended knee with tears in his eyes.
The wedding planning commenced and the couple soon fell for the idyllic climes of Woodland Valley Farm in the heart of the Cornish countryside. “It’s a beautiful setting you can really make your own if you are willing to make the effort,” explains Jules.
Selecting a colour scheme of burnt orange, sage and champagne “for the calm vibe they offer”, Jules sourced and created much of the décor herself, from the hand-painted stationery and jars of flowers and pampas grass to the Cornish fudge and rock favours and miniature jam jar shots, which went down a treat during the toasts. She even made her own veil, which was the perfect finishing touch for her dreamy lace and tulle gown. Friends and family also pitched in, with Kieran’s dad making an arch for the ceremony aisle and bridesmaid Amy baking the three-tiered cake with the bride and groom's favourite flavour.
Jules enjoyed a memorable arrival to the barn ceremony by tractor. “This really helped set the tone for the relaxed atmosphere,” she says. Walking back down the aisle as a married couple to Arkansas by Chris Stapleton, and be whisked away on the tractor together, proved one of their highlights of the day, followed by a beautifully personal ceremony which included “a bit of banter!”
Boarding the tractor, the newlyweds enjoyed a cocktail together while guests soaked up Aperol Spritz and Pimm’s in the sunshine ahead of a sumptuous feast of Woodland Valley sausages, rib-eye steak, chicken, vegetable kebabs with roast halloumi and tofu, and a smattering of delicious sides.
As the sun set on the hot summer’s day, the festivities revved up with a magician wowing guests and live band Roadrunner filling the dance floor with some of the couple’s favourite tunes.
“The RSVP requested a song that made our guests happy and every so often I would hear couples scream ‘it’s our song’ and I’d see their happy faces running to the dance floor!” smiles Jules.
“Doing my own speech at the wedding breakfast and our first dance being sung my new father-in-law,” she cites as some of her most treasured moments of the day. “He used to be in a band and made an exception to belt out a tune for us!”
Reflecting on their personality-packed wedding, Jules and Kieran are replete with advice for couples in the throes of planning. “Prioritise what is important to you to keep expenses down,” she says. “And know the important parts to plan early: register, notice and rings. Everything else will fall into place.”
They also advise a couple-centred focus on everything from the schedule to the seating plan. “Make some intimate couple time,” Kieran says. “Immediately after the ceremony we had five minutes over an old fashioned to discuss our morning. It was a bit of ‘us’ time to realise the amazing thing we had just done.”
“Don’t be afraid to have just a bride and groom table for the wedding breakfast,” he adds. “It was a beautiful moment seeing all the people we loved enjoying themselves.”
Photography Thomas Frost Photography thomasfrostphotography.com
Venue Woodland Valley Farm woodlandvalley.co.uk
Celebrant Kate Brian
Dress Justin Alexander from Elaine Rawlings elainerawlings.co.uk
Bridesmaids’ dresses Selfridges selfridges.com
Groom’s outfit Moss Bros moss.co.uk
Hair Ro Hair rohair.co.uk Flowers Ingrid Stone stoneingrid7@gmail.com.
Cake Amy Wallace Del-Monte
Magician Fine Entertainments fine-entertainments.com
Entertainment RoadRunner roadrunnerbandlive.co.uk
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